Jake Layman v 3.0

The past two non-conference seasons for the Terps have been a study in contrasts under similar circumstances.  Last year, with one starter out with an injury (Seth Allen), the team limped to a 7-5 start with losses to Boston U and Oregon State, not to mention local middleweight George Washington. This year's team was once again hit with the injury bug; Dez Wells has missed six games and Evan Smotrycz sat for most of nine.  In spite of that, the Terps have roared to a 10-1 start including an impressive win over Iowa State in Kansas City.

The one constant through the injuries, transfers and freshmen has been Jake Layman.  Much was expected of Jake Layman last year due to his unique combination of size, athleticism, and shooting ability.  Even though his scoring more than doubled (5.5 to 11.7), some fans began to seize upon his shortcomings rather than appreciating his growth as a player.  This is hardly uncommon as good basketball players fail to meet fans' outsize expectations.  The improvement is there, but it's not nearly as exponential as expected.

Layman has stepped up even more this year to 15.5  ppg, but it's the maturation of his game that should have fans so excited.  He averaged 15 a game through 11 last year, but the consistency has been striking.  Layman hasn't scored less than a dozen points in any game, in contrast to last year's 2 point effort against Ohio State or 6 points against Providence.  Consistency is easy to overrate, but there's no question it has value for a young team lacking its other veteran scoring options for much of the season.

More importantly, both for this team and Layman's future earning potential, he's no longer just a three point threat.  Through 11 games:

	2014	2015
FTA	27	66
3PA	66	39

 

Reinforcing that is Layman's increased ability to get the ball to the rim.  Last year he took just 28% of his shots in close, but he's seen a huge jump to 43% this year.  A quick look at his shot charts also shows that he's eschewed some shots from the left side in favor of shots from his stronger right side.

There's a long way left, but it's been a dynamic early season for the Terps' talented forward.  The versatility to play the 3/4 and the inside/outside game could make the offense extremely dangerous once Maryland has its full complement of players back.