Season in Review: Larry Drew II

Oh Drew 2. Larry Drew did ok by me this year. He did what he had to do and he did it in the face of adversity quite a few times. As the most scrutinized position in basketball and at UNC, Drew held his own against the naysayers time and time again. It looked like it took him most of the season, but towards the end of the year, he asserted himself as a strong point guard. No, he is not Ty Lawson, but he was needed to run the team and he did a decent job of it. Sure, he needs to improve, but he was the quarterback of a young, weak offensive team. Next year, surrounding him with more talent will only improve his ability.

What I didn’t like:
1. Assertiveness. He didn’t always have the urgency, the mojo, the swagger. He seemed a little to laid back to run the point. He did get better, but teams can often read the point guards language and if the point guard isn’t able to focus or get his team focused, you end up with a record like UNC had this year.
2. Shot selection. Sometimes, he just tried to pull one out or win it all in one shot. He didn’t shoot a lot, but sometimes, he was way off the mark.

What I liked:
1. Holding his head up. Who didn’t crucify Drew at some point this year? I know I did by saying that Kendall Marshall would probably be starting next year. Drew was dissected at the point guard spot and though he knew people didn’t think he was doing a good job, he listened to his coach and kept playing and towards the end of the season, people seemed to change their mind a bit.

2. Improvement. What I wanted Drew to improve on last year – his shooting percentage and his assist to turnover ratio – both improved, especially the shooting percentage. His regular field goals need to improve still as he only shot 40%, but his 3 point percentage was respectable, which it needed to be in order for defenses to not load the paint with defenders. Although his assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t awesome, it did improve throughout the year.

Drew II has committed to North Carolina, amidst transfer rumors and fans being upset at him. I am also committed to Larry Drew. He isn’t the worst PG in UNC history (insert Adam Boone), but he is who he is – a pass first, verily dependable option.