No Rebuild Needed: Duke Reloads After Historic Draft Exodus

Duke had an impressive year this past season, losing in the Final Four to the Houston Cougars and 35-4 overall. Their roster was filled with talent, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. Additionally, Duke had four other NBA Draft picks last week: Kon Knueppel (No. 4 overall), Khaman Maluach (No. 10 overall), Sion James (No. 33 overall), and Tyrese Proctor (No. 49 overall).

Despite losing such immense talent, Jon Scheyer and his staff found a way to not only rebuild but reload this roster to have a legitimate chance to win the 2026 National Championship.

While the whole roster is filled with high-level college players, we're going to highlight ten Duke players -- seven of whom have a legitimate shot to be drafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The Roster

Cameron Boozer

Let's start with the Boozer twins, the sons of former NBA great Carlos Boozer. Cameron Boozer is a 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward and one of the consensus top-three players in the 2025 high school class. He's an advanced player who moves extremely fluidly for his size. Offensively, Boozer leads breaks in transition and is difficult to stop going downhill. Additionally, the Duke commit has clear upside as a ball-handler on the wing and someone who you could run post offense through as well. Boozer throws dimes from the top of the key to cutters and in transition, is a lob threat in transition, is an active offensive rebounder, and has shown impressive post footwork and finishing as well. Lastly, Boozer has shown flashes of balance on pull-up threes and skills as a passer. It will be interesting to see how his already-impressive ball-handling, passing, and driving continue to develop -- but he has the potential to be a Paolo Banchero-esque player offensively.

Defensively, Boozer has the potential to switch on most players -- likely guarding 2-4. He's elite in drop coverage as a big and is excellent at contesting shots at the rim. Boozer is a projected top three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, alongside AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.

Cayden Boozer

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard is also an impressive player. Offensively, he's a skilled passer who's especially sound at attacking closeouts and throwing live-dribble passes to open teammates. He has somewhat of a set shot, but it goes in fairly often -- especially off of catch-and-shoot looks. He has some inconsistencies defensively, however, that can be cleaned up. While sometimes he was physical on-ball defensively and at the point-of-attack, his lateral quickness can improve as he will let up a few drives by quicker ball-handlers at times. Additionally, Cayden is a sound playmaker out of the pick-and-roll, an active cutter, and a solid off-ball defender who can garner a few steals in passing lanes. The No. 23 overall player in the 2025 high school class is someone who has a high chance to be drafted in 2026, assuming he decides to declare.

Dame Sarr

Sarr is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound wing from Italy. He's projected to be a first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 19 year-old is known for his explosiveness in both the halfcourt and in transition, and can create rim pressure and finish at the basket with ease. Additionally, he's shown upside as a shooter, in the pick-and-roll, and as a cutter off the ball. Defensively, he's shown some inconsistencies but has the tools to be a positive defender at the next level. Sarr will be someone to keep an eye on at Duke this season.

Nikolas Khamenia

Khamenia is an incoming 6-foot-8, 210-pound freshman who is the No. 15 overall player in the 2025 high school class. He's known for his feel for the game, which shines through as a ball-handler and playmaker but also off ball defensively. Khamenia lacks some physical tools, but can also offer some shooting gravity. He's a projected first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Isaiah Evans

The first Duke returner on this list so far, Evans likely would have been selected in the late first round or early second in the 2025 NBA Draft but opted to return for his sophomore season. Despite only playing 31.8% of Duke's minutes last season, Evans showed clear NBA potential. The 6-foot-6 guard shot 41.6% from beyond the arc (149 attempts) on a variety of shots -- including off catch-and-shoot, screens, movement, and off-the-dribble. Evans is currently projected to be drafted anywhere from the middle of the first round to early second in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Patrick Ngongba II

Similar to Isaiah Evans, Ngongba II is an upcoming sophomore returner who played limited minutes as a freshman. However, while only appearing in 20.2% of Duke's minutes last season, the 6-foot-11 big man was extremely productive. The former Paul VI Catholic player recorded 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds (12.1 offensive rebound percentage), 2.9 assists (12.6 assist percentage), 1.4 steals (2.1 steal percentage), and two blocks per 40 minutes (5.6 block percentage) -- ultimately recording a 10.5 Box Plus-Minus. This Box Plus-Minus was first amongst all freshmen who played less than 40% of their team's minutes but greater than 20% of their team's minutes -- the next closest was Morez Johnson Jr (transferred from Illinois to Michigan for his sophomore season) with a 6.7 Box Plus-Minus in 37.5% of Illinois' minutes. If Ngongba can keep up a level of productivity even close to last season, he'll be a first round pick in 2026.

Darren Harris, Caleb Foster, Sebastian Wilkins, and Maliq Brown

Harris, the former No. 40 overall recruit in the 2024 high school class, is a talened 6-foot-6 wing. After playing only 8.2% of Duke's minutes last season, Harris decided not to transfer and return for his sophomore season -- indicating he's expected to see a massive increase in minutes this season.

Caleb Foster is a returning junior for Duke, but saw his minutes decrease from 25.4 per game as a freshman to 14 per game as a freshman. Similar to Harris, a decision to return likely indicates increased minutes for him as a veteran guard who can help lead this Duke team.

Sebastian Wilkins is an incoming freshman who is the No. 47 overall recruit in the 2025 high school class. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward is known for being switchable defensively with a developing shot and an ability to put the ball on the floor.

Lastly, Maliq Brown is a returning senior who battled through a dislocated left shoulder late last season and is currently rehabbing. Similar to Evans and Ngongba, the 6-foot-8 forward was productive in his limited minutes this past season. He recorded a 12.5 offensive rebound percentage, 4.8 steal percentage, and 2.4 block percentage this past season -- ultimately resulting in a Box Plus-Minus of 10.1.

Overall, we could see up to seven draft picks from Duke this season and an additional three future pros. While this team may have lost five draft picks, Scheyer and his staff have done an incredible job retaining former top recruits while signing another four of the top 25 incoming international/high school prospects.