Why Duke Rookie ‘Happy’ for Hard-Earned Playing Time

This Duke rookie isn't taking the opportunity to play for the Blue Devils for granted.

Jan 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) drives to the basket against Stanford Cardinal forward AJ Rohosy (4) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Duke basketball freshman Nik Khamenia was one of the 5-star rookies coming into Durham as a part of the team's No. 1 overall 2025 recruiting class. The Los Angeles native was ranked as the No. 19 overall player according to the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings.

Committing to a program like Duke can be a major challenge even for top recruits, considering the plethora of talent that surrounds the program every single day. Guys can go from being the top option on every team he has ever played for to battling for playing time at all.

Jan 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Khamenia himself went through that during the early part of the Blue Devils' ACC schedule.

Jan 14, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) celebrates after the basket against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Nik Khamenia Dealt With Ups and Downs Early in League Play

The 6' 8" wing possesses a strong basketball IQ with the ability to shoot from the outside and defend at a high level on multiple positions. He was a regular part of the rotation and even started four games for the Blue Devils towards the end of the calendar year.

However, he struggled to see the floor through the early part of league action. Across Duke's first three ACC contests, Khamenia averaged just 9.7 minutes a game and scored five total points.

S/O @NikolasKhamenia man pic.twitter.com/ucla5Tns1a

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 27, 2026

As of late, the rookie has found his way back into the rotation. Across the Blue Devils' last five conference matchups, Khamenia is averaging 19.4 minutes a night, and just put together his best outing in a Blue Devil uniform.

In Duke's 83-52 victory at home over No. 20 Louisville (14-6, 4-4 ACC), Khamenia went for a career-high 14 points in 15 minutes on 5-of-6 (83.3%) shooting from the field and 3-of-4 (75%) shooting from three-point range. He scored all his points in the final 12 minutes and was a key factor in the Blue Devils' lead swelling to over 30.

Jan 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) drives to the basket past Florida State Seminoles forward Thomas Bassong (3) during the first half at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Khamenia Expresses Gratitude With Opportunity To Play for Duke

Khamenia has been a fantastic example of being patient and waiting your turn. With so many top recruits, it can be extremely difficult to go from high school superstar to fringe rotation piece at times. Khamenia has handled his rookie year with maturity and expressed his gratitude to suit up for the Blue Devils after his career night.

"I came to Duke so I can get better and play for a national championship with a really good team," Khamenia said. "You can go to schools and play however many minutes, but you're not going to be happy because you're not winning."

Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) is fouled by Howard Bison forward Stefan Isailovic (1) as he drives to the basket during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

"Obviously, whatever our record is, we're just playing as a team and I love that. It's not hard for me. I'm very happy,"

Khamenia has now tallied two double-figure scoring nights over Duke's last four games after doing so twice across the team's first 16.

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.