Projecting the Point Guard Rotation for Washington State in 2024

While there is a favorite to start, who will be the second and third string?

Dec 31, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Washington Huskies guard Nate Calmese (8) shoots through Utah Utes defense during the first half at the the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images / Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

The Cougars have some decisions to make regarding their point guard spot this upcoming season. While it seems obvious that Washington transfer Nate Calmese will be the starting point guard for the Cougars in new head coach David Riley's first year, the backup spot may be more of a debate.

Calmese was a star at Lamar University in Texas his freshman season, averaging 17.6 points per game in his first year of collegiate basketball before transferring to Washington, where he played much more sparingly. He averaged 4.1 points and struggled from the field as far as efficiency goes, albeit on limited attempts.

It is important to note how difficult it can be to get into a rhythm when a player is coming off of the bench playing fewer minutes, which could explain his drop in field goal percentage (along with the increase in level of competition). Still, Calmese seems like the starter for this team as a scoring point guard that can facilitate an offense a bit as well, though he will need to step up this skill in the West Coast Conference this year playing the likes of Gonzaga, St. Mary's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and others.

The backup spot is more of a question than the starting spot – between Parker Gerrits, a true freshman point guard from Olympia, Washington, and combo guard Isaiah Watts, a sophomore with collegiate and NBA lineage, the decision may be tougher than one might think. While Gerrits fits the true point guard role more as a facilitator of offense, Watts has more experience, averaging 3.7 points per game last year. Watts also has the advantage of being able to score the basketball himself as opposed to simply creating for others, and has a size advantage (6-foot-3 to Gerrits' 6-foot-1).

While Gerrits makes more sense as the second-string lead initiator (49 assists in 225 possessions in AAU U17), Watts' ability to score efficiently (1.14 points per shot according to Synergy Sports) makes him an attractive option as well. Either way, both will see the floor quite a bit this year, while Watts will also take some reps at shooting guard.