Can Thomas Haugh’s Game Get To Another Level?

The biggest news of the college basketball offseason wasn’t a player choosing to head to the NBA Draft and it wasn’t a star player hitting the portal to finish his career at another stop, it was Thomas Haugh deciding to stay in Gainesville for his senior year. At no point in history has it been more rare for a player to be at the same institution for four years, especially when that player could have moved to a different program with all kinds of suitors or go pro after any season, but Haugh chose to stay and play for the team he grew up cheering for for as long as possible before heading out on his professional journey.

As a player, Haugh has turned into a wing/forward hybrid who is best playing off the catch, either attacking downhill against a slower, smaller defender, or keeping the defense honest with a catch and shoot attempt. When it comes to driving the ball, he’s elite. Attacking a closeout in a straight line was not only one of Haugh’s best individual attributes, but one of Florida’s most efficient actions. This was leveraged even more when Haugh was at power forward with slower bodied bigs often tasked with trying to stay in front of him, but even if it was a smaller, quicker player Haugh could protect the ball with his length and finish over a smaller frame. You also saw Haugh use this length as a cutter, where he could slash to the rim and have a guard throw the ball into space where he could high point the ball before a smaller defender could grab it before laying it in high off the glass.

Shooting might not be Haugh’s number one skill, but he hit enough spot up threes to keep defenders honest and whenever they rushed out to try and take away the high release three of Haugh he could then sprint down the lane with the drive. Last season saw Haugh hit 33% of his catch and shoot threes which is right about aligned with the national average, with his favorite spot being the straight on three where he hit 42%. Improving his catch and shoot numbers will be big for Haugh’s pro prospects as everyone loves his length and fluidity attacking the rim, but the difference between average shooter at 33% or above average at 37% could be a major upgrade in pay and longevity.

Though Haugh is capable as a driver due to his fluidity and speed at his size, his handle could use some work–especially as it relates to his left hand. Haugh was noticeably uncomfortable whenever he drove to his left side, and though most opponents didn’t seem to realize this a few did–and teams that forced him left were able to neutralize much of his threat. The numbers also paint an interesting picture here, as when driving to his right (which happened 68% of the time), Haugh shot 54%, and only turned the ball over 8% of the time. When he drove left (22% of the time), he shot 27% from the field while turning the ball over 17% of the time. To be clear, we are picking nits here–most players aren’t as good going to their non-dominant hand, but if we’re talking about how Haugh could take his game to the next level these are the types of things he’ll be looking to improve on.

The limited handle also meant Haugh wasn’t the best pick and roll player, though this wasn’t an area where he was utilized all that much. It’s also not an area where he’s probably going to have as much usage at the pro level, but it will be interesting to see if the Gators do try to get him involved more with the ball in this way given him being the center of the offense this upcoming season.

Haugh’s best area offensively is arguably his ability in transition where his athleticism is on full display. A whopping 22% of Haugh’s shots came in transition, and his work sprinting down the floor and punishing defenses before they were set made for efficient looks. Haugh shot 69% in the paint in transition, so whenever the Gators could find him streaking the wing or pushing ahead of the play due to his speed advantage over his defender it was an opportunity for a great look.

With older players you can’t always expect the same massive jumps you saw after freshmen or sophomore seasons and you end up paying for the sure thing more than gambling on upside. When it comes to Haugh, a lot of that sure thing comes on the defensive end. With a high level of focus and energy to go along with physical gifts, Haugh was a massive part of Florida’s successful defense and he was able to have an impact either on the ball or as a help defender where he had a number of highlight reel blocks streaking in from the weak side. Some scouts would like to see Haugh be a bit more aggressive when it came to creating turnovers, and though he did increase his steals to a career high 1.1 per game last year, Florida’s defensive scheme is very conservative and doesn’t allow for much gambling, and Haugh is likely to be in a role once again where he is to be more of a calming presence than an agent of chaos trying to blow up the opponent’s offense.

Though Haugh didn’t run many pick and rolls offensively, he was involved in a lot of pick and roll coverage defensively and he was always up to the cause. Florida would often switch Haugh onto ball handlers if he was involved in the action and he could use his mobility to stay in front of smaller, quicker guys. This switchability makes scheming incredibly easy for coaches, and however Florida’s rotation shapes up–Haugh will be able to fill just about any defensive role.

It is very rare for a player in Haugh’s situation to return to college basketball, and it will be fascinating to see how much he uses the time to work on some of his deficiencies to better his pro prospects, or lean on the things he does well to best help the Gators win. It will also be an interesting challenge for the coaching staff, who of course wants to see Haugh continue to develop and position himself best for the NBA while also having the team win be the number one priority.

Whatever the case may be, the Gators are thrilled to have Thomas Haugh back and he’ll be the clear leader on both ends of the floor.