Arizona Basketball: Analyzing the Wildcats’ 2018-19 projected rotation

Small Forward

Minutes Allocation (40 total): Dylan Smith (20), Emmanuel Akot (9), Brandon Randolph (7) and Omar Thielemans (4)

This position is wide-open and has a number of players vying for it. It actually could be Randolph’s best chance at true minutes compared to at the two-spot. For now, Smith is the incumbent as he played the most minutes as the reserve and started several games last season.

The UNC-Asheville transfer certainly didn’t play up to expectations, becoming a non-factor against elevated competition. At 6’5, Smith showed that he can defend well on the wings but was poor on the offensive end.

The intriguing player is Akot, a 6’7 forward with tremendous potential. He started a few games out the gate but knee issues slowed him down the first month of the season. What slowed him down the rest of the year was his inability to provide any offense. His shooting numbers looked better more so because of garbage time. Akot’s defense was good but not worth giving him minutes at the expense of either Alkins or Trier on the wings.

All three wings will have a chance to start at the “three” but in terms of raw talent, Akot has the edge. As for Thielemans, he’d normally be a prime redshirt candidate with all this depth on the wings. But based on their performances last year, it’s hard to say that the 6’7 forward from Belgium doesn’t have an opportunity himself to get some real minutes.