Gonzaga Basketball: Joel Ayayi ready to take leap for Bulldogs in 2019-20?

Gonzaga Basketball’s Joel Ayayi had an impressive performance in the FIBA U19 World Cup. Is he ready to take a leap this upcoming season?

With the departures of Josh Perkins, Rui Hachimura, Zach Norvell and Geno Crandall, Gonzaga Basketball’s backcourt is a bit of a question mark heading into the 2019-20 season.

(Credit to sports-reference and FIBA.basketball for statistics and BasketBall Highlights for GIFS)

Admon Gilder’s transfer from Texas A&M will be huge in terms of filling the backcourt void, but redshirt sophomore guard Joel Ayayi will need to step up for the Bulldogs to be an elite team.

The 6-5 Ayayi averaged only 5.6 minutes last season, but this was more due to his youth and inexperience than the coaching staff not believing in his potential.

He has a chance to play a significant role this upcoming season, and based on his performance in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece, Ayayi appears to be ready for this.

The 19-year-old represented his home country in France and was quite impressive statistically. In seven games, Ayayi averaged 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists, shooting 61.3% on 2-pointers, 29.7% on 3-pointers and 50.9% overall).

France beat Lithuania in the 3rd place game, in which Ayayi had his most impressive performance (33-points on 13/23 from the field).

Ayayi seemed very comfortable as a lead ball-handler, in particular as a pick-and-roll operator. He showcased a combination of burst and patience on these plays.

The tournament provided a great opportunity for the guard to carry a heavy offensive role and build his confidence. He will likely get more of these chances early on in the season against lesser competition.

Gonzaga fans shouldn’t expect Ayayi to put up the same numbers he did in the FIBA tournament, but his potential contribution seems to be much higher than some had previously thought.

In terms of next season, Gilder can be the lead ball-handler at times, but his 3-point shooting ability (39.5% last season) makes him best suited for the 2-guard position. Ayayi has yet to prove himself as a shooter, which would make the point guard position a logical fit if he can handle this role.

Expectations are already high for Mark Few’s squad heading into the 2019-20 season, with sites rankings the Bulldogs in the range of 10th to 19th.

It’s uncertain how Ayayi will fair against the highest levels of competition, but experience like the FIBA U19 will put him in the best position to succeed. If he’s improved as much as it looks like he may have, a special season could be in the works for Gonzaga.