Minnesota Basketball: Preview of Golden Gophers 2020-21 depth chart
By Ben Dickson
Minnesota Point Guards
For a roster that went through a ton of upheaval this offseason, the return of Marcus Carr was incredible news for the Golden Gophers. The Canadian native returns for his redshirt junior season and his second straight in maroon and gold after spending his freshman year at Pittsburgh.
Tabbed with All-Big Ten Third Team honors by the media, Carr averaged an eye-popping stat line of 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per contest. In addition to being the team’s leading scorer, Carr ended the season as the 9th best assist man in the entire country. His 36.8 minutes played per game also ranked ninth in the nation, while also topping the Big Ten.
Despite the addition of new talent, there is no reason to believe his minutes will change for this upcoming season. Carr is the Gophers’ best returning player, and the team will go as far as he does.
The backup lead guard role will likely be split between multiple players. 4-star freshman Jamal Mashburn Jr. was figured to fill that role by default once Payton Willis transferred to Charleston.
However, the addition of Both Gach could take a lot of pressure off of the freshman, depending on how he develops throughout the season. At 6’6″, it is likely we will see Gach spend a lot of minutes at shooting guard, but the junior does have a lot of lead guard experience from Utah.
Mashburn Jr., son of the former Kentucky star Jamal Mashburn, has the potential to be a very exciting player for the Gophers. A real scoring threat, Mashburn should be able to provide meaningful minutes immediately. It is possible he could see between 15-20 minutes of playing time this season, with some coming playing shooting guard or the wing position.