Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big East Basketball: 2018-19 breakout candidates from each team

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs drives to the basket against Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs drives to the basket against Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 03: Members of the DePaul Blue Demons stand. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 03: Members of the DePaul Blue Demons stand. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Paul Reed, DePaul Blue Demons

Sophomore | Forward | 6-foot-9 | 210 lbs

DePaul has really struggled over the past few years. In addition to consistently one of the worst teams in the Big East, the program has also had a hard time hanging onto young players recently. During this offseason, both Brandon Cyrus and Justin Roberts elected to transfer out of the program. These were two of the best young players in the program and their losses will be felt almost as much as the graduations of Marin Maric and Tre’Darius McCallum. While the returns of Eli Cain and Max Strus will keep things interesting, the team desperately needs someone to have a breakout season in order to be exciting.

In my opinion, rising sophomore Paul Reed is the most likely player to fit that bill. Although not a major part of the rotation last season, Reed is one of the only returning contributors from last season. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in just 10.1 minutes per game during the 2017-18 campaign. While these numbers are lackluster at best, they are not all that bad on a per-minute basis. In addition, he was efficient with the ball in his hands as well. For the year, he capitalized on 58.0% of his 2-point shots and stretched the floor on occasion to the tune of 3-for-14 (21.4%) shooting from three.

With Maric leaving his 27.4 minutes per game behind, there are plenty of minutes available in the frontcourt. Incoming transfer Femi Olujobi will surely take some minutes away from Reed but he still has a chance to see a pronounced role as a junior. A solid rebounder and finisher, Reed could be a double-double threat if given a long enough leash on the court. DePaul needs to put its most talented players on the floor as much as possible and Reed likely fits into that group.

Others considered: Jaylen Butz.

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