Figuring out a starting line up is such a crap shoot right now. As is the case every year, injuries and other unforeseen circumstances have an amazing way of paring the rotation down to 8-9 players by March and all of us fans clamoring for more depth.
Start
Cole
Gaff
Jackson
Akok
Sanogo
Bench
Diggins
Hawkins
Polley
Martin
Whaley
Need ball handling and shooting. I'm stuck with no way Cole or Sanogo are not in starting line up. I'm not the biggest Cole fan due to his lack of athleticism and size but he can shoot, and has Hurley's confidence. I wish there was a better known solution at the PG but there isn't someone who is a bit bigger and faster, so I can live with Cole. Sanogo has to start and I'm not convinced he was at his best when paired with Whaley. I think Akok is actually more comfortable and feels natural on the perimeter, dribble drive and moving towards the hoop. Jackson is too talented with speed and disrupting passing lanes that he has to start in my book. Gaff is obviously the oddity here but the other four players need one more ball handler and another shooter and Gaff can do that. Plus, he has more size than Cole for guarding bigger guards.
So, how the hell do you come up with a starting lineup that has two starters from last year's coming off the bench? Hurley brings them in and gets them to buy in as a unit that the three veterans on the frontcourt mentor and develop the two young guards. Convince Martin, Polley and Whaley that they're upper classmen, they can enjoy all the fun of college they didn't get second semester of 2019 and all of 2020 and they can be key contributors- they'll get 15-20 minutes a game. Some games may be 25 minutes, some may be 10. But this is their best chance to go far and have more success than they have experienced in college so far. If anyone gets injured or isn't productive, they get right back in the lineup.
Martin is such a hard nosed competitor but he was just so inefficient finishing around the rim last year. He's great when he has a straight line to the hoop but gets too complicated when he has to adjust. And I don't trust his shooting. It would be so difficult to play him at the 2 or the 3 without having shooters at every other position. It's really tough to put Martin and Jackson on the floor at the same time because out of the PG, SG, SF and PF, those two take up two of those spots and the other two have to be lights out shooters and at least one needs to be the primary ball handler. I could see a Cole, Jackson, Martin, Akok and Whaley lineup out there. Just enough shooting from Cole, Akok and Whaley. At least I'd hope. But that keep Sanogo out of the game.
Could I see Hawkins start? Sure. Put Cole, Hawkins, Jackson, Akok and Sanogo on the floor. Looks great. Wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the lineup that starts by March. I don't know if they need to put that much pressure on Hawkins right away.
Having Polley come of the bench doesn't seem like a mega stretch. He did it last year. Convincing Whaley to come off the bench would have to be hardest sell. But who knows, maybe all he wants to do is win and have fun. Carlton was able to accept it last season.
