Georgia Basketball: Taking a look at the potential starting lineup
At the end of April, Georgia added it's first transfer in former George Mason guard, Justin Kier. At 6'4 and a near 200 pounds, Kier will fill in a void at the two-guard spot.
But as we saw this past season, Tom Crean likes to put three guards on the floor. After losing three senior guards in Donnell Gresham, Jordan Harris, and Tyree Crump along with the talented freshman Anthony Edwards, it was up in the air as who would be that third guard for the Bulldogs. Things are now a little more clear with the addition of Andrew Garcia from Stony Brook.
Garcia adds some much needed experience to the lineup along with his 6'5 228-pound frame. He operated as a two-guard and small forward for the Seawolves, which made him the perfect candidate to be the third guard in Georgia's backcourt.
Garcia's physical approach on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball allowed him to put up 13.4 PPG and 1.6 SPG as a redshirt junior. Not to mention, Garcia also posted nearly 7 rebounds each outing, and can defend against slashers efficiently.
That type of play has drawn a comparison of former Bulldog guard, Charles Mann.
With almost a completely new team coming in for Georgia, there's no certainty as to what this starting lineup will look like. There could also be some more movement around this lineup given the never ending possibility of a transfer. But if the season were to start today, the lineup would most likely look something like this:
G- Sahvir Wheeler (Soph.)
G- Justin Kier (Grad.)
G- Andrew Garcia (Grad.)
F- Toumani Camara (Soph.)
F- Tyron McMillan (RS Soph.)
Just taking a look at this lineup, there's one thing a lot more noticeable about this lineup in comparison to last year's: experience. Between this potential starting lineup there are 170 career starts, not counting McMillan's experience at the JUCO level. Last season's team relied too much on freshmen from time to time, which cost the Bulldogs in a handful of games down the stretch. Georgia may see those same type of games fall in their favor this year given the experience.
This lineup also seems to feature more chemistry than last year's lineup. It's a given that Wheeler and Camara already have an established relationship from playing together last season, and it shouldn't be hard for them to connect with the maturity of Kier and Garcia.
As for McMillan, he played with Sahvir Wheeler on the AAU circuit, and according to Sahvir Wheeler, his basketball IQ is through the roof, making it easier to insert into the lineup.
Wheeler stated, "Coach can put in three new sets and he'll (McMillan) know the sets by the end of the day, and he'll know the point guard spot, the shooting guard spot, the small forward spot. He's a guy that will help other players. He's super cerebral, and I think he's going to be a great fit with us."
Of course, nothing is set in stone, and summer workouts will provide an opportunities to assert their case for a starting spot. There's also a chance Tom Crean could decide to go for a more traditional two guard backcourt and give the three spot to a forward like Christian Brown and Jaykwon Walton, who are both due for more minutes this season.
However, adding two transfer guards sends a message as to what direction the Bulldogs will go with their lineup.
