Texas Tech basketball: 5 surprises so far in 2020-21 season
The Texas Tech basketball season is still in its beginning stages but the following developments have to be considered surprises.
Every season begins with fans making assumptions about what we think we know and what we think will happen. Usually, we are proven wrong…at least I am. But so far in this year’s Texas Tech basketball season, a few expectations have come to fruition.
For instance, Mac McClung has been as advertised. After leading Georgetown in scoring last season, he’s doing the same for the Red Raiders at 14.4 points per game.
He’s also proven to be able to create offense for his teammates, something that was sorely needed in this program. After dishing out 2.4 assists per game for the Hoyas a season ago, he’s now handing out 3.0 per game for the Red Raiders.
In fact, a case could be made that he’s a better offensive player this year than ever before. After all, his offensive rating (an estimate of how many points he contributes via scoring or assist per 100 possessions) is at a career-best 117.9. Meanwhile, his stats across the board are almost as prolific as they were last year despite the fact that his usage rate (the percentage of his team’s possessions that end with him either shooting or assisting on a basket, or turning the ball over) is down from 30.9% to 26.7%.
Another player who has played up to expectations has been Terrence Shannon Jr. In fact, he’s playing his way into being a first-round NBA Draft prospect.
The sophomore’s stats are up across the board and he’s taken his defensive game to a new level as well as his defensive rating (the number of points he’s allowed per 100 possessions) has fallen from 92.6 to 79.1.
What’s more, he’s been much more consistent than he was a year ago. In nine games, he’s scored in single digits just twice and he’s had fewer than three rebounds only three times.
From a team-wide perspective, Tech played as expected against the teams from outside of a major conference. In those seven contests, Chris Beard’s team prevailed by an average of 29.2 points per game.
However, as is the case with any season, some developments have come as a surprise. So let’s take a look at what’s proven to be unexpected about this year’s team thus far.
Burnett’s adjustment period
Nimari Burnett came in as hyped as any prospect in program history. After all, he is currently the only McDonald’s All-American to ever suit up for the Red Raiders and he arrived with the highest ranking of any signee to ever ink with Texas Tech.
But so far, he hasn’t taken the college game by storm the way some expected him to. And it’s been on offense where Burnett has struggled. He’s averaging just 5.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Those numbers are rather modest given his ranking as a high school player.
Most times, the game has appeared too fast for him when he’s had the ball. He’s shooting only 30.4% from the field and he’s got the third-lowest offensive rating on the team (92.5) ahead of only Micah Peavy and Clarence Nadolny.
What’s more, at 1.6 per game, he’s tied for the team lead in turnovers. And already five times this year, he’s turned the ball over at least twice in a game (despite playing limited minutes).
But on defense, Burnett is proving to be a solid player. In fact, he leads the team in defensive rating at 74.9.
Still, Burnett hasn’t looked like a high school all-American yet and his slow adjustment has been more than surprising. Perhaps that should serve as a reminder that just because a player arrives with tremendous hype and several stars next to his name, it doesn’t mean he’s destined to take over the moment he steps on campus.