Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The best part of Ben McLemore's game
By Joe Kaiser
There is much to like about Kansas' star freshman, but one are of his game is particularly impressive.
Ben McLemore isn't just a smooth, athletic scorer, he's an efficient one at that. Probably even more than most people realize.
"McLemore scored 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts, in a win against Kansas State. He also shot 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds and three steals. Only one other time has a Big 12 player scored at least 30 points, shot better than 50 percent on field-goal attempts and 3-point attempts, and shot 100 percent on free throws this season. That was also McLemore, when he did it on Jan. 9 against Iowa State. Previously, the last freshman to reach those plateaus in a Big 12 conference game was Kansas State’s Michael Beasley in January 2008 against Iowa State."
This is the type of game Jayhawks fans have come to expect out of the 6-foot-5, 195-pound swingman, who according to KenPom.com, now ranks No. 22 in the nation in true shooting percentage (64.9 percent). Only two other freshmen rank higher: Kentucky forward Alex Poythress (66.7 percent) and Michigan's Nik Stauskas (65.7 percent).
