Missouri Basketball: 2023-24 season preview and outlook for the Tigers

Projected Starting Lineup

Nick Honor – Point Guard

Honor put together a solid season last year, starting all 35 games for the Tigers, playing just under 30 minutes per game while averaging 7.9 points per game and 2.9 assists. His biggest upside on the offensive end was his ability to take care of the ball, turning the ball over just 0.9 times per game.

I expect to see a similar role for Honor this season, but I think he can build on his solid first season with Missouri by taking on a larger scoring role. With the departure of the team’s top three scorers from last season, there should be plenty of shots to go around. Honor doesn’t need to lead the team in scoring for Missouri to have a successful season, he just needs to be a more consistent scoring threat to keep opposing defenses honest.

Caleb Grill – Shooting Guard

Last season at Iowa State, Grill played over 31 minutes per game and averaged 9.5 points. The Tigers are getting a solid wing defender and rebounder. Last season, he averaged 1.2 steals and 4.0 rebounds per game. Both are skills that Missouri desperately needs after losing the top rebounders from last year’s team. Grill is also a solid defender, he has good timing and quick hands and should fit right in with Dennis Gates’s defensive style.

But the biggest upside that Grill brings to Missouri is his shooting. He has no problem letting shots fly from behind the three-point line. Last season he took just under six threes per game making nearly 37 percent of them. I can see him playing a similar role to what D’Moi Hodge had last year, a solid floor spacer and defender.

John Tonje – Guard/Forward

Tonje spent the past four years in the MWC playing for Colorado State, averaging 14.6 points per game last season for the Rams. He hit almost 39 percent of his threes on just under five attempts per game and grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game. Tonje has good size and can play either the guard or forward positions. Offensively, he is strong enough to back down smaller defenders and quick enough to get past bigger ones. Missouri is getting someone who is capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor. He finishes well at the rim and can pull up for a mid-range jumper. Tonje is also a decent ball handler and can push the ball up the floor off defensive rebounds and should prove to be a reliable secondary ball handler.

I think Tonje is the most likely candidate to lead the team in scoring this upcoming season. He doesn’t need to be the primary option in the offense to put up big numbers. The Tigers are looking for a consistent scorer and that’s exactly who he was at Colorado State, scoring in double figures in 26 of 33 games last season.

Noah Carter – Forward

Last season Carter started 20 of the 34 games he played for Missouri. Even after being moved to the bench he still played nearly 22 minutes per game for the season. He averaged 9.6 points and grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game. Carter has proven that he can score in a multitude of ways. In the second game of the season, he scored 28 points, making six of his nine threes. He also scored reliably inside the three-point line, making nearly 66 percent of those shots.

The biggest hope for Carter this season is to make a huge jump in production, much like Kobe Brown did last season. A much more measured hope is that he continues his scoring production from last season and takes a step forward on the defensive end and overall in rebounding. But ultimately Carter looks like one of the more reliable pieces on this team and should see a ton of minutes.

Connor Vanover – Center

Vanover is the true big man that Missouri has been missing the past couple of seasons. Last year at Oral Roberts he averaged 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Vanover started 34 games for ORU, playing almost 26 minutes per game. I don’t know if Vanover will play that many minutes for Missouri, but he should see a good-sized role this season for the Tigers.

Vanover’s biggest strengths are rebounding and shot-blocking. Last season he pulled in double-digit rebounds seven times and had over five blocks ten times. Missouri was one of the worst defensive teams in the county last year, giving up over 74 points per game. They were one of the worst rebounding teams, as well. If Vanover has similar production this season for Missouri, the Tigers should be greatly improved in both of those areas.