Blue Devil Country

Jon Scheyer Praises Duke Rookie’s Improvement

This first-year Blue Devil is becoming a critical piece of the rotation.
Hugh Straine|
Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; The Duke Blue Devils mascot during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; The Duke Blue Devils mascot during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

In this story:

Duke Blue Devils

The Duke basketball program improved to 15-1 and 4-0 in conference play following an 82-75 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium over No. 24 SMU (12-4, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday.

The Blue Devils continue to look inconsistent on both sides of the ball, with numerous areas for improvement.

booze
Jan 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

However, the fact that Duke has still won 15 of its first 16 games, despite these shortcomings, is an extremely encouraging sign.

Point guard depth was one of the biggest question marks heading into the 2025-26 season for the Blue Devils. The only true point guards on the roster were veteran Cale Foster and incoming 4-star freshman Cayden Boozer.

Many fans had high hopes for Foster, but after a very disappointing sophomore campaign in Durham, there was some doubt. As for Boozer, regardless of talent, it's always difficult to evaluate how a young point guard's game will translate to the college level.

Through the team's first 16 games, Foster has been putting together his best all-around campaign in a Duke uniform as the upperclassman leader on the squad. But as each game goes on, Boozer is becoming more and more of an integral part of the rotation as he continues to improve.

Jon Scheyer Praises Play of Freshman Cayden Boozer

Cayden, the twin brother of 5-star Duke freshman and National Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer, has somewhat sat in the shadow of the best player in college basketball.

In Duke's three ranked matchups against No. 22 Arkansas, No. 12 Michigan State, and Florida, all of which resulted in wins, Boozer only averaged 10 minutes a game. But as the Miami native has seen his minutes increase over the last few weeks, Boozer has become a bigger factor in wins.

Over the Blue Devils' last four games, Boozer is averaging 7.5 points and 3.8 assists on 43.5% shooting from the field. His contributions don't always show up in the stat sheet, but the rookie has become a vastly improved floor general as the season has progressed.

Scheyer made sure to give Boozer his flowers after the freshman's 12-point and four-assist outing.

"I'm really proud of the fact of Cayden Boozer," Scheyer said. "You know, what he did for us tonight. He completely steadied us. He was, I thought, terrific."

Boozer does a fantastic job of settling his team down when forced shots are being taken or a rhythm is lacking on the offensive side of the ball. Each time Duke was beginning to pull away against SMU, the Mustangs made plays to keep the score tight. Boozer's contributions don't look flashy in the box score, but he's becoming a crucial complement to Foster in the backcourt.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.

Published
Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.