As schedule toughens, UCLA needs Dylan Andrews to reemerge as a top playmaker

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UCLA’s Dylan Andrews is introduced before a game against Southern Utah at Pauley Pavilion last week. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

With every jump shot that fell through the net, a flurry of nine points in less than 2½ minutes last week, Dylan Andrews provided a reminder of the player he’s been and the one he’d like to be again.

You remember the UCLA point guard from late last season, right? Driving past anyone who dared to try and stand between him and the basket. Pulling up for feathery jumpers. Almost single-handedly lugging his team on a six-game winning streak.

There’s only been glimpses of that player over the season’s first month. A groin injury that sidelined the junior for two games certainly didn’t help, but it seems as if he hasn’t been nearly as much on the attack as he was last February and March.

The statistics tell the story.

Andrews is averaging 8.0 points and 3.8 assists on 48.6% shooting, including 31.6% on three-pointers. That’s a long way from the production of his final 14 games last season, when he averaged a team-leading 17.1 points while making 40.8% of his three-pointers.

Read more: UCLA men have best game of season in rout of Southern Utah

He provided a hint of that efficiency last week with his barrage of points early in the second half against Southern Utah, including three midrange jumpers and a three-pointer. If UCLA wants to contend for a Big Ten title and a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, that will need to be the version of Andrews the Bruins get on a more regular basis.

“If you expect to have a really good year, you hope to have a really good year,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said Monday, “he’s probably going to have to have a really good year, so it’s important for us, obviously. The guy’s got experience, he’s got experience in our system — I’m not saying he’s got to be the player of the year in the Big Ten, but he’s got to give us production.”

Before the season, Andrews said he wanted to be a 40-50-90…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/schedule-toughens-ucla-needs-dylan-220804825.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-12-02 22:08:00

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