By mid-July in Durham, North Carolina, the buzz around the Duke basketball program is usually subdued, tucked somewhere between the distant echoes of March and the soft anticipation of November. Summer practices are typically a time for quiet development, clipboard refinement, and cautious optimism. But this year, inside the walls of Cameron Indoor Stadium and the new practice facility just next door, a very different energy has taken hold—because one player is disrupting the status quo.
He wasn’t supposed to be this good. Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever.
He was brought in for depth, for potential, maybe even as a developmental piece. But now? The Duke coaching staff is whispering among themselves, veterans are adjusting their game, and the projected starting lineup just got a lot less certain.
Let’s talk about the summer explosion of Elijah “Eli” Morgan—a 3-star guard out of Indianapolis who’s quickly becoming the story of Duke’s offseason.
When Duke signed Eli Morgan last November, the announcement barely moved the needle. Recruiting services slotted him as a fringe top-150 player, praised for his work ethic and high basketball IQ, but dinged for his average athleticism and an inconsistent outside shot.
“Glue guy,” one ACC assistant coach said at the time. “High-character kid, good bench energy, might give you spot minutes by junior year.”
Even Duke fans acknowledged the scholarship offer was somewhat curious—especially in a class that already included five-star blue-chippers like combo guard Trevor James and big man Dayvon Holloway. Most figured Morgan would redshirt or see limited action behind Duke’s carousel of elite scorers.
But from the moment players began filing into the summer session, something felt off. And then it clicked: that something was Eli Morgan.
The first week of practice is always an adjustment. Conditioning tests, defensive install, early shooting drills—it’s more boot camp than basketball.
But by day three, Morgan was causing headaches.
“He was just everywhere,” said a source close to the team. “Scrapping for loose balls, getting into guys’ chests, making reads like a senior point guard. The coaching staff had to start rewatching film just to understand how he was seeing the floor the way he was.”
Head coach Jon Scheyer reportedly first brushed it off as “new guy legs”—a term for players with something to prove in the early days. But as the practices wore on, Morgan’s performance didn’t regress. It leveled up.
What initially caught attention was his defense. Morgan was guarding bigger players, switching seamlessly, and barking out rotations. He picked off passes in live drills, disrupted offensive sets, and showed a knack for timing that felt almost anticipatory.
“He’s two steps ahead,” said associate head coach Chris Carrawell. “It’s freaky.”
But it wasn’t just defense. His offensive game—once labeled “limited” in scouting reports—looked rejuvenated. Morgan had rebuilt his jump shot with a quicker release and extended range. In one five-on-five scrimmage, he drained five straight threes from various spots on the floor—two off the dribble, one coming off a screen.
More notably, he was commanding attention… and respect.
“He didn’t come in acting like a star,” said one returning player. “But the way he competes? It’s infectious. You either raise your game, or you get cooked.”
By the end of week two, Duke’s staff had a problem—a good problem, but a problem nonetheless.
Morgan had outperformed not just fellow freshmen, but returning rotation players. His understanding of offensive schemes, spacing, and timing had allowed the coaching staff to run plays originally designed for veterans through him. Even more shocking: it worked better.
“We’ve had to rechart some things,” said an insider. “Not just depth charts, but entire segments of the offense. He’s forcing a rethink.”
Sources within the program confirmed that multiple offensive sets have been tweaked this summer to feature more dual-guard action, with Morgan initiating from the top or playing off high screens—roles originally designed for Trevor James and junior guard Jaden McCallister.
“He’s not replacing anyone,” a coach clarified. “But he’s changing everyone.”
And that’s the ripple effect of a player like Morgan. He’s not just taking minutes—he’s altering assumptions. Roles once etched in pencil are now in faint gray. Players once slated for breakout years are re-evaluating their fit.
“He’s not just playing well,” one assistant coach added. “He’s reordering the room.”
Behind Morgan’s breakout is a year of transformation.
Following his senior season at Pike High School, where he averaged 17 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game, Morgan made the uncommon decision to spend a post-grad year at a private training academy in Ohio. There, he worked with NBA skill trainers, nutritionists, and a shooting coach who revamped his form.
“He gained 12 pounds of muscle, cleaned up his release, and learned how to see the floor from a pro angle,” said his trainer, Damon Lyles. “That’s not normal for an 18-year-old.”
He arrived at Duke leaner, faster, and sharper. When the staff put players through a grueling battery of off-ball movement drills, Morgan posted the best stamina metrics. When they ran the “Chaos Scramble” drill—a 4-minute full-court defensive gauntlet—Morgan didn’t just finish first. He beat the next best time by 11 seconds.
“We knew he worked hard,” Scheyer said. “But this is… something else.”
Inside the program, the tone remains publicly modest. Coaches have praised Morgan’s “attention to detail,” “grit,” and “unselfishness.” But privately, there’s a sense of stunned recalibration.
The staff didn’t recruit him to change the trajectory of the season. They didn’t imagine needing to game-plan around his impact. And yet, that’s where things are headed.
Multiple sources confirmed that Duke’s internal depth charts have already been reshuffled. Early projections now have Morgan pushing for a sixth-man role—or even cracking the starting five if preseason performances continue.
“He’s earned it,” one insider said. “That doesn’t happen here often. But when it does… you ride it.”
That decision, however, won’t come without ripple effects. Trevor James, the five-star guard from California, was widely expected to be “the guy” this season. By all accounts, he’s been excellent. But Morgan’s rise throws a wrench into any assumed pecking order.
“You’ve got two high-IQ guards who can score, pass, and defend,” said one ACC scout. “It’s a good problem, but it’s still a problem. If you’re Scheyer, how do you balance egos and development?
Team chemistry is delicate, especially in July. Veterans are asserting leadership, freshmen are finding their footing, and every practice has its own stakes—even if they’re unofficial.
So far, players have responded admirably to Morgan’s ascendance. Jaden McCallister, the veteran combo guard, has reportedly taken Morgan under his wing, mentoring him through the intricacies of ACC-level playcalling.
But the ripple is real. With Morgan’s usage increasing, touches and opportunities shift. Returning sophomores like Armoni Winters and wing shooter Cole Lattimore may see their minutes affected. Even the frontcourt could feel the squeeze as Duke experiments with smaller, guard-heavy lineups.
“We’ve seen this before,” one former Duke player said. “When a surprise guy pops, it either galvanizes a team—or fractures it. It all depends on how the coaches manage it.”
Scheyer and his staff are trying to do both—feed Morgan’s fire without alienating others.
Let’s be clear: Eli Morgan hasn’t played a minute of real college basketball yet. He hasn’t faced a true road crowd, or guarded a lottery pick under the lights of ESPN’s Big Monday. Summer practice excellence doesn’t always translate to winter victories.
But there’s something undeniably real about what’s happening in Durham.
“You can’t fake this kind of presence,” said Duke strength coach Nic Potter. “The dude walks into the gym and it’s like… the frequency changes.”
It’s not about highlights or social media buzz. In fact, Morgan’s rise has flown mostly under the radar outside of Duke’s inner circle. There are no mixtapes, no interviews, no NIL fanfare—just relentless execution and competitive fire.
“He was brought in to be a role player,” a staff member admitted. “He might end up being our engine.”
Duke’s summer trip to Spain looms in August—three games against pro-level competition in Madrid and Valencia. It will be the first real test of Morgan’s rise, and the first public window into what Duke’s rotation might look like come November.
If Morgan continues his ascent overseas, the secret may not stay quiet for long.
“He’s the kind of player you build around, not around,” said one NBA scout who observed practice last week. “He tilts the floor. He wins drills. He wins respect.”
And that’s what makes his story so captivating.
Eli Morgan wasn’t hired to be this excellent. He was a modest signing, a roster-depth piece, a maybe-he’ll-develop guy.
