Texas Tech basketball: What Nimari Burnett’s departure means for remainder of season

Potentially more minutes for Agbo or Nadolny

With Burnett now off the roster, Beard’s rotation shrinks to just seven players.  Also, it means that he will have just one guard, Jarmius Burton, to bring off the bench.

Thus, one has to wonder if either freshman Chibuzo Agbo or sophomore Clarence Nadolny will get some extra minutes.  If nothing else, there will be an opportunity for either to take Burnett’s place.

I’d like to see Agbo get a shot because he’s supposedly one of the best 3-point shooters on the roster.  Though he’s only shooting 33% this year, that’s come on just 12 attempts, a sample that is far too small to give us an accurate picture of his abilities.

Against Kansas State on Tuesday night, Agbo made a brief appearance when the Wildcats went to a zone defense, and one has to wonder if he could see more time when teams turn to that style of defense given his reported ability to shoot the ball from deep (something that this team is desperate for).

Nadolny seems to be less likely to fill Burnett’s minutes being as he doesn’t bring anything to the court that other players in the rotation do.  But should Tech’s guards fall into foul trouble at some point this year, it isn’t inconceivable that he could be a fall-back option to at least provide some ball handling.  What’s more, he does play with an intenseness that fits the culture of Beard’s program.

More than likely, Beard will distribute Burnett’s minutes among the other guards already in the regular rotation and the biggest beneficiary may be Jamarius Burton.  Still, don’t be shocked to see Agbo, or even Nadolny, get a shot to prove they can fill Burnett’s shoes.