In a perfect world, Jordan Williams and James Padgett wouldn’t have to play this much this soon.

In a perfect world, Jin Soo Choi wouldn’t have sprained his ankle, Steve Goins wouldn’t have a recurring knee injury and Jerome Burney wouldn’t have been forced into an early retirement by his bum feet.

And in a perfect world, Dino Gregory wouldn’t have been suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules — and, for that matter, coach Gary Williams would tell us what the hell Gregory’s status is for the rest of the season.

With all those things going on, the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s suddenly thin frontcourt situation doesn’t look ideal right now.

But you know what? This imperfect reality is really not so terrible.

In fact, as far as accelerating the freshmen’s development goes, it is actually a positive.

Either Jordan Williams or Padgett or both were on the floor for the entire 40 minutes of the Terps’ 71-42 win over Fairfield last night.

Both were decent but not spectacular: Williams finished with six points and five rebounds, and Padgett finished with six points and seven rebounds.

But no matter what these guys do during the first few weeks of the season while the veterans’ various issues work themselves out, their in-game experience will prove to be invaluable.

What better way to prepare these guys for the tougher challenges that lie ahead than to let them get their feet wet playing serious minutes in November?

The stakes are low, but the games are real, the opponents are real, and the Comcast Center atmosphere is real.

At this point, any experience is good experience, and it will benefit both the freshmen and the entire team down the road.

“Those guys want to play,” forward Landon Milbourne said. “The coaches are going to give them the minutes, so it’s just up to them to show what they’re going to do with it.”

In the first two games, Williams and Padgett have showed some flaws and at times, their inexperience shows.

Jordan Williams often glances over at his coach on the sideline as soon as a whistle blows to see if he’s about to get chewed out.

And in the second half last night, Padgett didn’t go up strong enough against Stag senior forward Anthony Johnson. Johnson blocked Padgett’s shot into the first rows of seats then gave him a look as if to say, “Really? I mean … really?”

But it’s only been two games, and for the most part, both guys have looked solid.

They’re battling hard for position in the low post, they’re  not afraid to bang with big men who have had the benefit of a few years with a collegiate strength and conditioning coach, and when they’re called upon, they have both showed they can absolutely hold their own.

They are taking their first mid-semester exams just like any other freshman might, but they’re taking theirs under the bright lights and in front of more than 16,000 people.

“They’re definitely doing a great job coming in and playing big minutes as freshmen,” guard Sean Mosley said. “They definitely have an inside presence, and that’s what we need right now.”

It would be somewhat ridiculous to make any broad judgments or projections after just two games, but no matter what Padgett and Williams continue to do during the early part of the season, it’s only going to help them in the long run.

ACC Championships are never won in November or December, and neither are NCAA Tournament games.

But when the time comes for the stakes to be raised and for each player to step up his game, Williams and Padgett will have a much better chance of being ready than other freshmen in similar situations.

We don’t know if Gregory will be back anytime soon, and we don’t know if Choi or Goins will be healthy or if they will even be able to significantly contribute if they are.

But we do know Williams and Padgett probably won’t be playing like freshmen by the end of the season.

So as long as the Terps can continue to handle their early season opponents, this can only be seen as a blessing in disguise.

“They continue to get better and we’re going to need them in the big games,” guard Greivis Vasquez said. “They just got to get used to what they’re doing right now. They just can’t be satisfied.”

schimmel@umdbk.com