Duke Basketball Stock Report: 3 Early-Season Risers

Duke is clearly one of the most talented teams in college basketball this season, but it isn't perfect right now.

The Blue Devils are coming off their first loss of the young season, a 79-73 defeat to No. 5 Michigan State in the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday night. MSU outplayed Duke, was tougher, and deserved to win the game. An early loss in the first premier game of the year now gives Duke a chance to respond while learning where it really needs to get better.

Duke has so many options and guys capable of playing significant minutes, so it will take some time to figure out which lineups and rotations make the most sense. Here are three early stock risers over the first three games of the regular season.

Patrick Ngongba

Throughout the offseason, I was unsure how much Patrick Ngongba's box score numbers were actually going to shoot up since there are so many options on this team. However, through three games, Ngongba might be the most valuable player in the rotation.

The 6'11" center is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, a team-high 7.7 rebounds, and a team-high 2.0 blocks per game, along with 2.7 assists a night. Additionally, Ngongba has analytically been one of the most valuable players in the sport. He currently ranks fourth nationally in Bayesian Performance Rating at EvanMiya, which measures a player's overall value to his team when he's on the floor. He's also currently fifth in KenPom's National Player of the Year standings.

Ngongba is one of Duke's best passers and will have an expanded role as a creator for his teammates this season. He's already taken seven threes this season, knocking down two of them, but most of his scoring will still probably come in the paint. The Paul VI product notched a career-high 28 points against Coastal Carolina last week.

If Ngongba entered the 2026 NBA Draft, he very well could've been a first-round pick. Early in 2026-27, he's showing he might be the most important piece of this loaded rotation.

Deron Rippey Jr.

When looking at this roster on paper before competition got going, it was somewhat difficult to see a path for 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. to get significant time with three other high-level, veteran guards in the rotation. However, Rippey proved early that he deserves to get on the floor, and he's been highly impactful when out there.

The Brooklyn native is averaging 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals a game on 37.5% shooting from the field while taking over five shots a game. He's already made great strides as a perimeter defender, is a threat from the three-point line, and is one of the best pure athletes on the roster.

Rippey will probably never be in a role where he's playing 30 minutes or more a night, but given how loaded the Blue Devils' backcourt is, he has earned a consistent spot in the rotation. Rippey has played at least 12 minutes in all three games this season.

Sebastian Wilkins

Redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins has been incredibly impressive for the Blue Devils in the early part of the campaign because the last thing on his mind is his own personal statistics. When Wilkins is on the floor, he impacts the game in whatever way helps the Blue Devils win games. After waiting a year for his turn, he's becoming one of the most important bench pieces for Scheyer and Co.

This season, the Brewster Academy product is averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 steals a game on 45.5% shooting from the floor. He was one of Duke's most productive players against Michigan State on Tuesday night, tallying nine points, two offensive rebounds, and a block in 19 minutes.

Wilkins is a highly impactful and versatile defender at 6'8", can knock down outside shots when needed, can pass, and has an extremely high motor. Similar to the type of production that several of Duke's rotation players will probably have this season, it won't always reflect in the box score. However, through the Blue Devils' first three games of the regular season, there haven't been many guys who have impacted winning at a higher level than Wilkins.

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