JJ has started 94 games in his career. Played in 98 overall.
Stat: Career / This Year
FG%: 42.9% / 43.2%
3PT%: 30% / 33.3%
FT%: 65.6% / 44.8%
PER: 12.9 / 11.7
TS%: 50% / 48.6%
AST%: 12.3% / 16.5%
AST: 2.0 / 2.4
WS/40: .056 / .102
I'm not in JJ's head. I don't know what the deal is, especially with free throws. And I'm not at practice to see how he is coached.
Here is what I know: JJ is exactly who he has always been. Some minor fluctuations here and there but he has never been a great player. He's really never been even a good player. He's, at best, an average player.
But this misappropriation of talent/capabilities has been going on since the JB slide started as well with other players that certain people have way overvalued even though the stats, especially advanced stats, have been clearly showing forever, along with the eye test. No reason to re-hash the past though.
This isn't absolving Red and the coaching staff of their culpability for the ills of the team or Nait George under performing what we need, etc.
As
Scooch said, he isn't doing what he's best at -- slashing and creating opportunities. I've said it before, he should be attacking like crazy, using his lift and understanding of angles and kicking out when the shot isn't there. But he is dribbling way too much, he is shooting off the dribble jumpers which is crazy. In the 2H, he shot an off the dribble long two and then a contested off the dribble three. Two possessions that ended with shots that should have never have happened. That's just a small example.
I also think he's more and more reticent in attacking because of his problems at the FT line. I think it was the reason he didn't come aggressively get the ball at the end of the Hofstra game as well.
Seems like a good kid. Always like having a local kid on the team. But watching him at ND, outside of worrying about injuries, I honestly would have never thought he would plateau like this.
Do I think Red has helped him? Absolutely not. It honestly looks like there is so much chaos and friction on offense that JJ just reverts to what he's always done. And he's not alone in that. But JJ has to own some of this. He has a severe lack of awareness of what he can and can't do.
