Ole Miss Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Rebels

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 16: Head coach Kermit Davis of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders watches the action in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 16, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images /

Key reserves

The biggest concern for the Ole Miss Rebels this upcoming season is their bench. They’ve got a solid two-way player in Devontae Shuler. He’s a 6-foot-2 guard that averaged 6.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a reserve last season.

Outside of Shuler, not much returns leaving the door of opportunity wide open for their newcomers to earn some time. 6-foot-5 guard Brian Halums should be in the running after spending two seasons at Itawamba Community College. He put up 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 2017-18.

The other junior college transfer on the roster is forward Zach Naylor. Naylor produced 20.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest while shooting 41.5 percent from behind the arc at Weatherford College (TX). His presence on the floor should certainly open things up for the Rebels in 2018-19.

K.J. Buffen is a 6-foot-7 forward that originally committed to Middle Tennessee but followed Coach Davis to Oxford. Buffen averaged 24.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, earning Region Player of the Year honors as a senior. The other freshmen that will fight for playing time are Luis Rodriguez and Franco Miller. They’ll need at least one or two of their newcomers to step up, if not more, with opportunities all over the place.

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