Nebraska Basketball: 2018 Cornhuskers Christmas wishlist

Bench Scoring

The Huskers have arguably one of the best starting fives in the entire country not just the Big Ten. The starters led by a senior trio of James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland and Glynn Watson. Those three players are the clear leaders for the Huskers and when those players are going well, Nebraska will win a lot of games. Palmer is one of the best scorers in the country and when he is scoring will open the floor for the rest of the team.

The problem arises when looking at the depth for Nebraska. Palmer, Copeland and Watson have all had to play a mountain of minutes so far for the Huskers. Coach Miles is hoping one of his bench pieces will step up and take the reins as a bench scorer. There have been a few games by a few bench players when they have provided a good scoring punch. Usually the scoring off the bench comes from one player. The player who is responsible for most of the scoring is guard Nana Akenten. Akenten is also the player responsible for most of the bench minutes and is a key piece of Nebraska’s rotation. The sophomore guard is a great shooter and good enough on defense that teams have to account for him when he is on the floor.

The other rotational pieces for Nebraska are not known for their scoring but their defense. Coach Miles does have one player on the roster who has shown he can score, rebound and protect the rim, and it would not be surprising to see the players minutes increase as Nebraska gets into the grind of conference play. That player is Nebraska native and freshman Brady Heiman.

Heiman has a soft touch around the rim, holds his position well on defense and is keen at boxing out the opposing players for rebounds. He is still learning how to be more efficient and play without fouling. If the freshman can continue his upward trend both Akenten, who is a great shooter, and big man Heiman could be just the medicine that Nebraska needs off the bench, to carry them over the hump.