What Jeremy Roach's return means for Duke

As a junior last season, Roach averaged 13.6 points and shot 34.3% from downtown, both career highs. He also dished out a little more than three assists per game and shot 42.7% from the floor.

As ACC play went on, the 6-foot-2 guard meshed with Tyrese Proctor extremely well, with Roach taking an off-ball role and Proctor directing the offense.

From the first game with North Carolina on (a 14-game sample size), Roach boosted his numbers to 15.4 points per game on 47.1% from the field. In consecutive postseason games, he put up 23 points on efficient shooting, as Duke knocked off Virginia in the ACC title game and dangerous No. 12 seed Oral Roberts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Roach's return will ease the playmaking burden for Proctor and give Duke a closer late in games. Plus, incoming five-star guards Caleb Foster and Jared McCain will not be thrown into the fire quite as much as they would have without Roach. 

Head coach Jon Scheyer will have an assortment of lineup possibilities to toggle between, with three-guard sets potentially in the cards. 

As for Scheyer, Roach’s return is a major win in just the second offseason of the post-Mike Krzyzewski era. Over the last decade-plus, Duke has been defined by heavy roster turnover due to highly rated freshmen leaving after one season at the school.

In February, Scheyer told The Athletic, “I don’t think we’ll recruit as many freshmen in a class going forward,” indicating that a change in strategy for the program. 

Three months later, that strategy appears to be in motion. 

Duke has another terrific recruiting class, with Foster and McCain joined by fellow top-20 prospects Sean Stewart and T.J. Power. 

Given the returning experience, a top-notch recruiting class and Scheyer's continued growth as coach, the Blue Devils appear primed for an NCAA Tournament run next spring.