I'm endlessly intrigued by this season's roster and I feel like there is a not-so-crazy path to playing time for almost everyone on this roste ... and a chance that many of these guys could end up primarily on the bench for one reason or another.
For the purposes of this exercise, I'm going to work with the assumption that Brissett (if he returns), Buddy, Hughes and Marek are going to be in the rotation and getting pretty big minutes.
So what about the rest of the roster? Feel like you can make a case for most of it to get potentially meaningful minutes. Obviously it's not going to work out for everyone, but there is a path for a lot of these guys. Some easier than others.
Jalen Carey
The path to PT: Play fast but make good decisions. Obviously everyone would like to see JC shoot the ball better and the handle could use a little improvement, but ultimately he's the one guy on this roster that has proven he's going to push the ball and the only one we have who can break an opponent down off the dribble (that includes the incoming frosh). If he makes good decisions, he is going to be out there.
How he ends up on the bench: Carey feels very 'boom or bust' to me. I think he's either all in, playing at a fast pace, beating people off the dribble, finding teammates and running the show ... or I think he's out of control, making bad decisions, showing off a loose handle, shooting poorly. If it's the latter, he won't be on the floor for long.
Bourama Sidibe
The path to PT: Health. As excited as some people are about Edwards and/or JBA, they are true frosh big men who I think we can all agree aren't Isaiah Stewart. So Sidibe still has plenty of opportunity, IMO. The issue is health. A healthy Sidibe plays a ton and we get bits and pieces of the other two guys in November/December, IMO. But he needs to be healthy and that is the definition of a big if.
How he ends up on the bench: Health. Not sure what the odds are of ever seeing a healthy Sidibe again. Don't feel like we saw it all last season. If he's not healthy, JB will ride Dolezaj as much as he can and then sprinkle in a little Edwards if necessary (or if Edwards plays well, maybe that becomes the new platoon) or maybe he even tries to buy some stretches of a three forward lineup with some combination of the four forwards.
Howard Washington
The path to PT: HW has the toughest path to playing time among non-freshman, IMO. But it's not insane because, like Carey, he is the only one on the roster with a specific skill -- he's a true PG. So if Carey flops (certainly a possibility) the question is then can Goodine handle big minutes at the point? This is a possibility but far from a guarantee. I like Goodine a lot but I think there is some question about how ready he is for big minutes on day 1. Not sure anyone is rooting for this scenario b/c it means Carey didn't work out and Goodine isn't ready, but it's not altogether implausible, particularly if HW displays a controlled, unselfish, compatent game as a third-year guy handling the point.
How he ends up on the bench: A bunch of scenarios but they all basically revolve around the frosh showing well and/or Carey playing well.
Robert Braswell
The path to PT: I know some weren't impressed but I thought Braswell looked really good for a young player who hadn't really played against high level competition very much. The question for him is will Brissett be back. If Brissett is back, the path to PT is probably largely obstructed. But he should get a few minutes if Brissett is gone and if he proves to be an upgrade defensively and on the glass with his length and athleticism, he could spell Hughes for some stretches and allow JB to manage Guerrier's minutes instead of needing to ride him 40 mpg like we had to do with Brissett.
How he ends up on the bench: Brissett returns. Just don't really see a window there if Brissett is back unless there is some sort of injury or Braswell just explodes out of nowhere in the preseason somehow.
JGIII
The path to PT: I'll keep this one short b/c we recruited him so hard even with Goodine in the fold and a bunch of solid guard prospects on campus. He's going to play. I would imagine at least in year 1 that he and buddy will play exclusively at the 2 and effectively split time there.
How he ends up on the bench: The one thing is it's going to be a pretty big adjustment from Glens Falls. How well he handles that massive step up in competition and how well he competes on the defensive end of the floor and handles the ball on the offensive end could make the difference in seeing 10 mpg against good competition and seeing 20 or 25 mpg against ACC teams.
Goodine
The path to PT: Can he handle the 1 better than Carey? It's really the only question for Goodine. I think we see him on the floor regardless and I think his game will actually translate well to more structured basketball (as opposed to wide open all-star games) but he's going to have to beat out carey.
How he ends up on the bench: Again, I think we see Goodine on the floor so it's a matter of how many minutes he gets. If Carey plays really well and Goodine struggles to adjust, he could get fourth-guard minutes, which would be pretty limited in ACC play.
Guerrier
The path to PT: For Guerrier the question is does Brissett return and if he does, how many of Hughes' minutes does Guerrier steal. To me it's how well-rounded is his game as a frosh? Does he rebound pretty well and defend pretty well? Does his offensive game have a strong inside-outside component to it? If those two answer are yes, then he has a shot at eating heavily into Hughes' minutes, IMO.
How he ends up on the bench: He doesn't in all likelihood but I suppose if his game largely mirrors Brissett's then he'd be a bit redundant and find far fewer minutes.
Edwards
The path to PT: I'm still off the belief that Edwards has a pretty tall mountain to scale for legit PT. JB trusts Marek and if Sidibe is healthy, I think he trusts him too. I suppose if Edwards was really solid and Sidibe isn't healthy he could push for 10 mpg against good teams. Either way, as a good as he looks athletically and in terms of offensive skill in some of those videos, he's going to have to prove he can play physically on both ends (particularly on defense) against the competition he's going to see. He has to rebound, protect the rim to at least some extent and play well in the middle of the zone.
How he ends up on the bench: Healthy Sidibe won't be unseated, IMO. So that's factor number 1. Number 2 is what is his activity level on the defensive end. Hard to imagine he'd be worse than Taurean Thompson was but we were thin and relatively desperate there. We're not really now. Excited he's a diamond in the rough, potentially, but I"m a bit skeptical on his PT for this year.
JBA
The path to PT: I see him as more of a forward from what I"ve watched so I would think he'd have to display really good defense and rebounding potential and need Brissett to go pro to sniff the court.
How he ends up on the bench: Honestly think he still ends up, despite some positive reports, as a bit more of a project. You never know but I wouldn't be shocked to see him on the bench and then maybe getting some spot minutes in 20-21 before he really factors into the rotation. I could be way off, but I don't really see it in what I've watched.
At the end of the day I think we see four guards (Goodine/Carey/Buddy/JGIII) and three forwards (Brissett/Guerrier/Hughes) with two centers (Marek/Sidibe?). Noteworthy b/c that's 9 dudes. But I wouldn't be totally shocked, which I guess is my point, to see a kid like Edwards or HW or Braswell work their way in in a given scenario (especially if Brissett goes pro and Sidibe struggles with his knees).
For the purposes of this exercise, I'm going to work with the assumption that Brissett (if he returns), Buddy, Hughes and Marek are going to be in the rotation and getting pretty big minutes.
So what about the rest of the roster? Feel like you can make a case for most of it to get potentially meaningful minutes. Obviously it's not going to work out for everyone, but there is a path for a lot of these guys. Some easier than others.
Jalen Carey
The path to PT: Play fast but make good decisions. Obviously everyone would like to see JC shoot the ball better and the handle could use a little improvement, but ultimately he's the one guy on this roster that has proven he's going to push the ball and the only one we have who can break an opponent down off the dribble (that includes the incoming frosh). If he makes good decisions, he is going to be out there.
How he ends up on the bench: Carey feels very 'boom or bust' to me. I think he's either all in, playing at a fast pace, beating people off the dribble, finding teammates and running the show ... or I think he's out of control, making bad decisions, showing off a loose handle, shooting poorly. If it's the latter, he won't be on the floor for long.
Bourama Sidibe
The path to PT: Health. As excited as some people are about Edwards and/or JBA, they are true frosh big men who I think we can all agree aren't Isaiah Stewart. So Sidibe still has plenty of opportunity, IMO. The issue is health. A healthy Sidibe plays a ton and we get bits and pieces of the other two guys in November/December, IMO. But he needs to be healthy and that is the definition of a big if.
How he ends up on the bench: Health. Not sure what the odds are of ever seeing a healthy Sidibe again. Don't feel like we saw it all last season. If he's not healthy, JB will ride Dolezaj as much as he can and then sprinkle in a little Edwards if necessary (or if Edwards plays well, maybe that becomes the new platoon) or maybe he even tries to buy some stretches of a three forward lineup with some combination of the four forwards.
Howard Washington
The path to PT: HW has the toughest path to playing time among non-freshman, IMO. But it's not insane because, like Carey, he is the only one on the roster with a specific skill -- he's a true PG. So if Carey flops (certainly a possibility) the question is then can Goodine handle big minutes at the point? This is a possibility but far from a guarantee. I like Goodine a lot but I think there is some question about how ready he is for big minutes on day 1. Not sure anyone is rooting for this scenario b/c it means Carey didn't work out and Goodine isn't ready, but it's not altogether implausible, particularly if HW displays a controlled, unselfish, compatent game as a third-year guy handling the point.
How he ends up on the bench: A bunch of scenarios but they all basically revolve around the frosh showing well and/or Carey playing well.
Robert Braswell
The path to PT: I know some weren't impressed but I thought Braswell looked really good for a young player who hadn't really played against high level competition very much. The question for him is will Brissett be back. If Brissett is back, the path to PT is probably largely obstructed. But he should get a few minutes if Brissett is gone and if he proves to be an upgrade defensively and on the glass with his length and athleticism, he could spell Hughes for some stretches and allow JB to manage Guerrier's minutes instead of needing to ride him 40 mpg like we had to do with Brissett.
How he ends up on the bench: Brissett returns. Just don't really see a window there if Brissett is back unless there is some sort of injury or Braswell just explodes out of nowhere in the preseason somehow.
JGIII
The path to PT: I'll keep this one short b/c we recruited him so hard even with Goodine in the fold and a bunch of solid guard prospects on campus. He's going to play. I would imagine at least in year 1 that he and buddy will play exclusively at the 2 and effectively split time there.
How he ends up on the bench: The one thing is it's going to be a pretty big adjustment from Glens Falls. How well he handles that massive step up in competition and how well he competes on the defensive end of the floor and handles the ball on the offensive end could make the difference in seeing 10 mpg against good competition and seeing 20 or 25 mpg against ACC teams.
Goodine
The path to PT: Can he handle the 1 better than Carey? It's really the only question for Goodine. I think we see him on the floor regardless and I think his game will actually translate well to more structured basketball (as opposed to wide open all-star games) but he's going to have to beat out carey.
How he ends up on the bench: Again, I think we see Goodine on the floor so it's a matter of how many minutes he gets. If Carey plays really well and Goodine struggles to adjust, he could get fourth-guard minutes, which would be pretty limited in ACC play.
Guerrier
The path to PT: For Guerrier the question is does Brissett return and if he does, how many of Hughes' minutes does Guerrier steal. To me it's how well-rounded is his game as a frosh? Does he rebound pretty well and defend pretty well? Does his offensive game have a strong inside-outside component to it? If those two answer are yes, then he has a shot at eating heavily into Hughes' minutes, IMO.
How he ends up on the bench: He doesn't in all likelihood but I suppose if his game largely mirrors Brissett's then he'd be a bit redundant and find far fewer minutes.
Edwards
The path to PT: I'm still off the belief that Edwards has a pretty tall mountain to scale for legit PT. JB trusts Marek and if Sidibe is healthy, I think he trusts him too. I suppose if Edwards was really solid and Sidibe isn't healthy he could push for 10 mpg against good teams. Either way, as a good as he looks athletically and in terms of offensive skill in some of those videos, he's going to have to prove he can play physically on both ends (particularly on defense) against the competition he's going to see. He has to rebound, protect the rim to at least some extent and play well in the middle of the zone.
How he ends up on the bench: Healthy Sidibe won't be unseated, IMO. So that's factor number 1. Number 2 is what is his activity level on the defensive end. Hard to imagine he'd be worse than Taurean Thompson was but we were thin and relatively desperate there. We're not really now. Excited he's a diamond in the rough, potentially, but I"m a bit skeptical on his PT for this year.
JBA
The path to PT: I see him as more of a forward from what I"ve watched so I would think he'd have to display really good defense and rebounding potential and need Brissett to go pro to sniff the court.
How he ends up on the bench: Honestly think he still ends up, despite some positive reports, as a bit more of a project. You never know but I wouldn't be shocked to see him on the bench and then maybe getting some spot minutes in 20-21 before he really factors into the rotation. I could be way off, but I don't really see it in what I've watched.
At the end of the day I think we see four guards (Goodine/Carey/Buddy/JGIII) and three forwards (Brissett/Guerrier/Hughes) with two centers (Marek/Sidibe?). Noteworthy b/c that's 9 dudes. But I wouldn't be totally shocked, which I guess is my point, to see a kid like Edwards or HW or Braswell work their way in in a given scenario (especially if Brissett goes pro and Sidibe struggles with his knees).