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Florida State Basketball: Analyzing the Seminoles’ rotation for 2018-19

By Tristan Freeman

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the Florida State Seminoles reacts against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the Florida State Seminoles reacts against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: M.J. Walker #23 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates his teams lead against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: M.J. Walker #23 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates his teams lead against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Point Guard

Minutes Allocated (40 total): David Nichols (24) and MJ Walker (16)

When CJ Walker transferred to Ohio State, the Seminoles were left with just one true ball handler on the roster for next season. For a team in a win-now position that was a situation that needed to be addressed.

They were able to land Nichols, who averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.5 apg as a junior for Albany last season. He was an even better scorer the year prior, going for 17.9 ppg with the Great Danes. Nichols is an all-around quality guard who’ll look to experience the NCAA Tournament in his final season in college. His free throw shooting and perimeter defense (two areas where Florida State struggled last season) will be a valuable asset for them.

That’s not to say that the team doesn’t have the utmost trust in MJ Walker. In fact, next season (if he sticks around) he’ll become the face of the team. The former five-star prospect had a productive freshman campaign, scoring 7.0 ppg in 19 mpg off the bench. He had a career-high 24 points at Virginia Tech, although he did score just 16 points in his final seven games of the season. The talent is certainly there for Walker but for a team with darkhorse Final Four aspirations, it’s a safer bet to go with the senior guard.

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