How Caleb Foster Has Proven True Leadership for Duke

Duke junior guard Caleb Foster is the leader of this team and is going on the floor to prove what it truly means to be a Blue Devil.

Dec 16, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to guard Caleb Foster during the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 97-73. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The Duke Blue Devils want to win it all this season. They know that it is going to take all of them putting everything they have into this season. This is not your typical young Duke team. Instead, it is one that is full of talented players. From freshmen to Seniors.

This team has veterans, and its leadership is something that is different about this team this season. This is a great well well-rounded team, and they are looking to get better every time they step on the court.

The leader of this is junior guard Caleb Foster. Foster is better this season, and all that hard work in the offseason has paid off for him. He knows what head coach Jon Scheyer expects from him and the team. He is a true leader, and he is showing it. He is the one who is the difference maker right now, as Duke has begun ACC play and could be the impact player that Duke will lean on for the rest of the season.

Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) and Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) battled for control in the second half as the Blue Devils rallied to beat the Cards 84-73 Tuesday night at KFC Yum Center January 6, 2026. Duke shot 70 percent in field goals in the second half after only 36 percent in the first. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caleb Foster is a True Leader

"Well, what do I know? In three games of ACC play, Evans has looked exactly like the top perimeter option Duke needs him to be, averaging 22.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while making 38.7 percent of his 10.3 3-point attempts per game," said Brendan Markd of The Athletic.

"And yet, even Evans and Boozer weren’t enough in the first half on Tuesday against No. 20 Louisville, as Duke trailed by nine at the half. No Duke player besides those two made a single shot over the first 16 minutes of the game, as the Blue Devils looked headed for their second straight loss to a ranked foe."

Jan 6, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks with Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) and guard Caleb Foster (1) during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

But out of the break, Scheyer’s team looked a totally different version — in large part because of Foster.

But despite that, Foster opted to return for a third go-round in Durham, where he’s been at his best in Duke’s biggest moments. The 6-foot-5 guard had 15 points and a career-high eight rebounds against Arkansas, helping stave off a Hogs comeback attempt, and 12 points at Michigan State in the team’s best win this season. But his performance against the Cards — a career-high 20 points and nine made shots, plus four rebounds and two assists — was his best effort in 80 career games.

Jan 6, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) drives to the basket against Louisville Cardinals center Aly Khalifa (15) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

And also, not to overreact, it’s the kind of showing that should make us rethink Duke’s ceiling.

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