By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
It feels like every year now that Scott Drew finds some new star guard in the transfer portal.
Last year, it was RayJ Dennis and Jayden Nunn. Before that, it was James Akinjo, Dale Bonner and Adam Flagler. Now, it’s former Duke Blue Devil Jeremy Roach’s time to shine.
The 2023 All-ACC Third Teamer was part of a dynamic Durham lineup that included All-American center Kyle Filipowski, first-round pick Jared McCain and former five-star recruits Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor. All five scored double-digit points for a Duke team that finished 27-9 and made the Elite Eight.
Often, Roach would serve as a primary floor spacer and secondary creator for an offense built around surrounding Filipowski with dynamic perimeter options. That should help the fifth-year senior slide in seamlessly to a Baylor offense that will feature Norchad Omier (17.0 points per game), VJ Edgecombe and a host of sharpshooting perimeter players.
Spacing played an integral role in Roach’s game in 2023-24, but that hasn’t always been a given. After shooting 32.8% on 3.6 attempts per game from beyond the arc his first three seasons, he kept the volume but spiked the efficiency, draining 42.9% of his threes to lead the team.
If the form stays consistent, and the shot keeps falling, he’ll be a weapon off pindowns and in catch-and-shoot situations. Watching Roach and Cal transfer Jalen Celestine (44.0% from three) running off screens while Langston Love or Robert O. Wright III run point could make for some generational offensive sets.
Roach took a massive step forward as a shooter in 2023-24. He shot 32.8% on 3.6 threes per game in his first three seasons; as a senior, he jumped up to 42.9% on the same volume.
He did it everywhere: running off screens, pulling up at the top of the key, stepping back. Sniper. pic.twitter.com/VPC87UoP0n
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 24, 2024
Roach isn’t just an off-ball player, though. He’s flashed real lead guard instincts at times, and though he isn’t a traditional point guard stylistically, he certainly has enough juice and vision to help conduct a high-powered offense.
The past two szns, Roach occasionally flashed lead guard instincts alongside Tyrese Proctor. He's not in the RayJ Dennis mold of ball-dominant distributors (3.1:1.8 career AST:TOV ratio), but has shown solid vision in transition + the P&R game. Here are some fun lobs vs La Salle: pic.twitter.com/oiGWw9KaU6
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 24, 2024
The real key here, though, is the finishing. Roach is adept at finishing with both hands (something Baylor has struggled with at times in recent years), and can finish from creative angles. And even though he isn’t an elite athlete, he’s crafty enough to make his stop-start ability lethal. One wrong move and he’s gone.
More importantly, he's a fantastic finisher at the rim, a rare primary initiator with great body control and equal ability to finish with in traffic with both hands.
Check out these slick finishes, one lefty and one righty: pic.twitter.com/Fx5V0cCadf
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 24, 2024
That’s Roach’s real secret weapon: a killer crossover in the pick-and-roll game. Right, left, boom — if the defender blinks, or reaches, or even just shifts his hips the wrong way, it’s over. That sort of driving, downhill dynamism adds a critical element to a Baylor offense which struggled to consistently create rim pressure last season. Now, between Roach, Omier and freshman VJ Edgecombe, the Bears will have it in spades.
Jeremy Roach's secret weapon: a killer first-step off his crossover.
Roach keeps his eyes up and accelerates 0-60 in a second. Really difficult to stop when the three-point shot is falling. pic.twitter.com/uKFwGVfyYH
— Jackson Posey ✞ (@ByJacksonPosey) October 24, 2024
It isn’t hard to appreciate a former Duke star who shoots 40-plus percent from three and excels at finishing through contact. But between his veteran leadership and snug fit in Scott Drew’s motion offense, Roach’s inevitable box-score success will still fail to paint the full picture of his impact on the Bears’ offense.
