Washington’s backcourt depth is about to be tested.
Sophomore guard Abdul Gaddy will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Tuesday’s practice. The school announced the news in a press release on Wednesday.
Gaddy had started all 13 games for the Huskies this season and was leading the Pac-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.1 (49 assists to 16 turnovers), which was a huge step for compared to his awful freshman season when he rarely looked comfortable on the court.
He also was making 40.6 percent of his 3-pointers and averaging 8.5 points per game.
“He was playing very well for us and he loves to play the game. He worked extremely hard to work on his game this summer. For this to happen, it’s a big blow for him,” UW coach Lorenzo Romar said in a statement. “To a lesser extent, it’s a big blow for our team - he was our starting point guard.”
Expect junior Isaiah Thomas to move to point guard and for senior defensive stopper Venoy Overton to become a starter.
But it also means more playing time for sharpshooters C.J. Wilcox, Scott Suggs and Terrence Ross. If Thomas relaxes and concentrates on being a playmaker – Gaddy’s role until now – the Huskies (10-3) should remain the team to beat in the Pac-10.
But if Thomas insists on being a shoot-first guard, that all changes.
Want more? I’m also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller.