Is Georgia Tech’s Lack of Fast Breaks Limiting Their Ceiling?

What seemed to be a favorable start for Georgia Tech has turned into a 6-4 head-scratcher. Can the year be salvaged with conference play looming?

We'll have to see.

Though fresh off a win against Monmouth, 79-67, this Saturday, snapping the three-game home losing streak, here are some things the Yellow Jackets may need to implement to threaten more formidable opponents.

First things first, an improved transition offense. Since the days of Rich Yunkus (Tech great), the competitive teams all excelled in transition basketball. Right now, the Jackets are averaging 7.1 fast break baskets per game, scoring their season high of 11 fast break points against Monmouth this weekend.

fast break — Dec 3, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Lamar Washington (1) drives to the basket against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Coach Damon Stoudamire and basketball pundits rave about the upside of the front-court talent, but it's a hard sell to run a slower-paced offense in the modern era of basketball, especially when you have a versatile roster. Outside of Kam Craft, the guards excel at driving downhill, either finishing at the rim or making the correct passes to other scoring opportunities.

Currently, the Yellow Jackets rank 290th in scoring offense, averaging 72.4 points per game. They are shooting 42.5% from the field, and in the paint, the team averages 31.8 points per game. The Jackets' best game scoring in the interior came against West Georgia, scoring 52 points in the paint.

Seeing those numbers, this team can already impose its will in the paint, but Baye Ndongo and a slimmer Peyton Marshall, who Coach Stoudamire now calls “Slim P,” could find even easier opportunities at the rim by being lob threats, or by finishing plays created through ball movement to open shooters or cutting teammates.

Dec 3, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets center Peyton Marshall (5) handles the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Putting the ball in the hands of the front court and allowing them to be decision-makers forces opposing defenses into immediate stress. Now the defense has to choose: stay one-on-one against one of Tech’s three-headed monsters, or send a double-team, which leaves a more than capable backcourt of Kraft, Reeves, Lamar Washington, or freshman sensation Akai Fleming wide open.

Unlocking the outside shooting of this year's team gives them the ingredients to beat any team in the nation on any given night. As it stands, Tech is averaging a 299th-ranked, making 6.4 made threes per game.

Half of that production is coming from Reeves, who is the leading scorer on the team with 14.8 points per game, averaging 2.7 made three pointers a game.

On the court, it seems that Washington and Jaden Mustaf have yet to settle into the offense, visibly seeming to be in between seeking a chance to score or running the offense. If presented with more opportunities to get easier scenarios to manufacture assists, the scoring woes the Yellow Jackets currently have may be a thing of the past come time for conference play.

The 2025 recruiting/transfer class has been the most talented group we've seen under the Coach Stoudamire regime, but the questions are now, how consistent will this team be, and how competitive will they be in conference play?

More Georgia Tech Basketball News:

•Everything From Head Coach Damon Stoudamire After A 79-67 Win Over Monmouth

•Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 79-67 Win Over Monmouth on Saturday

•Georgia Tech vs Monmouth Live Updates | NCAA Basketball

•Everything From Damon Stoudamire After 85-73 Loss To Mississippi State