Caleb Foster could make his way back into the rotation with Duke’s lead veteran guard out.
Duke basketball sophomore guard Caleb Foster has had a tough go at things through his second season in Durham. Dubbed nationally as a potential breakout candidate around college basketball throughout the preseason, Foster has not only dropped out of the starting lineup for the Blue Devils, but is fizzling out of the rotation as a whole.
Foster started the season in the starting lineup alongside junior Tyrese Proctor, but lackluster production on the offensive end eventually saw him on the bench in favor of guys like Sion James and Isaiah Evans.
Foster has played single-digit minutes in six of the Blue Devils’ last nine games and is averaging just 5.4 points on 42.2% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from three-point range this season. All of these numbers are down compared to his freshman campaign. What’s specifically jarring is his struggles beyond the arc, as Foster was a 40% three-point shooter for Duke as a freshman.
However, with Proctor expected to be out for at least some time after sustaining a knee injury during the first half of Duke’s 97-60 win at Miami on Tuesday night, Foster will likely see his minutes increase again and he might have a chance to save his lost sophomore season.
Foster played 17 minutes against the Hurricanes with Proctor out and put up one of his better scoring nights of the season. The guard tallied 10 points and three assists on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the perimeter. This was the most minutes Foster has played in a game since January 15th.
The most likely candidate to take the starting spot in the lineup for the Blue Devils is Evans with his lights out three-point shooting ability and lanky build to keep Duke’s defensive length and versatility at a premium.
But Foster will almost certainly see more time mainly due to him being the only other veteran in the backcourt Duke has besides Proctor and James. There’s no one else Duke can bring off the bench that has experience being a heavy part of the rotation before this season.
So for the sophomore, this could be a chance to revive his season and prove his worth as a reliable starting guard, or at least a guard worthy of legitimate minutes, on a championship-contending squad.
Next up for Duke is a home game against Florida State (16-12, 7-10 ACC) on March 1st (7:00pm ET, ACC Network).