Jackets sticking to tight rotation

Six players likely to get bulk of time for rest of season.

After a brief interlude in which his minutes plunged to as low as 34, Georgia Tech center Ben Lammers is getting ready to saddle up again.

With guard Curtis Haywood going on the shelf for the remainder of the season with a stress reaction in his right shin, coach Josh Pastner likely will depend on a playing rotation of six players. The Yellow Jackets (11-11, 4-5) play at Boston College today, starting the second

half of the ACC schedule. As a result, Pastner will have to go back on a decision he made about two weeks ago that he deemed in the team’s best interest — to give Lammers and guard Josh Okogie more rest to help the Yellow Jackets’ two best players play more optimally.

Asked if Lammers was headed back to playing 40 minutes a game, a routine that is highly distinguishing among Division I centers, Pastner’s response was unusually succinct: “Pretty much.”

For Lammers, at least, there was dispassionate acceptance.

“Obviously, another extra minute (of rest) here or there would help a little bit, but if I have to play 40 minutes, I have to play 40 minutes,” he said.

It’s not inconceivable that Pastner could give every significant minute of playing time the rest of the way to the starting five — Brandon Alston, Jose Alvarado, Abdouleye Gueye, Lammers and Okogie — and sixth man Tadric Jackson.

This playing arrangement underscores again Tech’s heavy reliance on Alvarado. The point guard is playing 88.3 percent of the time (35.3 minutes per game). According to KenPom, only four freshmen in the country are playing a higher percentage of their teams’ games, one at a power-conference school.

Alvarado played two of his best games of the season in Tech’s past two games, the

72-70 loss to Clemson and then Wednesday’s 55-51 win over Syracuse. Both times playing 40 minutes, he totaled 10 assists and three turnovers.

As for Lammers, he returned to his 40-minute grind against Syracuse (Haywood’s first game back on the sideline) with his eighth double-double of the season (11 points, 12 rebounds). He added four assists, two blocks and no turnovers.

HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM Tech freshman point guard Jose Alvarado grabs a rebound last Sunday against Clemson. He played 40 minutes in that game and 40 Wednesday against Syracuse. He’s averaging 35.3 minutes this season.