The 2K Empire Classic was beyond successful for the Georgetown Hoyas. The Hoyas found themselves in the second half against #22 Texas, outscoring the Longhorns 45-24 in the final 20 minutes. Patrick Ewing’s squad fought through plenty of adversity to give Duke a game in the title match-up as well. Despite eventually falling 81-73, the Hoyas showcased a plethora of reasons to give fans reason to hope moving forward.
Let’s turn to the film to see what they did well this past weekend.
James Akinjo found his role on offense
James has certainly endured a tough start to the season. After igniting the Hoya offense to a comeback win over Mount St. Mary’s in the opener, the sophomore guard struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end. That was reflected in his statline. Through the first four games of the season, James had shot 37% from the field and averaged 12.25 points per game.
Granted, James still racked up his assist totals, averaging 4.5 per game, and generated takeaways (1.25 steals per game). But for this Hoya team, Akinjo needed to find a way to efficiently put up double digit points per game. And it’s clear that he finally has.
In the final ten minutes of Georgetown-Texas, James lived at the free throw line because, rather than settle for outside jumpers, he worked through the pick-and-roll and attacked the basket. He continued that strategy against Duke, despite facing off against Tre Jones (an elite on-ball defender).
Notice how patient James is on this possession. He uses the screen from Qudus to gain initial separation and waits for Jones to rush back into position. Akinjo then utilizes Tre’s momentum against him by pushing the ball to the left and dripping his right shoulder at a sharp angle to help get past the trailing Jones. The finish is something else too. James anticipates Carey’s help and lofts the ball over his outstretched hand for the deuce.
In this instance, James has Jordan Goldwire pressing him, a much less disciplined on-ball defender than Jones. Akinjo’s clearly aware of that, as he uses his tight ball handling to make Goldwire dance and wildly lunge at him. James easily gets past him and launches himself at Javin DeLaurier, absorbing contact and finishing the bucket.
Omer Yurtseven has First Round Draft Potential
That’s right. I said it. Omer Yurtseven can flat out play. That is, when he is on the court. Omer only played 37 out of the 80 possible minutes in the 2K Empire Classic due to foul trouble, and he still made the all-tournament team and the Big East Honor Roll. The ‘Turkish Terror’ averaged 15.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds in the Tournament.
One aspect of Yurt’s game that was incredibly apparent was his touch around the rim. In the second half of Georgetown’s loss to Duke, seemingly everything Omer put up near the rim went in. It was quite the spectacle. In this play, Omer backs down Vernon Carey (with both players in foul trouble) and takes him to school with a nice little pump fake which got VC in the air. Carey was lucky to avoid a foul call, as Yurtseven absorbed the contact and finished through it.
Omer faced some criticism (including from me) about his post passing. It seemed as though he struggled anticipating double teams and, as a result, turned the ball over trying to find open teammates when doubled. Yurtseven’s vision definitely improved in the second half against Georgia State, but his anticipation was on display against Duke. Notice how Omer recognizes the double before it even happens on this play. He calmly kicks the ball out to Jagan, catalyzing fantastic perimeter passing which culminated in a McClung three.
Additionally, Omer absolutely threads the needle on this drawn up play from Ewing. Great design from Pat. Even better execution from Yurtseven and Akinjo.
Mac McClung is Georgetown’s top outside scoring threat, but can he stay on the court?
The importance of Mac to this team cannot be overstated. McClung’s scoring outburst in the first half of the Texas game was a big reason the Hoyas were able to keep pace with the Longhorns. There will be games where James struggles with his shot and has difficulty getting to the rim. In those situations, Georgetown needs Omer and someone else to stand up and carry the load. Mac is undoubtedly that other person.
When the kid is feeling it, he can score from all over the court. From beyond the arc, midrange, inside, off the dribble, you name it, he can do it. One thing Ewing has started to do is run McClung off of off-ball screens to help him gain initial separation from his defender. Pay attention to how Josh simply positions himself to force McClung’s defender to take a less direct route behind Mac. This simple screen gives Mac enough time to catch and bury a mid-range jumper.
One (very real) concern Hoya fans have about Mac is his defense and effort on that side of the ball. Ever since his poor showing against Penn State, McClung’s effort and off-ball awareness has been much improved on the defensive side. But his measurables (6-2, 186lbs) do not leave him much room for effort when he’s on-ball.
Look at this play from Georgetown’s win over Texas. McClung does a great job of leaving his man to help shut off the driving lane after Qudus was beaten. However, as Mac hustles back to his own man, he easily gets beat on a step back three-pointer.
Could Mac have hustled harder on his close-out? Sure. Would it have made a difference? I’m not so certain. McClung is simply not a disciplined on-ball defender yet. And that is okay, so long as he maintains his recent effort.
James Harden – Excuse me, Jahvon Blair, has entered the building
Oh yea. He’s back baby. #BlairWitchProject
