Does Texas Have Room For Jordan Barnett in 2014-15?

For the first time in recent memory at the University of Texas, Rick Barnes has one of best possible problems any college coach could wish for — too much depth. The Longhorns are returning a roster loaded with size, experience and versatility in addition to bringing in the highly sought-after No. 2 overall recruit, Myles Turner along with another ESPN 100 recruit in Jordan Barnett. We know Turner’s skill-set is one that refuses to be kept off the hardwood, but Barnett, on the other hand, might get the end of the stick when it comes to finding minutes as a freshman.

When you look at Barnett’s ability and what he could bring to the Longhorns immediately, it would appear that he could come in and fall into the starting lineup from day one. He brings some much needed explosion from the wing in addition to his ability to knock shots from the perimeter down consistently, which is something Texas desperately lacked last season. Barnett can create from himself and has the physicality to match nearly anybody he will run up against. He has all the necessary tools, so what could possibly keep Barnes from instilling Barnett as a key factor on next year’s roster?

Well, to put it simply, Barnett’s downfall will be his fellow incoming freshman and the domino effect that will come along with Turner.

At 7-feet, 240 pounds with a shooting touch that ranges well beyond the arc, Turner is that rare breed of basketball talent that can play anything from the post to the wing. Despite the Longhorns already being as stacked as they can possibly be in the post, Turner’s arrival should push Texas’ current starting power forward, Jonathan Holmes out to the wing as a small forward while he shoulders the starting power forward spot. This is the beginning of where the dice start rolling in opposition to Barnett.

During his junior campaign, Holmes was undoubtedly the team’s veteran leader and leading scorer at 12.8 per game. His rebounding ability is also an asset the Longhorn’s simply cannot throw by the wayside so one way or another, Barnes will have to find a way to keep him on the court for significant minutes.

Plus, with the depth the Horns’ have in the frontcourt, Turner’s ability to score from the perimeter will likely have Barnes placing him out on the wing for a significant stint of his minutes to help keep the size advantage over every opponent Texas will face, with the exception of Kentucky. So just like that, somewhere between 25-30 minutes at the small forward position have been swallowed up between Holmes and Turner.

As for the backcourt and the guys who deservedly will receive their fair share of minutes on the wing, Demarcus Holland, Javan Felix, Kendal Yancy, Martez Walker and even Demarcus Croaker will all be sharing the clock alongside the rising star and point guard Isaiah Taylor. Outside of Croaker, none of these guys played less than 12 minutes per night, which even furthers the reason to believe Barnett’s playing time will be limited to say the least.

I know most of these guys are usually finding their time as the backup point guard or shooting guard, but just as with Barnett, they will all be searching for what playing time they can find as well. Unfortunately for Barnett, the guys he’ll be competing for time with have all proven their worth within the program and will surely see their due minutes next season, which leads me to believe Texas just simply doesn’t have room for Barnett during his first collegiate season.