San Diego State Basketball: Analyzing the Aztecs’ 2018-19 rotation

Center

Minutes Allocated (40 total): Jalen McDaniels (19), Joel Mensah (10), Nathan Mensah (6) and Nolan Narain (5)

McDaniels will get a lot of minutes at the five-spot thanks to his versatility on both ends of the court. His great rebounding ability (12.2 rpg per 40 minutes) also makes him a valuable asset against bigger opponents. He had just 19 three-point attempts last year but has the potential to extend his range as a rising sophomore. If that’s the case then Narain can play the five while being a solid post option.

The frontcourt for San Diego State is somewhat thin depending on what the two incoming freshmen can contribute. Both Joel and Nathan Mensah are ranked as high as four-star prospects on some recruiting sites and has great potential.

Joel is more likely to get consistent minutes but Nathan also is a great athlete who projects to be a shot-blocking defensive center. Each of them is still raw and will go through some lumps early on, yet assuming McDaniels leaves for the NBA after next season they’ll be big factors on future Aztec teams.

There are plenty of questions for this San Deigo State team. Will Hemsley and Narain take the next step? Will the “sophomore slump” affect either McDaniels or Mitchell? And which freshman becomes the next great surprise of the 2018-19 season? If each question has a positive answer, Nevada might not have the Mountain West completely sowed up.