I thought Devoe improved as the year went on last season. He ironed out a few things, and was more aggressive to the basket and making decisions in the lane. It will be Devoe's team next season if he returns, and I expect Usher to be 1B. As
@MidtownJacket mentioned, I would not be surprised to see Devoe run our offense at times.
I am REALLY excited about the trajectory of Usher's game. The athleticism and explosiveness has always been there, but it seemed something clicked and his basketball game finally caught up with his physical abilities. His development was reminiscent of Moses's development his 3rd year. IMO, of the upperclassman we have for next season, Usher is probably the one with the higher NBA ceiling given size, his ability to play multiple spots in the NBA on defense, and ability in the open court. His versatility has obviously been beneficial for our team last season. Usher was probably our best overall player to close out the season.
I know we've always expected Sturdivant to take over Jose's spot running the point, but the addition Devion Smith has changed the equation a bit. This all depends on Smith's ability to get up to speed with what our staff wants and his ability to gel with our players. As high as I am on Usher's physical abilities, Smith may just give Usher a run for his money in that department...except Smith has more speed and explosiveness. Smith has ELITE speed and change of direction. If he can give us what Alvarado did, and I don't expect it next season, he will be a top 5-10 PG in the country some day. GT fans need to be excited about Smith's future at GT...he is going to be an electric player. As of right now though, I expect Sturdivant to start the season at the point given his experience in our system...oh, and Sturdivant is a pretty good player himself.
Gigi, IMO, is the key to what kind of season we'll have next year. I don't expect him to be Banks or Lammers in terms of his role in our offense, but if he can give us 8+/- points, and 5-8 rebs a game, that's fine. However, if he can be a good to very good rim protector, that totally changes what our staff can do with personnel. In the few minutes we saw Gigi, he's shown flashes of someone that can stretch the defense and get by his defender. If you watched some of his HS highlights, he definitely has a Euro game to him. He can pass, and he can facilitate when the balls is in his hands. Our staff emphasizes defense, so if he can't hold his own in the post, he won't see very many minutes to make any of that happen. Of all the players on our roster, Gigi stands to gain the most this offseason.
The freshmen will be interesting in terms of how they can battle for minutes. I know it's a big step up from HS to ACC basketball, but Coleman and Kelly just may already be some of our best shooters on the roster. Kelly doesn't get mentioned much, but he just might be another Anthony Morrow in the gym range type player...but Kelly can also create shots off the dribble. I'm really excited to see what he brings. Our staff brought in guys whose trendlines and ceilings are very high. Coleman is just gonna be a beast. 6'6 with loads of skill and a very good shot to go with and NBA frame and athleticism.
Then you have guys like Parham, Moore, Maxwell...perimeter players that will battle for minutes. I fully expect Parham and Moore to get minutes, but those minutes might be harder depending on what the freshmen bring to the table. Although Moore's offensive production wasn't eye popping, his ability to fill in the gaps where needed, and his defensive ability are important.
IMO, we have good problems. Finding minutes for talented players is always a welcomed headache for coaches. This will be fun team next season...whether that translates into a Top 5 ACC finish is another story, but there will certainly be plenty of exciting moments for us to enjoy. More than anything, it's really nice to not feel like the bottom has fallen out and we have to rebuild after losing players the caliber of Alvarado (most likely) and Moses.
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