Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
Will Wade is looking for pieces, not players.
That’s going to be true every season, and it certainly is during this offseason, his first back at LSU. Wade wants every team to have some specific characteristics. He started with Mo Dioubate for length and toughness. He’s got a pick-and-pop big and a guard with the some length and scoring ability.
LSU is still short a true post player with size and rim-protecting ability. Wade needs to find a point guard. That’s probably the biggest remaining piece.
This week he grabbed Abdi Bashir Jr. from Kansas State, and with that he found his shooter.
WHAT WE KNOW
Bashir Jr. has played a ton of college basketball.
He was born Omaha and went to high school in Arizona. His college career started three years ago at Monmouth where he blossomed into a high-level scorer as a sophomore. That year he led the CAA in scoring at 20.1 points per game. To get there, he led the league in shot attempts, three-point attempts and threes made.
That last part is Bashir’s truest talent. He makes threes. Over three years he’s made 245-of-641 threes for 38 percent. That’s no small sample size. He shot 39 percent as a freshman, 38 percent with a conference leading number of attempts as a sophomore and 44 percent moving up a class at Kansas State.
Over 18 games, he was 13-for-39 from two-point territory at Kansas State. He’s not doing much in the way of driving and attacking. He shoots from deep.
At 6-foot-7, Bashir has long arms. He’s slender, just 160 lbs. But he’s old and has a year of Big 12 basketball under his belt.
He has not been a disruptive defender. In three years, 84 games and 50 starts, he’s only got 34 steals and two blocked shots. He also only averages 3.2 rebounds per game.
THE FIT
I think you have to have a player like Bashir on any roster. He’s a lethal shooter with massive range. That simply changes the way teams play defense in the half court.
Bashir is a threat from 35 feet and shoots a beautiful high-arching three ball that finds the net frequently. Shooting 44 percent from three-point range is very impressive. That will translate to the SEC. Paired with Marcio Santos’s pick-and-pop shooting ability, that makes two elite shooters on the perimeter when those guys share the floor.
That’s going to open up driving lanes for the two lead guards and limit double teams from defenders when the ball goes down to the block. At this point, we don’t know who the two lead guards or the five player are, but I can trust they’ll show up eventually.
Bashir’s role is very, very clear. Fill it up from deep.
Mo Dioubate is the same height with the opposite skillset. He’s 6-foot-7 and can really defend and rebound. Those two complement each other nicely. They may not share a ton of floor time since both profile at the three.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
I fully expect Bashir to shoot 40 percent from three-point range. Max Mackinnon shot 38 percent this year. Cam Carter shot 39 percent the year before. Tyrell Ward was the only player in the Matt McMahan era to shoot above 40 percent.
That piece to is vital to any offensive puzzle.
He’s not going to be a great defender or rebounder. He doesn’t create shots for other players. But he can make threes off the bounce and on the catch. He’s a scorer and space creator. He’s also a fantastic free throw shooter which helps tremendously in close games.
Bashir’s impact won’t be fully projectable until LSU lands a point guard. The big man will also benefit from his presence on the floor. I do project Bashir as a starter. He’s more likely to land that role than Dioubate, but it’s possible they both start at the two and three.
I love shooters. They compromise defenses, produce points, swing momentum and charge home crowds. Bashir fits that mold, and it’s not a projection. He’s proven it over three years.
Now it’s time to fill the lead guard and post roles.
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