Jeremy Roach’s role with Duke basketball will be key in Jon Scheyer’s first season
Amid the massive roster churn Duke basketball experienced the last six weeks, one player deciding to stay is likely to have a big say on how good the Blue Devils can be next season.
In the middle of April, while the teammates who joined him in helping Duke reach the Final Four just a couple of weeks earlier were plotting their exits to the NBA, Jeremy Roach used social media to post his intentions to play another season with the Blue Devils.
Roach started Duke’s first 14 games last season as a sophomore, he alternated between starting and reserve roles until March, then started all five NCAA tournament games.
That up and down nature of his season played a role in him remaining at Duke.
“I kind of wanted to get a whole season of consistency under my belt,” Roach said. “Just to make the draft process easier next year, rather than this year kind of struggling late in the second round.”
Roach averaged 8.6 points per game, making 41% of his shots overall, while also producing 3.2 assists per game. But in the NCAA tournament, his averages were a bit better: 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists with 43.7% shooting.
“Getting a guy like Jeremy Roach back is really important,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “and he’s gonna be a leader for us with what he did in the NCAA tournament.”
With seven freshmen who comprise the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class arriving this summer, Roach won’t be asked to be a volume shooter and scorer next season at Duke. But he will need to be a steady ball handler who can score when the opposing defense presents an opportunity. He’ll also be a steadying influence both on the court and off, something he saw departing captains Wendell Moore and Joey Baker provide last season.
“Definitely,” Roach said. “I’m the only one returning so I’ve kind of got to be the man. That will be expected so I’m ready.”
Of course it would help Duke as a team and Roach personally to see his shooting percentage increase. He hit 32.2% of his 3-pointers last season after hitting 31% as a freshman. Even during his solid NCAA tournament, Roach was 2 of 13 behind the arc. That included 0 for 5 in Duke’s 81-77 loss to North Carolina in the national semifinals.
But Roach’s assist-to-turnover ratio is the stat that would mean the most to the Blue Devils next season. Throughout his up-and-down sophomore season, he was excellent in that department – 123 assists to 63 turnovers for just shy of a 2:1 ratio.
In transition situations, Roach was even better – 3.3:1, according to Synergy Sports advanced stats.
Mike Krzyzewski, who was in the midst of his final season coaching Duke before his retirement, often noted Roach’s strong play in that area during the season. Scheyer, who moved into the head coaching job following the season, is also bullish on that area of Roach’s game.
Both coaches pointed to a stretch of ACC games in late January and early February – a five-game winning streak the Blue Devils compiled while guard Trevor Keels was either out or limited by a calf injury – as an example of Roach at his best. During those five games, Roach collected 31 assists to five turnovers. In two of those five game, he had nine assists and just one turnover.
Tyus Jones, point guard on Duke’s 2015 NCAA championship team, has led the NBA in assist to turnover ratio the last four seasons, including his record 7.04 to 1 ratio with Memphis this season.
“Tyus Jones had the best assist-to-turnover ratio ever in NBA history,” Scheyer said. “But, Jeremy for that stretch, he did it as well.”
The goal this offseason is for Roach to get himself in position to play 35 minutes a game by making himself that valuable. That means attentive defense without fouling and continuing to be smart with the basketball.
Duke added another guard to the roster as Tyrese Proctor, a five-star recruit who had committed to the Blue Devils for the class of 2023, announced last week he’s reclassifying and will join the team this summer. Proctor and rising sophomore Jaylen Blakes give Duke depth but Roach is in position to be the team’s main facilitator.
He’s working on his body to bulk up this offseason, adding strength that should help him on both ends of the court. Moore focused on his body between his sophomore and junior seasons and, as a result, he’s projected to be a first-round pick in this month’s NBA draft.
Scheyer’s goal for Roach is the same and the first-year head coach is confident Roach can produce at that level while keeping the Blue Devils among the nation’s top teams.
“I don’t think there’s gonna be a better point guard in the country than Jeremy Roach,” Scheyer said. “He has the experience. He’s gone through the ups and downs. He’ll have the leadership. But there’s just a couple of steps he needs to take with his game. And, you know, I’m excited to take that journey with him.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 5:10 AM with the headline "Jeremy Roach’s role with Duke basketball will be key in Jon Scheyer’s first season."