I actually follow a few evaluators for PGH / ESPN / etc on Twitter and one of them is very friendly, so I messaged them to see what they think about the lineup next year. They predicted that Stremlow, Levin and Kennise will all get a shot at the 1 but in their professional opinion, Stremlow will ultimately get the starting spot til Guyton heals — due to her court vision. They agree that Guyton is clearly the most talented and were hopeful she may be able to get back into the lineup after Christmas break.
Sounds like the gap between Guyton and Stremlow at PG might be large enough that it would be worth recalibrating mid-season even tho she’ll miss the whole summer. They do not see McCabe working out at the 1 and I’ve agreed with that since I started thinking about this topic.
Anyway, this person tends be very knowledgeable — as they should be since they get paid to do so. Therefore, I predict the following early:
- PG: Stremlow -> Johnson
- SG: McCabe -> Mallegni
- SF: Feuerbach -> Gyamfi/Mallegni
- PF: Affolter -> Gyamfi
- C: Stuelke -> O’Grady/Goodman/Heiden
But ideally, it could ultimately turn into a rotation of the following:
- PG: Guyton -> Stremlow
- SG: McCabe / Feuerbach (not sure who would get the edge)
- SF: Affolter -> Feuerbach / Mallegni
- PF: Stuelke -> Gyamfi
- C: Heiden -> O’Grady/Goodman
A couple months ago I was more bullish on Feuerbach but since she has kind of taken a step back, im less confident she will break thru as a starter in a fully healthy lineup.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I think Mallegni has a good shot at ultimately playing the PF (a la Warnock) but Bluder has said she prefers freshmen to either learn the 2/3 or 4/5 and I don’t see her expecting Mallegni, a guard, to focus on the 4/5.
I would guess that if a current hawk enters the portal, a veteran PG would be the #1 priority.
