1. It’s Nolan Hickman’s team this season
if there was something positive to take away from Gonzaga’s game versus Tennessee on Friday, it was the play of sophomore point guard Nolan Hickman. He scored nine points and dished out four assists in 25 minutes but more importantly, didn’t have one turnover. Considering that he was going up against a defensive guard in Zakai Zeigler, that’s an impressive feat for the ball-handler.
Defensive issues aside, since all the Bulldog guards weren’t good on that end, Hickman passed his first test as the new starting point guard for the team. The last five years for Gonzaga have included the likes of Josh Perkins, Nigel Williams-Goss, Nembhard, and Jalen Suggs when it comes to ball-handlers. This time around it’s a pair of unproven players in Hickman and Malachi Smith.
Hickman is a former five-star prospect and Kentucky commit who played behind Nembhard last season. He only produced a few points a game but looked solid and was next in line this season. But it’s far from a certain thing that he’ll be good enough to lead Gonzaga to a Final Four appearance, which is the goal and expectation this season.
Teams such as Baylor, Houston, North Carolina, Kentucky, and others all have proven ball-handlers to lead them this season. As of now, Gonzaga’s isn’t proven ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. If Hickman becomes a breakout star and isn’t a weak spot on the roster, they’ll be a definite contender to win it all. If not, they’ll find themselves coming up short again.