BuzzFan24 said:
In practically every area. If he was getting guarded like he was his sophomore year now then he'd actually be averaging 20 and 10. He's the lead guy on every scouting report now, not sure you can use statistics as a true measure. I do believe his injury has negated some of his effects and then top on the SEC this year is one of the toughest ever on record.
His scoring numbers are down from his junior year but, that's simply an addition of Phelps and Payne he actually can score compared to no one last year besides Boots and March Manny.
But if you want stats he's averaging more assists and less turnovers against wayyyy stiffer competition this year than any of his previous years played.
So my point loses all credibility despite it relying on actual statistics, and you're leaning on "he's getting guarded better, he's injured, and the opponents are better". (And amusingly enough, the actual reason would be closer to - "he's getting officiated differently").
His shooting % is down 4%.
His 3pt % is down 3%.
His PPG is down 1.2pts/game.
His FT% is down 1.2%
His steals are down 0.3/game.
His turnovers are down 0.1/game.
His rebounds are up 0.2/game.
His assists are up 0.7/game.So from his sophomore year, the only statistic he's better at is assists, and it's less than 1 a game improvement -- while his shooting % is down significantly... Taking more shots, scoring less points.
Adding Phelps and Payne should
improve his looks due to, as you said, them being capable scorers compared to what he had previously.
I think a lot of people don't want to actually acknowledge it because the kid we saw sophomore year looked like he could be an elite player by the end of his career, and he just hasn't improved his offensive game -- something not all that uncommon under Buzz.