The Duke Blue Devils have high expectations for the 2024-25 season.
Duke has been solid under third-year coach Jon Scheyer, going 27-9 overall and reaching the Elite Eight last season. The Blue Devils, who finished in the top 55 nationally in both offensive and defensive rating, also finished second in the ACC. The Blue Devils are 54-18 under Scheyer, but they will have a new team once again.
Duke Blue Devils 2024 Newcomers and Who Has Impressed The Most During Preseason
Duke returns just five players from last year, including starters Tyrece Proctor and Caleb Proctor. Still, Duke is a consensus top 3 team in the preseason rankings. ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and The Athletic have the Blue Devils as their No. 1 squad.
A big reason Duke is so highly rated is its newcomers. Scheyer brought in 10 newcomers, including transfers and six freshmen. 247Sports has the Blue Devils as the top recruiting class in the nation (No. 1 HS, No. 20 transfers). Meanwhile, ESPN and On3 also list the Devils’ recruiting class as the best in the country.
2024’s recruiting class marks the third time Scheyer’s class has finished in the top-2. His 2022 class was No. 1 in 2022, and his 2023 class was No. 2.
“When you have a chance to bring in the freshmen that we did this year, or the freshmen for next year, we’re going to do that every day of the week,” Scheyer said in response to a question from NJ Advance Media. “I think anybody would, if they could, or they tried to. But you still need experience and returning players. So, for me, you try to find that balance. But that’s the nature of being in college basketball in 2024.”
Blue Devils Newcomers
With Duke students ready to head back to campus for the start of the semester next week and the Blue Devils’ preseason workouts over, who was the standout?
According to incoming freshman Isaiah Evans, it was 2024 classmate Kon Knueppel:
Cooper Flagg – Freshman
Cooper Flagg is the consensus top-rated incoming freshman in all of college basketball. The 6-9 wing, a Maine native, was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year, and McDonald’s All-American as a senior in 2023-24. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game to lead Montverde to a 33-0 record and a national championship title last season.
Isaiah Evans – Freshman
Evans projects as one of the top 3 players off the bench for Duke.
Maliq Brown – Junior
Maliq Brown is a 6-9 forward transfer who started 25 games during his two seasons at Syracuse. The 2023-24 ACC All-Defensive Team selection averaged 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 69.8% from the field last season.
Brown projects to be the Blue Devils’ sixth man.
Kon Knueppel – Freshman
Knueppel was a consensus four-star recruit rated as a top 20 prospect by all four major recruiting services. The 2023-24 Wisconsin Gatorade POY averaged 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists last season with a shooting slash line of 59.4 FG%/39.5% 3PT%/84.9 FT%.
Knueppel is likely an end-of-the-second-unit player this year because he is shooting prowess.
Cameron Sheffield – Senior
Cameron Sheffield spent three seasons at Rice. The 6-6 wing missed last season due to an injury. He has improved as a shooter throughout college and is a good rebounder.
Sheffield could compete for time on the second unit with Knueppel.
Khaman Maluach – Freshman
Khaman Maluach was a consensus five-star recruit ranked No. 10 in the nation. The 7-2 South Sudan native was named MVP of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa camp (Summer 2023). Considered a top-10 2025 NBA draft prospect, Malauch was selected playoff and defensive MVP at the BWB Global camp.
Maluach projects as the Blue Devils starting center.
Sion James – Graduate
Sion James played four years at Tulane. The 6-6 guard improved his scoring, rebounding, and shooting in his four seasons with the Green Wave. He produced a career season last year, compiling career highs with 14.0 points and 5.4 caroms with a shooting slash line 51.4%/38.3%/68.3%.
James scored at least 20 points six times in the 2023-24 season, including a 28-point double-double against North Texas (March 14) in the second round of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament. He has over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists in his career.
James projects as one of Duke’s starters.
Darren Harris – Freshman
Darren Harris was a consensus four-star and rated No. 38 in the country. The 6-6 wing was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year after averaging 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Harris could compete for time on the Blue Devils second unit.
Mason Gillis -Graduate
Mason Gillis played four seasons at Purdue and was named the 2023-24 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. The 6-6 forward averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest in 2023-24, with a shooting slash line of 47.9%/46.8%/86%.
Gillis, one of the best shooters in college basketball, should see plenty of time off the Blue Devils bench. He is a career 40% 3-point shooter.
Patrick Ngongba II – Center
Patrick Ngongba, a 6-10 center, was the consensus No. 25 recruit in 2024. He compiled 4.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 66.7% (10 of 15) from the field in the 2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup this summer.
Ngongba could compete for time at the end of the second unit.
