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Colorado Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Buffaloes

By Stu Luddecke

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Colorado Buffaloes mascot Chip performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 92-78. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Colorado Buffaloes mascot Chip performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 92-78. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: McKinley Wright IV #25 of the Colorado Buffaloes fouls Kimani Lawrence #14 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as Namon Wright #13 of the Buffaloes reaches for the ball during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: McKinley Wright IV #25 of the Colorado Buffaloes fouls Kimani Lawrence #14 of the Arizona State Sun Devils as Namon Wright #13 of the Buffaloes reaches for the ball during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes won 97-85. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Projected Starters

Death, taxes, and McKinley Wright IV starting at point guard – these are the only things we can be sure of in this life. Wright IV averaged 14.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists as a freshman, and formed a formidable duo with then-senior and current Phoenix Sun George King (12.9 points, 7.8 rebounds).

With King gone, Wright IV should step into even more of a starring role, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his scoring production reach 20 points per game this season. One part of his game that left something to be desired was his 3-point shooting (30.4% on the year). If he can get that percentage into the mid-upper 30’s, he may even put himself in the All-American conversation.

Outside of Wright IV, Tad Boyle has a lot of other young and promising pieces to work with. The most notable among them is Tyler Bey, a breakout candidate that averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Bey is a long and lean forward who can score from anywhere inside the arc and dunk with authority. In Colorado’s lone Pac-12 Tournament win, he was one of the best players on the floor, grabbing 10 boards to go along with his 14 points. Consider him another lock, like Wright IV, to be in the starting lineup for the rest of his Buffs career, and look for his averages to approach double-double territory this season.

In the frontcourt, 7’0″ Dallas Walton (Sophomore) and 6’10” Lucas Siewart (Junior) should form an intimidating duo for opposing big men. Walton was a starter almost every game last season, and on a team with relatively few big men, I see no reason for that trend to change moving forward.

It’s possible that Boyle will utilize the guard-heaviness of his roster to play up-tempo small ball with one big on the floor in certain matchups, but for now, Siewart looks like a strong candidate for the starting power forward job. His greatest strength is his three-point shooting (44.8%), so he’ll be extremely useful in terms of spreading out the defense and keeping pressure off of Wright IV and the other go-to scorers.

Rounding out the starting 5, Namon Wright, the team’s lone Senior, will work in tandem with McKinley Wright IV (no relation) in the backcourt. Wright, a Missouri-transfer who averaged 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in his first season with Buffs, will play a valuable role in terms of his leadership and poise. Expect his scoring production to be similar to last year’s, but also for his stat-line to become much more well-rounded with increased rebounds and assists per game.

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