Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders need De’Vion Harmon to bounce back vs. old team
Saturday’s home tilt versus Oklahoma is shaping up to be one of the most important games of the season for the Texas Tech basketball team. After dropping two close games against ranked teams (TCU and Kansas) to open conference play, the Red Raiders need to get back on the winning track against the Sooners, especially with tough road games at Iowa State and Texas slated for next week. Thus it is imperative for Tech to take care of business on their home court.
One Red Raider who likely has this game circled on his calendar is point guard De’Vion Harmon, who played his first two years of college basketball for OU. While performing well against his former school is certainly a motivation for the senior who played at Oregon last season, he’s probably even more motivated to rebound from a poor showing against the Jayhawks on Tuesday night.
After putting up 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds, coming away with five steals, and handing out a pair of assists in the conference opener against the Horned Frogs, he had perhaps his worst game of the year against the Jayhawks. With only four points on the night (on 1-5 shooting) he equaled his season low in scoring while also turning the ball over three times and failing to record a rebound, assist, or steal.
In fact, Harmon was so ineffective against KU that in the game’s final minute, he found himself on the bench while true freshman Lamar Washington took his place. That’s not how this team was designed to operate.
Rather, Harmon, who has 106 games of experience in his career, was brought to Lubbock to be a steadying hand and a leader on the floor when contests are up for grabs. However, on Tuesday, when Tech had a shot to take the lead on the game-deciding possession, the Red Raiders had two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman, and a redshirt sophomore on the court along with super-senior Kevin Obanor.
Regardless of whether he is the go-to option in crunch time, Harmon must provide this team with some type of veteran presence. After all, he’s a player who has seen just about everything the college game has to offer, and that experience should be invaluable to a team as young as this year’s Red Raider squad is.
Averaging 11.7 points per game, Harmon is Tech’s second-leading scorer on the season behind Obanor at 16.3 p.p.g. Therefore, his scoring punch is invaluable to a team that, at times, struggles to put the ball in the basket.
Now, there is no question that Harmon has his limitations. At just 6-foot-2, and without elite leaping ability, he struggles to finish at the rim against taller defenders.
He’s also not shooting the ball well from 3-point range this season. At just 23.5% from beyond the arc, he’s over 10% below his career average.
On the other hand, Harmon is fearless. On a team that is relying so heavily on freshmen who are going through the Big 12 gauntlet for the first time in their careers, his willingness to take important shots is especially important.
Additionally, Harmon might be in line for more scoring opportunities given the emergence of his backcourt mate, Pop Isaacs. The true freshman is averaging 17.5 points per game in conference play and as a result, he’s almost certain to draw more and more attention from opposing teams.
Therefore, one of Tech’s other guards might be called upon to carry more of the load, especially if another team can neutralize Isaacs. While Washington is a promising young player who seems to be growing up with every game, he’s not yet to the point where Tech can count on him to be a game-by-game offensive force. He doesn’t shoot the ball well and he’s just starting to figure out how to manufacture his own offense.
In contrast, Harmon needs to be a double-digit scorer in almost every game he plays from here on out. That’s a mark he’s reached in 23 Big 12 games in his career (an impressive number keeping in mind that he didn’t play in this conference a season ago).
Therefore, Texas Tech basketball fans have every reason to expect Harmon to be a steady offensive presence for this year’s squad. Of course, there would be no better time for him to rediscover his scoring punch than this Saturday when his former school pays a visit to the Hub City.