Big Ten Basketball: Ranking the team offenses for 2022-23 season
13. Penn State Nittany Lions
2021-22: 63.3 points per game
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry began the 2021-22 season with almost 47 percent of his scoring returning and after Penn State Basketball finished ninth in the Big Ten in three-point percentage and twelfth in two-point field goal percentage the Nittany Lions ended the season as the lowest scoring squad in Big Ten play.
Coach Shrewsberry will have three starters returning as Seth Lundy (12 ppg), Myles Dread (6.2 ppg) and Jalen Pickett (13.3 ppg) will be joined by Drexel transfer Camren Wynter (15.8 ppg) and 6’8 freshman Kebba Njie. Dallion Johnson – who started the final fourteen games last season – will be returning to his bench role in order to give Coach Shrewsberry versatility in the backcourt from his sixth man.
With last season’s top two scorers returning – Pickett and Lundy – Coach Shrewsberry will be able to build upon the offense he ran last season. In addition to the two top scorers returning, the Nittany Lions remain undersized at center, as 6’9 / 240 Jon Harrar is replaced by the 6’10 / 235 Njie. The Nittany Lions utilized a five-out offense for a substantial amount of time, it even got to the point to when Harrar was in the post, he would clear out for Lundy.
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Look for Njie to set ball screens above the arc and roll out as opposed to rolling to the rim. The opening of the key will create a lot of drive and kick outs for Lundy and Pickett. The hope would be for Wynter to get penetration as he is just a 28 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
The bench should contribute more this season as well, with the aforementioned Johnson returning, Bucknell transfer Andrew Funk (17.6 ppg) will be joining the Nittany Lions a season removed from being named to the All-Patriot Second team as well as Denver University transfer Michael Henn ( 8.8 ppg).