STARKVILLE — The final domino fell regarding the Mississippi State men’s basketball team’s roster outlook on Monday.
Columbus native Robert Woodard II decided to stay in the NBA draft, leaving the Bulldogs with the tall task of replacing their top four scorers from a season ago.
Nine players in total departed a 20-win MSU team from a year ago that never got to finish its season, whether it be to turn pro or transfer, but coach Ben Howland and his staff have completed a lengthy roster reconstruction in preparation for the upcoming season.
With Woodard’s departure, the Bulldogs have 12 scholarship players on the roster for the 2020-2021 season, one fewer than the 13 allowed by the NCAA because of the sanctions bestowed on MSU for academic misconduct last year. If Woodard returned to MSU, the Bulldogs would have had the option to keep 13 scholarship players and delay their sanction by one year.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play the toughest nonconference schedule they’ve ever had in the Ben Howland era, with matchups against Dayton, Clemson, Minnesota and others looming. Of course, your daily disclaimer of COVID-19 potentially screwing that up applies here, too.
While supremely talented, the 2019-2020 Bulldogs didn’t use many players in their rotation, going nine men deep at their deepest points then trimming that to seven or eight by midseason. It remains to be seen how many players Howland plans on giving significant minutes to this upcoming year.
Here’s a look at the projected starting five if the season started tomorrow:
D.J. Stewart
Stewart might be an early favorite for MSU’s most improved player next season, considering he rotated between the two and three spots this season and played stout defense regardless. Offense was hit or miss for Stewart, who could be a consistent jump shot away from turning into an all-SEC player. Regardless, he should be by far MSU’s best perimeter defender.
Iverson Molinar
Molinar showed flashes of brilliance in an up-and-down true freshman campaign and will likely see a larger role a year from now after contributing 15.4 minutes per game last season. At times last year, Molinar struggled to adapt to Howland’s offense and got lost in the rotation in favor of Nick Weatherspoon and Tyson Carter, but the rising sophomore should play a big role for MSU.
Deivon Smith
It may be odd seeing a true freshman on the projected starting five this early, but Smith has been earning rave reviews from coaches and teammates alike in MSU’s summer workouts. A 5-foot-11 point guard from Loganville, Georgia, Smith is the crown jewel of the Bulldogs’ 2020 recruiting class. Smith is a four-star recruit according to 247 Sports and is ranked as the 52nd-best prospect in America. He’s expected to have incredible court vision and a strong inside game on offense, but it will be interesting to see if Smith can develop a consistent jump shot.
Abdul Ado
The 6-foot-11 post presence enters his senior year. Ado won’t move the needle much offensively but is a fantastic rim protector and rebounder. No one ever questions Ado’s effort on the floor, and he will provide some much needed experience and leadership for an extremely young team.
Tolu Smith
Howland has raved about Smith from the moment he set foot on campus. Smith, a Western Kentucky transfer a season ago, will be a big factor in the Bulldogs’ rotation this season. It’s unclear how much production the 6-foot-10 forward can deliver, as he shot 58.3 percent from the floor and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for WKU two seasons ago.
Other possible rotation pieces
Javian Davis
Considering the Bulldogs aren’t nearly as deep in the frontcourt as they were a season ago, expect Davis to see consistent minutes early, assuming he’s granted immediate eligibility. An Alabama transfer, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor in 31 games played for the Crimson Tide in 2019-2020.
Jalen Johnson
Like Davis, expect Johnson to see the floor early and often this season. Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward, scored 15.5 points and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game in his junior season with the Ragin’ Cajuns. In three combined seasons between Louisiana and Saint Louis, Johnson has amassed 1,061 points and 495 rebounds in 99 career games (77 starts). He is expected to move into a starting role with the Bulldogs immediately and will have one final season of eligibility.
Quinten Post
Post will have some catching up to do, as the 7-foot forward only recently returned to campus from the Netherlands. Howland has said the team will likely need Post’s contributions before the year is said and done.
Other notes
It may be possible that true freshmen Cameron Matthews, Derek Fountain and Andersson Garcia are asked to help provide meaningful minutes right away. The uncertainty of their college readiness is made even more murky by delayed summer workouts, though. You can mark this one down as a “wait and see.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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