Saint Louis Basketball: 3 takeaways from dominant win over SIUE

Good idea to start Javonte Perkins

As I mentioned in my Saint Louis 2020-21 season preview, there is no doubt that Javonte Perkins has starting level talent, but he can still provide the Billikens with everything they need, and more offensively while coming off the bench. However, against SIUE, Travis Ford elected to insert Perkins into the starting lineup, most likely because he recognized before the season, that Perkins earned an opportunity to start in 2020-21.

That decision worked probably as well it could have against the Cougars, as Perkins helped guide the Billikens to an early 23-6 lead, by notching 15 quick points. Perkins’ full arsenal was on display Wednesday night, as he was able to knock down 4 out of 5 threes, incorporate his mid-range game into the contest, and cut hard to the basketball for a few nifty layups at the rim.

I think that starting Perkins against SIUE was a brilliant idea because it allowed Saint Louis to get scoring from Perkins as soon as the game tipped off, and build a solid lead that allowed Ford to experiment with a few different things. Perkins finished with 22 points, after his red hot start, but if the Billikens can get 10-15 points from Perkins that early in ball games, he may not have to produce as much later in games, in order for the Billikens to triumph.

The great thing about Perkins is, the Billikens could fall behind by 20 points in a game while Perkins is on the bench, and he would have no problem putting up 8-10 points rapidly, and cutting the opposing team’s lead down to 10 or 12 in a heartbeat.

However, doing that would force Perkins to expend a ton of energy, which may result in him shooting jump shots that come up short late in games because he can’t use his legs to explode up off their ground, and give his shots a chance to fall.

That is why starting Perkins will allow the Billikens offense to thrive when he is on the floor, and even if Saint Louis experiences a mini drought when he has checked out of any given game, the Billikens can feel better knowing that the game is still tight (or maybe even in their control), and Perkins is resting up so that he can do more damage during his second go-round.

One could argue that I am giving too much credit, to a player that scored 22 points against a team that is predicted to finish 11th in the OVC this year (according to the OVC media poll). However, the fact of the matter is, Perkins can put up big-time numbers against any opponent he faces, regardless of their high status, or top 25 ranking.

That is why I would advise everyone to look at Perkins’ game on Wednesday as just the beginning of a very special season, and not some sort of fluke performance, that he does not have the ability to emulate.