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Missouri’s most productive returnee dealing with minor knee issue

Johnathan Williams III, Tavario Miller

Johnathan Williams III, Tavario Miller

AP

As Kim Anderson begins his first season as the head coach at Missouri, the highly successful coach will have some holes to fill from a personnel standpoint. Leading scorers Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson left school to turn pro shortly after the end of the 2013-14 campaign, and in total the Tigers have to account for the loss of their top three scorers (Earnest Ross as well).

That leaves sophomore forward Johnathan Williams III as Missouri’s most productive returnee, as he started all 35 games and averaged 5.8 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest as a freshman. Missouri won’t be a guard-dominated team this season, meaning that Williams will have more opportunities to shine under the new regime.

Unfortunately for Williams (and Missouri) he’ll have to miss some time, as he suffered a slight tear in his meniscus during a workout according to Steve Walentik of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Of note is the fact that Williams expects to be ready for Missouri’s exhibition opener on October 29 against William Jewell College. The front court is where Missouri returns the majority of its experience from last season, with fellow starter Ryan Rosburg (4.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and senior Keanau Post (8.1 mpg) joining Williams. Missouri also added freshmen Jakeenan Gant and D’Angelo Allen, which will help with regards to both depth and talent in the front court.

The backcourt will be young, and the loss of Cameron Biedscheid won’t help matters, but that doesn’t mean Missouri is lacking talent on the perimeter. Hawaii graduate transfer Keith Shamburger gives Missouri an experienced option at the point, and freshmen such as Montaque Gill-Caesar and Namon Wright will compete for time as well. Sophomore Wes Clark and Deuce Bello, who sat out last season after transferring in from Baylor, will also factor into the rotation in 2014-15.

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