Predicting Duke Basketball's 3 Most Impactful Players Next Season

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have built arguably the deepest rotation in all of college basketball heading into the 2026-27 season.

It's a pretty good problem for the Duke Blue Devils to have. There's a real case to be made that if you took Duke's 6th to 10th guys and put them in a starting lineup, it would be a top-five starting lineup in the ACC.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Blue Devils will get contributions from everywhere on both sides of the ball, but which guys will truly impact the game the most?

Let's predict the Blue Devils' three most impactful players next season. We will define "impactful" as contributing to winning the most in multiple ways or being the clear No. 1 option in a given aspect of the game.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) shoots against High Point Panthers forward Cam'ron Fletcher (11) during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. John Blackwell

Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will be the Blue Devils' No. 1 scoring option offensively, and it's not out of the realm of possibility for the former Badger to be a top-three to five scorer in the sport next season.

Blackwell is coming off a junior season at Wisconsin where he averaged 19.1 points per game on 43.0% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from three-point range on 7.3 attempts. He can score at all three levels, create for himself, and he moves off the basketball at a very high level.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the basket against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke's big men (Patrick Ngongba, Drew Scharnowski, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje) are all fantastic passing bigs, making the pick-and-roll game with Blackwell and any of those bigs a huge advantage.

Blackwell is a career 44% shooter from the field and 37% shooter from the perimeter. I expect him to take anywhere from 12 to 15 shots a game. He will be this team's leading bucket-getter by a long shot, and a lot of Duke's offensive ceiling will depend on Blackwell's consistent volume scoring with efficiency.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) rebounds the ball between Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) and Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2. Patrick Ngongba

Patrick Ngongba played his way from averaging 10 minutes a night as a freshman to a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He still elected to come back to school.

Ngongba's offensive game took a major step forward during his sophomore season. The 6'11" big man looked much more comfortable with his back to the basket, and his footwork was much improved. He also showed a willingness to take the three, attempting 31 threes as a sophomore compared to one as a rookie.

Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) handles the ball against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But it's his defensive capabilities that will make him so important. Ngongba averaged over a block a game last season and ranked ninth nationally in Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating, according to EvanMiya.com.

Ngongba will be the defensive anchor down low. Duke will have length at every defensive spot on the floor, but it all flows through the rising junior in the paint. Ngongba must stay healthy; he has missed 15 games over his two collegiate seasons. Still, his impact down low defensively will be huge.

3. Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje

It seems like with every day that passes, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is gaining more and more excitement as a legitimately generational prospect.

The 7'1", 230-pound big man will be 17 years old for the entire 2026-27 college basketball season, but his unbelievable versatility and polish will make it extremely difficult for Scheyer not to keep him on the floor.

TCU Horned Frogs guard Brock Harding (2) passes near Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer March 21, 2026 during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Boumtje Boumtje recently led Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U17 Men's World Cup, earning MVP honors. The seven-footer averaged 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.7 steals a night on 59.8% shooting from the field and 53.1% shooting from three on 4.6 attempts a game.

Boumtje Boumtje impacts winning in practically every single way. He has the offensive arsenal of a guard/wing with the length and size to pass at a high level, protect the rim, and be disruptive defensively from anywhere.

The incoming rookie has been so dominant on the international circuit as of late that it's hard to see that not translating quickly with Duke.

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