Georgia Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bulldogs
Projected starting lineup
Point Guard – Aaron Cook, Grad. Student
Aaron Cook looks to finish out his career with Georgia basketball in his third and final stop. He averaged 4.2 ppg, 1.7 apg, and 1.6 rpg as a reserve in the Gonzaga rotation in 2020-21. In 2019-20, he produced 15.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 3.2 spg, and 3.0 rpg through six games for Southern Illinois before redshirting due to injury.
He’ll look to return to his old self when he was at Southern Illinois. Through 103 appearances (70 starts), Cook posted 8.2 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.9 rpg, and 1.3 spg. He’ll look to produce more and then some with the Bulldogs as their starting point guard.
Guard – Kario Oquendo, Soph.
Kario Oquendo joins the rotation after spending time at Florida Southwestern State in the JUCO ranks. He’s a big guard prospect at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds that was quite the scorer on the wing on the JUCO stage, pouring in 13.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg on 40.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 55.4 percent from the field.
Oquendo should provide some bulk and size off the ball that’s also capable of distributing the ball (1.3 apg in 2020-21). He’ll be looked upon to be a presence on both ends of the floor for Coach Crean.
Wing/Forward – Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Soph.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim makes the jump into SEC basketball with the Georgia Bulldogs after a stop with the Virginia Cavaliers in 2020-21. His college debut was a wash this past year as he appeared in a total of 37 minutes across eight games before hitting the transfer portal.
He should be a versatile player in the rotation at 6-foot-7 that should play a role in their rebounding and slashing front given his size and athleticism.
Forward – P.J. Horne, Grad. Student
P.J. Horne is the lone returning start from a season ago for Georgia basketball that stayed put this offseason. At 6-foot-6, he’s another versatile prospect in their rotation with the ability to play inside and out.
Horne averaged 8.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg while shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point range in 2020-21 in his first year in the lineup. He’ll look to lead by example as a holdover in 2021-22.
He’ll give their starting lineup toughness and an identity defensively while being able to create mismatches on the offensive end of the floor with his shooting.
Center – Braelen Bridges, RS Senior
Braelen Bridges is another big man out of the transfer portal via Illinois-Chicago that should crack the starting rotation given his size and experience in the college ranks.
Bridges gives the Bulldogs starting lineup some much-needed size in the paint at 6-foot-10, 235 pounds with room to grow on the interior. He produced 8.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg while generating a defensive rating of 99.7 from 2019-21.