West Virginia Basketball: Analyzing the Mountaineers' rotation for 18-19

West Virginia Basketball: Analyzing the Mountaineers’ rotation for 18-19

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Sagaba Konate #50 of the West Virginia Mountaineers is defended by Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 18: James Bolden #3 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drives against Jon Elmore #33 of the Marshall Thundering Herd in the first half during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 18, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Point Guard

Minutes Breakdown (40 total): James Bolden 24, Jordan McCabe 16

Replacing Jevon Carter at the lead guard position will be an unenviable task. West Virginia has solid options to step into the starting role, but they are not without major question marks.

James Bolden looks to be the favorite to start at PG, even though he has been more of a microwave bench scorer up to this point in his career. He is an excellent shooter who can also create his own shot off the bounce, but he has not proven that he can create for others.

Bolden averaged 8.7 ppg and shot 41% from three in just over 17 minutes per game as a sophomore. With increased playing time, his scoring will undoubtedly rise, but he only dished out 1.1apg last season. It is certainly possible that Bolden adjusts to his new role and becomes more of a facilitator, but this may be too much of a transformation for the rising junior.

Also factoring into the PG mix is the much-hyped Jordan McCabe. The 6’0” freshman is a flashy guard who can score at all three levels and has excellent court vision. I’ve seen many people peg McCabe as an instant starter at PG, but I would temper expectations as players who are ranked where he is ranked (100-110 range) are not usually starting PGs on good teams as freshmen. This is not to say he can’t earn the spot as a freshman, but it is more likely that he is a solid bench contributor.

If McCabe can defend at a high level, then he will definitely get major minutes as he plays for Bob Huggins. West Virginia needs another guy who can create off the dribble so there is a need for McCabe. He is the X-factor for this team, but he will need to defend to earn playing time.

While these are solid options at PG, West Virginia should be concerned since this is a steep drop off from Carter (especially defensively). When comparing the Mountaineers’ backcourt to the rest of the Big 12’s, it is clear that West Virginia is at a disadvantage in these matchups.

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