Nik Khamenia Thinks Duke Can Win The Natty. Is He Right?

It’s not impossible, but a lot of things would have to line up.

It’s not unusual for freshmen to get to college and say they think their team can win a national championship. The Fab Five thought they could. Last year, with generational talent Cooper Flagg, Duke’s freshmen surely thought they could.

And now, Nik Khamenia thinks that his team can do it this coming season. Might they?

Well..maybe?

To start with, Duke does have some considerable talent. The Blue Devils bring back Isaiah Evans, shooter extraordinare, Caleb Foster, who has had some tough breaks but who keeps a positive attitude, Maliq Brown, an extraordinary defender, Patrick Ngongba, who is as clever a big man as you’ll find (and we think he could be a major revelation this season) and Darren Harris. Harris didn't play much last season, but he did progress and he may be a purer shooter than Evans.

The portal Santa basically brought depth but the freshman class is really promising.

The Boozer twins are ahead of schedule, Dame Sarr has played against grown men in Italy and Khamenia may be emerging as one of the most intriguing freshmen in the country.

Still, when you think about it, the odds are against every team. UNC lost twice in the tournament - with Michael Jordan. UNLV in 1991 was undefeated, until Duke took them down. Kentucky had a brilliant season in 2015 before Wisconsin shocked them in the Final Four. There’s a lot of luck involved - a lot.

People will look at Duke this season and think, well, you lost five starters to the NBA. Khaman Maluach is gone. Kon Knueppel is gone. Cooper Flagg is not walking through that door.

But there are some intriguing pieces coming through that door. There’s good shooting. There’s two big men who bring very different qualities. And there are at least three candidates at point guard.

Caleb Foster will probably get the first crack, but if Cayden Boozer emerges, it won’t surprise us.

We call them point guards but really, a better term is probably orchestrator or conductor. You can win and win a lot without one, but if you want to get to Monday night, you really do need an orchestrator (or conductor).

But here’s the thing.

Ideally, you want that role in one person. However, if you have guards who can bring the ball up and a taller player who can really pass, you can split that role. And as we saw in Lausanne, Khamenia looks like an unusually gifted passer.

Even so.

There is an underlying problem with any freshman saying he thinks his team can win a title and it’s pretty straightforward: he’s a freshman.

There are going to be more experienced players who don’t flinch at critical moments, as we saw with Houston in April.

Of course, some freshman can manage. Look at Tyus Jones in 2015, for one. That guy consistently made the right decisions (and still does).

So does Duke have a shot?

Yes.

But like everyone else, the odds are against the Blue Devils. So we should all enjoy the ride.