Which Georgetown players ‘Play Well With Others?’
Well, clearly, this team is not quite ready for letter grades. Let’s try progress reports!
As we enter the final seven games of the season, I took a look at what each Hoya has done well so far this year and where they need to improve. You will not be shocked to hear that the “Needs Improvement” sections are a bit more… robust. However, I did find some positives.
I’ll have at least one more of these reports, with an eye towards next year, before the end of the season.
Supreme Cook
24 GP, 11.7 PPG, 62% FG, 7 FGA, 55% FT, 5.4 FTA, 8.2 RPG, .9 SPG, 1.4 TPG, 27.6 MPG
Does Well: It certainly appears that Supreme is getting more comfortable at the Big East level. His offensive game has opened up more recently – see that little jump shot he seems to make once a game. His effort and energy have been there. He seems like an absolute nightmare to play against and brings an attitude that fits right in on the Hilltop. It looked early on that free throw shooting would be a big enough problem to keep him off the floor, but he has improved, though lacked consistency. He has seven double-doubles on the year and two in his last three games. He has also largely been very good when cutting. He has 1.404 points per possession on cuts, putting him in the top 20% scoring off that action in CBK.
Needs Improvement: For me, it’s defensively. While literally everyone and everything needs to improve on defense, Supreme mistakes are loud. I’ve talked many times on here about his weird penchant for never helping off his man-to-stop drivers. This has gone from a once-a-game nuisance to a significant problem. At times, he even actively screens his teammates:
allergic to help defense pic.twitter.com/jZWiUSgagP
— Jake Foote (@Footahh) February 14, 2024
I am genuinely interested in knowing what the instruction is because this is so egregious and prevalent now that it’s worth considering it a conscious scheme choice. Why you would want to make that choice and just give up uncontested layups multiple times a game, I surely do not know, but we must consider all possibilities at this point. His offensive game is limited, but he is efficient enough that it is not glaring. I think he really needs to improve his hands (which is not a short-term goal). But it starts and ends with the defense. The overall team defense would be approximately 12% better if the help defense were there.
Ish Massoud
18 GP, 7.2 PPG, 29% FG, 7.3 FGA, 32% 3PT, 4.5 3PA, 3.9 RPG, .6 APG, 1.2 TPG, 26.8 MPG
Does Well: … Shot Quality has Ish in the 85th percentile for midrange efficiency and 82nd percentile for block rate. I think he has shown some flashes of being a plus defender (though not much recently). He has had a few stretches where he has been a good help defender and rim protector, which this team really needs. I also think it would be unfair to omit the fact that he was sidelined with a broken hand for the first month or so of the year. His spot-up shooting – when he is stationary and receives the ball without needing to dribble – is his best action, with 1.263 points per possession. That puts him in the 71st percentile in CBK.
Needs Improvement: His 7.2 points per game is certainly disappointing, but it is not an outlier. That is his second-highest scoring average in his five-year collegiate career. I think he has shown he is just not a guy that is going to excel in high usage. Last season at Kansas State, he averaged 5.4 points per game with 41% three-point shooting on 2.8 attempts. This year, he is shooting 32% from three on 4.5 attempts. His minutes have decreased recently, and I think that’s probably for the best. If he can hit a streak of shooting above 38% from three on the same number of attempts, I think he could have a more positive impact. Otherwise, this feels like an experiment that may have just failed, which is a bummer for everyone, including him.
Dontrez Styles
24 GP, 13.5 PPG, 42.8% FG, 10 FGA, 36% 3PT, 4.1 3PA, 5.8 RPG, .8 APG, 1.4 TPG, 34 MPG
Does Well: One of the real bright spots of the season for me. Dontrez is a good basketball player and a great guy to build around. His numbers all say he is solid. He’s been good across the board. And on this team, I think that says a lot about how good he actually is. His spot-up shooting, in particular, is very good. Averaging 1.081 points per possession on spot-ups – that’s 77th percentile in the nation. His dribble jumper is 86th percentile. This all coming from a guy who averaged only 5 minutes per game his first two seasons at UNC. Whatever process the staff used to identify and recruit him in the portal, they need to replicate. I am excited to see where his game goes as the Hoyas add more pieces around him. His 36% from three on 4 attempts per game is very solid, but could he be even better? His nearly 6 rebounds per game and 1 assist per game are also good, given his role, but I think there is untapped potential there.
Needs Improvement: I am mostly excited to see his long-term improvement as I think he is just scratching the surface of his potential. I could easily see him being a 15, 7 and 4 guy, shooting 38 or even 40 percent from three. NBA guys talk about 50/40/90 guys as the holy grail. Elite of the elite. That is guys who shoot 50% from the field, 40% from three and 90% from the line. Doing that in college is way different than the pros, but at his best, can Dontrez be that? I don’t think it’s out of the question. This year in the Big East, Tyler Kolek and Cam Spencer are the guys closest to that level – one or two percentage points below in a category or two. Dontrez is furthest away on his free throw percentage, which he can improve. His 42.8% from the field and 36% from three mean he needs to make about one to two more field goals per game, one of which needs to be a three, to get there. That should be his goal. I’ve mentioned this before, but Dontrez’s best offensive action, according to Synergy, is in the pick-and-roll as the ball handler. He’s averaging 1.250 points per possession, which is in the 98th percentile in CBK. That is on a very small sample size, so a big caveat there, but I would love to see them explore that. I think he can play-make out of the pick and roll, and he has shown he can spot up off the dribble. I’d run that with Drew and Supreme and see if it’s a fluke or if they have something.
Jay Heath
24 GP, 8.5 PPG, 38% FG, 8.2 FGA, 33% 3PT, 4.3 3PA, 3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.5 TPG, 28.3 MPG
Does Well: It is pretty clear Jay was struggling with the turf toe injury early this year. He looked really unstable and out of sorts. He went through a stretch when it looked like that had cleared up, and he played some good basketball. It’s gone a bit downhill since. He is a good tough shot-maker and helps when this team gets bogged down offensively. He can hit a contested three that has no business going in. His role and usage stats this year are actually most comparable to his final year at Arizona State before he came to Georgetown, which was by far his best year. Unfortunately, the results haven’t been the same.
Needs Improvement: That last season at ASU, he averaged 10.6 on 42% from the field and 43% from three (!!!!) on similar volume to this year. I wish there were something hiding in the numbers that he could fix to get back to that level. There isn’t. Everything, across the board, is just worse. This doesn’t seem to come down to the type of shots he’s taking or the action they are running, he’s just not playing as well. Maybe he can find it down the stretch. It’s really just a matter of making the right plays. And that has been a real problem. Shooting aside, he does not look connected to the team on offense. There are the high-leverage turnovers against Seton Hall and Providence that are just inexcusable and cost them two winnable games. But there are countless other possessions where carelessness with the ball undercuts his play. I would sit him immediately every time he makes a one-handed pass (which I don’t have data on, but can confidently say he does more than anyone else in the country). Even if it doesn’t result in a turnover, throw a one-handed pass, and you’re riding pine! Defensively, it’s been…not good. Like his offensive game, he kind of just needs to play better on that end. It’s not really a scheme or even seemingly a skill issue, he just needs to be more locked in and play better. All of this seems in his control, I am not sure if we should be encouraged or discouraged by that.
Jayden Epps
21 GP, 17.6 PPG, 38% FG, 15 FGA, 31% 3PT, 7.3 3PA, 2.2 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.4 TPG, 33.6 MPG
Does Well: Jayden has certainly shown flashes of an elite scorer this year, and he is 4th in the Big East in points per game. While he does lead the Big East in usage (an estimate of the percentage of team possessions used by a player while they were on the floor) at 30.7%, that is not outrageously higher than other guys at the top of the scoring list—all the top five scoring leaders in the conference range between 25% – 30% usage. So, Jayden, as a top-five scorer in this league, is not a fluke or outlier. Jayden has shot above 35% from three in nine out of 21 games and above 40% in six. He’s been fairly efficient in the mid-range and is graded by Shot Quality as a 98th-percentile passer. He is always going to be challenged defensively, but there have been a few stretches where he has shown an ability to lock in, and he has pretty good hands and a good feel for generating steals.
Needs Improvement: He clearly has shown that he can be a flame thrower from three, but the consistency has been a real problem. He has more games shooting below 30% from three (11) than above 30% (10). His overall percentage of 31% reflects this boiling-lava hot or dry-ice cold disparity. He has to be a more consistent shooter. That is a non-negotiable heading into the home stretch and next year. In part, this is so crucial because his game relies on him getting a lot of threes up. He took 13 threes In three of the 11 games, he shot under 30%. I am not a shooting expert, but his shooting motion looks a little slow to me, and because of his size, he elevates a lot. I’m not sure what the answer is, but he needs to find one. I am not sure how much improvement we can expect from him defensively – that is just not his game, and he is always going to be undersized. I am mostly looking at effort and energy from him on that end. But one other area that sticks out when digging into his stats, he is in the 14th percentile in points per possession in transition (.792). That is not good! And transition opportunities account for 12.8% of his possessions – that’s his third most common type of play!! What’s even worse is on 77.4% of those 41 possessions, he is the primary ballhandler he has a higher turnover percentage (31.7%) than scoring percentage (29.3%). What do all those numbers mean? When he is running the break with the ball in his hand, he has been more likely to turn the ball over than generate points. This is a pretty glaring inefficiency that is deeply impacting Georgetown’s ability to get easy buckets – which they desperately need. It also is a killer to your defensive and overall momentum. For a team that does not generate a lot of good defensive possessions, when you finally do get one, only to see it end in a turnover, it is gutting. This is just a focus and attention issue and is something that Jayden could absolutely fix tomorrow. And he should.
Wayne Bristol Jr.
24 GP, 3.8 PPG, 37% FG, 3.4 FGA, 30% 3PT, 1.4 3PA, 3.2 RPG, .8 APG, .8 SPG, .6 TPG, 18.9 MPG
Does Well: I had high hopes for WBJ coming out of Kenner. He looked extremely confident in his game. I think overall, he has had a positive year. He has not fulfilled the expectations I had for what he could do, but he has carved out a role on this team – seemingly that he has been asked to play – and he has done it well. He singlehandedly brought Georgetown back from the dead at home against Seton Hall and nearly led them to their biggest win of the season. He did that with energy and defense – which he has brought pretty consistently all year. He has also shown flashes of offensive upside – though they have been only flashes. He has some of the most acrobatic finishes at the rim and has hit some big threes. It’s enough to leave you thinking he could have more to give on that end. He is definitely more of a defensive player, but interestingly, five of Georgetown’s best six offensive lineups include Wayne. I think he does a good job connecting the offense on that end and can knock down open shots.
Needs Improvement: It’s all about consistency for him. Can he produce with more opportunity? So far, that has been a little hit or miss, but it’s hard to say whether that is because of the team or him. Probably a little of both. Two smaller things I’d like to see him fix are his feel on the offensive end. He has a habit of making the wrong read when he has the ball. It comes from a good place – him trying to make a play – but he’s had a couple of loud possessions where he has attacked the rim when he really shouldn’t. This past week, he tried to dunk over 7 foot 15 Kalkbrenner – it ended as you’d expect. It’s a tough balance to strike because, overall, I’d like him to be a little more aggressive in looking for his shot, but sometimes he picks the wrong moment or the wrong shot. On defense, he has largely been very good, but he has a habit of committing bad fouls. A lot of this stems from him using his hands too much. He’s got good defensive instincts and skills. He just gets over-aggressive at times and bails the opponent out.
Rowan Brumbaugh
23 GP, 7.3 PPG, 38% FG, 6.2 FGA, 32% 3PT, 2.5 3PA, 2.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1 SPG, 2 TPG, 21.9 MPG
Does Well: It’s been an up-and-down year for Rowan. You certainly could think of him as a sophomore, as he red-shirted last season at Texas. But I think if you consider this is his first year playing college ball, he has shown a lot of positives. He started the year as the primary ball handler and was good, if uneven and was clearly adjusting to the college level. His feel for the game and playmaking remains elite. He just controls the game extremely well. His shooting has tailed off lately – mostly due to decreased opportunity – but he has shown that he is a very capable shooter. He’s improved his ball control and security as the year has gone on. I’ve noticed him trying to play faster, something he needed to improve, and being much more effective at that faster pace. I remain very high on Rowan and think he can be a building block for this team going forward.
Needs Improvement: It’s just about growth for him. He needs to get stronger and quicker. He needs to get more comfortable under pressure. He needs to improve defensively. The good news is that I think he has already shown improvement in all of these areas this year, so there is reason to think he can continue to get better. His biggest area of need on the offensive end is improving his finishing around the rim. I think this has a lot to do with his strength, and it will improve as he matures, but he is in the bottom 20% of CBK in his scoring efficiency at the rim. This will improve as he develops his offensive game. He would also be smart to work on his runner in the lane – and a really important shot for all guards, especially smaller ones (he’s not tiny, but he’s not huge). On defense, his help and team defense have been bright spots, his on-ball defense can improve. The effort on defense is there for him, he just needs to continue to work at it.
Drew Fielder
24 GP, 4.9 PPG, 47% FG, 3.8 FGA, 39% 3PT, 1.6 3PA, 3.1 RPG, .7 APG, .7 BPG, .5 TPG, 14.7 MPG
Does Well: Besides maybe Dontrez, Drew has been the most impressive Hoya so far this year. I am absolutely all in on his potential. He is a solid basketball player with upside skills in a few key areas. His floor as a player is extremely high, and his ceiling is even higher. Offensively, he has been very good. Most encouraging are his pick-and-roll numbers. He is averaging 1.524 points per possession as the roll man in pick-and-roll action. That is the 95th percentile in CBK. When he pops, his efficiency is up to 1.750. He knocks down that three out of the pick-and-pop, or he makes a good pass that gets them a bucket. I would love to see them work in more pick-and-roll action with him and Dontrez just to see how that works. Defensively and on the boards, he has shown great effort, and I think he has the skill and mindset to be good on that end. More often than not, I want him to get a touch on every offensive possession – something good just always seems to happen.
Needs Improvement: He’s still just a freshman, so everything really. But he has already shown great improvement. He has gotten better on the defensive glass and seems to be adjusting to the pace and physicality of the college game. He needs to get better finishing at the rim, but he has shown some promise there. Mostly, I just think he needs to play. He’s going to make mistakes on the defensive end. Some of them may be egregious. His mistakes are mostly about positioning, strength and feel, all things that can be improved by playing time. The more he plays, the better he will be. Though I do think you want to be careful to ensure he doesn’t lose confidence.
Coaching
Does Well: I have frankly liked a lot of the coaching process that I have seen from Cooley and the staff this year. It hasn’t led to any improved results, which is just a huge, huge bummer for all of us, but I think there have been a lot of improvements in scheme, approach, game planning, rotations, etc. That does not mean that Cooley has been great, and the lack of success is only on the players. Results matter, and they haven’t produced them. I just see the seeds of what could be an improved team and program. Yes, I would prefer that they just simply be an improved team and program rather than looking for seeds, but alas, here we are. I also think that a few coin-flip games going the other way make this year look really different. If the Hoyas pull out the Seton Hall game at home, Providence on the road, and the Xavier game on the road, not to mention the TCU game, which they did, in fact win. This team is 12-12 and probably closer to the top 100. You don’t get credit for almost wins, except we absolutely should get credit for the TCU win, but if you’re looking for silver linings – that’s a big one. In each of those games, Georgetown was either ahead late or had a real shot of winning. And all of those games featured some really (really) unfortunate plays from veteran guys. That’s not to say Cooley doesn’t deserve blame for not pulling those games out.
Needs Improvement: The defense has to (has to, has to, HAS TO) improve. The good news (and perhaps bad news) is that Cooley seems as exasperated and perplexed by the defensive effort and execution as we are. While this defensive level is not an outlier for recent Georgetown teams, it absolutely is an outlier for Cooley. I have faith that the defense will improve next year, though I am certainly disappointed it has not been better. I also think down the stretch, it is time to make some hard choices about the lineup and rotations. The group that ended the game against Creighton – Epps/Brumbaugh/Styles/Fielder/Cook is the group I would like to see get the majority of the minutes moving forward. In addition to being one of their better-rated lineup combinations, that group features at least four guys who you are looking to build around. Run with it. Bring in Bristol and Heath for spot minutes and Massoud situationally. It’s definitely been disappointing to see Rowan’s and Drew’s minutes slip a bit lately. That decision to run with more experienced players despite obvious shortcomings puts Cooley on par with approximately every single other basketball coach in the world. It’s certainly not surprising or unique to Cooley, but I think it’s time to try the younger group because the older guys are not getting it done.
Finally, a word on the longer-term future. I know Hoya fans are anxiously awaiting transfer portal SZN and are counting the days until we can throw bags of cash at big-name transfers. I am definitely excited for that, too! But I think we (Cooley) need to be cautious in the portal. I think there are fewer guys who are poised to really help a team, particularly one like Georgetown than we would think. To me, the lesson of the portal so far has been that you should target guys who know how to play, have proven it and are not just simply looking for more opportunity. There are the occasional guys like Dontrez who are just squeezed out of playing time, but that is a needle in the haystack. I want guys who have shown they have more than just offensive upside. Please, please, please don’t just go after the best scoring. Yes, I am talking about guys in Michigan and Syracuse. I would steer well clear of those types of players.