Baylor Basketball: Examining the impact of landing Arizona G James Akinjo

Finishing near the rim

Where Akinjo draws more similarities to other Baylor players is his ability to not be a basic point guard. Akinjo has more than one way of scoring, whether that’s near the rim or along the outside. Mitchell scored by either driving by an opponent and using his speed to score near the rim.

Meanwhile, Akinjo uses a dribble move to get by, make sure his defender stays on the backside of his hip pocket, and then explodes to the rim. He uses his body as a shield and his hand that’s away from the basket, leverage to score over the defender.

Akinjo’s driving ability is unorthodox, as on several occasions he drives to his left, yet scores with his right hand. Although it is taught by many coaches at a young age the other way around, Akinjo finds ways to score with his sudden quickness in the paint.

What does make Akinjo similar to the trio last year is his ability to create space with dribble moves. Since Akinjo can score at both levels, his dribble move gives defenders the option to step back or press up.

Akinjo’s defenders more often than not stepped back and gave Akinjo free range to fire.

There are many times where Akinjo scores through traffic at a high rate. Many guards before him have done so well, including Makai Mason, Lester Medford, and the beforementioned Chery.

Baylor is known for crafty ballhandlers, who can finish near the rim. Akinjo looks to fill that role, whether that be next season or the following.