Former George Mason guard, Justin Kier commits to Georgia Basketball
Tom Crean and the Georgia Bulldogs needed to add more experience to their backcourt, and they did just that with Justin Kier.
Kier, a former George Mason Patriot will transfer to Georgia for the upcoming 2020-2021 season. He will be eligible immediately.
The Georgia Bulldogs lost a few solid guard options in Tyree Crump, Jordan Harris, and Donnell Gresham Jr. In addition, the Bulldogs lost true freshman, Anthony Edwards, who will likely be the #1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. While those shoes may be nearly impossible to fill, adding Justin Kier to the line up certainly softens the impact.
K.D. Johnson and Mikal Starks could both turn out to be solid options for Georgia in the future. But, those two guys don't have what Justin Kier has: experience at the D-1 level. Kier has 108 games of experience and 95 starts under his belt as a college basketball player. The Georgia Bulldogs won't be as young as they were a season ago, but there is still some youth and inexperience on this team. Adding a seasoned player like Kier will help this team grow up.
Kier will likely make the most impact at the 3-point line for the Bulldogs. While he only played 9 games this season for the Patriots, Kier's 45.8% from deep is still an impressive percentage. From a career stand point, Kier has shot above 35% from three point land in 3 of his 4 collegiate seasons.
While Kier played the 2-guard spot at George Mason, his role in that offense wasn't a traditional one. From time to time, Kier often cut back and forth at the top of the key, which didn't always allow for him to get the cleanest look. He'll get an opportunity to play on the wing more often than not at Georgia, which should allow for higher percentage shots, and in turn, a higher three point percentage.
On the offensive side, Kier shows a lot of potential in his ability to move without the ball, finish at the rim in traffic, and shoot consistently in catch-and-shoot situations. At 6'4 200 pounds, Kier has the perfect frame for a 2-guard in Tom Crean's system. In his 2018-2019 campaign, the last full season of basketball he's played, Kier averaged 14.5 PPG on 47.1% shooting and 6.5 RPG.
As for defense, Kier also does a solid job of making ball handlers pay for loose handles. In his career, he's averaging just above 1 steal per outing.
Expect Kier to be in great position to have a starting spot from Day 1 given his shooting ability and experience. This allows the Bulldogs to develop K.D. Johnson without having to put too much pressure on him in his freshman year.
For the moment being, the Bulldogs do not have any scholarships left to allocate. However, a decision is yet to be made from Rayshaun Hammonds. He has until June 15th to decide whether he will remain in the NBA Draft or not.
