Column: Three players we should see more for LSU men’s hoops

While a run to the NCAA Tournament at this point is theoretically possible, the Tigers would have to either win out or run the gauntlet in the SEC Tournament to do so. With the way the team has looked, the prospect of it accomplishing either of those tasks is not a part of even the most optimistic fans’ dreams.

When a season is lost in the NBA, the best thing a team can do is rest its stars and push for a high draft pick while also giving its younger players more playing time to develop. So even if it’s having a terrible season, fans can still look forward to the prospect of landing top talent next season.

Unfortunately for LSU head coach Matt McMahon, continuing to lose isn’t going to make many fans happy. It’s bound to have the opposite effect as losing out in the NBA, as the prospect of attaining top talent becomes less likely the worse a college basketball program appears.

The best thing McMahon can hope to accomplish besides miraculously making the NCAA tournament is to generate more excitement for next season and he can do that by showing what his younger players can do. While there isn’t a copious amount of untested talent on his roster, there are certainly players we can hope to see more from moving forward.

Tyrell Ward

Tyrell Ward came into the season with high expectations, being rated as a four-star prospect and the 11th best small forward in the class of 2022 according to 247sports. While McMahon didn’t hype him up quite as much as Jalen Reed in the preseason, he still liked what he saw from the forward and had high hopes for him as a scorer.

“[He] is a very skilled guard at 6’7” who can score the ball at all three levels,” McMahon said on Ward before the season began.

“We love his three-point shooting combined with his unique ability to finish at the rim in a variety of different ways.”

Most preseason projections at least considered him a possibility to start, with the four spot being a complete mystery up until the first game. But Ward played zero minutes in LSU’s opening game against

Kansas City and since then has played in just 11 games, three of which he contributed double-digit minutes.

In those three games against New Orleans, Florida and Ala- bama, Ward averaged just under four points on 13.7 minutes and 38.5% shooting from the field. Those aren’t incredible numbers, but against the Gators, he showed flashes of what he could do with more playing time, nailing two critical threes in the first half before disappearing in the second.

It isn’t uncommon for a freshsee MEN’S HOOPS, page 10

UNDEFEATED, from page 9 to play basketball in today. I know we were really looking forward to it,” Tennessee head coach Kelly Harper, said. “Obviously it was competitive, got away from us there in the

MEN’S HOOPS, from page 9 man to be inconsistent, especially early on in his career and when the team that’s surrounding you was pieced together in the preceding offseason. But playing him as limitedly as McMahon did early in the season is questionable, even more so considering LSU’s struggles offensively.

Jalen Reed second half. They did a great job with really turning things around there.”

Jalen Reed, son of former SEC player of the year Justin Reed, has gotten decent minutes throughout the season, especially at the beginning of it and recently. He’s averaging 16.1 minutes per game and while he did lose his starting job after eight games, his minutes started progressing upward again after the Tigers lost to Auburn.

From those facts alone, it seems like he’d be producing numbers that indicate he has adjusted to the SEC and improved, but that isn’t the case. He’s scoring just three points per game to go with a matching three rebounds and he’s doing that on 37.7% shooting from the field as a big man.

The Tigers certainly exceeded expectations Monday night, and they put all things in perspective. They proved that what they have going isn’t a fluke.

For comparison, on 19.6 minutes per game last season, former LSU center Efton Reid averaged 6.3 points shooting 52% from the field. From a per-minute standpoint, Reid scored 0.32 points per minute compared to Reed’s 0.186. Those who watched the Tigers last season understand how disappointing the center was, so that comparison should be worrisome.

He was projected as a versatile scorer and skilled, stretch-four power forward (meaning he can score both inside and outside).

McMahon also stated he would be great at scoring off the dribble prior to the season. But Reed has shot just six three-pointers through 338 minutes on the court, making two of them. That off-the-dribble success hasn’t been present for most of the season.

So rather than seeing Reed attain more minutes, the hope here is to see more of what he can do.

Cam Hayes

Cam Hayes may be a junior, but he has two years of eligibility remaining, making him a potential part of LSU’s future. Despite ex-

Tennessee’s record doesn’t reflect their talent; all their losses came to ranked opponents. LSU adding itself to that list shows that the team can compete with the best teams in the country.

“You just played a team that has played every good team pectations surrounding the former North Carolina State guard being relatively quiet, Hayes came in as a moderately active rotational player and impressed, earning more and more minutes before landing a starting role in mid-December.

In that same timespan, Hayes had a three-game stint where he averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and four assists on 61% shooting from the field and 47% from three, stellar numbers from a player that wasn’t on most people’s radar. But that’s when things took a turn.

In the nine games since then, the guard has shot 36% from the field and 23% from three, with a lot of those struggles coming in the team’s last three SEC matchups. But he has maintained decent, albeit inconsistent success on the boards and at finding the open man, averaging 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists through seven conference games.

He’s had his minutes dwindle a bit since he earned the starting role, with the guard averaging 23 minutes per game in LSU’s last six contests. While that’s partially due out there,” Mulkey said. “They should be ranked in the top 25. That’s the best offensive rebounding team we have played this year, by far.” LSU certainly leaves Monday’s matchup with a whole lot of confidence and a whole lot of momentum. Their record improves to 21-0 overall and 9-0 in SEC play. to an injury he suffered at the end of its matchup against Texas A&M, his minutes haven’t upwardly progressed since his second game back against Auburn. His minutes will likely remain around the 20-25 per game range for the remainder of the season. The problem with that is he is still the most efficient scorer in LSU’s backcourt, shooting 46% from the field and 35.6% from three. The Tiger backcourt has shot woefully badly throughout the season, especially from long range, so having Hayes reemerge alongside Adam Miller would be a huge step in the right direction.

They look to continue their perfect season Thursday at home against Georgia. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on SEC Network+.