Georgetown Basketball: Where do the Hoyas go without Marcus Derrickson?

Marcus Derrickson is off to the NBA Draft, leaving Georgetown Basketball without maybe its most dynamic scorer. How can the Hoyas replace him?

Despite a horrid non-conference schedule that turned Georgetown into a punch line last summer, the Hoyas put together a rather respectable 2017-18 season in Patrick Ewing’s first year on the sidelines. Georgetown finished 15-15 overall and 5-13 in the Big East, but lost 4 games in overtime and another three games by 5 points or less. A few things break their way, and Ewing’s Hoyas are pushing .500 in the conference, a far cry from their lowly preseason expectations.

And heading into 2018-19, Georgetown figured to be a trendy pick to climb the Big East standings and even sneak into the NCAA Tournament. No impact players were scheduled to leave the program, and with plenty of top veterans exiting the conference to professional leagues, there is an opportunity for several rising teams to push Villanova next season.

Well, you can throw all that out the window for now. Junior forward and second-leading scorer Marcus Derrickson is off to the NBA Draft (with an agent, no less), leaving the Hoyas without an obvious scoring threat to pair with big man Jessie Govan.

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Derrickson took a major leap as a junior. He averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists last year, and shot 51 percent from the field, 47 percent from three, and 86 percent from the line. He was named to the Big East second team, and would’ve been one of the few all-conference players returning to the Big East next season. Along with Govan, Georgetown could have been legitimately dangerous with that frontcourt tandem and further development from its young wings and guards.

But all of that is a moot point. Derrickson is gone, so where do the Hoyas go from here?

While Govan can probably be penciled in for another 18-10 season, Georgetown will need big strides from its perimeter guys. Jamorko Pickett and Jahvon Blair are the two obvious candidates. Both players were named to the Big East all-freshman team last season and averaged over nine points per game. Pickett was the better long-range shooter (36 percent, compared to Blair’s 32 percent), but the two wings were not afraid to let it fly, as they each attempted over five threes per game.

Blair should be able to improve from beyond the arc as a sophomore; his 86 percent mark from the charity stripe is indicative of a solid shooting stroke. In consecutive conference games at Creighton and Xavier, Blair went a combined 10-22 from three en route to 40 total points. Pickett also had two games where he knocked down at least five three-point shots. The offensive game is there for both guys; don’t be surprised if at least one of them turns into an all-conference player in 2018-19.

The key for the Hoyas will be finding a lead guard to run the offense. Guard play was already an issue for Georgetown, and with Derrickson gone and assists leader Jonathan Mulmore graduating, two of their steadier ball handlers are no longer in blue and gray. Of the returning players, Pickett finished with more turnovers than assists as a freshman, and Blair was essentially split into those categories. At least one guy, including rising junior Jagan Mosely, needs to find some consistency and set the tone offensively.

The Hoyas have three recruits committed for next season, including bouncy point guard Mac McClung. McClung broke Allen Iverson’s Virginia high school state scoring record this year, but he is listed as just a three-star recruit by 247 Sports, so we’ll see how much of an impact he can make as a freshman.

Georgetown’s top recruit – four-star power forward Josh LeBlanc – could be Derrickson’s replacement next to Govan. LeBlanc profiles as more of a defender out of high school though, so Derrickson’s scoring prowess will still need to be filled by someone else on the roster. A graduate transfer is also a possibility, as a one-year scoring punch could be just what the Hoyas need before officially handing the reigns over to Pickett, Blair, and co.

Next: Potential 2018 Gavitt games between Big East and Big Ten teams

Ewing has the pieces there for an interesting team in 2018-19. With Govan down low and a bunch of athletic players on the wing, Georgetown will not make life easy for opponents. It remains to be seen if Georgetown will have enough offense to win consistently, but this is a program that is certainly on the rise. The Hoyas will be dancing soon enough.

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Georgetown Basketball: Where do the Hoyas go from here without Marcus Derrickson?

By Brian Foley | Apr 12, 2018

Marcus Derrickson is off to the NBA Draft, leaving Georgetown Basketball without maybe its most dynamic scorer. How can the Hoyas replace him?

More from Big East