Florida State Seminoles
Coach Leonard Hamilton would’ve loved to have Nelson in the frontcourt last season, which was decimated via injuries and suspensions. Jaylan Gainey, a two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year transfer from Brown missed all of last season, while Cam’Ron Fletcher missed most of the year after a strong statistical start. Even former top 50 prospect Baba Miller missed 16 games due to an NCAA violation.
Gainey will be back but we still don’t know how good he is at the ACC level. And with Cameron Corhen as the best returning true frontcourt player, it’s clear that FSU needs someone like Nelson to come in and be the focal point of the offense. Double-digit scorer Darin Green is a solid starter but not a clear No. 1, while Georgetown transfer Primo Spears may not even be eligible to play without a waiver since he’s on his third team.
Compared to the other options, the 9-win Seminoles have the biggest hurdle of being an NCAA Tournament team, especially if Spears isn’t able to play. But because of all the depth they have, Nelson can play either frontcourt position without much issue. And the ACC has a nice variety of big men in the league so he wouldn’t be out of place.
Ultimately, this would be about trusting Coach Hamilton that he can get Nelson to the next level. And he does have a solid history, although most of the former Seminole players now in the NBA were former five-stars, to begin with. That certainly isn’t where the former North Dakota State leading scorer is coming from.