Maryland Basketball: How does the loss of Robert Carter impact the Terps?

Forward Robert Carter is leaving Maryland basketball for the 2016 NBA Draft.

If point guard Melo Trimble and stretch four Robert Carter both returned to Maryland next year, the Terrapins would be a clear contender in the Big Ten and a top 20 team in the country.

While Trimble hasn’t made his decision regarding the 2016 NBA Draft, Carter opted to take his talents to the pros on Thursday as he declared for the draft and is expected to hire an agent.

Carter is not only an experienced player that brings loads of leadership, he is also excellent in the pick-and-roll (with Trimble in particular), stretches the floor and is a solid rebounder (6.9 per game last season). The former Georgia Tech stud averaged 12.3 points, shot an efficient 55 percent from all areas of the floor and knocked down a higher three point percentage than Trimble (33 percent).

Sure, Maryland didn’t perform up to their top-five potential this past season, but Trimble battled health issues and Carter would’ve had another year to acclimate himself and build more chemistry with his teammates. Mark Turgeon’s team also had a ton of moving parts that never seemed to truly gel together and the Terps played down to their level of competition all too often.

The roles in College Park were projected to be more clearly defined in 2016-17.

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Instead, the Terps are likely headed towards a rebuilding season.

With Carter, Diamond Stone (he declared for the NBA Draft too but didn’t hire an agent), Rasheed Sulaimon and Jake Layman moving onto greener pastures, Turgeon’s squad is suddenly at the void of upperclassmen who have contributed quality minutes.

Even if Trimble indeed returns to UM, the program will have to rely on Jaylen Brantley (8.3 mpg), Dion Wiley (sat out with a knee injury), Jared Nickens (19.8 mpg), Michal Cekovsky (8.7 mpg) and Damonte Dodd (15.2 mpg as a role player). They do bring in Kevin Huerter, Anthony Cowan and Micah Thomas, but will any of these three truly produce in year one?

The Terps have to explore the transfer market and search for late gems in the recruiting circle. Even then, expectations will be uncharacteristically low for a team that has finished second and fourth in it’s first two years in the Big Ten.

And the top of the conference will be anything but a walk in the park.

Michigan State has what could possibly turn out to be Tom Izzo’s best recruiting class ever (and they remain in the mix for five-star guard Josh Jackson). Wisconsin made the Sweet 16 last year after losing Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, and are expected to return Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Ethan Happ and Vitto Brown. And Indiana returns Thomas Bryant and will be one of the deepest teams in the league if Troy Williams stays in school.

Next: Big 12 NCAA Tournament Grades

It’s a terrific accomplishment for the Terps that they are producing NBA talent, but after a year of unsettling results, Maryland may be back to square one: a rebuilding product.

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