"Their roster doesn't terrify me"- Analyst makes his feelings clear on Jon Scheyer's squad post Cooper Flagg
Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils will have to navigate the 2025-26 NCAA season without Cooper Flagg after the teen phenom declared for the 2025 NBA Draft on Monday. Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman shared his thoughts on Duke's roster for next season in the latest episode of Field of 68: After Dark.
Co-host Rob Dauster asked Goodman where he stands on Duke following Flagg's departure. Dauster noted that the Blue Devils didn't lose a single transfer, with Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris, Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster and Maliq Brown all coming back. They also have the Boozer twins joining them next season.
Dauster pointed out, though, that the Blue Devils haven't added any big names yet, with Duke missing out on Xaivian Lee. Goodman didn't mince words when talking about Scheyer's squad for the upcoming season.
"Their roster doesn’t terrify me. I will say that. It does not terrify me," Goodman said (1:16). "If I’m a team in the ACC right now, a Louisville or somebody, even a Carolina, it’s not like last year, they scared the s**t out of me.
"And maybe because Cooper Flagg was just different than the Boozers. Cameron has gotten much better in terms of being able to step out and make shots, but he’s just not Cooper Flagg. He’s just not."
Jeff Goodman urged Jon Scheyer to add more players through the transfer portal to bolster his lineup.
"I think they need more. If I’m Jon Scheyer, I got to get another dude out of the portal. And there aren’t that many dudes left."
How Cooper Flagg fared under Jon Scheyer in his freshman season at Duke
Cooper Flagg lived up to the hype in his first and only season at Duke. He led the Blue Devils in multiple categories, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 boards, 4.2 dimes, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals through 37 games in the 2024-25 season.
Flagg helped Duke reach the Final Four for the 18th time, averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the March Madness wins over Mount St. Mary's, Baylor, Arizona and Alabama.
Duke failed to go all the way, though, losing 70-67 to Houston in the national semifinals. Flagg dazzled in his final game for the Blue Devils, amassing 27 points, seven boards, four dimes, three blocks and two steals in the heartbreaking loss to the Cougars.