It didn’t come in the form of a viral clip. No monster dunks. No heated scuffles. Just a quiet, calculated shift that those inside the program can’t stop talking about.
According to multiple insiders, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer made a subtle change to the structure of summer practice — and it’s already paying off in ways fans may not realize yet. The adjustment? Less scrimmage time… and more situational reps.
Instead of running full-court 5-on-5 for long stretches, Scheyer reportedly broke practices into small chunks focused on high-leverage situations: end-of-game possessions, defending after missed free throws, late-shot-clock execution, and transition defense drills. And the results? Eye-opening.
One returning player described the shift as “the most locked-in I’ve seen this group all summer.” Coaches are seeing younger guys step up, make smarter reads, and communicate at a veteran level. One assistant even said, “You’d think we were in February, not July, with how tight the rotations looked this early.”
And while the new freshmen like Dame Sarr and Cameron Boozer are earning plenty of buzz on their own, it’s this system tweak that’s helping everyone elevate faster than expected. Even role players are standing out — because in this format, every possession counts.
The fanbase might not see the results until November. But inside the gym, the shift has already made one thing clear:
This isn’t just a talented roster. It’s a coached-up, mentally locked-in group — and that might be Duke’s real edge this season.
