Arizona State Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Sun Devils
By Brian Rauf
Key reserves
De’Quon Lake
Lake may very well find his way into the starting lineup as the senior big man can provide rebounding and rim protection. His role will somewhat depend on how fast Hurley wants to play, but the bigger lineups favor Lake’s skillset.
Luguentz Dort
The No. 30 overall prospect in the country, Dort is a dynamite defender who will be able to contribute immediately in a big way. He will also start a number of games and can give Hurley a different look in the backcourt. I have Edwards in the starting lineup because of his scoring, but if ASU wants to go with two lockdown defenders, it doesn’t get much better than Martin and Dort.
Zylan Cheatham
Cheatham will bring experience to this bench group and gives the Sun Devils another starting-caliber player. In fact, he started 48 games in his two seasons at San Diego State and proved he can be a sizable contributor, averaging 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Kimani Lawrence
Lawrence had a minimal role last year averaging less than 10 minutes per game. He was inconsistent and needs to get stronger to play down low but provides athleticism and another big in the rotation.
Uros Plavsic
Speaking of big, that’s what may earn Plavsic a few minutes here and there. He’s 7-1. Plavsic probably won’t play much but has the size to be a factor around the rim.
Elias Valtonen
The fourth freshman of the class, Valtonen needs to get stronger but is a quality shooter and all-around offensive threat. He may not contribute much this year because of the depth ahead of him but he has a lot of potential.