What to make of the Buffs' roster turnover

At least two Colorado Buffaloes basketball players are leaving the program over the offseason.

Daylen Kountz, who just finished his sophomore season, and Jakub Dombek, who just finished his freshman season, both entered the transfer portal last week. Now head coach Tad Boyle has two open roster spots to fill.

As it stands now, nine of the 15 players slated to be on Colorado’s roster are going to be seniors during the 2020-21 season. Those numbers would change if McKinley Wright IV or Tyler Bey decides to leave for the NBA Draft this summer and Colorado is already trying to fill out the roster behind this class.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Tuesday moring that Colorado was in play for Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton.

Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton tells me that he's now receiving interest from Louisville, Auburn, and Colorado.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 24, 2020

Burton, who just finished his sophomore season, is one of the most sought-after players in the transfer market and Colorado’s competition for his services should be steep.

Burton would likely have to spend the 2020-21 basketball season on the bench due to NCAA transfer rules, which means he’d play the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons for CU. This approach makes sense for the Buffs, as they’ll have plenty of veteran players to fill out the rotation next season and may want to look for talent to fill out the roster after the massive senior class departs.

However, if Wright or Bey leaves, the equation could change. Colorado would likely look for immediate help and that would mean searching the JuCo ranks for transfers who would be available immediately.

Colorado would regain a scholarship for Bey or Wright’s departure, so bringing in a player who will sit out next year, like Burton, won’t pigeonhole the Buffs if one of their stars leave.

Colorado is also a final three destination for 2020 power forward Jabari Walker.

Thank you to all the coaches that have recruited me, this journey has been long with that being said here is my top 3💯 pic.twitter.com/MZ4nWhbTF1

— Jabari Walker (@JabariWalker) March 20, 2020

Walker would join shooting guards Dominique Clifford and Luke O’Brien in Colorado’s 2020 class.

As it stands now, Colorado’s 2020-21 rotation should look something like this:

PG: McKinley Wright IV
SG: Eli Parquet
SF: D’Shawn Schwartz
PF: Tyler Bey
C: Evan Battey

6th man: Dallas Walton
7th man: Keeshawn Barthelemy
8th man: Maddox Daniels
9th man: Dominique Clifford
10th man: Alexander Strating

Then in 2021-22, the Buffs could look like this:

PG: Keeshawn Berthelemy
SG: Jamarius Burton
SF: Dominique Clifford
PF: Jabari Walker
C: Evan Battey

6th man: Eli Parquet
7th man: Benan Ersek
8th man: Lawson Lovering
9th man: Luke O’Brien
10th man:

There are plenty of holes in this lineup, but Colorado will have a bunch of scholarships to fill them. Expect to see some grad transfers, JuCo guys and maybe even a one-and-done type talent to patch the hole at power forward.

Head coach Tad Boyle typically doesn’t go after the big-name high school recruits but this circumstance could force his hand. He’ll have room in his rotation for young guys, plus his program has built a reputation for its ability to develop talent.

If Bey or Wright leaves this summer, expect JuCo transfers to take their scholarships in an effort to patch things up for next season. With such a big senior class, Boyle would likely go after guys with at least two years of eligibility.