Auburn Basketball: Breaking down why Tigers are so special in 2021-22 season
Great guard play
In order to be successful in an elite conference like the SEC, you must have guards that will consistently perform when the bright lights are on. Luckily for Auburn, Wendell Green Jr., and K.D. Johnson is two guards that the Tigers know they can depend on regularly. Green and Johnson are both averaging at least 13.0 points per game (Green- 13.0, Johnson-13.1) while shooting 40% from the field or better (Green-40.0%, Johnson-41.7%).
As I’ve said before, you never really know how well transfers are going to adapt in different environments, but Green and Johnson clearly haven’t allowed a change of scenery to stop them from being impactful players. Green stands at just 5’11”, but the Eastern Kentucky transfer always seems to have his way in high ball-screen situations and weave his way into the paint time and time again.
You see, Green understands the importance of forcing opposing defenses to play him for more than just a passer (5.1 assists per game), which is why you’ll often see him accelerate when an opposing big man takes a bad angle while hedging (or when there is a communication issue) and get into the body of the help defender at the rim. Yes, Green will throw up Hail Mary’s occasionally, but for the most part, he does a great job of absorbing contact, keeping his eyes on the rim, and utilizing the backboard as he’s attempting on-balance layups at the basket.
Don’t forget about Green’s ability to knock down the three-ball either (35.6%), because he has enough wiggle in his game to create separation from his defenders on the perimeter and let it fly from deep with confidence.
When it comes to Johnson well, let’s just say that he’s a dog in every way imaginable. The 6’0″ guard just makes big play after big play and uses his scrappiness to his advantage. No, it won’t always be pretty, but once Johnson muscles his way to the basket off the bounce or relentlessly pursues the ball after a missed shot and finishes strong at the rim, his energy level instantly skyrockets, which doesn’t bode well for opposing ball-handlers/guards who are looking to respond on the offensive end.
If you think you’re going to hold the ball on the perimeter without any pressure whatsoever, you need to change your mindset as soon as possible, because Johnson will happily make life difficult for you by forcing you to cough the ball up or baiting you into attacking the basket without a definite plan. If there’s one thing I know for sure about Johnson, it’s that you’ll never have to question his motor when he’s on the court. Don’t believe me? Well, go back and review the key sequence that occurred late in the Tigers’ win over Ole Miss on January 15th.
After knocking down a timely three to put the Tigers up by seven with 6:08 left in the game, Johnson proceeded to wrestle the ball away from Tye Fagan in the half-court and start a fastbreak that resulted in a textbook inside-hand glide layup by Allen Flanigan seconds later.
Essentially, when you have a guy that has proven that he can handle taking 24.3% of your team’s shots and has a 4.6% steal rate (which has earned him a top 30 national ranking), you’re going to win a lot of ball games to start the season. If Johnson and Green continue to wreak havoc on opponents, the Tigers will have a realistic shot of reaching the Final Four later in the year.