2014-15 Rutgers Preview: The Guards

The Scarlet Knights return only one guard from last season's team. Transfer Bishop Daniels and Freshman Mike Williams will each see a significant amount of time on the court as there is little to rely on behind them.

The Starters:

Myles Mack, last year's leading scorer for Rutgers (14.9 PPG) is the only returning player at the guard spot. The undersized senior point guard is going to be heavily relied upon to initiate the offense and get other players involved. Fortunately for Mack, transfer Bishop Daniels is now in Piscataway to help in the backcourt. With Daniels playing in the shooting guard spot, Myles Mack will look to be as efficient in the scoring column as he was his sophomore season. Mack shot a blistering 46% from three in 2012-13, but made only 37% of his threes last season. With less pressure on Mack this season, hopefully he can return to the 40% plateau. He will also look to improve upon his overall field goal percentage, which was only 40% last season, down from 48% in 2012-13. Mack's assist to turnover ratio was only 1.6 to 1 last season. It will be important to limit his turnovers while dishing out more assists this season. Most point guards want to have an assist to turnover ratio of about 3 to 1 over the course of a season.

The speedy Daniels will be entering his first season with the Scarlet Knights, and will immediately take over the shooting guard position. The former top 100 recruit is a huge asset to the backcourt, and will be one of the most athletic guards in the conference. Unfortunately athleticism doesn't always translate to victories. Daniels is known as a beast in transition where he can use his speed and finish with spectacular dunks. However, Daniels will be a liability in the half-court set as he turns the ball over at too high of a rate. He will also have to become a better shooter in order to score efficiently. How Daniels fits into the offense will determine if Rutgers can get out of the Big Ten cellar.

The Bench:

The first two guards off the bench are both freshman. Shooting guard Mike Williams will be first off the bench and will look to make a major impact immediately. Williams is best known as a shooter who can knock down shots from anywhere on the court. Williams can also be an effective passer and isn't afraid to drive into the lane. His development into a well-rounded player will provide a bit of depth behind Daniels and Mack.

The next freshman off the bench is freshman walk-on Jake Dadika. If that name sounds familiar to Rutgers fans, it should. Jake's father, Ricky Dadika, was a 1,000 point scorer for Rutgers in the late '80s. If Jake can find his way onto the court early on and prove himself to be an effective shooter, he could find a spot in Eddie Jordan's rotation.

Rutgers will likely use a three guard rotation going into the season. Mack may struggle against some of the larger guards that the Big Ten has to offer, especially defensively. We know that these guards will be able to score, but winning in the Big Ten often comes down to how well the guards can rebound and play defense, and this unit will struggle in those departments.