Brandon Sampson, one of the more prominent returners from an LSU squad that finished last in the SEC in 2016-17, will be one of the Tigers’ top players as the program looks to get back to where they need to be under first-year head coach Will Wade.
Sampson is going to need to be LSU’s new volume scorer in the same way that Antonio Blakeney was for the duration of his career under Johnny Jones.
If Sampson can increase his scoring output to match what Blakeney was able to produce, LSU will be able to compete in most games.
And that could lead to Wade’s squad rising up the standings and finishing with a very solid regular season record.
Inside the Numbers
One of the most interesting statistics on Sampson’s record is his high OBPM, or offensive box plus-minus.
This stat evaluates the amount of points contributed by a player above a league-average player, normalized to an average team, and Sampson compares favorably to former Vanderbilt big man Luke Kornet, as well as Alabama point guard Dazon Ingram.
That high OBPM shows Sampson’s true offensive value for the Bayou Bengals, but for him to take the next step, he’ll need to improve that number significantly by creating more efficient looks for himself, as well as being more efficient at converting on those better looks.
If he can become better than an above-average offensive guard that can light the scoreboard up on a game-by-game basis, he’ll look a lot better in the eyes of the analytics savants that control a lot of personnel decisions inside of professional organizations.
Analysis
Sampson, a former 4-star recruit who was ranked the top player in the 2015 Louisiana basketball recruiting class, has certainly outperformed the average statistics of a player that was ranked similarly in high school recruiting rankings, especially on the offensive side of the basketball.
The goal for him this season is to improve his scoring ability to be more efficient in the types of shots that he takes, as well as the rate at which he makes them.
He also needs to improve his defense, which has been subpar analytically, as well as watching film of his attempts at playing defense.
If he can improve both of those areas of his game, he has a chance to be considered one of the better two-way guards in the SEC.