In LSU’s last game before Christmas, there was little drama, with the Tigers leading Lamar by more than 20 points for most of the second half and finishing with an 87-66 win to move to 7-5 on the year.
That sound victory came without LSU dominating statistically or having a particularly good shooting performance.
LSU made 43.1% of its field goals and 23.7% of its 3-pointers, with Lamar topping it in both categories with 43.3% and 27.3%, respectively. Despite not hitting at a high mark, LSU attempted a season-high 38 3-pointers, in part due to Lamar’s defensive gameplan.
“They do a good job really swarming to the basketball on the drives to take away a lot of your shots around the rim, so it led to a lot of open threes,” head coach Matt McMahon said. “Obviously, would’ve liked to have shot a higher percentage.”
The Tigers didn’t shoot well, but they found ways to win by a large amount on the margins. LSU forced eight more turnovers than Lamar, came down with seven more offensive rebounds and got to the free throw line 11 more times.
It takes stability to win despite a poor shooting night, and LSU appears to have that with team leader Jalen Cook finally available to play. Cook had a team-high 17 points and five assists in his second game back.
Cook’s return to the team has required somewhat of an adjustment period as everyone figures out their roles, but Thursday’s win was an important step toward building comfort and familiarity with the team’s key players.
An easier game against a team like Lamar might not need to be scrutinized normally, but with LSU in the midst of an important feeling-out process, it holds more weight. Here are three takeaways from LSU’s win.
The team’s hierarchy makes more sense when everyone is on the court
When Cook wasn’t on the court, LSU struggled in high-pressure situations. In those times, a team needs a reliable player to take control of the offense, and the Tigers didn’t have that.
Put simply, LSU was a team built with Cook in mind as the leader. Without Cook, a lot of players were forced into uncomfortable roles they wouldn’t otherwise have had to undertake.
With Cook back, everyone’s responsibilities lessen. Cook’s scoring gravity demands attention and takes pressure off of the other players, giving them more space to operate as Cook draws extra defensive attention.
For example, freshman Mike Williams III, formerly the starting point guard, no longer has to have sole command of the offense. Now he can play off of Cook and be more of a secondary initiator and connector.
The attention Cook gets from the defense makes for easier reads for Williams as he distributes the ball. Against Lamar, he had three assists and no turnovers, his first game all season without a turnover.
Another player who now has a lessened, more suitable role is Carlos Stewart. Stewart transferred this offseason from Santa Clara, where he averaged 15.2 points per game last year.
Stewart joined the starting lineup to start the season, but he’s since been benched and seen his minutes slowly dwindle. He hadn’t scored in double figures all year.
Against Lamar, Stewart saw his first game action with Cook, as he didn’t play against Texas. Playing with Cook allowed Stewart to be more of a spot-up shooter than an offensive focal point, and he scored 16 points and hit four 3-pointers, both a season high.
“Carlos had his best practice of the year [on Monday],” McMahon said. “I thought he was really competitive on the defensive side of the ball, he shot it extremely well. I thought you saw that carry over tonight.”
Will Baker and the rest of the big men are enhanced by Cook’s presence
Will Baker has been the team’s leading scorer for most of the season, but teams have begun to figure out how to neutralize him. He hasn’t handled being doubled well, and teams have found it easy to deny him the ball in the post.
Entering Thursday’s match, Baker had scored single-digit points on under 40% shooting in four of his last five games. He had also made just one 3-pointer in his last six outings.
Though McMahon has said he’s also been dealing with a lingering illness, his struggles seem to run deeper than that, culminating in a one-point performance against Texas in which he played a season-low 11 minutes.
Baker had a chance against Lamar to regain his form, and he did that. He scored 12 points, making an efficient five of six shots. Three of those makes were assisted by Cook.
Cook and Baker’s ability to develop synergy will be key to LSU’s offense. Cook has the ability to deliver accurate feeds to Baker in the post and on the move, which gives Baker an easier time scoring.
The same can be said for the other post players on the team, like Jalen Reed, Derek Fountain and Hunter Dean. The latter two scored in double figures against Texas in Cook’s debut, showing a solid connection in the pick-and-roll.
LSU has been primarily a paint team this season, and even though Cook’s presence will cause them to operate more from the perimeter, Thursday’s 3-point shooting performance indicates the team may be better off continuing to attack the rim. The big men’s connection with Cook will be important to that end.
LSU is figuring out how to take care of business against lower-ranked teams
The most encouraging part of LSU’s win is the margin of victory. The Tigers haven’t always soundly beaten lesser teams this season.
Against Alabama State, the game was within one possession until five minutes into the second half. Southeastern Louisiana cut LSU’s lead from 12 to two within the final four minutes before the Tigers squeaked out a win from the free throw line.
Even in a 12-point win over North Florida, the Tigers relinquished what had been a 30-point margin earlier in the game.
That goes without mentioning the embarrassing last-second loss to Nicholls State.
Those four teams have an average KenPom ranking of about 288th in the country, with Nicholls State being the high-water mark at No. 262.
Needless to say, LSU figuring out how to beat a lower-ranked team by a large margin the way it should, especially on a so-so shooting night, is a good sign for the team.
