Duke basketball: Insider thinks Jeremy Roach’s return could be negative

A college basketball insider thinks Jeremy Roach’s return could hurt the Duke basketball team. 

The return of Jeremy Roach to the Duke basketball program feels like a major win for the Blue Devils that could help them win its sixth National Championship in April.

Jon Scheyer saw the return of Kyle Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Roach from last year’s team while Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively were the only two major contributors to opt for the NBA Draft following the season.

Duke also brings in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports, comprised of five-star guard Caleb Foster, Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power.

However, one major college basketball insider thinks that the return of Roach to the Blue Devils could hurt Duke.

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“I actually think [Jeremy Roach’s return] might hurt Duke more than anything,” Jeff Goodman said on The Field of 68 last month.

Goodman previously had the Blue Devils as his preseason No. 1 team but dropped Duke to No. 2 after the Kansas Jayhawks added prized Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson.

Duke basketball depth should be a positive

The insider cites Duke having too deep of a roster as to why he believes that Jeremy Roach’s return hurts the team considering the freshmen guard, Caleb Foster and Jared McCain, will not play as much as some people thought with the return of the captain and Tyrese Proctor.

Duke saw 5-star forward and McDonald’s All-American Mackenzie Mgbako request his release from his National Letter of Intent after Filipowski announced his return to the program.

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Mgbako has since committed to Indiana.

Duke finished with a 27-9 (14-6 ACC) record in the first year of head coach Jon Scheyer, including an ACC Tournament Championship and a 10-game winning streak until the season ended in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.