Great Pod guys!

K2 wired different! I love it!

I got a headline Riley Leonard one and one Malik Murphy 2 and 0

I just hope fans don't go off the rails if the Blue Devils drop a game or two during the non-con. Chances are that they will.

That 38 point pounding is one of my all time favs! I re-watch that one at the start of every Duke basketball season

That’s a gauntlet! Soo excited!

Coach Lucas 💯

You guys didn’t talk much specifics on recruiting

I am on Sion Swiss Army Train. I know he was a three star HS recruit to begin with. Other than Jon I remember a Tulane local TV guy once said, Duke you struck gold. I definitely would like to see how he counter this ex-UNC (now Arizona) Caleb Love as he has been so nasty to Duke Guards and seemed no one could contain him well then. Look out Caleb we have got Sion Train and I think he has the ability to demolish you to some extent.

Amazing Pod! It’s great to hear a neutral perspective… Also a plus when that perspective is what we wanna hear! Go Duke

What an amazing interview. I didn't expect him to give that honest of assessments or predictions. Wow! Such an awesome job guys!! In some years, I hope for favorable matchups in the dance. This year? I want every best team and for us to swat them away!! Let's Go Duke!!

I think you are stating the facts well. You are the only ones that has not made moral judgements about Kyle. I have heard a lot of very negative comments and making moral judgements about him and his girl friend. It seems like they were out to just drag them through the mud. I do think that the relationship with his parents will improve over time. But of course both sides need to set up those communication lines.

The 2 lineups you mentioned, including switching the 2 centers, are EXACTLY--player for player--the starting and 2nd squads I have been talking about and advocating for since before the team's roster even became finalized (in other words, before we added Sheffield as the final piece). 1) I said repeatedly that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to keep both Sion James and Maliq Brown out of the starting lineup, rather than Caleb Foster and whoever else various websites had as our starting 4 (or 3, in the cases of those who had Flagg as our starting 4). Here's why: A) Both bring top-shelf experience to the starting lineup--1 on an ACC team, the other as a main option for a solid Tulane team. A) James has shown to be potentially one of the 2 or 3 best players on this team so far. That might change as the season progresses, depending on the improvement in other players...but he's the PERFECT guy to complement the other starters. Flagg and Maluach will both feed off of his energy, he is an incredibly disruptive defender on the perimeter, he can score at all 3 levels--hits 3s at a 38% clip, drives the lane like it was built for him, and bullies opposing defenders with his 6'6", 220 lb frame. And all one needs to see is the 6-minute highlight reel video from the first 5-on-5 that Duke put out--specifically, his block on 7'2", 250 lb Khaman Maluach AT THE RIM--to see just how good this guy can be. B) Maliq Brown was an All-ACC Defensive Team member, and 3rd in votes for Defensive POY. He played as much center as PF for Syracuse in his 2 years there, and can defend anybody, regardless of size. Also, he led not just Syracuse, but the entire CONFERENCE, in steals (2.2 spg) and effective FG% (nearly 70%) at 6'8" and 222 lbs. Those are BOTH incredible stats that no one should ignore. Also, if you pair him up between Flagg and Maluach, 2 of the best defenders in the 2024 class--who averaged 2.4 and 3.1 bpg, respectively--both of whom have ALSO significantly improved their offensive games of late...and you have arguably one of the top 3 frontcourts in the country. 2) Even Flagg's mother said he would be best and most effective at the 3, not the 4, so those who think otherwise should think about that. He has a top-notch outside-in style, is still too thin to be banging around with guys who are likely to be 240-300 lbs inside (he's only 205 lbs so far, after adding 10 lbs since he came to Duke). His biggest strength is VERSATILITY, on both ends of the court, and at 6'9", he could easily be a far better version of someone like Mike Dunleavy or Year 2 Matthew Hurt, who can shoot 3s at 38%, but can hurt you from ANYWHERE on the court. Add some more weight to him, get him up to 230 at least, and he becomes the most dangerous weapon in Duke's arsenal...not that he already ISN'T that right now. 3) I think this year will be Proctor's breakout year, for 2 reasons. One, despite being a junior, because he upclassed, he's basically the age of a sophomore. And two, last year was a debacle in multiple ways...one of which was forcing 3 starters--including Proctor--to play positions or games they weren’t good at...all because we failed to secure a starting center replacement for Dereck Lively, despite repeated efforts (we approached or offered everyone from Kel'el Ware, to Kadin Shedrick, to Jesse Edwards, and several others...all in vain). Proctor was forced to become a primary scoring option, something he never was. He's a top-notch facilitator. Yes, he can score if need be, or get us some timely shots. But being forced to focus on scoring, to the exclusion of his primary strength, made it impossible for him to have the breakout year most of us expected to see from him last year. But THIS year, that's no longer a problem. We have 3 guys who can legitimately play center in Maluach, Ngongba and Brown. There are scorers and lob threats GALORE on this team. And with Proctor FINALLY able to return to what he does best...although it may take him a bit to readjust to playing like that again...I see him being one of, if not THE, best PGs in the ACC this year. 4) Although the 2nd unit may APPEAR to be somewhat undersized, with a 6'5" and three 6'6" guys in the lineup...it's really NOT. For one, 6'6", 225 Mason Gillis played the 4 extensively off the bench for the 2nd-best team in America last year, and was the Big 10's 6th Man of the Year. He also, not to put too fine a point on it, can shoot the HELL out of the 3-ball, averaging 46.8% for the season last year. Also, look at who was ON that squad, and how well ALL OF THEM shoot--Caleb Foster (40.6%), Isaiah Evans (43%), Kon Knueppel (40%), Mason Gillis (46.8%)...even NGONGBA shot 54% on limited shots (13-24) in his last full year of play as a junior. Imagine how much THAT squad can spread the floor. Also, for those not familiar with what OTHER teams have done...check out several of the Villanova squads under Jay Wright, specifically the 2016 team that won 'Nova's 2nd championship. That entire TEAM was undersized. In the championship game, they started 4 guys who were 6'3", 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6" around one 6'11" center...AND IT WORKED. Just like the 2nd squad we fielded, they were all great 3PT shooters, and spread the floor. In fact, it was 6'6", 240 lb Kris Jenkins, their undersized 4, who hit the buzzer-beating 3 that won the game. 'Nova regularly ran 4-guard offenses under Wright, and was one of the 2 or 3 best teams in the Big East using that strategy. And with a more traditional-style starting squad, we can easily throw off opposing teams by changing it up with a 4-guard offense. And when was the last time you remember Duke playing a squad with 4 guys who all shot above 40% from distance? EVER? 5) Despite several pundits attempting to predict the stat lines for these players, I think they're ALL wrong, and here's WHY: Last year was just the worst year all-around, despite our Elite 8 outcome. We lost 9 games, 2 each to Carolina and NC State, NONE OF WHICH we should have lost. After all, 7 of the 9 were decided by 5 pts or less. Also, we were widely expected to be the 2nd-best team in the country after Kansas, as we were Preseason #2. And why not? After all, we brought back our top 4 scorers, and 5 of the top 7...more scoring and offense than any Duke team had brought back in more than a decade. If we'd only been able to get a starting center...that team could have EASILY gone undefeated in the regular season and at LEAST made the Final 4, if not won it all. We had THAT much talent at our disposal. But one of the OTHER big mistakes made was, Jon couldn't trust the bench players beyond Foster to step in and do what needed to be done to win. We had not one but TWO Top 20 players in Sean Stewart and TJ Power who averaged less than 8.5 mpg each, and MULTIPLE players who rarely saw the court, or had any chance to get in a rhythm or develop as players. Honestly, I think THAT--more than anything--was behind the mass Transfer Portal exodus we experienced this spring. But THIS team seems to be 100% bought-in to Jon's vision for the team and what it can do, and all of them signed on to return, sign with Duke, or transfer in, after having one-on-ones with Scheyer as far as him telling them where he saw them on this team, and them accepting their individual roles on it. And we FINALLY have what looks like the perfect balance of talent, experience, 3PT shooting, rebounding, rim protection, and defense...at least on paper, and so far in scrimmages. And because of all of that, I expect Jon will do things considerably differently this year. I would expect NOT to see only 6 players getting the lion's share of the playing time while everyone else rides the bench. We legitimately have 11 players who SHOULD get a minimum of 8 mpg, including those 2 squads and Darren Harris, if for no other reason than we can literally BURY teams with 3s from nearly every player (9 out of 11 shoot at least 35%--47% from distance). On top of that, the team energy, togetherness, and the way they complement each other is unlike any Duke team I've seen since Scheyer was a player instead of a coach. The ceiling of this team is unlimited. Yes, Flagg is the centerpiece, and everything will flow through him, and is built to maximize his potential. However, he is FAR from alone on the court. He is SURROUNDED by some of the best players on both sides of the ball that have ever come to Duke, and even if EVERYBODY doesn't become the best player they can be...there are plenty enough other players who likely WILL. And despite those 2 lineups, there are at least a DOZEN potential lineups we can fiddle around with, depending on what we're facing. And 11 players are good enough to start for pretty much ANY team in the country. That makes us extremely talented, versatile and dangerous...three things that easily put us in the top tier of college basketball this coming season, not to mention one of the frontrunners to win it all.

i do remember them telling latner to sit down over in the corner 😂

way too early.

a transfer with dreams of the NBA transferring to Duke is dream suicide

Natty Daddy!

Kon time

Love it

Keep it coming. Love the insight into this new world. We need a national Championship next year bad.

Love DBR. Who started the site?

Love that call! I could use that as my alarm every morning and wake with a smile!

I know I'm a lot older than you are but back in the early sixties Art Heyman Landon at the Raleigh Durham airport he said whoever picks me up that's where I'm going to school at between Duke and Carolina so it's already happened just saying

Great show! Can’t wait for the season we might run the table heard it hear first

The JJ Redick stuff didn’t age well. Lakers are pursuing Hurley.

How can he say that minutes are not promised and you need to earn them? According to everyone he built this team to fit Flagg. He is pretty much promising Flagg starter minutes without even playing a college game. Yes from what we all hear he is maybe a generational player but don’t say players are not promised minutes when obviously they are. And again from what everything you guys are saying most of the freshmen need work! Man this really sucks if this year is a waste. Alabama, Kansas and UConn again have great players coming back. Plus UNC is looking really good. Putting all our apples in one basket again

I love that he’s not making promises, sure we may lose out on some good players but a good player without team chemistry can destroy a team.

I know Cooper is probably going to be the star player on this team but I think maluach might be the deciding factor on whether this team is a true contender. Sounds like his potential is limitless and I think now that he’s been on campus going to the Olympics will be the best thing for him to develop to play against great opposition. Also talking to guys like Plumlee and Williams must be so beneficial for him.

In your 50's you're probable; in your 60's you're day-to-day.

I also agree on the 1st take on Knueppel. He is BY FAR the most developed of the bottom 4 freshmen not named Flagg or Maluach. BTW, to the guy who thinks he's 6'5"...I thought the same thing. But his own mother got on X and directly said he is most definitely 6'6", NOT 6'5". Here's the minutes order I see the players getting. Not specific numbers, but in the order of most to least: 1) Proctor 2) Cooper Flagg 3) Khaman Maluach 4) Sion James 5) Maliq Brown 6) Caleb Foster 7) Mason Gillis 8) Kon Knueppel 9) Isaiah Evans 10) Patrick Ngongba 11) Darren Harris 12) Cameron Sheffield 13) Stanley Borden 14) Neal Begovich 15) Spencer Hubbard

I completely agree with the take that has Sion James as a starter. Here's my primary lineup breakdown, based on the completed roster: STARTERS: 1--Tyrese Proctor 2--Sion James 3--Cooper Flagg 4--Maliq Brown 5--Khaman Maluach 2ND UNIT: 1--Caleb Foster 2--Kon Knueppel 3--Isaiah Evans 4--Mason Gillis 5--Patrick Ngongba BACKUPS: Guards/Small Forwards: Darren Harris Cameron Sheffield Bigs: Stanley Borden Like you, I don't see both Sion James and Mason Gillis on the floor at the same time, because while Gillis is more of a shooter and James is more of a driver/slasher, their games are too similar to have them play together. But I DEFINITELY see Sion James as a regular starter for us next season, and Gillis in the same role he excelled at at Purdue--as the best 6th man on the floor.

Here's my take on Tyrese Proctor: Yes, he had a relatively bad sophomore year, that ended on a really bad note, with a scoreless game vs NC State in the Elite 8. However, there were MULTIPLE very important reasons for that...reasons which, thanks to the 2024-25 roster that Jon and his staff have put together, no longer exist. Here's what a lot of people missed: Due to Jon and his staff's inability to either bring back Dereck Lively for a 2nd year...OR to secure one of the half-dozen defensive centers we pursued in the Transfer Portal prior to last season (Kel'el Ware of Oregon, Kadin Shedrick of Virginia, Jesse Edwards of Syracuse, Ernest Udeh of Kansas, and even out-there possibilities like Hunter Dickinson of Michigan or Da'Ron Holmes of Dayton)...several starters were forced by necessity to fill roles that they were neither comfortable in, nor good at. First, Kyle Filipowski was forced to become our full-time starting center. Despite his weight gain over the summer, to allow him to bang with bigger players...his game was never that of a center. Like players such as Matthew Hurt (who was put in a similar position of needing significant weight added to be effective down low from freshman to sophomore year) and Paolo Banchero, despite his height and size, he was FAR more comfortable and productive as a PF, in conjunction with a top-notch starting center. Last year, Flip had Lively to play the center role. Before him, both Banchero and Hurt had Mark Williams. The former pairing, with a far more improved Mark Williams, went to the Final 4. His freshman year, Hurt had Vernon Carey. Zion Williamson had Marques Bolden. Marvin Bagley had Bolden AND Wendell Carter. Chase Jeter and Javin DeLaurier had Bolden and Harry Giles. You look at ANY Duke team of the past 2 DECADES, and you'll see a PF who COULD play center, but didn't HAVE TO, because they had 1 or 2 true centers already on the roster. THAT was the biggest thing Duke was missing last year. As a result of Flip being forced to play full-time center, Mark Mitchell was forced to fill in at his usual spot at PF. As a freshman, Mitchell was FAR more effective as a 3/4 combo who was allowed to play all 3 levels. He started that season shooting over 42% from 3, before settling out at 35% for the season. As a full-time 4, his 3PT shooting dropped through the floor. He started last year shooting in SINGLE DIGITS, and VERY slowly, brought it up into the teens and 20s, ending at 27.5%. So one of his greatest skills as a combo forward was nullified. And if you watched both of those players last year, it was VERY clear that the passion, energy and joy they clearly felt and exhibited as freshmen was GONE. Many Duke accts on X made multiple references to the complete drop-off of the sophomore class as a whole, as the main reason we didn't have the Preseason #2 level of success that we SHOULD have had last year, based on bringing back 80% of our scoring, as well as our top 4 scorers, neither of which had happened since at least the 2008-09 season. Duke last year was like that old tale that sums up as "For want of a nail, the kingdom is lost"...except in OUR case, the nail was a defensive center. And that systemic failure, which manifested in basically the entire starting 5 as players forced into roles they should never have been in, trickled down all the way to the PG position...and Tyrese Proctor. He was always best as a primary FACILITATOR...the guy who initiated the offense, distributed the ball, fed his teammates, and made everyone else look better. As a freshman, he had plenty of targets for that, and that performance led directly to the widespread expectations that he would have a POY-level breakout as a sophomore...a breakout which never happened. But that was NOT on him, if you examine what he was forced to do. He was NEVER comfortable as a primary offensive scoring option. As a freshman, he never HAD to be...but as a sophomore, with everyone else out of position and off their games, he was asked to step up and become what he wasn't: a scorer. And as should have been predictable by anyone who knew him...he wasn't good at that, and he took a significant step back from his 1st year. However, the series of blunders that led to the group underachievement that was last season looks to be corrected for next season. Yes, we made the Elite 8, but we should have won at LEAST 7 or 8 of the games we lost, if not ALL OF THEM, if we'd had the one missing piece that threw everything else out of whack...and we could have competed with UConn and Purdue with a starter-quality center on the roster, as well as playing our depth...the other huge mistake we made last season. But next year, we have 3-4 guys who can play the 5, 2 of whom are full-time centers, not a PF playing out of position like Flip last year. We also have the type of roster that BEGS to be let loose and played, so that we don't have half the roster riding the bench all year like Jon made the mistake of doing last season. THAT, more than who we brought in, was behind the majority of our 7 transfers. Maliq Brown may have been the reason for the departure of either Stewart or Power--or both--but the reason they made that decision SO EASILY in the 1st place was because they both averaged around 6-7 mpg all year, despite both being top 25 players coming out of high school. They were never developed, or allowed to become the starting-level contributors they COULD have been. But while I questioned the point behind having 8 players who are either 6'5" or 6'6" on the team--multiple times, I might add--I now think that serves a purpose, AND it gives us switchability and versatility at a level we haven't had in recent memory, at every position on the floor. With only a few exceptions, every player can play multiple positions on both offense AND defense. But more than that, it creates a situation where Jon HAS to play these guys...not only to avoid the mass exodus we experienced during the month of April, but also to maximize this particular team's potential in the long run. THIS year's team, even more than last year's, has the very real potential to go all the way. Rather than having each player fill a specific role...we have the type of personnel to throw a dozen different looks at every team we play. THAT ability gives us far more than simple versatility. It gives us the ability to confuse teams, throw them off their rhythm, disrupt their offense, and stymie them to a high degree. All of those give US a huge advantage. We may not always be the biggest, most talented or best team on the floor every single game. However, with the ability to discombobulate teams and disrupt them, we can MAKE THEM WORSE, and bring them to heel. And with Tyrese Proctor back doing what he's best at, that offense and defense has a true leader, and experienced floor general, that last year's team was unfortunately lacking. And with players like Caleb Foster, Sion James and others to both help him out on the floor, or play in his stead while he's off of it, Duke has what could be the best team in America next year.

Brown is difficult because he isn't a real big! He's a small ball big at 6'8 which just means he's a SF who can't shoot outside and is somehow a good rebounder despite not being very athletic to play above the rim!

I dont think there’s gonna be many games were coop gets 10 pts

Welcome to the Brotherhood Cam and Sion!

i call him baby zion.he is a mini version of zion.

Great pick up!

My issue with the transfer portal has been that we lose guys and then replace them with top 130 guys or fringe top 100 guys! It's not like we're getting top 20 transfers who actually move the needle in terms of preseason rankings and outlook. Gillis and Brown are good pieces, but they aren't exactly best available. So now in the age of transfers we're still leaning on Freshman. Duke probably has the NIL money to basically build an all star team and it feels like we're dropping the ball on that!

Unfortunately ncaa is not about player development as much as it was. It is about acquiring assets that can make your team better. Perhaps they weren’t really forced out but Jon knew he needed more players he could trust to eat up 20 plus minutes and didn’t feel some players were ready to do that yet or should do that anymore. Also add Jon knows he has a one year window with a special talent and needed to think more short vs Long term this year. Sort of like going all in like the rams did a few years ago or having a qb on a rookie contract.

I’m not torn over the roster turnover at all, and this is while fully conceding that Scheyer pushed guys out the door. After two seasons, Jon now knows the profile of the player he wants in his program - physical, tall players who can defend and shoot. Roach and Power are defensive liabilities. Mitchell is an offensive liability. Admittedly, I wish Sean Stewart had stayed but he’s still an unproven player with a high ceiling and a low floor. Maliq Brown is a solid, known commodity with a high floor. And this team desperately needs his experience and physicality. Ditto for Mason Gillis and Sion James. This team is VERY GOOD because Scheyer had the courage to go get the squad he wanted.

For Duke Football.

It’s super awesome. Have you seen the Hell Raiser with the infinity tunnel

Do you guys write for the site also? Thank you.

You know I've been to Cameron maybe 10 times in my life and I'll be honest with you every time I go in there it is like the first time there's no other place like it no other place everybody whether you're a Duke fan or not should go there before they die what are an extraordinary place

Uh oh we in business!!!!!!

LGD!!!

Welcome to Duke!

Jon messed up with Stewart. He did seem lost a lot this year on the floor but he was a freshman, they're going to make mistakes. He should have been getting way more minutes than he got. Hate to see him leave, but I understand how Maliq is a better fit for this team.

It’s always rough after the season is over but this pod helps keep me connected!

Great content guys! Thank you