What do Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant all have in common?
Well, that may be a vague question considering the numerous championship rings, Hall of Fame certainty and shared legacy as three of the best scorers in the history of basketball. Maybe that should be rephrased...
What do Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant’s playstyles have in common? Ahh yes, that’s better. What hopefully popped into your mind is thoughts of unshakable confidence, aggression and a polished midgame.
Let’s spend a few paragraphs with that last one. The midgame. In today’s era of basketball, the 3-pointer reigns supreme. Every position shoots it and if you can’t you can become a dying relic. It’s all about offense. Players who have versatility to their game and play lockdown defense are almost a thing of the past. It’s a shame, really.
Ohio actually has one of the old school-type of guys on its roster. He’s a starter but not a star and often goes unnoticed in lieu of Jason Preston’s absurd passes, Ben Roderick’s 30-foot launches and Dwight Wilson’s rim-shaking dunks.
But Lunden McDay, the Bobcats’ sophomore shooting guard, gives Ohio an old school element despite the new school influence on his game.
In Tuesday night’s win over Western Michigan, midway through the first half, McDay hit his man with two dribbles before rising up from the right elbow and sinking a jump shot. The bucket wasn’t very impactful and probably is forgotten to most — if not all — who saw.
But what I saw was more than just a 2-pointer. It was a pattern.
McDay hit that exact same move against Ball State and he did it against Kent State, too. Same move, same spot, same result. But in all three games, though, McDay didn’t go back to it.
Instead, he opted for shooting 3-pointers.
McDay is an adequate 3-point shooter, and despite a recent slump, the sophomore from St. Vincent- St. Mary’s has shot 34% from 3-point range this season. That’s a 4% drop from his freshman season, but at least he doesn’t take bad 3’s, McDay was 1-for-5 in against the Broncos but had great looks on every attempt.
McDay’s coach Jeff Boals wants him to keep shooting the 3-pointers. Him and I slightly disagree.
“His midrange is really good,” Boals said. “He always one-two dribble pull up and sometimes he just settles for that even though his midrange is phenomenal...even shooting the three in transition we want him to shoot those shots. ”
I’m not one to tell Boals how to coach his players but sometimes going with the bread and butter is the smartest option. Preston is a passer, but recently he’s struggled when it comes to jacking up 3-pointers. Roderick is a 3-point shooter but even he’s prone to fall to a slump. McDay’s strength is the midrange and until Ohio fully embraces that he might continue to only scratch his true potential.
