2024-25 Duke basketball roster: Who will join Tyrese Proctor and Cooper Flagg as starters?

In just over four and a half months, Duke basketball will begin the 2024-25 season with a revamped team hoping to help the Blue Devils excel in March Madness.

Duke won 27 games for the second consecutive season under Jon Scheyer, who is entering his third year as head coach. In the months since the Blue Devils’ Elite Eight loss to NC State in the NCAA Tournament, Scheyer has seen nine players leave the program.

Seven players from last season’s roster entered the transfer portal and two — Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski — entered the NBA Draft as expected first-round picks.

Duke will have 10 new faces, including a six-player 2024 recruiting class headlined by Cooper Flagg, on this year’s team. Mason Gillis (Purdue), Sion James (Tulane), Maliq Brown (Syracuse) and Cameron Sheffield (Rice) joined the Blue Devils through the transfer portal.

This is what the starting lineup will look like when the Blue Devils begin the 2024-25 season in early November.

Duke basketball starting lineup prediction

Here is a starting lineup prediction for Duke to start the 2024-25 season.

Tyrese Proctor

A captain last season, Proctor is expected to carry the same title in his first year as the Blue Devils’ most experienced player. The 6-foot-1 guard dealt with injuries and inconsistencies as a sophomore, but showed flashes of his defensive prowess, shooting and playmaking. Proctor averaged 10.5 points per game and finished with a team-high 118 assists last year. If Proctor plays at an All-ACC level, Duke will be as dangerous as any team in the country.

Caleb Foster

One of Duke’s “starting six” as a freshman, Foster was starting to find his rhythm when an ankle injury caused him to miss the most important stretch of the Blue Devils’ season. Just like Proctor, the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard knows what Scheyer expects when it comes to leadership within the program. Foster averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 rebounds and 25.4 minutes per game as a freshman. He also shot 40.6% from 3-point range, a skill Duke will desperately need following McCain’s departure.

Zion James

Scheyer could go several ways with the talent on this roster, so the starting lineup could change throughout the season. When attacking the transfer portal, it’s clear that Duke’s coaching staff wanted to get bigger and stronger this season. James, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound graduate transfer, fits that description. James has improved his scoring and rebounding numbers each season at Tulane, averaging 14 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season. A versatile defender with the ability to finish hard, James also made a career-high 38.1 percent of his 113 attempts from 3-point range as a senior. It won’t be long before Cameron Crazies falls in love with James’ game.

Cooper Flagg

The hype surrounding Flagg, who could be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will rival the madness that surrounded Zion Williamson in the 2018-19 season. The 6-foot-9 forward has the versatility to play all over the court and the motor to match his skills. Flagg’s defense is his calling card, but he is more than capable of getting a bucket and creating opportunities for his teammates. With Flagg as the centerpiece, Duke will have as much chance as anyone to play the final game of the season.

Khaman Maluach

Like Flagg, Maluach is expected to be a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 7-foot-1 rookie from NBA Academy Africa will play for his home country of South Sudan at the Paris Olympics. With a 7-foot wingspan and 9-foot reach, Maluach has a chance to be one of the best rim protectors in college basketball. Maluach has all the tools to become a star for the Blue Devils before heading to the NBA.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared in The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball starting lineup prediction for 2024-25 season opener