Duke Basketball: 10 biggest storylines heading into 2020-21 season

2. Plenty of pressure on Roach and Steward

Barring a massive transformation from rising senior guard Jordan Goldwire, the 2020-21 starting backcourt for the Blue Devils will be Jeremy Roach and DJ Steward. Both are five-star prospects and potential “one and done” players, who each can handle the ball. Roach is more of a traditional point guard, while Steward fits the modern-day “combo guard” role. So there won’t be an issue with them playing alongside one another.

The big positive with this duo is that they can each create their own shot both on and off the dribble, which is needed in case the frontcourt struggles to pull their own weight, Without stepping foot onto a college court, the Duke freshmen can argue that they’re the most athletic guards already in the ACC. While Caleb Love of North Carolina is higher ranked, Roach arguably has a higher ceiling when it comes to future pro prospects.

What these two each have to work on is their overall perimeter shooting. It wasn’t a glaring weakness last season but two years it was the defining trait that hurt their run to the Final Four. If the frontcourt struggles to dominate the opponents can focus on grilling the guards, things could get problematic for both Roach and Steward.

With Jones now off to the NBA, these two will have the bulk of the minutes on the perimeter. As long as they can combine to produce over 25 ppg and 7-8 apg while playing competent defense, the Blue Devils should be fine with their new ball-handlers.