Oregon Basketball: Projected starting 5 after Chandler Lawson transfer

Silly me. After posting my way-too-early starting five projections for the 2021-22 Oregon basketball season on Thursday, Chandler Lawson entered the transfer portal. I mean almost immediately after posting.

You know what that means? It’s time for a revision. It’s time to look at what the starting lineup will look like now that Lawson is gone and there’s a void at the forward position.

I saw Oregon playing more small-ball next season and having Lawson play the four despite being slight of frame at 6-8 and 205 pounds, but now that he’s gone, I could see the Ducks going bigger with a wealth of depth in the post.

What could the starting five look like now that Lawson is gone?

Jalen Terry was one of the best guards in the 2020 recruiting class and Oregon almost missed out on him as he was committed to Michigan State. He de-committed and picked the Ducks over a handful of other potential suitors and while he didn’t have a breakout freshman season, he has a bright future in Eugene.

The Flint, Mich., native averaged just 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting around 39 percent from the floor.

With Chris Duarte gone, we could see the 5-11, 165-pound guard take over in the backcourt alongside Will Richardson. The Ducks had two primary ball-handlers last season with Richardson and Duarte and while Terry doesn’t have the same size, he is a more natural point guard and he has plenty of athleticism.

There would be some growing pains with Terry at the point but there aren’t many other options unless the Ducks hit the portal.