Here are three takeaways from LSU’s 75-57 win over No. 24 Furman on Friday night.
Guess Who’s Back?
Tremont Waters is back.
The old Tremont. The aggressive Tremont. The Tremont who set the world on fire as a freshman.
That Tremont took time to reappear in his sophomore season, showing up in flashes but interrupted by inconsistency, turnovers, and inefficient scoring.
In the Tigers’ last two games, however – wins over perennial power St. Mary’s and undefeated, top-25 Furman – Waters has been back to his old ways, combining for 38 points and 10 assists on 14-of-30 shooting and 5-of-13 from deep.
He was especially effective Friday, finishing with 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench, including 10 points and 6 assists with no turnovers after halftime. It’s a role he’s played in both games, and one he’s perfectly fine playing, as long as the wins keep coming.
“For my team, I don’t mind,” Waters said of being a super sub. “Obviously, no one wants to come off the bench, but that’s what I have to do. Coach said my time will come back around and I will get back in the starting lineup.”
Tremont Waters on a top 25 win: “It feels really good. We have 3 losses, but they were tough losses. i feel like our mentality is starting to change. I feel like we’re turning the corner.”
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) December 22, 2018
Head coach Will Wade‘s focus is less on who starts and more on who finishes. Waters has played an average of 32.5 minutes in his two games as a sixth man, slightly above his average of 31 per game. In those minutes, LSU has outscored its opponents by 21 points.
“He’s back to who he is,” Wade said. “When he plays like that and we play good basketball we’re going to be tough to beat.”
And who, exactly, is that player?
“Just playing in space, playing off his instincts,” Wade said. “He’s done a really, really good job defensively. When he’s aggressive at the point of attack on defense, that’s really, really good for us.”
The Taylor Effect
Junior guard Marlon Taylor doesn’t stuff the stat sheet every night.
But he does fill the highlight reels, and Friday was no exception.
His 8 points and 3 rebounds in 30 minutes underlie the impact Taylor had yet again as a starter.
What catches the eye most are his highlight dunks, like the slam through contact he produced in the second half during a decisive 12-4 LSU run. Upon receiving a pass from Waters, Taylor drove left down the baseline and elevated to finish through contact to push LSU’s lead to 53-44 with 10:46 to go.
“That baseline dunk,” Wade said, “you can’t coach that.”
Here’s @Mar1on_ jumping into the stratosphere, only to return for a highlight-worthy dunk.#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/LKfQprWEyt
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) December 22, 2018
What Wade can coach, however, is lineups, and by starting Taylor alongside Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams – both of whom finished with 10 rebounds on the night – the Tigers transform from a small lineup to a huge one.
“Starting bigger’s helped us,” Wade said. “When you’ve got Marlon at the 3, Naz at the 4, and Kavell at the 5, those are some big dudes.”
The result: LSU won the battle on the glass 40 to 22 and outscored Furman 50 to 22 in the paint. Those 50 paint points were a season high for the Tigers.
Taylor helps in other ways. He can guard small ball 4s, like Furman’s Clay Moune, who went scoreless after dropping 26 in the Paladins’ previous contest.
“He’s kind of solved our issue with mismatch four men,” Wade said. “He brings a different level of athleticism. I always tell him, ‘Get your athleticism in the game. Get what you do into the game.’ I think he does that at a high, high level. He certainly makes some highlight plays.”
A Special Scholarship
Marshall Graves didn’t dress out on Friday after turning his ankle during a drill in practice.
But the day was special, game or no.
Will Wade announces that Marshall Graves is on scholarship now. “Wayde would be proud. It’s Wayde’s scholarship. He’d be proud to have Marshall on it.”
Wayde Sims, who passed away before the season, was high school teammates with Marshall and then in college, as well.
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) December 22, 2018
Wade announced after the win that Graves, a two-year walk-on, had signed his scholarship papers.
What makes the moment even more touching is that Graves inherits the scholarship from Wayde Sims, who passed away before the season. Graves and Sims were teammates both in high school at University High School and then at LSU for two seasons.
“Marshall’s on scholarship now,” Wade said. “He’s earned it. He deserves it. He’s already signed the papers. I’m proud of him. Wayde would be proud, too. It’s Wayde’s scholarship. He’d be proud to have Marshall on it. They were teammates. So, that’s pretty cool.”
Graves won’t be out long, and LSU will need him. Wade said Daryl Edwards will be out “for a while,” making Graves LSU’s ninth man.
“I think he’ll be back for Monroe,” Wade said.