Zach Peters wasn’t expected to be Thomas Robinson’s replacement this season.
With Jeff Withey (who has made some preseason all-american teams), Perry Ellis, Kevin Young and Landen Lucas on the roster, playing time isn’t exactly guaranteed for Peters, a 6-foot-9 forward from Plano, TX.
But Peters does provide depth. And, more importantly, even a season’s worth of mop-up duty means time spent practicing, improving and learning from a staff that’s very good at developing prospects.
Which is why the injury that Peters is dealing with is bad news. He’ll be out for the next month, resting a shoulder that has a nagging rotator cuff injury. He doesn’t need surgery to fix it, but there won’t be any full-contact scrimmaging for Peters until real games have started.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.