By Hunt Palmer
LSU’s men’s basketball squad took to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center floor on Wednesday afternoon.
Tip-off is just over five weeks away, and the full squad worked out for about two hours. Only two holdovers—Jalen Reed and Robert Miller—return from a season ago. It’s a host of new faces learning LSU’s system and each other before embarking on a long season.
I was able to watch for just over an hour and took away a few notes.
REED RETURNS
Jalen Reed drew rave reviews last fall as he entered his junior season. He’d packed on 20 pounds and developed into what LSU thought could be a good inside-outside tandem with Cam Carter. Sadly, Reed tore his ACL on a fastbreak rim run against Florida State on December 3.
He’s working his way back into shape and was able to participate fully in everything but the five-on-five full contact periods. He did all the 1-on-1s and 3-on-3 periods at full speed, setting screens, leaping for rebounds in traffic.
He will practice with a brace on that surgically repaired right knee for the time being, but it was good to see him out there.
THAT’S MY DJ
It’s pretty clear that Dedan (DJ) Thomas is LSU’s best player. The UNLV transfer and former Mountain West Freshman of the Year runs the show for the Tigers. He shot the lights out in a three-point drill that was uncontested but impressive, nonetheless. PJ Carter and Max Mackinnon joined him in what looked like the “A” shooting group. At one point I counted 11-of-12 makes. That’s not uncommon in a college setting in an uncontested drill, but it was fun to watch.
LSU’s point guard play has been the biggest problem in the Matt McMahon era, and Thomas was brought in to help fix that. He’s not imposing physically, but he’s 6-foot-1 and knows how to direct the team.
I loved the way he shot the ball today.
POST PLAY
Michael Nwoko is a load on the block. He’s the physical presence LSU just didn’t have last year. Corey Chest was too short, and Daimion Collins was too thin. Nwoko has 40 pounds on Derek Fountain, 60 on Collins. He threw his weight around on Wednesday.
I watched Marquel Sutton for a few possessions. The Summit League isn’t a good league, but the Player of the Year in the conference has to have some game. I just kind of waited to see a flash, and then WHAM, it came. Sutton skied in transition for an explosive two-hand jam in traffic. It happened so fast that I didn’t even notice who was underneath him, but the play drew an audible gasp from the media.
Sutton is only 6-foot-8, but that leaping ability was sudden and impressive.
THEY GOT GAME
I had to chuckle when I heard McMahon setting up a drill and called for “a coach that can play worth a darn” to stand on the three-point line.
He’s got options there.
Keith Hornsby just finished his professional career and can still really move. The other guys are older, but Marcus Thornton, Tasmin Mitchell, Ronald Dupree and Jalen Courtney scored a truckload of points in that building.
They can’t help on the floor anymore, but it’s a staff with impressive LSU credentials.
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