Memphis Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2021-22 season
By Greg Waddell
Shooting guard
Starter: Landers Nolley
Nolley was Memphis’ best player last season and will be a stabilizing force in the lineup entering into his junior year. He led the team in scoring (13.1 PPG), threes made (2.4 3PM) and minutes played (27.4 MPG) last year.
His role may change a bit on the floor, but Nolley’s veteran presence will be extremely valuable on a team set to rely heavily on freshmen. Nolley may need to initiate the offense more, and he may also need to get comfortable being off-ball while Bates operates in the late shot clock.
If Nolley can get comfortable alongside the freshmen, it will bode extremely well for him individually and the team. Early in the season, there might be some “Am I Batman or Robin?” moments, but ultimately Nolley is too good of a player to not contribute in a major way.
Bench: Lester Quinones
Quinones will battle for a major role, and it won’t shock me one bit if he is a day one starter. He has started 51 of 54 games in two seasons at Memphis and has typically been one of the best backcourt options Hardaway has had.
Quinones is one of the best sharpshooters on the roster. He made 40% of his three-point attempts last season on 3.9 attempts per game.
If he is making shots, he will force his way onto the floor in a big way. His shot has been streaky in his career so far (31% from three as a freshman). If the threes aren’t falling, he will need to find other ways to impact the game the way Lomax’s playmaking and Nolley’s all-around production can.
It’s a good problem to have, and it will be interesting to see Penny Hardaway attempt to pull the right strings.