For most college basketball programs, the summer is a fallow period devoid of news. That lends itself to speculation about the upcoming season, which for Duke fans has been ripe with possibilities.
Fans are obsessing over how Jon Scheyer will fit a roster full of intriguing pieces together. How will he split backcourt minutes between the veteran savvy Caleb Foster, the 5* upside of a returning Cayden Boozer, the established star power of John Blackwell, and the unteachable athleticism of freshman Derron Rippey Jr? Who will claim the most minutes at the power forward between star freshmen Cameron Williams and Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje? Will veteran transfer Drew Scharnowski factor in at the power forward or primarily back up Pat Ngongba II at center?
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Notably absent from those most common topics of debate is who will dominate the traditional small forward/3 position. That role will almost assuredly be held by returning sophomore Dame Sarr, whose ascendence to defensive superstardom was an under-the-radar key to Duke’s ACC dominance last year.
But, if summer social media content is to be believed, Sarr’s role could be larger than that—literally and figuratively.
In the background of Duke’s various behind-the-scenes content from early summer practices, Sarr has constantly stood out. That’s because the lanky freshman has seemingly transformed his body, putting considerable muscle on his nearly 7-foot wingspan. Combined with his 6-foot-7 height it begs the question: could Sarr play significant minutes at the traditional 4 this year?
While one of Duke’s 6-foot-11 freshmen will likely claim most of those minutes, very few teams in the country can match that size. Instead, opponents will likely try to put smaller wings at the 4 and see if the Blue Devil bigs can match up on the perimeter. Indeed, for all the hype around Boumtje-Boumtje’s rapid rise to the top of recruiting rankings and 2028 NBA mock drafts, his lateral quickness is consistently noted as a weakness at his young age.
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A stronger Sarr, though, could play the 4 for significant periods and negate that potential defensive shortcoming. That would also allow Duke to play three of its four guards alongside Sarr and Ngongba, a lineup which could give Blackwell and Ngongba more space to dominate both outside and inside on offense.
Duke already had the potential to go 11 men deep, with all the aforementioned players plus 5* freshman wing (and shooting specialist) Bryson Howard and returning sophomore forward Sebastian Wilkins. If Sarr has bulked up enough to play stretches at the 4, that gives Scheyer even more options to get all those weapons on the floor in the right matchups.
That’s a scary thought for the rest of the country.
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