New Backcourt Battle in Durham: Caleb Foster vs. Cayden Boozer Heating Up Fast
The Duke basketball program never lacks storylines, but heading into the 2025-26 season, one positional clash is already capturing all the headlines: the battle for the starting point guard role between junior Caleb Foster and freshman Cayden Boozer.
With Jon Scheyer retooling after losing his entire starting five from last year’s Final Four squad, the Blue Devils will rely heavily on new faces and unproven combinations. Cameron Boozer is locked in at the power forward spot. Patrick Ngongba II and Maliq Brown will anchor the middle. Dame Sarr and Nik Khamenia are locked in a heavyweight fight for the wing. But the biggest question mark of all is at the point and it’s shaping up to be a battle that could define Duke’s entire season.
Foster: The Veteran with Something to Prove
Caleb Foster enters his junior campaign at a crossroads. Once projected as Duke’s next reliable floor general, he stumbled through an inconsistent sophomore year, eventually losing his starting role and his confidence down the stretch.
Foster’s defensive instincts and size (6’5”) make him a valuable piece, but his offensive regression in 2024-25 raised concerns. His shot mechanics wavered, his turnovers piled up, and his decision-making under pressure faltered. For Foster, this season isn’t just about helping Duke contend it’s about proving he belongs in the conversation as one of the ACC’s top guards.
If he locks in defensively and rediscovers the outside shooting touch he flashed as a freshman, he could still hold off the freshman sensation breathing down his neck. But the margin for error is thinner than ever.
Boozer: The Freshman Phenom Who Might Be Ready Now
Enter Cayden Boozer, the younger twin of Cameron and one of the most polished true point guards to enter college basketball in recent memory.
At 6’4”, Boozer brings a complete package: court vision, leadership, and elite decision-making. His play in summer practices reportedly turned heads leading the team in assists, showing poise beyond his years, and even earning whispers from teammates that “he runs the offense like a pro.”
In EYBL and FIBA play, Boozer showcased a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, a rare stat for a teenager against elite competition. He reads defenses like a chess master, knowing when to push tempo, when to set up his shooters, and when to find his brother Cameron for an easy bucket.
What Boozer lacks in physicality and defensive polish compared to Foster, he makes up for with a natural feel for the game that screams franchise cornerstone.
Scheyer’s Gamble: Youth vs. Experience
Jon Scheyer has shown he’s not afraid to trust freshmen. But starting Cayden Boozer alongside Cameron Boozer, plus potentially Dame Sarr or Nik Khamenia, would mean three or four first-year players in the starting lineup. In an era of older, transfer-heavy teams, that’s a dangerous gamble.
The Blue Devils open the season with a brutal non-conference schedule, including Texas, Tennessee, and Kansas. Can Scheyer afford to let Foster play through early struggles? Or will Boozer’s upside force his hand?
The answer could define not just Duke’s November, but its entire national championship pursuit.
The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
For Foster, this is a season of redemption. For Boozer, it’s a chance to accelerate his trajectory from “promising freshman” to “program-defining star.”
One thing is certain: Duke fans better buckle up. The Boozer-Foster battle isn’t just about who starts at point guard it’s about the direction of the 2025-26 Blue Devils and their quest to return to the Final Four.
And in Durham, every possession, every decision, every dribble will be under the brightest of spotlights.
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