Following the Duke basketball squad's 90-84 road exhibition victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon, fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer emphasized to the media the preseason's value in providing vital lessons for his deep cast of 2026-27 Blue Devils. Those lessons seem especially important for the star-studded freshmen, including one who won't turn 18 until after the season but was a starter across all three exhibitions in forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.

"The depth of our team, I think, is real," Scheyer said after Duke completed its 3-0 march through its exhibition slate via the hard-fought win in the famed Allen Fieldhouse. "There's no doubt about it. And part of this, like, this is our first time [on the road this season]. You can anticipate all you want. But until you're in the moment and you're figuring out your team, there's no question we're going to have a group where different games certain guys are going to step up or play more minutes than others.

"So, I think it's our job to speed that process up. I think it's their job as players to know it's not going to be their night every single game. But the good part is I think there's a lot we can do better. I think there's a lot there that we can execute all across the board."

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje Bounces Back From Cold Start at Kansas

Heralded Duke basketball newcomer Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje missed all but two of his field goal attempts against the Jayhawks. He appeared to struggle a bit in the early going, somewhat to the surprise of Blue Devil faithful who had watched him excel well beyond his years in the team's home exhibition blowout wins over the Belmont Bruins and Tennessee Volunteers earlier this month.

However, the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year continued to battle throughout his 27 minutes of action to finish the contest with six points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Plus, it's worth noting that Boumtje Boumtje knocked down a momentum-building three that put the Blue Devils back on top at 68-67 with 10:47 to play and, just 20 seconds later, came up with a steal that ultimately led to two free throws from senior transfer guard John Blackwell.

"I thought this was a great learning experience for 'Jojo,'" Scheyer noted afterward about the 7-foot-2, 250-pound reclassified big man from Oviedo, Fla., who arrived in Durham this summer as part of a five-deep scholarship class that features three other former five-star prospects. "He's a year early. He's going to grow so much from this game and this environment."

Across three exhibition outings, including his relatively subpar stat line at Kansas, Boumtje Boumtje averaged 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game. He shot a combined 50.0 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three, and 60.0 percent at the foul line.

Scheyer and his staff will now get to watch Boumtje Boumtje and the rest of their players — potentially a double-digit regular rotation — grow by playing games that count toward the team's record. The Blue Devils are back in Durham gearing up for their regular season opener at home versus the Army Black Knights on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU).