Preseason Depth Chart

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

After watching our exhibition games in Israel here's my take on how the depth chart looks. 

Starting 5

1. Green Jr. - the most accomplished performer we have returning, we need him to improve his distributing and shot selection.

2.  Westry - from this short sample, he looks to be the only guard we have that has the ability to penetrate, finish, handle, pass and shoot. I think we need him on the floor. Really like his upside. Can also help whoever is playing the 1 share the ball handling responsibility. 

3. Flannigan - while I am not sold on his return to form, he did look healthier in Israel and he brings defense and rebounding at the 3 that we need. If we had better guards I think Westry would have potentially taken this spot. 

4. J. Williams - he is one of our best remaining shooters and his versatility and experience will really help us. 

5. Broome - brings scoring we have to have with the loss of Jabari, and solid defense we need with the loss of Kessler. While he won't be as good defensively as Kessler, I think he brings more offensively and is more versatile. 

Second 5. 

1. Jasper - Zep was a starter most of last year, and if not for my view of Westry's upside, he would be a starter here again this year. Statistically our best returning 3 point shooter, we need him to look for that shot a little more this season. 

2. KD Johnson - take the good with the bad with this wild card, I prefer him creating havoc off the bench rather than in the starting lineup. 

3. Moore - while I think Westry will play some 3 as well (while some combination of Zep, KD, and Green are on the floor), Moore's only role is at the 3. He can't shoot but is a good rebounder and defender for short spurts. Will benefit from the departure of Devin Cambridge 

4. Traore - will push Williams for the starting spot. Has all the tools to be elite, just a bit raw. Looked lost at times on defense vs the national team, but also looked dominant at times on the offensive end. This guy is one to watch. He could become special. 

5. Cardwell - looks great on this trip. Lost some weight and improved his movement some. I look for him to expand on his role from last season and if he continues to blossom, may force Broome to play some at the 4 to get Cardwell more minutes. 

Others who will get some minutes:

Lior played in 20 games last season and scored in every game he played more than 6 minutes. Has he improved enough defensively to get more time as a shooter on offense? He made the same number of threes as Flannigan on half of the attempts. He's the best shooter we have and we may have to find pockets of time to get him on the floor. The number of games he played in doubled last season, up from 8 the season before and his average minutes in those games went from 2 to 8. While we didn't get a look at him in Israel he did average 12 points a game playing with a guard from Princeton and one headed to Stanford in the "Jewish Olympics" this summer. 

Tre Donaldson has to get some minutes, but there just aren't a lot to go around with three returning guards and Westry in the mix. Donaldson has a qb mentality and the physical size and quickness that gives him a high ceiling, but he's a bit raw from what little I have seen him. He made a big shot late vs the national team that showed a lot of confidence and a flash of talent that really is exciting. I could see him progressing as the season goes along and taking minutes from Zep. 

Akingbola played in 6 games last season and will have a hard time finding the floor this season, but will likely get a few more than last year if our 5s aren't as good at staying out of foul trouble as Kessler was. 

It does look weird having our two starting guards from last season coming off the bench, and they may start again and bring Green and Westry off the bench, but this is my take on what the roster will look like. 

[KansasTiger 3,248]

Hard to disagree, though I have a feeling that Bruce may start the season with Zep starting at the 2 over Westry. I also hope that Green forgets his Steph Curry tendencies.

I have concerns about KD. Love his energy and hustle, and this isn't a personal attack. Everyone says take the good with the bad, but his bad loses games. To me it doesn't seem to even out. He can have amazing stretches, UCONN comes to mind, but they seem to happen less and bad games where he has 5 turnovers and constantly jacks up terrible shots or drives to contact and not to score seem to be increasing. He needs a short leash (not really Bruce's style) until he learns more control, because he can single handedly lose us games.

I still think Berman needs more time. If we aren't going to address our guards' tendencies to jack up 3's when the offense gets stagnant or opponent's defenses adjust, then we need better 3 point shooters on the floor.

[Rednilla 5,383]

I think that while Traore may be technically second string, he'll probably see about as many minutes as Jaylin at the 4. I would also not be surprised if Chance comes off the bench, but splits minutes at the 1, 2, and 3 such that he is in the game for close to 30 minutes.

When the game is on the line, I expect to see your starting lineup except with Traore at the 4. I think he gives us another element. He might not be quite as good a three point shooter as Jaylin is, I'm not really sure, but with Wendell/Chance/Allen/Traore/Broome, that's almost every guy on the floor who can be the primary ballhandler if needs be. I can't imagine any other lineup being as formidable from every direction as that one. Zep is a better defender than Wendell, but I'm not sure he's that much better, because Mr. Green looked like he's been putting in the work on that end of the floor, and while Zep can hold down the position, Wendell plays the point on the offensive end so much more fluidly.

Hold onto your hats, boys and girls. This is going to be a fun season.

P.S. I'm not sure we see as much from Tre. He might redshirt to save a year of eligibility. Then again, he certainly looked ready to contribute in Israel, so who knows?

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,648]

I feel like starting both Traore and Broome just feels like a non-starter initially with both of their strengths overlapping in that mid range/paint area. I’d like to see them share minutes and get a feel for if that works in real games 

Now if Jaylin’s three doesn’t end up showing up, then it’s just throw out whoever at that 4 spot

I think Broome has earned it, I think Wendell has deserved it. I think KD needs to be on the bench. Going from there 

Wen/Donaldson 

Zep/KD 

Flanigan/Westry (basically the real backup point, but a SF in name) 

Jaylin/Traore 

Broome/Cardwell 

Traore is still probably gonna be the 2nd best player on the team at worst come March. We just gotta find some way to remedy the spacing and that feels like the easy solution 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,648]

I think there’s so few legitimate pass first options in a Bruce offense (really in the average college rotations) that it hurts chaining Tre to the bench. Tough to see how he gets minutes unless you really start chopping at KD and Zep’s minutes, who just bring so much in energizing the team 

it’s a quandary 

[AUloggerhead 2,227]

Much depth on this year's team as CBP has a lot of talent to work with. Traore, Broome & Westry are welcome additions. Flanigan appears completely healthy now. Cardwell & Williams are energized & improved. What a fantastic experience for the players to travel to Israel & play these exhibition games.

[Cardin Drake 1,820]

I don't think anybody will be able to keep Westry out of the starting lineup. He's just too good. Whether it's at 1 or 2 will depend on how the other guys gel with him. I like the thought of Westry at the point and Zep at the 2.  Zep's our best 3 point shooter (shoot more); he doesn't turn it over, and he plays great defense. At least 4 guards will get good minutes though, and it will help that Westry will also back up Flanigan.  Traore is also too good to keep out of the starting lineup.

This team can be better than last years. It going to have to be cuz the SEC competition is just getting better. The team has more depth and better flexibility for creating favorable matchups. I also think we have more weapons. We were hurt last year when other teams figured out how to defend us and we had no answer. That won't happen this year. There are more offensive options.  At the least, this team will be fun to watch. I think we will all be in a hurry for basketball to arrive.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Cardin Drake

[AuburnNTexas 7,134]

I don't think we will have a true starting 5. Pearl has the pieces to mix and match.  He is always trying to get a mis-match in Auburn's favor. Westry will be on the court a lot as will Broome, Traore, and Williams. I think a lot will depend on the team we play.  On some days Williams starting at 4 other days Traore, Broome will usually start at 5 but sometimes Cardwell. Flanigan will be our Primary 3 with Moore as backup but if Moore gets his stroke back that could change he has very good form but just has not been hitting. I am one of Flanigan's biggest fans I keep hoping he gets his O back but am still waiting to see. I think Green will be starter at 1 but there will be times Zep might and by end of year you might even see Tre getting starts as he seems to really look to pass 1st. Westry will be our starting 2 but will play some 3 if needed and KD will be off the bench 2 for his quick hands that leads to steals and his offensive aggression.  How much time KD gets will depend a lot on how in control he can be while still being aggressive. 

I saw a few time where we played Cardwell at 5 and Broome at 4 and Cardwell was really good at feeding Broome down low. Also I think you can see Lior at the 2 as he may be the best 3 point shooter on the team who seems to anticipate well which allows him to rebound by being in the right place at the right time.

Comparing last years team to this years team we have more depth this year. Smith was and is better then Traore but not by a huge amount as Traore has a better handle then last years Smith. Kessler was one of the best defenders in college basketball but Broome is not far behind and is thicker so can play better Post defense where muscle does count and Broome is a more complete offensive player then Kessler I think that is a wash. Westry is the player we needed last year a big 2 with a solid handle who can create his own shot and can score inside, outside and in the mid-range. My assumption is Flanigan is better as he is healthier then last year. Cardwell just looks better then last year. Moore is healthier then last year and Greene and Jasper are in the second year under Pearls so should be better. Lior gained a lot of experience playing this summer so should be better if he can stay healthy. KD is the one player I can't peg he can take over a game and be the spark plug we need or he can be the other teams best weapon. I will have to wait and see if he is more consistent this year as he can be a real asset when he passes, plays Defense and picks the right time to go for it on O.

Overall I think this team can be better than last years but SEC competition is also better this year so winning SEC will be more difficult.

Edited August 12, 2022 by AuburnNTexas

[gravejd 3,269]

How the Freshmen grow as the season goes on and we play tougher and tougher games is going to be the key to how good this team can be. I love the guys we have had around for a while but its pretty easy to see the Freshmen have more talent than the older guys. But all the talent in the world does not matter if you can't match up physically with the guys you are playing against. I think they will get there but you don't know until you see it. 

So no arguments with this projected lineup. I kind of lean towards we won't be seeing much of Zep at PG this season. Thats assuming Tre is ready to take some PG minutes and i think he is based on what i saw in Israel. And really its hard to imagine anyone redshirting in todays game. Thats a guaranteed way to lose a guy and i could definitely see Donovan Mitchell vibes coming off Tre.  Plus you could play him on the second line with Zep to help take the pressure off. 

 

[AUBwins 10,070]

Figured this could be a good spot.  Can't tell who on the football team is doing the dunking but some impressive stuff. 

 

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

On 8/10/2022 at 2:23 PM, JwgreDeux said:

After watching our exhibition games in Israel here's my take on how the depth chart looks. 

Starting 5

1. Green Jr. - the most accomplished performer we have returning, we need him to improve his distributing and shot selection.

2.  Westry - from this short sample, he looks to be the only guard we have that has the ability to penetrate, finish, handle, pass and shoot. I think we need him on the floor. Really like his upside. Can also help whoever is playing the 1 share the ball handling responsibility. 

3. Flannigan - while I am not sold on his return to form, he did look healthier in Israel and he brings defense and rebounding at the 3 that we need. If we had better guards I think Westry would have potentially taken this spot. 

4. J. Williams - he is one of our best remaining shooters and his versatility and experience will really help us. 

5. Broome - brings scoring we have to have with the loss of Jabari, and solid defense we need with the loss of Kessler. While he won't be as good defensively as Kessler, I think he brings more offensively and is more versatile. 

Second 5. 

1. Jasper - Zep was a starter most of last year, and if not for my view of Westry's upside, he would be a starter here again this year. Statistically our best returning 3 point shooter, we need him to look for that shot a little more this season. 

2. KD Johnson - take the good with the bad with this wild card, I prefer him creating havoc off the bench rather than in the starting lineup. 

3. Moore - while I think Westry will play some 3 as well (while some combination of Zep, KD, and Green are on the floor), Moore's only role is at the 3. He can't shoot but is a good rebounder and defender for short spurts. Will benefit from the departure of Devin Cambridge 

4. Traore - will push Williams for the starting spot. Has all the tools to be elite, just a bit raw. Looked lost at times on defense vs the national team, but also looked dominant at times on the offensive end. This guy is one to watch. He could become special. 

5. Cardwell - looks great on this trip. Lost some weight and improved his movement some. I look for him to expand on his role from last season and if he continues to blossom, may force Broome to play some at the 4 to get Cardwell more minutes. 

Others who will get some minutes:

Lior played in 20 games last season and scored in every game he played more than 6 minutes. Has he improved enough defensively to get more time as a shooter on offense? He made the same number of threes as Flannigan on half of the attempts. He's the best shooter we have and we may have to find pockets of time to get him on the floor. The number of games he played in doubled last season, up from 8 the season before and his average minutes in those games went from 2 to 8. While we didn't get a look at him in Israel he did average 12 points a game playing with a guard from Princeton and one headed to Stanford in the "Jewish Olympics" this summer. 

Tre Donaldson has to get some minutes, but there just aren't a lot to go around with three returning guards and Westry in the mix. Donaldson has a qb mentality and the physical size and quickness that gives him a high ceiling, but he's a bit raw from what little I have seen him. He made a big shot late vs the national team that showed a lot of confidence and a flash of talent that really is exciting. I could see him progressing as the season goes along and taking minutes from Zep. 

Akingbola played in 6 games last season and will have a hard time finding the floor this season, but will likely get a few more than last year if our 5s aren't as good at staying out of foul trouble as Kessler was. 

It does look weird having our two starting guards from last season coming off the bench, and they may start again and bring Green and Westry off the bench, but this is my take on what the roster will look like. 

I like this 2 deep!!!   The only possible change I might make would be Tre as the #2 point and Zep as the 2nd 2 (with Zep obviously being the on ball defender when he’s in the game).   And kinda like what you said, I would put Jaylin and Traore as 1a and 1b.   Traore, if not a starter, has got to be on the floor A LOT!

[steeleagle 2,945]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:02 PM, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I feel like starting both Traore and Broome just feels like a non-starter initially with both of their strengths overlapping in that mid range/paint area. I’d like to see them share minutes and get a feel for if that works in real games 

Now if Jaylin’s three doesn’t end up showing up, then it’s just throw out whoever at that 4 spot

I think Broome has earned it, I think Wendell has deserved it. I think KD needs to be on the bench. Going from there 

Wen/Donaldson 

Zep/KD 

Flanigan/Westry (basically the real backup point, but a SF in name) 

Jaylin/Traore 

Broome/Cardwell 

Traore is still probably gonna be the 2nd best player on the team at worst come March. We just gotta find some way to remedy the spacing and that feels like the easy solution 

I only have one dissension on your list. 
 

jaylin has become a much better inside player. He is using a little more power to go along w his quickness. 
 

He has gotten more inside rebounds and when he puts it back up it’s going in ,bc he is just that much quicker than the bigger dudes inside. 
 

I think he’s earned more minutes but it does depend on how much inside power some teams have. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by steeleagle

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,648]

4 hours ago, steeleagle said:

I only have one dissension on your list. 
 

jaylin has become a much better inside player. He is using a little more power to go along w his quickness. 
 

He has gotten more inside rebounds and when he puts it back up it’s going in ,bc he is just that much quicker than the bigger dudes inside. 
 

I think he’s earned more minutes but it does depend on how much inside power some teams have. 

I don’t understand the dissension, I have Jaylin starting 

The conditional that his three needs to be good isn’t saying that his inside game sucks, it’s saying that his outside shot is the thing he has that makes him standout as a starting option 

[abw0004 10,109]

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

With the recent media days and reports on the scrimmage it appears my depth chart was pretty close. Chance was going to start based on comments BP recently made. Fromt he scrimmage reports it looks like the current starting five is: 

1. Green

2. Zep

3. Moore

4.Williams

5. Broome

The only surprise being Moore based on my previous listing, but injury to Chance and Flan missing time is obviously a big factor there. Have to be honest that I'm not overly excited about that starting 5. Highlights how important I think Chance is to this group. Hope he recovers quickly and fully.

[gravejd 3,269]

I wonder if there is any chance for a full lineup change this season. I don’t know that there is a lot of difference talent wise from the 1s and 2s. Not sure if Pearl has ever done that. Seems like it would be good to have guys play with each other to gain familiarity. 
 

Hoping this year starting just means you are on the court first and minutes get evenly distributed. And we can attack and smoother teams like we did to start last season. 
 

Any word on awestruck recovery would be great to hear. I think he was supposed to be back close to start of season right?

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

Recently CBP said he isn't sure who will be starting but he knew the group that would be closing out games would be the guys who shoot free-throws the best. The best returning free-throw shooters are: 

Wendell Green (84.4 percent on 147 attempts), Jaylin Wiliams (81.8 percent on 33 free throws) and Zep Jasper (81.0 percent on 42 free throws)

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

Just looking further at possible playing time I've been thinking about one glaring decision CBP will have to make. Who loses minutes to Westry? Last season we had a three man rotation to cover the 1 and 2 spot. (Lior got 8 mins a game at the 2, but with his lack of pt in the recent scrimmage I don't expect a dramatic change in that). KD got 28 mins per, Wen 27 and Zep 23. With Zep and Wen playing 1 and 2 and KD playing almost exclusively at the 2, you have to believe that Westry will impact KD's minutes the most. Personally, I think Westry has the skills to play the 3, but not the physical size/weight yet. So, I think we are going to see him at the 2 the most and think he will be just too valuable to keep in the bench for KD to get similar minutes to last year. I know it is weird for a returning player that started so many games last year, but I think KD's minutes could be reduced by as much as half. If you doubt that, think about Jaylin Williams. Started every game at the 4 and played 27 minutes per in 20-21. Last year, behind Jabari started 0 and played 14 mins per game. 

Now, I don't think Westry is anything close to Jabari tallent-wise. But I do think he will demand heavy minutes on this roster at the 2. I also think he has a very real chance to be our closer. He can handle the ball, he has good vision and he shot free throws pretty well in high school. I know we haven't seen much of him, but from what little I have seen I am cautiously optimistic. 

I am beginning to really like this roster. Yohan, Broome, Williams and Cardwell are going to be much more physical than our front court last season (please don't mistake this for meaning "better"). With Flan and Moore playing their role of tough defense, slashing, and rebounding and the added element of Westry in the guard rotation, this group could have a very strong season. I expect some ugly basketball early, but as Westry gets 100% and the team builds chemistry, challenging for the league and a run in the postseason is definitely on the table.

[gravejd 3,269]

I think this teams ceiling is going to come down too if the guards can understand that the offense has to go through the front court. And then can a BP basketball team thrive doing that? I seem to recall Pearls best teams always having dynamic guard play. And while i think we have good guard play on this team i don't see any real game breakers at that position. Especially on the offensive side. I mean last year the offense went through the bigs most of the time but we also had plenty of games where the guards tried shooting 20+ 3s per game while making about 15% of those. Maybe a healthy Flan and Westry can help in this area but we'll see. Both missed time this fall and we all saw how Flan played last season in a reduced role. Never looked comfortable to me. 

Totally agree that if Westry takes minutes eventually it will be a combo of Zep and KD that have to reduce their mins. I don't think it'll be quite as extreme as Jaylins situation last season but that is just because i'm doubting Westry is on another planet like Jabari was. I think you'll see some pretty evenly split minutes this season. The only caveat being if we are forced to play Westry more to generate offense. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,648]

On 10/31/2022 at 1:18 PM, gravejd said:

I think this teams ceiling is going to come down too if the guards can understand that the offense has to go through the front court. And then can a BP basketball team thrive doing that? I seem to recall Pearls best teams always having dynamic guard play. And while i think we have good guard play on this team i don't see any real game breakers at that position. Especially on the offensive side. I mean last year the offense went through the bigs most of the time but we also had plenty of games where the guards tried shooting 20+ 3s per game while making about 15% of those. Maybe a healthy Flan and Westry can help in this area but we'll see. Both missed time this fall and we all saw how Flan played last season in a reduced role. Never looked comfortable to me. 

Totally agree that if Westry takes minutes eventually it will be a combo of Zep and KD that have to reduce their mins. I don't think it'll be quite as extreme as Jaylins situation last season but that is just because i'm doubting Westry is on another planet like Jabari was. I think you'll see some pretty evenly split minutes this season. The only caveat being if we are forced to play Westry more to generate offense. 

I dunno if it's more realistic expect to this back court to just become better facilitators to the bigs or for CBP to just draw more designed sets. I felt like they definitely tried to implement alot more creativity in Israel, and got Traore and Broome in some advantageous situations 

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

10 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I dunno if it's more realistic expect to this back court to just become better facilitators to the bigs or for CBP to just draw more designed sets. I felt like they definitely tried to implement alot more creativity in Israel, and got Traore and Broome in some advantageous situations 

I don't think the guards' game will dramatically change. I think you are on to something in that CBP has Williams/Traore and Broome who can catch the ball in the mid-range and put it on the floor to make some offense. Something we didn't have last season, so I think the sets will be a bit different. 

[gravejd 3,269]

Jaylin off to a great start with that stat line from the UAH game. 

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

I like the 4 and the 5!   Westry will become a stud very soon!   I think we’re still going to struggle from 3 point range again and that will ultimately keep us from making a deep run in March.   But overall good team that has the potential to be even better.  

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

A couple things are clear from that exhibition relating to the depth chart. Zep is not playing point much right now. It appears that Donaldson is far enough along to get minutes as the back up 1 and Zep and KD will play the 2, no more combo guards for the most part. Flan looked healthy. His movements look healthy and I hope its a sign of a solid season for him. When healthy his athleticism, strength and speed are elite.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,648]

Just quick reaction/expectation for G1

WGJ/Tre

Zep/KD

AF/C-Mo 

Traore/Jaylin

Broome/Dylan 

I don’t think the center spot would be in contention if not for the lower body injury Broome is playing through. They might start Dylan there for a while. I didn’t read much into the lineup they played yesterday - the defensive intensity between Flanigan and KD/Zep is just too much for other back courts to comfortably handle, and I’m like 99% sure Flanigan played more than CMo in the end. The only thing that could make me think AF comes off the bench game 1 is that he was the secondary play maker with Wendell on the court, and the creator when Wen wasn’t on. Maybe they have him come off the bench to be a quasi PG. 

I think Tre had a couple “frustration” points with not attempting a few tougher passes and choosing to try to score instead, but I trust his vision and its easier to score vs pass sometimes. I think CBP will probably try to start AF but just kinda stagger his minutes to overlap with Tre’s a bit.