The Improvements Duke's Returning Players Need Next Season

Jon Scheyer has finished building Duke's roster for next season. He retained key players from last year's squad, secured the No. 1 recruiting class for the third consecutive year, and added two impactful pieces through the transfer portal.

Five players from last year's team are coming back. Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Sebastian Wilkins, and Patrick Ngongba all chose to return. Sarr and Ngongba were both viewed as potential first-round picks heading into last season.

Sarr's stock dropped significantly over the course of the year, while Ngongba had a strong enough season to generate legitimate draft interest but ultimately decided that returning to Duke made more sense given how loaded this year's draft class is compared to next year's.

With the roster finalized, here is what each returning player needs to improve to help Duke make a run at a national championship.

Caleb Foster: Becoming a True Playmaker

Foster enters his senior season coming off the best year of his Duke career, averaging eight points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three. He is also one of the more underrated perimeter defenders in the country, a quality that tends to go unnoticed on a team with bigger names commanding attention.

The area that needs the most attention is his playmaking. Foster averaged a career-high 2.8 assists per game last season, which is encouraging as a trajectory but insufficient for a player who will be asked to run the offense without a superstar to rely on. The past two seasons, Scheyer's offense flowed through Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg.

That luxury is gone. Foster needs to elevate his assist numbers, keep turnovers low, and find ways to consistently involve teammates in the flow of the offense. His senior season will require more from him as a point guard than any previous year at Duke.

Cayden Boozer: Defending at a Higher Level

Boozer finished last season on a strong note. When Foster went down with an injury, Boozer stepped into the starting lineup and helped lead Duke to an ACC Tournament championship win over Virginia. Heading into next season, Boozer is expected to come off the bench, which puts him alongside incoming freshman Derron Rippey Jr. in the second unit.

Neither is known as a lockdown defender at this stage of their development, which means the bench unit could be a defensive liability if Boozer does not take a meaningful step forward on that end. He has the athleticism to be a quality defender. The focus and consistency need to catch up with the physical tools.

Dame Sarr: Finding a Consistent Offensive Game

Sarr arrived at Duke as a projected lottery pick and did not live up to that billing as a freshman. The most significant contributor to his stock drop was his inability to create his own shot and score consistently.

He showed flashes throughout the season, including a 19-point performance against Army West Point that previewed what he is capable of. The challenge is turning those moments into a baseline rather than an exception.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) prepares to shoot during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

If Sarr can average 10 to 11 points per game next season while improving his shot creation off the dribble and his three-point efficiency, he will go a long way toward reminding NBA scouts why they were so high on him in the first place.

Patrick Ngongba: Developing a Post Game

Ngongba is one of the better defensive centers in the ACC, and his offensive efficiency, 60 percent shooting from the field, reflects a player who understands how to operate within a system. He is a reliable lob threat, an effective offensive rebounder, and a consistent paint presence on both ends of the floor.

The next step is expanding his offensive toolkit. Ngongba currently does most of his damage from catch-and-finish situations, but adding even a rudimentary post game and improved footwork would make him significantly harder to guard. If defenders cannot simply wait for him to catch a lob, Ngongba becomes a much more versatile offensive weapon and opens up more options for Scheyer in half-court sets.

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