At this point in the preseason, it is too soon to argue which player on this Colorado roster will be its most important player, but I can tell you which position he’ll play. If you follow Colorado basketball or the Pac-12 in general, you probably know their biggest question of the preseason: Who is going to replace point guard Spencer Dinwiddie? The Mayor of Boulder tore his ACL in the middle of last season and the Buffs went 9-10 down the stretch — including Pitt running them out of the NCAA Tournament — after he went down. When Dinwiddie subsequently announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft in June, the 2014-15 narrative for Tad Boyle’s team was already set in stone.
Who are the main candidates? Really, there are three. The one you probably know is senior guard Askia Booker, who, even when he was not technically “the point guard” at the end of last season, was still the guy initiating the Colorado offense. The problem is that Booker is the team’s best scorer on the wing and, despite his sometimes erratic shooting percentages (I’m being kind here), its best shot-maker. He’s capable of playing the lead guard position, but that involves a complete change of personality. You see, this is a guy like former All-American Russ Smith at Louisville. Sure, Booker is very much a poor man’s Smith, but they’re cut from the same cloth: defend like crazy on one end; get up shots on the other. And it doesn’t always matter if they’re good shots, so long as those shots get up. That’s the M.O. for Booker, and it works to an extent, especially in end-of-clock scenarios where there are few other guys on the team who can create a shot.
In an ideal Colorado basketball world, one of the two other candidates for the point guard spot would prove himself worthy for the position. The leading candidate is 6’5” sophomore Jaron Hopkins, a guy who Boyle had already deemed as the future point guard even before Dinwiddie got hurt. Physically, he may appear to have some of the same characteristics of his predecessor, but once Hopkins leaves the ground, their differences become readily apparent. Where Dinwiddie made his mark with a heady style of play mixed with just average athleticism, Hopkins’ hops are completely off the charts. We saw him throw down several jaw-dropping dunks last season, so there is little question about that part of his game. But in order to become a successful Pac-12 point guard, he needs to hone his ability to run a team all the time rather than just for a possession here and there. He had opportunities to show his talent after Dinwiddie’s injury, but he turned the ball over way too much and his playmaking abilities for others never shone through. Oh, and he can’t shoot a lick. At least not yet. Still, Hopkins will get the first crack at the job and it will be best for everyone involved if he wins it outright.
That last sentence actually holds true for his other primary competition at the point, freshman Dominique Collier. Collier is a talented player with a bright future, but his time in Boulder has gotten off to a bumpy start because of an injured ankle that has limited his practice time. As a result, it may take a little longer for the rookie to ramp up to high-major speed. He’s got a long-term future with this program, but it might be best for the Buffaloes if he develops in Hopkins’ shadow for the near future. He’s already got a well-rounded game, but he needs to get stronger and improve his jumper. So if he can spend his freshman year developing those areas while Hopkins takes the bulk of the minutes at the point, that may be the best scenario for everyone.
And here’s the bonus scenario: If Hopkins or Collier can take the job and run with it, they’ll benefit from playing alongside the veteran and experienced Booker. If they get flustered by the emotion of a conference road game, for example, they’ll have Booker on the side ready to calm the team down and get the game back under control. And, here’s the fun thing about college basketball: In Booker’s freshman year, or even his sophomore year, or even the start of last season… the idea that Booker could be viewed as a calming force in control of himself and his team would have seemed like wishful thinking at best, and completely wacko, pie-in-the-sky dreaming, at worst. But with Dinwiddie relegated to coaching from the bench last January to March, Booker proved his maturity by changing his game and his demeanor to better suit the team. Ideally Hopkins and Collier can jump right into the mix this season, handling the point guard duties and leveraging Booker’s experience to provide a platform for the post-Dinwiddie era of Colorado basketball.