Biggest Winners & Losers From Duke Basketball Preseason Play

With preseason competition wrapped up, the Duke Blue Devils gear up to begin the 2026-27 season against Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 2.

The Blue Devils looked like the best team in college basketball throughout preseason play. It defeated Belmont by 40 points and No. 8 Tennessee by 39 points. Then, it earned a tight victory over No. 17 Kansas in Lawrence on Sunday, 90-84.

We learned a lot about this Duke team throughout the preseason, and there isn't much to dislike. Let's go through some big winners and losers from the Blue Devils' preseason competition.

Winners

Dame Sarr

Sophomore Dame Sarr was probably Duke's biggest riser over three preseason games. We spent a lot of time this offseason discussing his potential jump as a 3-and-D wing, but it's clear he's grown into a much different player than he was as a rookie.

Sarr showed immense growth in several areas of the game, and he did so without the three-point shot playing a big role in his production. Across three contests, Sarr shot 12-of-24 (50%) from the field, 3-of-11 (27.3%) from the three-point line, and 19-of-24 (79.2%) from the free-throw line. The three-point shot will get more consistent, but he's been one of Duke's most productive players without it.

The 6'8" wing is turning down outside shots and electing to attack the rim and force defenders to challenge him there. After averaging 1.6 free-throw attempts per game as a rookie and knocking them down at a 53.2% clip, he's getting to the line at a much higher rate and making them.

Sarr could be the Blue Devils' best all-around player this season. He's already an elite on-ball defender, and he's shown growth in so many different areas already.

Cayden Boozer

Caleb Foster missed most of preseason play with an ankle injury, propelling sophomore Cayden Boozer into the full-time starting point guard role. Not only was Boozer effective, but he operated as a true floor general at an extremely high level. Boozer's maturity is clear, as he's not forcing anything for himself. He only took one shot against Tennessee, but tallied six assists to one turnover. However, he's shown growth as a scorer and shooter when the opportunities have been there.

Over three games, the 6'4" point guard tallied 10 assists to two turnovers and defended the perimeter well. The starting point guard discussion is an interesting one for this team, but if Boozer ultimately comes off the bench, he might be the best reserve guard in college basketball.

Sebastian Wilkins

Sebastian Wilkins waited his turn and is proving he will do all the little things that impact winning. His defense on the ball was great throughout the team's three outings, but like the rest of this rotation, Wilkins didn't force anything. Instead, he used his skill set to affect the game in different ways.

The 6'8 wing is a highly valuable defender with his frame and switchability, and he also rebounded and moved without the ball at a very high level. Wilkins is a threat to shoot from the outside, but he didn't let that define his role. He used his redshirt year to improve at the little things that will help Duke win games, and it's hard to imagine he's not a regular part of this rotation in his second year in Durham.

Losers

Cameron Williams

It was revealed that 5-star freshman Cameron Williams was dealing with a virus that hindered him early in the preseason and caused him to lose weight, which certainly was a setback. However, as Duke's matchup with Kansas proved for several of the Blue Devils' rookies, it will take some time for them to adjust to college-level physicality.

Williams has phenomenal long-term NBA upside as an athletic, mobile seven-footer with outside shooting ability. However, he might not make a huge impact right away. Williams logged two minutes against Kansas and went for two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes against Tennessee.

The 5-star recruit will be a fantastic player, and his NBA upside hasn't changed. However, with the depth in the frontcourt that Duke has, he might not play significant minutes on a nightly basis right away.

Bryson Howard

Bryson Howard is an immensely talented offensive player and, like Williams, is oozing with NBA upside. However, what his role could actually look like with this team seems up in the air. Howard is a 6'4" guard, but a more wing-type role probably suits him best in this lineup. With guys like Wilkins providing pure size on the defensive end of the floor, Howard will likely have to be a reliable outside shooter to see consistent time.

Howard went for five points on 1-of-2 shooting from the perimeter in 14 minutes against Belmont, four points on 0-of-6 shooting from three in 17 minutes against Tennessee, and three points in eight minutes against the Jayhawks, knocking down his lone three-point attempt. Howard has tremendous offensive upside and is a highly impactful defender, but with so many capable shooters and defenders on this team, Howard's consistent role still feels a bit unclear.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Biggest Winners & Losers From Duke Basketball Preseason Play.