Duke Freshman Makes Excellent First Impression

Thursday night gave us our first look at the Duke Blue Devils' basketball team for the 2026-27 season as they opened up their exhibition schedule against Belmont. From the start, Duke dominated Belmont 102-62 as they should have, showcasing their height as well as speed, which was too much for the visitors.

But one player that stood out was freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.

Going into this season, the Blue Devils didn't have a name like Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer, back-to-back national player of the year winners on the roster. But now, Boumtje Boumtje could be a potential superstar ready to join that conversation. And Duke could have him for two years. 

In Thursday's exhibition, Boumtje Boumtje put on a show scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds, blocking two shots and having two steals. He was tied with Dame Sarr for the game lead in total points as the duo looked like the two best players on the floor. 

While Duke's plan may have been to bring Boumtje Boumtje along as the season went on, the freshman is going to force Jon Scheyer's hand in terms of early playing time. He's going to be a big factor in what Duke wants to do both on offense and defense, showcasing that on Thursday night. He also gave the nation a look at the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft as well. 

With Patrick Ngongba II set to start at center, the power forward spot next to him is wide open. The competition between Boumtje Boumtje and fellow freshman Cameron Williams has been going on throughout the offseason and Boumtje Boumtje may have the lead. He was in the starting lineup at that spot, a strong indicator that he is in great position to earn that starting job. 

After the game, CBS Sports' Cameron Salerno wrote on Boumtje Boumtje as he was impressed by his performance. He went as far as saying that it wouldn't shock him to see Boumtje Boumtje become Duke's best player when the season eventually ends. He believes that he is far too talented not to play him at least 25-30 minutes per game, potentially more.

It was only an exhibition game but it's hard not to be excited for the standout freshman and the potential he has at just age 17. Duke returns to the court on October 20th when they host Tennessee for an exhibition game in Cameron Indoor Stadium.