Ball-hogs…
Posted by hoopsknowitall on June 30, 2008
Next up is minutes/field goal attempts. While not necessarily ball-hogs, most players who fall in that category will show up in this list. Keep in mind that if you’re draining 50-60% of your shots it’s okay to hog the ball while reading the list – and with that said, here’s the top 10.
MINUTES PER FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED
This number doesn’t necessarily have an ideal level, but does point out which players are the least afraid to put up a shot. Shooting percentages and numbers of turnovers help to put this category in perspective.
1. Marcus Thornton, LSU (2.1) – Thornton was possibly the single most important player to his team last season, averaging nearly 20 points per game and ranking second in the conference in field goal attempts. Thornton quite obviously was not hurting his team with his attempts, hitting 43.6% of his shots and 37.7% of them from behind the arc. His rate of turnovers was also low, only turning the ball over once every 15.3 minutes.
2. Devan Downey, South Carolina (2.3) – While Thornton ranked second in field goals attempted, Downey led the conference in that category. Downey is slightly less efficient than Thornton, hitting 42.3% of his shots and 35.1% from long range. Downey’s turnover rate is slightly worse also, at 13.8, but more impressive considering his position on the floor.
3. Austin Steed, South Carolina (2.4) – In just six games, Steed proved he was unafraid of being the shooter, and still hit 6-of-12. Steed and Holmes provide a very talented frontcourt entering their sophomore season.
3. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (2.4) – Another fearless freshman, Warren carried the Rebels to another 20+ win season. Warren attempted 127 more shots than any other player on the squad, but still shot just under 40% from the field and 38.9% of his three-point attempts.
5. Alonzo Gee, Alabama (2.5) – While Gee shot well from the field (41.9%), too many of them came from behind the arc as he just hit 31.9% of his 113 attempts from that distance. Although Gee is known for questionable decision-making, his 15.8 turnover rate isn’t bad.
5. Kelvin Lewis, Auburn (2.5) – This is one of the bad cases of ball-hogging. Lewis saw 21 games and about 8.5 minutes per game, but attempted 71 shots and only brought down 29.6% of them. The sophomore-to-be guard shot a similar 29.2% from three and simply should work on his shooting touch before he allows himself to put up so many shots.
7. Zam Fredrick, South Carolina (2.6) – Further proving how few players the Gamecocks relied on last season, Fredrick serves as the third USC player in the top seven most prolific shooters in the conference last season. Fredrick shot decently well, and took care of the ball last season.
7. A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt (2.6) – Ogilvy dominated in the paint last season for the Commodores as a freshman. Offensive efficiency was Ogilvy’s strong-point, shooting 58.8% from the field, while his 10.5 turnover rate is a bit high. With that said, Ogilvy can only help the ‘Dores by taking as many shots as possible.
9. Josh Dollard, Auburn (2.7) – A common theme amongst this group of players and the teams they play for is a lack of depth or balance. Auburn is certainly no exception, and Dollard led the Tigers in most shots taken per minute played. Dollard, a senior-to-be forward, shot very well from the field – not so well from three – and turned the ball over a bit much.
9. Rasheem Barrett, Auburn (2.7) – Barrett is yet another Tiger unafraid of attempting shots, but is far less efficient at doing so than Dollard. Barrett shot just 37.8% from the field and 29.7% from behind the arc, although his ball-handling was acceptable. Barrett certainly falls in the “should shoot less” category.
9. David Huertas, Ole Miss (2.7) – Again accentuating how guard-reliant the Rebels were last season (where much more weight should have been given to Curtis and Williams), Huertas is the second sharp-shooting ball-handler on the Rebel staff that ranked in this Top 10. Huertas will look to anchor the very guard-heavy roster next season as a junior.
9. Troy Brewer, Georgia (2.7) – Brewer is yet another freshman who was too out of touch with his shooting ability, and thus hurt his team last season. Brewer saw just 7.9 minutes per game and yet put up 93 attempts, hitting just 30.1% of his shots.
What is noticeable already is the common theme among the teams with multiple representatives on the previous two lists. Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss – and LSU could be included in this list – are all squads who have little depth and required two or three (or one, in LSU’s case) players to bear the load of the rest of the team.
Surprisingly lacking this list is Patrick Patterson from UK, who placed as the fifth-highest most efficient scorer and yet only attempted one field goal every 3.2 minutes. If I were Gillespie, I’d be sure to increase Patterson’s attempts and touches.
Next up will be Minutes Per Three Pointer Made.
