2 Duke Basketball Players in Intriguing Spots Entering Regular Season

The Duke Blue Devils looked as good as advertised across one scrimmage and two exhibition games.

Duke won all three of its preseason games, including a 39-point victory over No. 8 Tennessee at home and a 90-84 victory over No. 17 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Jon Scheyer and his staff have this team operating well ahead of schedule, and it is firmly one of the best squads in the country entering the regular season.

The Blue Devils have a wealth of talent, including guys who can interchange at different roles on the floor. With so much depth on the roster, some guys probably won't get the minutes they hoped or expected, at least right away. Let's discuss two Blue Devils in very intriguing spots entering the year.

Cameron Williams

Seven-foot freshman Cameron Williams was Duke's highest-rated high school recruit, ranked No. 4 overall according to the 247Sports 2027 Composite Rankings. Williams has a wealth of long-term upside and oozes with NBA potential, but it could take him some time to adjust to college basketball.

Now, it's important to note that Williams dealt with a virus early in the preseason that certainly set him back, but he might need some time to acclimate to the physicality of college basketball. The Phoenix native scored two points in 13 minutes against Belmont, two points in 18 minutes against Tennessee, and only played two minutes against Kansas.

Williams is immensely talented and will grow into a big-time role with the Blue Devils. However, it might not happen right away. A role off the bench probably suits him best, but with how versatile and deep Duke is in the frontcourt, it will be interesting to follow what his minutes look like right away.

Williams provides defensive length with good footwork, high-level rebounding, and a high ceiling as an outside shooter. Still, it won't be too surprising if it takes Williams some time to take a big step forward.

Bryson Howard

Like Williams, 5-star freshman Bryson Howard has a ton of offensive potential and could eventually turn into a first-round NBA Draft choice. However, his skill set and frame will be interesting to monitor throughout the regular season, as will what his role actually looks like as a rookie.

Howard has the frame at 6'4" to guard multiple positions, but with guys like 7'0" Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, 6'9" Drew Scharnowski, 6'8" Sebastian Wilkins, and 6'8" Dame Sarr, Duke would sacrifice pure size by putting Howard at the three. At the shooting guard spot, it's hard to imagine John Blackwell staying on the bench much in big-time games.

If Howard can be a reliable outside shooting threat, there will be room for him in the rotation. He only shot 2-of-9 from three-point range across three preseason games, but he's one of the best pure shooters in Duke's 2026 recruiting class. However, he's in a bit of an interesting spot with his build and exactly where he fits into this rotation.

Howard's ability to be a consistent shooting threat will probably play a big role in the minutes he gets as a backup two or 3-and-D wing off the bench. In the preseason, Wilkins and Howard seemed like the two guys most likely to earn that reserve 3-and-D role behind Sarr, but Wilkins was fantastic, and it's hard not to see him getting on the floor consistently.

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