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

Shooting Guard

Starter: Ishmael Leggett (31 mpg)

The one guard who actually has experience at the D-I level is Leggett, a 6’4 transfer from Rhode Island. After two years of averaging single-digits in scoring, Leggett broke out to lead the team with 16.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg on 39% shooting from the field and 32% from deep. On a team that was very bad overall, Leggett was the lone consistent scoring threat, which explains the inefficiency.

Since he won’t have to do it all at Pittsburgh, the hope is that the senior guard can just be a double-digit scorer that the team can rely on a daily basis. You can expect the freshmen to have some ups and downs but it’s important that Leggett avoid those himself in order for the backcourt not to be a major flaw this season.

Reserves: Carrington (5 mpg), William Jeffress (4 mpg)

Simply due to a lack of depth, you can expect some lineups where the Panthers will play both freshmen in the backcourt together. With their size and ball-handling capabilities, that shouldn’t be a major issue but the scoring potential could be an issue. Another option is to play Jeffress, a 6’7 wing coming off missing an entire year due to a foot injury.

Jeffress, a former four-star prospect who was once the youngest player in college basketball, struggled a lot two years prior. But he’s an athletic and versatile defender who can guard several positions and is capable of being in the backcourt. Depending on how some of the other forwards look, this would be the place where you could play him and get Jeffress on the court.