I asked Microsoft's Copilot "who is likely to start for Duke men's basketball in 2025"? It's safe to say the first two lineups aren't going to happen. I think the third is possible, but unlikely. Here's the full response:
The Duke Blue Devils have undergone significant changes in their roster for the 2024-25 season. Let's take a look at some potential starting lineups based on available talent and projections:
1. **McCain, Foster, Flagg, Stewart, and Ngongba**: This lineup combines versatility, athleticism, and experience¹. It features Jared McCain, Caleb Foster, Cooper Flagg, Mark Mitchell, and Patrick Ngongba. Keep in mind that this might not be the most feasible starting lineup, but it could be used strategically against teams lacking athletes².
2. **Roach, Proctor, McCain, Mitchell, and Filipowski**: Another possibility is starting with Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, Jared McCain, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski³. This lineup emphasizes skill and balance.
3. **Proctor, James, Gillis, Flagg, and Maluach**: According to some predictions, this lineup could be likely: Tyrese Proctor, Sion James, Mason Gillis, Cooper Flagg, and Khaman Maluach⁵. It offers a mix of experience and fresh talent.
Remember that these lineups are speculative, and the actual starting lineup will depend on various factors, including player development, coaching decisions, and game situations. Duke fans can look forward to an exciting season with the new roster!¹²³⁵
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 5/27/2024
(1) Duke 2024-25 roster tracker, from Cooper Flagg to Mason Gillis. https://dukewire.usatoday.com/lists...ker-cooper-flagg-mason-gillis-khaman-maluach/.
(2) With commitments rolling in, what will Duke's roster look like in 2024-25?. https://www.dukewisdom.org/single-p...-what-will-duke-s-roster-look-like-in-2024-25.
(3) Duke Basketball Starting Lineup: Updated Blue Devils’ Starting 5. https://www.lineups.com/articles/college-basketball-starting-lineups-duke-blue-devils/.
(4) Duke’s 2024-25 starting lineup predictions after the transfer portal. https://dukewire.usatoday.com/lists...ters-transfer-portal-cooper-flagg-sion-james/.
(5) Duke Blue Devils 2023-24 Men's College Basketball Roster - ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/roster/_/id/150.
So, I thought this was a cool idea, and I've been looking for questions to test AI sources with lately, so I wanted to try this again. The challenge with most chatbots is that they are trained on data sets from some time in the past -- you can't get answers based on the most current data available. So I tried feeding this question into Perplexity, which augments chatbot models with current web searches. Here's what it came up with when I asked it, "who is likely to start for Duke men's basketball in the 2024-2025 season".
Based on the provided search results, here are the players likely to start for Duke men's basketball in the 2024-2025 season:
## Projected Starters
1. Tyrese Proctor (Junior Guard) - The returning veteran point guard who was Duke's primary facilitator last season. He is expected to run the offense.[1][2]
2. Cooper Flagg (Freshman Forward) - The projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and headliner of Duke's No. 1 ranked 2024 recruiting class. An elite talent who should start immediately.[1][4]
3. Khaman Maluach (Freshman Center) - A 7-foot-2 five-star center recruit, projected as a lottery pick in 2025. Could form an elite defensive duo with Flagg.[1]
4. Maliq Brown (Senior Guard/Forward Transfer from Syracuse) - An All-ACC defensive player who can score efficiently. Expected to be a key complementary veteran piece.[1][2]
5. Mason Gillis (Senior Forward Transfer from Purdue) - The reigning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year provides reliable outside shooting as a potential starter or sixth man.[1][2]
Other candidates for the starting five include freshman wings Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel, who bring scoring punch,[1] and sophomore guard Caleb Foster, who was a part-time starter last season when healthy.[2]
So in summary, Duke's projected 2024-25 starting lineup features the star freshman duo of Flagg and Maluach, along with veteran returner Proctor and impactful transfers Brown and Gillis.[1][2][4]
Sources
[1] Duke basketball roster 2024-25 update after transfer portal closed https://www.fayobserver.com/story/s...eyer-cooper-flagg-tyrese-proctor/73495870007/
[2] Duke's 2024-25 starting lineup predictions after the transfer portal https://dukewire.usatoday.com/lists...ters-transfer-portal-cooper-flagg-sion-james/
[3] 2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster - Duke University https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
[4] What will Duke basketball roster look like in 2024-25 season? https://www.fayobserver.com/story/s...agg-kyle-filipowski-jared-mccain/73163633007/
[5] Duke 2024-25 roster: Tulane's Sion James commits to Blue Devils ... https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...ommits-to-blue-devils-out-of-transfer-portal/
That's...a pretty reasonable guess. I might start Sion James over Gillis, or Foster may stay in the starting lineup, but there's a decent chance we will see that lineup starting at some point during the season.
