Maryland Basketball: L.G. Gill is a huge pickup

The Maryland basketball program has had a great deal of success on the transfer market during Mark Turgeon‘s tenure.

On Monday, Turgeon secured the services of another highly-touted player looking to continue his career elsewhere.

Duquesne forward L.G. Gill announced his commitment to the Terrapins and signed with the school. Gill is a graduate transfer and will be eligible immediately.

While the team failed to reach the Final Four as many national pundits projected, Maryland still managed to be very successful during the 2015-16 season. Due to that high level of play, the entire starting lineup could be playing in the NBA next season.

Forward Robert Carter and center Diamond Stone both have declared for the NBA Draft and have hired an agent. Forward Jake Layman and guard Rasheed Sulaimon were seniors, so they’re obviously out of eligibility.

Star point guard Melo Trimble declared as well, but hasn’t hired an agent. He has until May 25 to decide whether he will keep his name in the draft pool or return to College Park for his junior season.

The only true surprise of the group was Carter leaving school early. Since he is projected as a fringe second round pick, it was assumed that Carter would be a key producer in the 2016-17 Maryland frontcourt.

With just forward Ivan Bender, Michal Cekovsky, and Damonte Dodd left in the frontcourt rotation, Gill will provide a ton of experience and versatility to next year’s roster.

As a junior with the Dukes, Gill averaged 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. The Virginia native led the team in rebounds and was third on the team in scoring.

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Gill is a very gifted athlete as he stands 6’7, but only weighs 210 pounds. He has the ability to score in the paint with his back to the basket while also possessing a solid jump shot.

Maryland is losing the bulk of their scoring from the frontcourt. Dodd is a solid option in the post, but his strengths are on the defensive end of the floor. Cekovsky has the tools, but needs to be developed more while Bender didn’t play much as a true freshman.

The Terps are certainly going to need someone to take some of the pressure off the backcourt and Gill is definitely that guy.

Gill can really move around the floor at a quick pace. He has the size to be effective in the pick-and-roll game, which is crucial with talented ball-handlers like Anthony Cowan and potentially Trimble running the offense.

The former Duquesne standout also can shoot from the perimeter, which is an asset that makes him attractive to Maryland.

The Terps finished seventh in the Big Ten in three-point shooting with a 36.1 rate of success during the 2015-16 campaign. To make matters worse, Layman and Sulaimon were the team’s top two shooters, so that production will need to be replaced.

Gill has an above-average jump shot and made 34.4 percent of his three-point attempts as a junior. In 14 games this past season, the Chesterfield (Va.) native connected on multiple shots from beyond the arc.

The balance of scoring is something that Maryland should be concerned with. If Trimble doesn’t return, there’s a lot of uncertainty in Maryland’s rotation.

If Trimble isn’t back, the starting five could be Cowan, Dodd, Gill, Nickens, and Dion Wiley.

A lot of pressure would likely be placed on Cowan much like when Trimble was a freshman. Gill would be the only player in that group that has ever averaged double figures at the collegiate level.

Gill’s added inside-outside scoring punch could help spread the floor for sharpshooters like Nickens and Wiley. It’s hard to know where Wiley currently is in his rehab, but Turgeon raved about his potential last summer prior to his knee injury.

Next: Maryland Lacrosse: Terps claim top overall seed in NCAA Tournament

Gill is a proven commodity and with so much uncertainty surrounding the program, this is a much bigger pickup than many may realize.