Projecting Arizona State basketball’s 2019 depth chart

ASU basketball’s 2018-19 season ended just three weeks ago, but it’s never too early to start looking toward the future.

Luguentz Dort, Zylan Cheatham and De’Quon Lake were all important contributors to the Sun Devils in 2018-19, but they have all departed, which means that ASU’s rotation will have a different look to it next season.

The Sun Devils still have a good amount of key players left remaining on the squad, and when you pair them up with a pretty solid recruiting class and a newly committed Bobby Hurley, you have the makings of a team that could impress in 2019.

Here is a look at the potential candidates for ASU’s rotation next season.

Guards

Remy Martin

Martin was seen by many as the heart and soul of the Sun Devils this past season, and he will be back for his junior year looking to improve on a pretty impressive sophomore campaign.

Martin took over as ASU’s starting point guard in 2018-19 and averaged 13 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, which earned him an All Pac-12 Second Team nomination. He looks primed to take another step forward this coming season and should be one of ASU’s most important players.

Jaelen House

The Sun Devils’ recruiting class for 2019 is ranked No. 31 in the country, and House is one of the main reasons why.

House, a Shadow Mountain High School product and the son of ASU great Eddie House, is a four-star recruit and the No. 11-ranked point guard prospect in the 2019 class. He averaged 21.6 points and 5.3 assists per game during his senior season at Shadow Mountain and looks to be the main candidate to back up Martin next season.

Rob Edwards

Edwards was a regular in the starting lineup for ASU in his first season with the team after transferring from Cleveland State and should be a key contributor again in his last year of eligibility.

BIG. SHOT. ROB. 👌💦

Rob Edwards is our 2018-19 Offensive MVP! pic.twitter.com/CCU7GDnM1B

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) April 12, 2019

A back injury limited Edwards to only 19 games, but he saw a lot of minutes after his return and averaged 11 points and 3 rebounds per game. He was also the Sun Devils’ best shooter, posting a 39.2 percent mark on three pointers and an 83.3 percent mark from the free throw line.

Edwards should have a spot in the starting lineup again next season and will be vital to ASU’s success on the offensive side of the ball.

Alonzo Verge Jr.

Verge Jr. is another new face to ASU, as he comes to Tempe as a transfer from Moberly Area Community College in Illinois.

He is a three-star recruit and the No. 3-ranked junior college transfer in the country. He was a first-team junior college All American this past season and led the NJCAA with 30.9 points per game.

Verge Jr. might not be starting for the Sun Devils right away but he should be able to carve out a place for himself in ASU’s rotation next year.

Elias Valtonen

Valtonen was a four-star recruit and an important member of ASU’s No. 11 ranked recruiting class of a year ago, but he only saw 3.8 minutes per game his freshman year.

The departure of Dort could give the Finland native more time on the court in 2019, though, and we could see what made Valtonen a highly regarded recruit as a result.

Forwards

Kimani Lawrence

Lawrence was the main man off ASU’s bench near the end of last season and could possibly see his role increase in Cheatham’s absence.

Lawrence averaged 9.7 points per game in 25.5 minutes per game in 2018 and had some impressive performances like his 22-point outing against a very good Mississippi State team. Look for him to be a spark plug for the Sun Devils next season.

Taeshon Cherry

Cherry was another highly regarded prospect in the 2018 recruiting class (he was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 38 in that class), but various injuries slowed him down during his freshman season.

Cherry suffered a knee injury before the season which limited his practice time leading up to the opener and then suffered a concussion in late January that caused him to miss a couple weeks in February.

The California native flashed his potential a couple of different times throughout the season, though, and could be a possible breakout candidate for the Sun Devils in 2019.

Mickey Mitchell

The Sun Devil faithful didn’t get to see much of Mitchell this past season, as a back injury limited him to just 53 minutes across six games.

Mitchell averaged 22 minutes per game and made 11 starts the year prior, though, and posted 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The injury has left Mitchell’s standing in the rotation up in the air but don’t be surprised if he is able to earn those minutes back next year.

Romello White

White has started 61 of a possible 65 games over the past two seasons (the most of any Sun Devil over that time) and will more than likely be leaned on again as ASU’s main presence down low.

He took a noticeable step forward during his sophomore season, averaging 10.5 points (up from 9.2) and 7.1 rebounds per game (up from 5.6) in just over 25 minutes per game. Like Martin, White should be one of ASU’s most important players next season.

Jalen Graham

Graham is the other main reason behind ASU’s solid recruiting class, as he grades out as a four-star prospect and the No. 4-ranked player in the state of Arizona.

The Mountain Pointe High School product led his team to a 22-7 record and a quarterfinal berth in the AIA Conference 6A championships and should be able to provide some needed frontcourt depth for the Devils.

Centers

Uros Plavsic

Plavsic, like Valtonen, was a four-star recruit from last year’s class that didn’t crack ASU’s rotation. The 7-foot-tall Serbian ended up redshirting his first year in Tempe but is still an intriguing prospect that could give the Devils some size that they have not had in a while.