The Husky Haul
Fansided

Washington basketball’s fastest riser in 2019

By Roman Tomashoff

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies is pressed by Jamal Bey #0 of the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Brock Miller #22 of the Utah State Aggies is pressed by Jamal Bey #0 of the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Washington basketball is going to be relying on a lot of freshman talent in 2019, but there are a lot of returners that are going to take a big leap forward

To quote the great Michael Jordan, the ceiling is the roof for the 2019-20 Washington basketball team, and while a lot is relying on the modern age one and done five-star high school talents, teams that make deep runs in March Madness usually get some strong contributions from their veterans.

Sophomore Jamal Bey is going to be one of those guys that the Huskies are going to need a lot more production out of this season. It has been said time and time again that the Huskies are replacing four starters, three of which were seniors. We’re only talking about the 2018-19 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Matisse Thybulle though. Because in a lot of ways, Bey looks just like Thybulle, and having a year to learn under him did nothing but help him develop his instincts and how to play at the top of Mike Hopkins‘ 2-3 zone.

Bey, physically, is a lot like Thybulle, with his long arms and excellent athleticism, and he already looks like an excellent defender, and with more minutes this season, we should see him take a giant leap forward. Now is this saying that Bey will win Defensive Player of the Year? Probably not, but he fits perfectly into the 2-3, especially with Nahziah Carter on the other side of him at the top of the zone.

Where Bey is potentially already better than Thybulle is as a shooter, and with an increase in minutes, he should find ample opportunities to score with the second unit. The regular starting lineup seems to be unclear at this point and might end up being matchup based. So Bey might end up making a few spot starts here and there, but he’ll probably end up being the sixth man for Hopkins.

Bold prediction

Bey is going to star off the bench on both sides of the ball, and it’s going to result in Bey winning sixth man of the year in the Pac-12, and he’ll earn a spot on the All Pac-12 Second Team because of it.

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