When the Duke basketball team uploaded videos of its first official practice to social media earlier this week, fans observed freshman forward Patrick Ngongba II sitting on the sideline and sporting a walking boot. Head coach Jon Scheyer verified Ngongba II’s injury on Friday morning.
Scheyer stated that the five-star recruit is not fully healthy and has been ruled out indefinitely during his media availability.
But the rookie doesn’t have a fresh injury. He almost missed the entire senior season of high school due to an injury he sustained during the preseason. After a brief hiatus, Ngongba made a comeback to play in three Chipotle Nationals games and the high school all-star game tour.
While playing for Team USA in the 2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup, he did take part in Duke’s offseason practices this summer, averaging 4.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 assists per game.
The goal of the treatment, according to Jon Scheyer, is to enable him to move pain-free on the floor.
Ngongba’s absence shouldn’t have a significant short-term effect on Duke because they added a strong and talented frontcourt this offseason.
In addition to Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown, who led the ACC in steals the previous season, Khaman Maluach, a freshman, is expected to play a prominent part in the Blue Devils’ frontcourt.
Sion James, Mason Gillis, and Cooper Flagg are all capable of playing power forward.
A red-shirt season might not be completely out of the question for Patrick Ngongba II given Duke’s depth at the position. This would allow him to recuperate and recover at his own pace and then have the opportunity to rehab and get back up to speed in practice.
With a complete season of experience at Duke, Ngongba’s 2025–2026 redshirt freshman year should prove to be highly advantageous for both the 6-foot-11 center and the team.