Expectations for Roach & Steward

[Jaks19]

I know a lot has been mentioned about how Duke will be thin at the 5 and the worries about post play, but Duke is losing Tre and waiting to get back info on Stanley. Both starting guards. They scored in double digits and really were 2 of the 3 most consistent players Duke had this year. So there is a lot riding on Roach and Steward being able to come it and perform at a high level.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Don't discount Goldwire!

[CDu]

I don't expect either Roach or Steward to be as good as Tre Jones was this year. I think the key to next year's team will be the versatility we have. If Hurt and Moore make a jump from freshman to sophomore year, to go along with Jalen Johnson we'll have 3 high-impact players on offense. I'd also expect Steward to be a pretty darn good offensive player immediately. Roach is a little harder to read, but I'd expect a pretty solid PG at the minimum. But the advantage next year's team will have over this year's is that we shouldn't be so reliant on one or two players to create offense. We should have 4 or 5 guys capable of creating offense for themselves and/or others.

[Truth&Justise]

But the advantage next year's team will have over this year's is that we shouldn't be so reliant on one or two players to create offense. We should have 4 or 5 guys capable of creating offense for themselves and/or others.

All things equal, I'd rather have two really good offensive focal points than 4 to 5 pretty good offensive initiators. I'm a believer that teams need an identity to succeed; everyone needs to know whom to rely on in different situations. I think Johnson, Hurt, and Moore will be the stars next year and will largely determine how the season goes. But maybe some of the freshmen will surprise me.

[Devil2]

I don't expect either Roach or Steward to be as good as Tre Jones was this year. I think the key to next year's team will be the versatility we have. If Hurt and Moore make a jump from freshman to sophomore year, to go along with Jalen Johnson we'll have 3 high-impact players on offense. I'd also expect Steward to be a pretty darn good offensive player immediately. Roach is a little harder to read, but I'd expect a pretty solid PG at the minimum. But the advantage next year's team will have over this year's is that we shouldn't be so reliant on one or two players to create offense. We should have 4 or 5 guys capable of creating offense for themselves and/or others.

Duke should also be a better ball handling team with Roach, Stewart, (an improved) Moore, and Jalen Johnson all good ball handlers. Goldwire may also be improved

[Jaks19]

Not looking over JGold at all. I think as a Sr he will be solid as hell. I great captain, role model on effort as a reliable contributor.

Roach is a stud and he posted in a USA Today article (Look it up if you want to read it) that coming off of his ACL injury he is able to see the game better, he is more confident in seeing his shot go down and he is more athletic. He is a lot like Duhon in a way but he also brings that chip like Tre and J Williams where he will get in the lane and jam it. Where he will excel is by having those other ball handlers around him in Steward, Johnson, Moore and JGold. I think he will be very good. He will have those head scratching FR moments too I'm Sure but overall solid.

Steward is the guy worth anticipating. He is so thin, but he is quick and gets his shots off. He can knock down 3's. I just want to see how he handles the demands of the ACC and college ball physically. Some say he is a lot like D Ewing but his ball handling is better.

[dm9e24]

Maybe not ACC POY good, but I expect Roach and Stewart to both average double digits. Both are also known to be good defenders. It will take time adjusting that to the next level, but the foundation is there. Goldwire can do a nice Quinn Cook imitation, taking them under his wing and helping with that adjustment.

[CDu]

All things equal, I'd rather have two really good offensive focal points than 4 to 5 pretty good offensive initiators. I'm a believer that teams need an identity to succeed; everyone needs to know whom to rely on in different situations. I think Johnson, Hurt, and Moore will be the stars next year and will largely determine how the season goes. But maybe some of the freshmen will surprise me.

I'm of the other camp. Because if you only have 2 guys who can score, teams can gameplan you more easily out of success. We saw this offense really bog down at times when teams contained Carey, for example.

Will there by moments when it isn't clear who should be taking the shot? Sure. But I think the ceiling is soooooo much higher when there are multiple weapons.

[Truth&Justise]

I'm of the other camp. Because if you only have 2 guys who can score, teams can gameplan you more easily out of success. We saw this offense really bog down at times when teams contained Carey, for example.

Will there by moments when it isn't clear who should be taking the shot? Sure. But I think the ceiling is soooooo much higher when there are multiple weapons.

I certainly respect the position, and there are teams that have had success in both camps. Personally, I'm guided by the experience of teams like 2008 and 2009, which were loaded with ok-to-good options (Paulus, Scheyer, Smith, Singler, Henderson, Nelson, Williams) but no one ready to step up and lead the team. But come 2010, despite fewer options, three players were able to step forward and take the reigns. The 1991 and 1992 teams also had three clear stars whose success carried the team. And while 2015 may have had four such players capable of initiating offense, there was a clear pecking order that separated those four from the rest. (I'll note, 2001 is a little harder to classify in this system--did they have 2, 3, or even 4 clear stars above the rest of the team?).

But I acknowledge there are "everybody eats" teams that succeed as well. Maybe it all just comes down to the overall talent level, which would render this stylistic discussion moot but is hard to measure.

My concern will remain that on a team where anybody could take over on any given night, nobody consistently does. For better or worse, I see a lot of shades of 2008 in this team.

But, to answer the question of this thread: I don't know what to expect from Roach and Steward. They remain the biggest question marks for me. I see Hurt, Moore, and Johnson leading this team. If Roach and Steward can play at a high level (on both sides of the floor), it goes a long way to raising the team's ceiling. But I'm not yet expecting them to do so.

[scottdude8]

I'm of the other camp. Because if you only have 2 guys who can score, teams can gameplan you more easily out of success. We saw this offense really bog down at times when teams contained Carey, for example.

Will there by moments when it isn't clear who should be taking the shot? Sure. But I think the ceiling is soooooo much higher when there are multiple weapons.

I agree, and that's why I was so excited about the potential of this year's squad at various points in the season. When the offense was humming, even though Carey was the clear focal point anyone could "go off" in a given game. Unfortunately this also led to some games where the offense struggled, but I think that was more due to the team being so young and without a clear lottery-caliber talent, and not due to the overall philosophy at play.

Operating under the expectation that Moore and Hurt come back, if our starting 2-4 are the two of them and Johnson, those are three guys who can all score and, perhaps more importantly, would benefit from an opponent gameplanning to take away one out of the three of them. Obviously we're all still speculating until we get final decisions from some guys, but there's a lot to be excited about.

[Saratoga2]

I agree, and that's why I was so excited about the potential of this year's squad at various points in the season. When the offense was humming, even though Carey was the clear focal point anyone could "go off" in a given game. Unfortunately this also led to some games where the offense struggled, but I think that was more due to the team being so young and without a clear lottery-caliber talent, and not due to the overall philosophy at play.

Operating under the expectation that Moore and Hurt come back, if our starting 2-4 are the two of them and Johnson, those are three guys who can all score and, perhaps more importantly, would benefit from an opponent gameplanning to take away one out of the three of them. Obviously we're all still speculating until we get final decisions from some guys, but there's a lot to be excited about.

I am wondering about how much time the freshmen will have to learn the system after what appears to be a summer of limitations and perhaps no classes at school. If we rely primariy on freshmen, then schools who have retained more quality upperclassmen will have an advantage.

[dukejim1]

I’m also interested in what level of FT shooting this team
will be considering we have a team of slashers. High School numbers don’t necessarily transfer for some reason. If Jalen is not going to be particularly good from the line then Roach, Steward, and Moore need to be. Seems like we will have a chance to return to the days of making more FT’s than our opponents take.

[Kedsy]

I don't expect either Roach or Steward to be as good as Tre Jones was this year. I think the key to next year's team will be the versatility we have. If Hurt and Moore make a jump from freshman to sophomore year, to go along with Jalen Johnson we'll have 3 high-impact players on offense. I'd also expect Steward to be a pretty darn good offensive player immediately. Roach is a little harder to read, but I'd expect a pretty solid PG at the minimum. But the advantage next year's team will have over this year's is that we shouldn't be so reliant on one or two players to create offense. We should have 4 or 5 guys capable of creating offense for themselves and/or others.

I'm more concerned about what Roach and Steward are going to bring to the team on defense.

[Truth&Justise]

I'm more concerned about what Roach and Steward are going to bring to the team on defense.

One reason Goldwire might still be in line for big minutes. Wendell Moore's defensive versatility could also be very important.

[jimsumner]

Until we know the decisions of Moore and Stanley it's hard to know how many minutes will be available, especially for Steward.

As an aside, we all need to practice. It's Steward. Not Stewart.

[Rich]

Until we know the decisions of Moore and Stanley it's hard to know how many minutes will be available, especially for Steward.

As an aside, we all need to practice. It's Steward. Not Stewart.

We need to practice?

[Jaks19]

Yes, both are going to be very active defensively. Steward needs to gain some strength to his frame. He is listed around 165 on his 6-2+ height. He will need to get stronger to handle some of the bigger 2 guards Duke will face. With that said, DJ has got the pieces offensively. He can shoot it, dribble it and drive by. He has displayed this this year verse other elite prospects that are higher rated than him. He is such a competitive player. That's his edge.

Roach what he sure has is what K loves in a PG. Grit, leadership, and tenacity. I like to temper my expectations for players, but he is one that I can wait to see. Even more so than that of Jalen Johnson.

[proelitedota]

I think Roach is a comparable PG to freshman Tre Jones. Maybe not as good of a rebounder as Tre was. Definitely more creative going into traffic.

Roach and freshman Tre were both questionable shooters from range.

We need one of the freshman front court players do be as good as Bagley, Zion, and Vernon in order to not experience a drop.

[CDu]

I think Roach is a comparable PG to freshman Tre Jones. Maybe not as good of a rebounder as Tre was. Definitely more creative going into traffic.

Roach and freshman Tre were both questionable shooters from range.

We need one of the freshman front court players do be as good as Bagley, Zion, and Vernon in order to not experience a drop.

To be fair, nobody is going to be as good as Zion, and probably not as good as Bagley. But those are pretty high bars. Jalen Johnson MIGHT be as good as Carey. But I don't know that we need to have anyone be THAT good to be successful next year. Hurt and Moore as sophomores should be contenders for All-ACC teams. Jalen Johnson should be in the discussion for ACC PoY, and certainly in the 1st Team All-ACC discussion. And then we should have some other good freshmen to add to the mix along with a solid role player guard in senior Goldwire. The wild cards are Williams, Brakefield, and Baker.

[dm9e24]

Until we know the decisions of Moore and Stanley it's hard to know how many minutes will be available, especially for Steward.

As an aside, we all need to practice. It's Steward. Not Stewart.

Steward, Steward, Steward, Steward, Steward, Steward, Steward, Steward