NCAA Basketball: 5 guards who need to take the next step(s) in 2020-21

Desi Sills | Guard | 6’1″ | Junior

2019-20 stats: 10.6 points. 1.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game 

After the 2018-19 season concluded, I wasn’t really sure if Sills would elect to stay at Arkansas the following season. Under Mike Anderson, Sills averaged 5.3 points per game, and shot 46% from three, while playing 16.9 minutes per game (which is pretty solid for a freshman). However, when Anderson was relieved of his duties after the 2018-19 season, and Eric Musselman took over in 2019, I didn’t rule out the possibility of Sills transferring to another school.

It may sound preposterous, but Musselman is a no-nonsense kind of coach, who will not play guys that don’t fit his style of offense (or guys that he doesn’t deem trustworthy). Musselman also wasn’t very familiar with the guys on Arkansas’ roster last season, and I think that Sills knew that if he wasn’t able to play up to Musselman’s standards, Musselman would not hesitate to give him less playing time.

To my surprise, Sills didn’t have to worry at all about playing time, as he went from 16.9 minutes per game in 2018-19 to 31.2 minutes in 2019-20. Sills also didn’t have to stress out about having to hunt for shots, as he was an integral part of the Razorbacks offense, and managed to average 10.6 points, as a starter for most of the 2019-20 season.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but when I think of Desi Sills, I think of a fearless attacker, who is not afraid to test any big man under the rim (regardless of their shot-blocking ability). You may think that I am exaggerating when I say this, but it doesn’t matter if a 7’5″ or 7’6″ center (who obviously doesn’t need to jump to dunk or block shots), is waiting for him to enter the paint that he is protecting.

All Sills knows how to do, is put his shoulder into the chest of opposing big men, avoid double-clutching when he sees them swiping down at the ball, and finish strong at the rim (which his strength and leaping ability allow him to accomplish), whether the whistle is blown or not.

Normally in basketball, referees will be more inclined to reward the more aggressive player on each possession. And because Sills understands that bailing opposing big men out (by settling for runners, when he could have gotten all the way to the cup), isn’t in his DNA (or in other words, is not what he is built to do), he is able to draw a decent number of foul calls.

The one thing I really appreciate about Sills’ game, is his ability to have a short-term memory, and not overreact when opposing big men do get the best of him, or when he gets the ball stripped from him, as he is preparing to take off.

Sills knows that he is scrappy guard, who will have to scratch and claw for every point he scores, and not worry about how pretty the final result will look (which is why his game benefits from him being so physically imposing, and letting his opponents know that’s it’s going to be a dogfight at the basket every single time).

I also think that, because Sills has an “I’m going to rise up, and throw down a monstrous jam on your head” mentality, he often confuses opposing big men. This is because they do not always know when they should forcefully challenge his dunk/layup attempts at the rim, stay on the ground and live with whatever happens, or go straight up, while keeping their hands vertical (so that the referees know that they are not trying to bring them down).

When it comes to areas of Sills’ game that could improve, the first area that comes to mind is his three-point shooting. And yes, anyone could look at Sills’ three-point percentage last season (32.9%), and make the observation that I just did, but if you actually watched him attempt three-point shots last season, you would know what the current problem is.

While Sills is an above-average athlete, he doesn’t always get as high off the ground as he should on his three-point shots, and he often short arms them, which then results in the ball hitting the front of the rim (which doesn’t give his shots much of a chance to fall). By putting a little something extra on his shots, and using his upper body strength, to get the ball up over the rim, Sills will at least have a 50% chance, of seeing the ball reach the bottom of the net more often.

While Sills is able to catch his defenders off guard with a malicious jab, and then take two tight dribbles, with the ball in his dominant hand (his left), my main concern with Sills is, he has trouble reaching that 2nd level of speed (that Nah’Shon Hyland is able to reach), when his basic right to left crossover, or in-and-out crossover is almost complete (and defenders are still able to stay with him).

Not exploding off the dribble, and picking up his speed rapidly (or at least taking one long step towards the basket, that could make up for his lack of burst), prevents Sills from leaving his defenders in the dust routinely.

Sills isn’t a terribly shifty ball handler as it is, so by acknowledging the fact that he will not consistently blow past defenders, if he isn’t able to accelerate when the ball gets to his strong hand, and get to his next spot in a timely manner, he will already be a step closer to improving that area of his game.

The other thing that may benefit Sills, is acting as though he is going to use a screen that would send him to his right. This will cause defenders to turn their heads slightly, to see who is coming the set the screen, which would then allow Sills to take a quick step to his right, plant his right foot, and then cross the ball over to his left, while his defenders try to process what just occurred. This is something I see intelligent guards do all the time because they know that it will lead to a positive play 9 times out of 10 if they sell the move correctly.

If Sills can zero in on improving his speed after finishing his moves, and finding different witty ways, to get himself easy scoring opportunities at the rim this season, we may have to start looking at Sills as an elite scorer/playmaker moving forward.