Duke Basketball’s X-Factor for 2025

The Duke Blue Devils Basketball team is looking forward to getting its season started on a high note. The Blue Devils are hard at work getting ready for the upcoming season. They have great players coming in this season, and they have a great recruiting class.

This team will be watched all season in college basketball. They are still a top Blue Blood team in the sport, and they want to make sure they live up to it. It all starts in the offseason, and they have been hard at work.

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer addresses the crowd at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

They have a head coach in Jon Scheyer who is looking to improve this team and take them all the way. Last season, this team achieved great things, but at the end of the day, this University plays for National Championships.

That is the ultimate goal, and there is not one player who does not know that when coming here to play for this great program. Scheyer and his coaching staff make it clear to their team what they are trying to do.

frfr — Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Leadership for Duke

Another thing this coaching staff is huge on is leadership. They know that if they have great leadership with a lot of different players on this roster, it is going to make the whole team better.

"Last season, Scheyer did not name team captains. To him, it was an unnecessary exercise," said Caleb Dudley of The Chronicle.

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils Cameron Crazies cheer at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

“It's on the table still,” Scheyer said of naming captains. “I thought we had really strong leadership at the end of the day last year, and it just flowed that way. And I don't want to confuse the fact of how important leadership is, which we had that, but captain, to me, and leadership is something that's earned. It's not just a title.”

Apr 4, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during a practice session for the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

"With the amount of returners present within the program this year — Brown and Foster in addition to three promising sophomores — it could be easy to think that Duke will naturally glide into the same path of dominance it followed during the 2024-25 season. Even with the continuity, Scheyer was sure to point out that the journey will not be the same as last year."

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center court logo before the Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Nothing is promised, playing time included.

“There's no such thing as ‘where's my turn’ now, or ‘it's just going to happen’ now. Everybody has to earn what's going to happen,” Scheyer said. “When you have five players returning, five new players, everybody has to earn it still.”

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke head coach Jon Scheyer answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

"While the outcome isn’t a guaranteed success, there is inherent value in having five players who played on last year’s squad. As Duke tries to learn what its new identity is going to be in Scheyer’s fourth year at the helm, it’s up to Brown and Foster, in addition to Isaiah Evans, Ngongba and Darren Harris to set the course for Indianapolis."

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) shoots a three pointer celebrated by the Cameron Crazies during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

“Just because you've been here doesn't mean that it's just your turn now … It does mean that you can take the experiences you've had and be better for it. And so really relying on these guys for their leadership and for understanding what it takes, I think that's the most important thing,” Scheyer said.

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