Does Duke have a point guard, 2025-'26 version

Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer could be keys to season

Last season I asked two related questions; does Duke have a point guard and does Duke need a point guard?

The answer to both turned out to be no. Unless we think a true point guard would have better managed that final minute.

Too soon?

It’s hard to critique an historically efficient offense. Most of the time Duke had three, sometimes four of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Sion James, Tyrese Proctor or Caleb Foster on the floor, all able to facilitate the offense.

James was the nominal point guard, after he took over for Foster. But James averaged a modest 2.9 assists per game. Power forward Cooper Flagg led Duke with 4.2 assists per game, followed by James and wing Kon Knueppel’s 2.7.

Having a frontcourt player lead Duke in assists is unusual. But not unprecedented. Danny Ferry led Duke in assists in 1987, Grant Hill in 1994. Art Heyman would have in 1963, had they kept assists stats in those days.

Ferry, Hill, Heyman and Flagg are four of the best players in Duke history. But Wendell Moore led Duke in assists in 2022 and that team made the Final Four.

Maybe the days of Tommy Amaker or Bobby Hurley coming in the door and having the ball in their hands for four years are long gone. I’m pretty sure Jon Scheyer wouldn’t turn down Tre Jones. But Duke hasn’t had a traditional, “pure” point guard since 2020, when Jones was ACC Player of the Year after averaging 6.4 assists per game.

Which brings us to 2025-’26. Duke has two nominal point guards, each perhaps capable of taking the keys to the car, each with question marks.