Duke women's basketball 2022-23 player preview: Jordyn Oliver

As the college basketball season looms, it's finally time for the Blue Zone to preview the 2022-23 Duke women's basketball roster. We previously looked at Bo Shaffer, Emma Schmidt, Jiselle Havas, Lee Volker, Imani Lewis, Emma Koabel, Vanessa de Jesus, Mia Heide, Kennedy Brown and Shay Bollin. Here is Jordyn Oliver:

Jordyn Oliver

Year: Redshirt junior 

Height: 5-foot-10 

Position: Guard 

Last year’s stat line (Baylor): 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists (2020-21 season) 

Game breakdown: A transfer from Baylor, Oliver provides the Blue Devils with a well-rounded off-ball guard that excels in many areas of the game. A top-five recruit at her position out of high school, Oliver was acclaimed for her ball-handling ability through traffic and skills in running the court in transition. While at Baylor, Oliver was a part of two Big 12 regular season and tournament championships, as well as being a piece in the Bears' run to the Elite Eight in 2021. Although she mostly appeared off the bench, Oliver showed flashes of playmaking and scoring at Baylor, notching double-digit scoring performances in the 2021 NCAA and Big 12 tournaments and finishing that season with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6 (50-19). Though the redshirt junior was out last season with a torn Achilles, she hopes to build on these numbers this season. Oliver gives Duke an option at guard that can make plays off the ball, run the court in transition and limit turnovers. More than this, she provides experience in high-leverage situations that can help younger Blue Devils who have not played in competitive games or progressed deep into the tournament.  

Role on the team: The Blue Devils return a pair of guards in Shayeann Day-Wilson and Celeste Taylor that accounted for a combined 23.7 points per game last season, meaning Oliver will likely start the year in a complementary role in Duke’s backcourt. As the season progresses, Oliver will be essential to the team’s handling of high-stakes games, and she may be relied on if she can prove to handle herself under pressure.