Key Reserves for the Crimson
Amaker will have no shortage of names to call off the bench for relief duty this season, especially in the backcourt. Christian Juzang, a 6’2″ guard, got the starting nod for most games after Aiken went down, and he figures to once again be an important part of the rotation as a Junior. He’s a jack-of-all-trades type player that averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as a sophomore and he can guard multiple positions on defense.
Some other returning players that figure to be in the mix for serious playing time are Danilo Djuricic, Rio Haskett, and Robert Baker. Haskett is a guard that can score from anywhere on the floor, and Djuricic and Baker are both bigs that saw at least 10 minutes of action per game last season. It’s hard to say how much time the latter two will be in for this season as players like Towns and Lewis continue to grow, but they should continue to at least play complementary roles.
As far as newcomers, Amaker was able to reel in an exceptional group of freshmen, the most notable among them being Noah Kirkwood, a 6’7″ guard (yes, guard) who chose Harvard over the likes of Texas, Virginia, and Wichita State. Kirkwood won a gold medal with Team Canada at the U-19 Fiba World Championship and was rated the No. 72 player nationally in his class by 247Sports. It’s safe to say he will be given immediate minutes, and he may even become a starter before long if he’s able to hit the ground running.
Note*: These are not the only Crimson who will get playing time off of the bench, merely ones who should be integral parts of the rotation. The whole rotation could be as many as 14 deep, as it was last season. For example, the Crimson have a great freshman class incoming, of which the only player mentioned is Noah Kirkwood, but the only others will surely have opportunities.