Pittsburgh Basketball: Projected 2023-24 depth chart without Dior Johnson

Point guard

Starter: Carlton Carrington (24 mpg)

Even before the Dior Johnson news, Pittsburgh Basketball’s main issue was what they were going to do at the point guard position after losing all three main ball-handlers from last season. The team went after a number of transfer options all throughout the offseason but failed to land a true point guard.

The Panthers do have a pair of four-star freshmen ball-handlers joining the team. And we do have a little info from the recent overseas tour in that Carrington was the team’s starting at point, including a team-high nine assists in one game. Carrington is a 6’4 combo guard from Baltimore, who has been impressive early on as a potential lead guard candidate. His defense and ability to shoot from deep makes him an all-around player who can run the offense. How well he can handle the D-I game could determine what kind of ceiling the Panthers will have.

Reserve: Jaland Lowe (16 mpg), KJ Marshall

Lowe is the other freshman guard on the roster and he’s more of a true point guard. He’s a 6’3 ball-handler from Texas who was a late riser on the recruiting rankings, now in the top 70. Lowe is a capable passer who in some circumstances could be a more stable option to run the offense out the gate than Carrington. It’s a legit position battle to watch but either way, look for both of them to get minutes.

One other player who could get minutes is Marshall, a walk-on point guard who played 11 games last season, all in “garbage time” at the very end. He’s a 5th-year player with experience and the Panthers did get good minutes a couple of seasons ago with another former walk-on in Onyebuchi Ezeakudo, who actually started 12 games in the 2022-23 campaign. Ideally, though, Pittsburgh won’t need him in meaningful minutes.