LSU Basketball Veterans Showing Off Improvements During Tigers' Early Success
When Trendon Watford, Javonte Smart and Darius Days elected to return for another season with LSU basketball, the moves instantly propelled the Tigers to the top of the conference projections.
Smart and Watford were constantly seen working together to prepare for the draft and when the feedback came back on their stock, both knew another season of college would benefit tremendously. Three games into the 2020-21 season, the improvements all three have made are evident on screen.
Watford has become more of a playmaking big, something that coach Will Wade was hoping to unlock last year in his freshman season, but has certainly found early in year two. In three games for the Tigers, Watford is averaging 19 points, six assists and 5.7 rebounds a contest while shooting 63% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
Wade attributes 90% of Watford's improved play as a result of him improving as a passer and a shooter, which opens up the floor for him to be a little more creative. About 10% of it is coaching and putting him in better spots to succeed, something Wade took the blame for last season.
The fourth-year coach said he wasn't surprised with Watford's improvement as he had a triple-double in an intrasquad scrimmage at the beginning of practice and is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
"He's like a 6-foot-9 point guard, he can see the court which is why we have him up top against zones and sometimes we flash him in the middle because he is a playmaker," Wade said. "That's the best description you can use for Trendon. He's done all the work and he's playing as well as anybody in the SEC at this time."
Smart was handling point guard duties for the first time in a starter role for the Tigers in 2019 and Wade said his comfortability in running the offense has dramatically improved since returning to the program. He's averaging 12.7 points per game while maintaining that 2:1 turnover ratio that was tops in conference play last season.
"He knows when to attack, when to be aggressive, when to get others involved," Wade said. "He's pushing the ball harder in transition, we're getting the ball up quicker which was a huge point of emphasis for us. He's studied hard, he's worked hard on his game and I think it's showing up."
One of the biggest offseason transformations for the Tigers was the peak physical shape that Days has been able to get himself into. The junior dropped significant weight during the offseason and looks much quicker when out on the floor which has helped with one of his biggest issues the first two seasons of his career.
While he was reliable when on the floor and one of the Tigers' most pure shooters, he often found himself in foul trouble which limited his impact on the game. Wade said that Days really dedicated himself to improving his body in the offseason and he's certainly reaping the rewards of his hard work.
He dropped a career-high 24 points in the team's season opener, using a combination of his outside shot and driving to the paint as well. Days is averaging 14.7 points a contest along with eight rebounds and almost two steals.
"His foul rate's way down, he's been able to stay in games and he's been able to move his feet with the switching that we do," Wade said. "I think him being in shape has allowed him to play harder, to play longer, he's playing 30 minutes a game. He's still eating right, he's still meeting with our nutritionist and he knows how seriously he has to take his body."
This team will ultimately go as far as the veterans on the roster can take it and that starts and ends with Watford, Smart and Days. LSU is back in action against Louisiana Tech on Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m.
