NBA Draft Scouting Report: Duke's Caleb Foster
Caleb Foster
Guard | Duke
Height: 6'5” | Weight: 195 lbs
2024 Draft Age: 19.93
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
Foster fits the mold of a combo guard with the skills to play on or off the ball at the next level. He has real isolation upside and is effective at getting to the rim with ease. He has a variety of quality dribble moves and also leverages his strength to get into the paint and create looks. He also boasts good body control, footwork and knows how to play the angles.
When the defense does do a good job of cutting off his drives, Foster has proven to be effective in the midrange as well. Whether it’s using his size to pull up over a defender or useing touch to finish with a floater, he is crafty at generating buckets inside the arc. With the ball in his hands, he’s more balanced and smooth than he is explosive.
The jumper overall could use some refinement, but there’s no question that Foster is an advanced shot maker. It’s all about choosing the right shots and ensuring consistency in the mechanics of his jump shot.
Foster is a good decision maker with natural feel and doesn’t get sped up easily. He’s not necessarily a full-time point guard as of today, but certainly has passing and facilitation upside. That poise could be something that really attracts NBA teams as he is evaluated his freshman season.
Defensively, Foster isn’t lightning quick with the ability to keep up with explosive guards, but is getting better at leveraging his size and strength. Becoming a smarter defender that knows how to read his assignment and understand their tendencies will go a long way on that end. He’s not a bad defender, but will need to show improvement there.
The former five-star recruit does have one-and-done talent but will be playing on a talented Duke team. In the backcourt he will have to compete for playing time and a primary role alongside Tyrese Proctor, Jared McCain and others who have an NBA trajectory. He will also get to play with Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell who also are on track to being drafted.
If Foster is able to carve out a large role and improve as the season goes on, he has first-round potential. However, that will be easier said than done given how crowded the guard rotation will be for the Blue Devils.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Second-Round Pick in 2024 NBA Draft.
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