Naithan George (0) is 11 of 12 on his midrange jumpers in Tech’s last two games. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Nait George has learned his lesson. When your 12-year NBA point guard head coach suggests you to do something, you do it.
“That was his game, too,” George said.
All season, Damon Stoudamire had encouraged his sophomore to be more assertive looking for his midrange jumper. Forget analytics or the perceived taboo of a “low efficiency” shot. A clean “middy” can often be better than a contested layup.
Reluctance wasn’t the issue; George had shown a sneaky touch on midrange shots last year. But the 6-3 guard has started to use them to devastating effect lately. According to Georgia Tech’s in-house shot tracking, George has gone 11 of 12 on midrange jumpers over the last two games.
Nait George – Midrange jumpers
- Last two games: 11 of 12 (91.7%)
- Previous 19 games: 25 of 69 (36.2%)
Not surprisingly, George has also posted two of his highest offensive ratings of the season in those games. He’s also dished out 16 assists against just two turnovers.
“The defense, to me, has been giving him the shots he’s been taking the last couple of games all season,” Stoudamire explained. “That way you don’t get too deep on your penetration. You’ve got to have that imaginary stop sign. Nait is a little bigger than what people think, so he can shoot over people.”
George will look to keep his effectiveness against a Clemson defense whose efficiency rating is nearly identical to Louisville’s.
Defensive Efficiency – NCAA Rank
- Clemson (0.971)
- Louisville (0.974)
*-per KenPom
George handled the hassling of Louisville’s Chucky Hepburn, the ACC’s leader in steals, on Saturday. He had different issues with Clemson’s Jaeden Zackery, a stout, pestering guard who forced him into 5 turnovers in a 70-59 loss at McCamish last month. The Yellow Jackets had their two lowest turnover rates of ACC play last week; Clemson was responsible for their second worst. The Tigers did a good job staying attached around screens and flattening out the Yellow Jackets’ possessions.
Worth remembering: Lance Terry, who scored a team-high 23 points against Louisville, didn’t play in the first Clemson game due to a wrist injury. The Tigers like to shrink the floor and collapse from the ball-side corners. Terry’s ability to attack closeouts and shoot the corner three could be key.
In addition to salty defense, Zackery led Clemson with a season-high 21 points at McCamish. A “connector” in the eyes of Stoudamire, the Boston College transfer has blended in seamlessly with Clemson’s All-ACC tandem of senior forward Ian Schieffelin (12.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter (17.2 ppg, 46% 3pt. ACC).
The Tigers rank 11th nationally in three-point percentage (38.8%), meaning Tech will once again have to stay alert in its spacing (Stoudamire praised Javian McCollum for his work on Louisville’s Reyne Smith, the ACC’s top three-point shooter). Clemson’s bigger headache may come from the frontcourt – the Tigers are one of the ACC’s biggest purveyors of playing two traditional posts, with the 6-8, 240-pound Schieffelin often paired alongside 6-11, 245-pound Viktor Lakhin.
Schieffelin and Lakhin actually combined for more assists against Tech (10) than Clemson’s guards (6). The Tigers not only have a veteran team, but possessions rarely get stagnant because of their forwards’ passing ability.
Offensive Efficiency – NCAA ranks
- Clemson (1.184 PPP)
- Louisville (1.181 PPP)
Tech struggled to deny duck-ins last month, resulting in hook shots around the rim or clear-outs for Clemson’s guards to drive. Stoudamire said the Jackets will need to play with better awareness and anticipation of those duck-ins.
