STILLWATER – We’re less than a few weeks away from the start of the 2022 school year, which means it’s almost time for the unofficial start of the 2022-23 season for Oklahoma State basketball.
The guys are currently on a bit of a break before the start of the year, but everything I’ve heard is the summer workouts went really well. The coaching staff got their first looks at the new transfers and how they meshed with the returners, as well as got their first look at true freshman Quion Williams.
While the media hasn’t had a chance to watch any practices/workouts yet, that’s certainly around the corner with the start of school.
So, here are three questions that I feel need answered this fall before we get to November.
Who will be the starting five?
I think it’s safe to say we for sure know who three of the five will be: Avery Anderson III, Bryce Thompson and Moussa Cisse.
Anderson III, who entered and then withdrew his name from the NBA Draft process this year, is a returning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and is set to have his best season yet. The senior out of Justin (TX) Northwest averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and dished out 68 assists in 2021-22.
Thompson, who’s entering his junior season, averaged 10.6 points per contest with 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists last year and Cisse, who’s also enter his junior season, averaged 7.2 points per game with 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 0.3 assists, while leading the conference in blocks and was named the 2022 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year
Obviously, they’ll figure out who the other two starters will be, but will we see Tyreek Smith or Kalib Boone at the four? Will Avery be the starting point guard, or will we see one of the transfers at point?
How good can Quion Williams be?
Quion Williams is a freshman out of Jonesboro, AR, who’s already starting to turn some heads a bit. I’ve been told that if you walked into the gym and didn’t know who the freshman was based on how each guy looked physically, you probably wouldn’t pick him.
He’s listed at 6-4, 208 pounds and certainly looks the part. While it’s just summer workouts and drills, he’s certainly held his own when it comes to the physicality of the game. Now, things will be a bit different when official practices roll around in October, but he’s showing that he can handle his own. So, where does he fit into the roster? Is he going to be able to play his way into a starting role, or will he be one of the first guys off the bench?
Obviously, being able to handle physicality doesn’t mean you’re going to be good at the next level, but he’s put on more than 20 pounds since arrive on campus and him averaging close to 30 points a game in both his junior and senior seasons in high school means he has ability.
Will Kalib Boone be able to bounce back?
A safe question, and certainly a right question, would be how will the transfers will look once things get underway. However, I think a more appropriate question is will Kalib Boone be able to bounce back?
Boone was really solid his sophomore season in 2020-21 as he averaged 9.4 points a game on 64.2% shooting, which broke Chianti Robert’s record of 62.5%, which was set during the 1996-97 season. He was second in the league in blocks with 1.63 per game, while ranking 32nd nationally with 49 blocked shots on the year. He also pulled down 5.4 boards per game.
However, he really dropped off his junior season as he started in just four games and averaged 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in just 10.9 minutes per game.
Kalib has a real chance at splitting starts with Tyreek Smith at the four this season if he’s able to bounce back from his poor performance last season. His length and experience in his league allows him to form a powerful shot-blocking tandem with Moussa Cisse, as well as splitting some valuable minutes with Tyreek Smith, but he needs to be able to play smart and sound basketball this season.
