Duke basketball: Grading each Blue Devil through three games
By Matt Giles
Grading Duke basketball freshman Jeremy Roach through three games
Perhaps it’s because of his torn ACL as a high school junior. Or perhaps the college game still needs to slow down for the former five-star prospect. Or perhaps his five-star status as a prep fooled some folks into expecting instant stardom. Or perhaps the shoes of 2020 ACC Player and Defender of the Year Tre Jones are just plain proving to be impossible to fill.
No matter the root of the issue, Jeremy Roach has not yet been the level of weapon that many Duke basketball fans were counting on witnessing this season.
In fact, after a few tentative performances, especially in Roach’s only start of the season to date against Michigan State, it’s now clear that the 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard out of Leesburg, Va., has some serious work to do before landing a permanent starting job as a Blue Devil floor general.
Roach, who is now down to sixth on the team in total minutes after seeing only 15 against Bellarmine, doesn’t appear to possess exceptional speed, exceptional hops, exceptional decision-making, exceptional passing, or exceptional shooting.
Per 40 minutes, Roach is averaging some altogether ho-hum stats: 9.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4.6 turnovers, 5.1 fouls, and 2.3 steals while shooting 50.0 percent from 2-point territory but only 28.6 percent from downtown plus only 50.0 percent from the charity stripe. Therefore, he now sports a ho-hum overall grade…
The grade for Jeremy Roach through three games: 81 (B-)