Tigers likely without Thomas for SEC opener

By Hunt Palmer

LSU’s SEC opener just got tougher.

On Friday’s availability report, point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. was listed as doubtful with a lower body injury he suffered at practice this week. Thomas is the SEC’s assist leader and the lynchpin to the Tiger offense.

His role against Texas A&M would have been critical as the Aggies enjoy dictating tempo and can be a relentless offensive force when things are clicking. Thomas controls LSU’s pace and creates a majority of the Tiger offense.

With Thomas out, true freshman Jalen Reece will likely get the call. Reece averages 13 minutes per game. He’s played well in that role, dishing out 24 assists against just six turnovers, but he’s not much of a shooter. Thomas’s 16.2 points per game lead LSU, and those point will likely have to come from somewhere else on Saturday.

How does this change LSU’s strategy?

To me, the ball has to go down to Michael Nwoko on most possessions, and his 20.9 minutes per game will have to jump closer to 30. Nwoko offers LSU two things against the Aggies. First, he’s LSU’s best scoring option with Thomas out. Max Mackinnon and Marquel Sutton can score, but Thomas facilitates a lot of that, especially in Mackinnon’s case. Nwoko can get his own shot with his back to the basket. Feed him. Another result of those post touches is a slowing of the tempo. A&M plays at a frantic pace, and without Thomas on the floor, LSU does not want to get into a track meet.

This was always going to be a tall task for LSU, opening league play on the road against a solid team. Thomas’s loss looms large. If it’s too much to overcome, it’s imperative that LSU wins on Tuesday in a home game against a middling South Carolina team. An 0-2 start in league play with Vanderbilt and Kentucky waiting would be real trouble.

Tipoff between LSU and Texas A&M is set for 3:00 p.m. in Reed Arena. The Aggies are a 4.5-point favorite.