Arizona State Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Sun Devils

Starting Lineup

Point Guard: Remy Martin, Senior

Having an elite (preferably experienced) point guard tends to be the saving grace at the college level; Arizona State has exactly that in Remy Martin. The potential Player of the Year candidate checks every box that being a lead guard might require.

He’s a crafty handler in the pick-and-roll, can score at all three levels (and can even expand his range to well-beyond the three-point line), and he’s a stifling defender in passing lanes. He is also a respectable decision-maker, who is able to make great reads on drive-and-kick out passes and on dumps to rollers down low.

While he might not necessarily be elite at one particular thing, he is very very good at almost everything a point guard could possibly do on the hardwood. Last year Martin averaged 19.1 points per game (making 33.5 percent of his threes and 61.3 percent of his shots at the rim) along with 4.1 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game.

He filled up the stat sheet last season; he will look to do the same this season as he pursues what should be a very memorable senior season for the Sun Devils.

Shooting Guard: Alonzo Verge Jr., Senior

After transferring to Arizona State before last season, Alonzo Verge Jr. found a ton of success at the top of the team’s bench unit, winning the PAC-12’s Sixth Man of the Year award. But coach Hurley says it best, “he’s a not a bench guy, he’s just a starter that’s coming off the bench.” This season Verge should be more of a literal starter, but ASU still might want to stagger him against Martin as much as possible so both can get their own share of the scoring spotlight.

Verge is as confident of a scorer as they come, as was showcased in his 43-point outing against Saint Mary’s last season. He is electric and slithery as a scorer, similar to the way Lou Williams is, a player he is often compared to. He has a unique swivel when handling the basketball that makes him a joy to watch play. Luckily for viewers and fans, that joyous play style will be here to stay for this next season.

Small Forward: Josh Christopher, Freshman

Few players have achieved a level of stardom at the high school level quite like Josh Christopher. His game highlights are scattered across Youtube with millions of views in total. One of the videos (via SLAM Highlights) even dubbed him as a “high school legend.” Now ASU fans await to see if that legend status carries over to college.

Christopher is a scorer first, passer second; and in terms of scoring he is inside first, outside second. He certainly can pass and certainly can shoot, both are just not his strongest suits. Christopher is a born-and-bred slashing guard; he can provide quick baskets from the perimeter and shouldn’t take the ball away from Martin and Verge too much that the fit between the three becomes awkward.

The trio of Christopher, Martin, and Verge could be one of the best scoring trios in college basketball if the three learn to play together. Considering Martin’s and Verge’s experience and Christopher’s early maturity, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Power Forward: Marcus Bagley, Freshman

Labeling him a starter might be jumping the gun a bit, but the signs seem to be pointing to Marcus Bagley getting a starting nod for the Sun Devils this season.

Bagley adds a layer of versatility, on both ends of the floor, that coach Hurley didn’t quite have at his disposal last season. At 6-foot-7 and 220-pounds he is a very strong athlete who thrives on the open floor and when playing vertically.

He also has a surprisingly fluid handle for a guy his size and should be able to expose bigger power forwards off-the-bounce. To add to his case, Bagley also is a capable 3-point shooter, making him the perfect fit next to the three aforementioned guards.

Bagley is essentially a wing in a forwards body. He has a versatile skillset that coach Hurley should have plenty of fun experimenting with…in the starting lineup.

Center: Jalen Graham, Sophomore

There is a glaring knit waiting to be picked in the Sun Devils’ fleet; that knit is the lack of proven big man talent. This is where the transfer of Romello White hurts most, as now Arizona State will be asking Jalen Graham to step into a starting role way earlier than they likely initially planned (if they ever did in fact plan for such).

It is not a lost cause at the position though; Graham brings plenty of things ASU fans can feel good about. For a specific example, in only 10.9 minutes a game last year, he managed to still block a shot per contest. Considering all of the versatile scoring talent around him, maintaining that same sort of rim protection under a higher minute load should be all that is required of Graham in order to keep fans happy.