Duke basketball: 3 Blue Devils who must drastically improve
By Matt Giles
Three areas for Duke basketball guard Jeremy Roach to improve
- Intensity (only 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game as a freshman)
- Instincts (an average of 2.0 turnovers to only 2.8 assists)
- FT shooting (67.5 percent last season)
As arguably the most vital piece of the three on this list, Jeremy Roach must build on the strides he showed late in the 2020-21 campaign, just as Duke was finding its stride. That moment, of course, coincided with a positive COVID-19 test within the program, making the Blue Devils’ late surge all for naught following their pair of clicking-on-all-cylinders wins in the ACC Tournament.
At the time, Roach was finally finding his rhythm, both as a 3-point marksman and a floor general, after failing throughout the season to lock down his starting gig. Now, with the start of his sophomore campaign less than three months away, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound former five-star recruit again looks to be first in line for a stab at cementing the first-string status at the point.
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This time around, Roach can seal the deal and potentially guide Duke basketball back to the promised land via this three-course regimen:
- Capitalize on having relatively light feet to stir things up more often on both ends of the floor, regularly referring to Tre Jones footage for a general how-to when it comes to serving as a constant creator on offense and a constant nuisance on defense.
- Fine-tune the decision-making process, especially in traffic, leaving behind all the timid drives and prayers under duress from last season that essentially equated to gifts for opponents.
- Get rid of irregularities at the charity stripe in preparation for an increased number of trips there as a second-year Blue Devil — in light of what hopes to be a much more calculated piercing attack.
Yes, the rest should fall into place, thanks to the trio of five-star newcomers in Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, and Trevor Keels, in addition to all the rest.