Big East Basketball: Five rising stars set for a big 2018-19 season
By Brian Foley
RS SR Paul Jorgensen
2017-18: 18.7 percent usage rate
10.2 points, 8.8 FG att. (41.7 percent), 1.4 FT att. (83.7 percent), 0.9 turnovers
Jorgensen made an unexpected impact for Butler after two quiet seasons and a transfer from George Washington. Jorgensen averaged nearly 28 minutes per game and emerged as the Bulldogs’ de facto marksman from long-range, launching nearly five treys each night and hitting at least three tries in 12 different games.
Jorgensen may need to be more than just a sniper though this season. Leading scorer Kelan Martin is gone, as is reliable big man Tyler Wideman. That leaves Kamar Baldwin as the offensive focal point, with Jorgensen, Sean McDermott, and Aaron Thompson as the other perimeter threats.
The redshirt senior does a nice job of limiting long twos, as over three-fourths of his attempts are either at the rim or beyond the arc.
Where he needs to improve is creating his own shot, especially from deep. Nearly 82 percent of his three-point attempts were from assisted, which is actually a lower rate than both McDermott and Thompson. The offense cannot solely rely on Baldwin drive and kicks; if perimeter shooting is Jorgensen’s best trait, he needs to let it fly a little more, whether that’s off the catch or off the bounce.