Georgia Tech Men's Basketball: Complete 2022-2023 Season Preview
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Georgia Tech men's basketball season has arrived. While football season is winding down with just three games to play, the Yellow Jackets are tipping off tonight against Clayton State a Division II opponent and head coach Josh Pastner is hoping that tonight can be the beginning of a bounce-back season.
Here is the complete preview for Georgia Tech basketball.
A look back at The 2021-2022 Season
Can Georgia Tech outplay expectations in 2022-2023?
One year after winning the ACC Tournament title with Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright, Georgia Tech tumbled to 12-20 (5-15 in ACC play). The Yellow Jackets lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament to the Louisville Cardinals.
The team was led by Jordan Usher and Michael Devoe, but both players are gone now. The Yellow Jackets ranked 11th in the ACC in scoring offense per game with 68.7 points per game and 10th in the ACC in field goal percentage. Devoe was the third leading scorer in the ACC at 18 PPG, but the offense struggled.
The defense was not much better. Tech was eleventh in the ACC in points per game given up, ninth in opponent field goal percentage, first in opponent three-point field goal percentage, and 13th in combined opponent rebounds.
Roster Breakdown
Can Deebo Coleman have a breakout season?
Not only are Devoe and Usher gone, but Khalid Moore and Bubba Parham both transferred out. This team has experienced players coming back, but not a lot of production.
Guards
I expect Kyle Sturdivant to be one of the leaders of the team and a starter. Sturdivant is not a great scorer but does take care of the ball as a point guard.
Deivon Smith missed the last six games of the season in concussion protocol, but he is one of the most talented players on the team. After averaging only 20 minutes per game last year, I can see those numbers increasing. I think if there is a strong breakout candidate for this team, Smith is the guy.
Pastner spoke about Smith and his potential at media days last week and here is what he had to say:
"You know with Deivon, he is a different player. There are some... I was pretty hard on him early in the season to make sure that he was doing what he need to do and we tried to get him to understand that for him to become the best basketball player and he has really turned the corner. Really proud of him. He has been really good this offseason, he has been really good in both scrimmages. So there's been... excited to see his continued progression moving forward, starting on Monday. But he has been really good. Been good all fall, in the scrimmages and his athleticism is really high level. His rebounding has been great for us so we are really proud of Deivon's progression and improvement."
Lance Terry is a transfer coming over from Gardner-Webb. I like Terry and think he is an underrated addition to the Yellow Jackets. Terry is a good shooter, shooting 41% from three-point range last year and he should a good floor spacer for Georgia Tech. I can see Terry being the sixth man this year. Pastner spoke highly of Terry at his press conference last week:
"Yeah, Lance Terry is a transfer from Gardner-Webb and he is a really good basketball player, I think he is a really good sleeper, one of those guys that yet again, I think... one of the things that we have done really well here is evaluation and have been able to do a good job of evaluating and getting guys better player development and Lance is one of those guys that, I think he will have the type of year that guys will say "how did he slip through the cracks?" Where did he come from? So I am excited about Lance. He has been good, has had a good summer and fall. What is interesting is he is 21 years of age and that goes back to the question, you know with recruiting, a guy like him and a guy like Ja'von Franklin, the transfer from South Alabama, both guys are good players, both guys are 24. You know, how many high school kids do you take compared to you wait in the portal, just because of the age difference and just when guys are older it makes a big difference, having them understand coming in that yes, you do have to learn the system, but the understanding of college basketball is just a different feel for a freshman."
What kind of impact can Lance Terry have at Georgia Tech this season?
The other two guards on the team, Miles Kelly and Tristain Maxwell will be contributors this year and Kelly is someone to watch. He can shoot the ball as well and should be a key part of the rotation.
Forwards/Centers
The easy starter out of this group is going to be Deebo Coleman. He came to the Yellow Jackets as a highly-rated recruit and averaged 23.5 minutes per game. Coleman shot 41% from three-point range last season and for Georgia Tech to exceed expectations, Coleman is likely going to need to have a big season,
Jalon Moore was not asked to do a lot last season, averaging only 8.5 minutes per game, but he might need to this season. He is an athletic player, but did not get a big opportunity to produce as a Yellow Jacket in his freshman season.
One of the newcomers on the team is Freds Pauls Bagatskis. I don't expect to see much of Bagatskis this year, at least not until later in the season. He is a good shooter, but needs to develop physically.
Rodney Howard is going to be one of the leaders
Rodney Howard is going to be one of the starters on this team and the Yellow. Howard averaged 6.5 points per game and 5.1 rebounds, which was second on the team. Howard is going to be a leader for this team and they will need to see a step forward from him. Howard needs to try and develop a presence in the paint as a shot blocker and that is one thing that Pastner has hoped would develop as well:
"Rodney has made a lot of improvements. Now, one of the things... one of the areas... it is not that he hasn't improved, it is just that it is maybe not a natural instinct of becoming an elite shot blocker. He has gotten better at some things, but what he can do, is he can move his feet defensively, he can cover ground, so we have to use that to our advantage, so maybe he is not flying all over the floor, but able to protect the basket. So we have to use Rodney's strength to our advantage defensively."
The other transfer that is coming over to Georgia Tech is Ja'von Franklin, who has played at Auburn and South Alabama. Franklin was solid as a starter for South Alabama last season and I think he is going to start for the Yellow Jackets this season. He averaged 12 points per game last season and was a third-team All-Sun Belt for South Alabama. Here is what Pastner said about the impact he thinks Franklin can have this season:
"You know, Ja'von Franklin can... he is a really good athlete, he can jump well off the floor, can be used in opportunities for a small ball five in a sense and offensive rebounding is all about anticipation, it is all about, rebounding is all about... not having a fist fight, but having a foot fight, having a foot battle and defensive rebounding is kind of having a hit first mentality, you want to make the first contact, and he is quick off the floor. We spend a lot of time about trying to be better about defensive rebounding and we have to be better than that. Hopefully when we do play our zone, it does, it can get stretched and because of the long shots and long bounces, the ball can move at different positions so that is something that we have tried to be better about and Ja'von will have to help us in that area."
Jordan Meka is another guy that will figure into the rotation, especially for his defensive capabilities. However, his offense leaves a lot to be desired and he has to be able to contribute on that end of the floor.
Cyril Martynov is the other freshman that Georgia Tech brought in and like Bagatskis, I don't expect to see him on the court a lot, at least maybe not until later in the year.
Projected Starting Lineup
What will Georgia Tech's starting lineup look like?
This is just my projection for the starting lineup.
G- Kyle Sturdivant
G- Deivon Smith
F-Deebo Coleman
F-Ja'von Franklin
C-Rodney Howard
I think this is the most likely starting five. Terry will be the first guy off the bench in my opinion and guys like Kelly, Moore, Maxwell, and Meka are the main rotation players
Prediction: 15th in the ACC
If Terry and Franklin make a big impact and guys like Howard and Smith take a big leap forward, I can see a scenario where this team can do better than expected. However, when I look at the rest of the ACC, there is a lot to be desired with this team in comparison. I think the offense might struggle a lot this season and there are too many unknowns with this team that make me think they can finish higher than projected.
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