Basketball played today looks very different then it did a decade ago. Watching hoops in the early 2000s, a traditional pass-first point guard would curl off a screen set by a muscular power forward, then thread a bounce pass into the awaiting hands of a goliath-sized center who would look use footwork and a light touch to drop the ball in the hoop. Defensively, teams would try to fight over the top of picks, and funnel the offense towards shot blocking twin towers in the front court, usually a power forward and center both taller then 6’9”.
Now, post ups have been largely replaced by isolations on the extended elbow, and defensively teams have started to counter screens by simply switching player assignments. The buzzwords of modern basketball have become “versatility” and “switchability,” and both revolve largely around one group of players–the wings. With these positions being so important to modern basketball, Mike White has made getting quality wings a priority. Here is a look at how the Gators used their wings last year and what we can expect this season.
When you look down the stats, it is immediately apparent how much the Gators like to use their wings. Despite high usage from point guard Kasey Hill and center John Egbunu, Florida’s top 3 scorers KeVaughn Allen, Canyon Barry, and Devin Robinson all played at shooting guard or small forward. Relied upon to be the primary offensive threats, KeVaughn Allen and Canyon Barry both took more then quarter of the team’s shots when they were on the floor. I expect Allen’s 25.6% of the team’s shots to go down slightly this year with a few more offensive weapons in the lineup, but he’ll still be the trigger man on a lot of sets. Barry’s rate was actually higher then Allen’s at 26.6% in the 6th man role off the bench. Having an offensive 6th man that can be high usage and create instant offense is a valuable tool that any coach would be happy to have. Could we see Jalen Hudson in this role? A versatile ball handler, he played this role in his sophomore season at Virginia Tech, getting used in 23.2% of offensive possessions, and his smooth game off the bounce is well suited to this style of play. Somewhat ball dominant of a player, I think the coming off the bench is perfect for Hudson and I predict he will be in the running for SEC 6th man of the year.
Despite the departures of Devin Robinson and Canyon Barry, I actually expect wing scoring to increase. Coach White did really well at utilizing Barry, and graduate transfer Egor Koulechov has the skillset to be used in the same way, but with even more effectiveness. Of the plays ran for Barry, most led to him getting a 3-point shot. Either setting a pin down screen for him out of the motion offense, or running an baseline inbound set against a 2-3 zone for a catch and shoot jumper, it was clear that a deep ball for Barry that was the intended outcome. Koulechov is a better 3-point shooter by nearly 14% then Barry, meaning that if they run the same looks for him, we can expect even higher output—a salivating thought for Gators fans. Something Jalen Hudson brings that last years didn’t was ball handling ability. Though last year’s group was able to attack closeouts and run a bit in transition, Hudson is a guy that handles the ball like a point guard, and getting him into some pick and role options from the wing could really diversify the attack and allow for some more instant offense when needed. After averaging 8.4 points per game as a sophomore and then having a productive red shirt year, I expect him to eclipse the 11.1 points per game Robinson averaged. Add in that Allen should have natural progression, and I think we can expect this wing group to exceed the numbers put up by what was a prolific group of players last season.
On Florida Men’s Basketball Media Day, Chris Chiozza brought on quite a buzz for freshman Deaundrae Ballard when he said “Ballard is an elite scorer. He’s probably one of the best scorers I’ve seen and he hasn’t even played a college game yet.” Though Chiozza may be prone to a bit of hyperbole, it shows the impression Ballard has already made on his new team. Pegged as a lock down defender by many scouts, his offensive capabilities were pushed to the backburner of people’s perception. His hustle and defensive intensity may be the first thing you notice when he takes the floor for Florida, but the 6’5”, 190 pound Atlanta product will delight you by creating space and hitting mid range jumpers, as well as get by his primary defender and finish through contact for and-1s. With the team so deep at his position minutes could be hard to come by, but when he gets his chance keep an eye out for what could be one of the biggest recruiting steals of the 2017 class.
Losing Devin Robinson meant losing 6.1 rebounds per game, a really great number for a wing that demonstrated the focus he showed in that area. Florida didn’t always rebound the ball effectively last season, so replacing that work on the glass could be difficult. The primary replacement for this production could be an unlikely hero. Egor Koulechov, despite being only 6’5” and pigeonholed as just a shooter by some, averaged an absurd 8.9 rebounds per game while at Rice. Conference USA doesn’t have the same physicality and athleticism as the SEC, but that number still shows a player who takes extreme pride on the glass and a player that has a nose for where the ball is going. Rebounding is an area that really took a hit for the Gators with the departures of Robinson and Justin Leon, as well as with Egbunu’s injury, so getting some rebounding help from the small forwards would be a huge help in limiting second chance opportunities for the other team.
Another area where I am hoping to see improvement from the wings is playmaking. Allen lead the wings in assists with only 1.5 per game, and Robinson and Barry’s 0.6 helpers per game hardly made the stat sheet. This group got a lot of usage, and for a group that had the ball in their hands a lot of the time these assist numbers leave a lot to be desired. I mentioned earlier how I felt that Barry and Robinson’s ball handling wasn’t anything to write home about, and I feel that was reflected in their playmaking. Hudson’s handle is at a different level then those two, but you could tell at Virginia Tech he used the bounce more to get space for his own shot then to set up his teammates as he only averaged 0.6 assists per game. With a redshirt year to help learn Coach White’s offense, I’d have to think his numbers will get up to something respectable with the Gators. Koulechov’s 2.1 assists per game at Rice shows he has a bit of court vision, and if he could match that production at Florida I think it would help the flow of the offense greatly.
One of the most exciting groups of shooting guards and small forwards in the country, these players will be the nucleus of Florida basketball this season. Watch for these explosive offensive weapons to dazzle every time the Gators take the floor.
What do you think of Florida’s wing players this season? Leave a comment or post on the Gator Country forums.