Draft Profile - Kerwin Roach
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:14 pm
Kerwin LaTroy Roach II, born in Houston, Texas is currently the leading scorer for a young University of Texas team that's trying to make it to the NCAA March Madness tournament. The junior shooting guard is one of the only four upper classmen on this young roster, and Roach has stepped up big time as a locker room leader this season.
Roach has worked hard this past summer, and have gained about 10 lbs of muscle to help him become a stronger slasher this season. Roach has always possessed good athleticism since his prep days at North Shore high school, and his ability to take it to the hole has always been the bread, and butter of his game. Many questioned his ability to be an effective scorer at the next level due to mediocre handles, but after working 2 years with NBA professional trainer DJ Sackman, Roach has developed some very crafty move sets that goes well with his explosiveness to blow by any defender.
Roach is an excellent free throw shooter, and combine that with his ability to draw contact while driving has earned him some comparisons to former fellow Longhorn standout, and current CSL all star Isaiah Taylor. Roach is slightly bigger than Taylor, but some scouts said he's not as good at creating his own shot as his fellow predecessor. Roach also posses a solid mid range game that allows him to keep the defense honest, and after hours, and hours of work with Sackman, he has shown some ability to knock down the corner three ball as well. Now let's be honest, Roach will never be known as a splash bro, but he has shown some ability to hit an open jumper, which will help him immensely at the next level, as a slasher like him will need to have room to operate in the paint by owning a respectable jumper that will keep his defender honest.
Defensively Roach uses his long wing span well to disrupt the passing lane, and does a fairly good job poking the ball loose from opposite ball handlers. Roach will never be mistaken as an all CSL defender, but with proper time along with coaching, he should at least be respectable on that end of the floor. For someone as athletic as he is, it's kind of odd to see him not being able to grab rebounds that well, as he's mostly known for leaking out early to create transition opportunities that allows him to get to the rim. Some scouts questioned his court vision, as his game film shows his lack of ability to take advantage of defenders collapsing on him during his drive, and his assist to turnover ratio took a big hit as a result of that. However, some scouts feels he has the IQ to pull these plays off, and with proper coaching, he should be able to become a decent playmaker down the road.
Strengths:
- Relentless slasher
- Excellent body control that allows him to draw lots of contact
- Fantastic free throw shooter
- Good handles that allows him to blow pass most defenders
- Active hands
Weaknesses:
- Man to man defense is suspect at this point
- Suffers tunnel vision syndrome as a secondary playmaker
- Average three point shot at best
- Lack of advanced move sets might prevent him from becoming a primary scoring option
- Mediocre rebounder
Best case scenario: Isaiah Taylor with a little less shot creating ability.
Worst case scenario: Kiefer Sykes with more defense.
