Blue Devil Country

Why This 5-Star Freshman Falling out of Duke’s Rotation

As Jon Scheyer and his staff solidify the rotation, this 5-star recruit is getting the short end of the stick as of late.
Hugh Straine|
Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) dribbles up court during the second half against the Howard Bison at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) dribbles up court during the second half against the Howard Bison at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The Duke Blue Devils improved to 14-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play on Tuesday night with an electric second-half effort against No. 20 Louisville (11-4, 1-2 ACC).

After entering the halftime locker room down 48-37, allowing the most points to a team in any half that Duke has this season, the Blue Devils outscored the Cardinals 46-26 across the final 20 minutes to secure an 84-73 victory on the road, the fifth ranked win of the season for Duke.

Against ranked opponents, Duke fans have gotten used to seeing freshman standout Cameron Boozer single-handedly propel his team to victory with the offense stalemated around him. But against Louisville, that wasn't the case.

Isaiah Evans went for 23 points on 7-of-17 (41.2%) shooting from the field. Caleb Foster tallied a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 (69.2%) shooting. Dame Sarr was elite defensively in the second half, shutting down Pat Kelsey's leading scorer, Ryan Conwell, in the second half after the senior went for 16 points in the first.

Boozer was still the star of the show, totaling a game-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, but it was the contributions elsewhere that showed fans just how dangerous Duke can be at its ceiling.

However, one of Jon Scheyer's 5-star freshmen as part of his No. 1 overall 2025 recruiting class struggled to find time on the court, and that's becoming a regularity as of late.

Former 5-Star Recruit Nik Khamenia in Danger of Falling out of Duke’s Rotation

Khamenia came into Durham as a 5-star recruit, ranked as the No. 19 overall player in the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings. The 6'8" wing brought an elite basketball IQ, stellar defensive capabilities, and great outside shooting potential to the team. But as of late, he's struggled to see the floor at all.

Through the first 10 games of the 2025-26 season, the Los Angeles, CA native averaged 21.3 minutes per game off the bench. The offensive production wasn't quite there, but he was an integral part of the rotation nonetheless. Khamenia even crept into the starting lineup, taking Sarr's place, for four games towards the end of the calendar year.

But over the Blue Devils' last few contests, Khamenia has been sent back to the bench and in a much lesser role, as Cayden Boozer has become a regular starter across the last few outings. Over the team's last three games, Khamenia has averaged 9.7 minutes per game, with that time decreasing over each contest. In that span, he's combined for five points, three rebounds, and an assist on 0-of-5 shooting from the field, all of those shots being from three-point range. All of his points have come from the free throw line, where he is 5-of-6 (83.3%).

Now, it's early January, and Scheyer and his staff still have tons of work to do in terms of solidifying the rotation. But Khamenia is starting to see the short end of the stick.

In a recruiting class as loaded as Duke's is this year, at least one top recruit is bound to not see as many minutes as originally anticipated. Maybe this is the beginning of a conversation for Khamenia to spend a second season in college, playing in a much more elevated role in 2026-27.

Although Isaiah Evans was a consistent member of the rotation across the back half of the 2024-25 campaign, he essentially dealt with the same thing after coming into Duke as a 5-star rookie. Now, he's the second option on a championship-caliber team behind Boozer.

Khamenia is averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on the year.

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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.