After enduring a 12-win season a year ago, Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew knew some tweaks had to be made.
The most important tweaks should be noticeable right away, as the Commodores will use the combination of talented newcomers and a solid returning nucleus to change how they play on both sides of the court.
“It’ll be a lot different,” Drew said at SEC Media Day on Wednesday. “I think you’ll be able to tell right away from the first possession just with the pace we’re gonna play at.
“Defensively, we’ll be able to put a little more pressure on and contain the ball in certain areas of the floor a little better.”
Despite a difficult season, Drew’s team finished 29th in offensive efficiency during the 2018-19 season and was 325th in average possession length at 19.1 seconds.
The arrival of 5-star point guard Darius Garland and the return of standout sophomore Saben Lee will give Drew more flexibility when it comes to Vanderbilt’s offensive attack.
Garland, who is the team’s highest-rated recruit ever, is a complete playmaker that’s already embracing his role as the team’s coach on the floor.
“Darius is the leader of our team,” Drew said. “He makes others around him better.”
As for Lee, he’s coming off a breakout freshman season in averaging 10.6 points and playing 26.8 minutes per game.
His development – along with the faster pace and chemistry with Garland – should go a long way towards helping the Commodores return to the NCAA Tournament.
“Saben had a really good freshman year for us,” Drew said. “I think he’ll thrive more in a faster-paced game where the floor is a little more open, and we definitely plan on playing a lot faster and opening up the floor. He and Darius have been fantastic in practice together.”
Spacing the floor is a staple of Drew’s system, and now in year three, he should finally be able to fully implement it due to the new personnel.
Aaron Nesmith, a 4-star wing that Drew feels “is one of the better catch and shoot players in the country,” should be a key contributor right away.
Matt Ryan and Yanni Wetzell, who both sat out last season as transfers, are exactly what Drew is looking for with the open spacing offense.
“Having them on the roster really helped with recruiting three freshmen,” Drew said. “They were perfect compliments for those three. They have experience. They’re both a lot older, very skilled, and space the floor. You have creators that give them more space and flexibility and freedom on offense. We really like how the pieces fit together.”
And then there’s the other highly-heralded 5-star recruit in 6-10 forward Simi Shittu.
Widely considered as one of the most versatile big men in the 2018 recruiting class, Shittu will make a huge impact in a variety of areas for the Commodores this season.
Even with the McDonald’s All-American coming off of surgery due to a torn ACL, Drew is excited about adding a multi-dimensional player of Shittu’s caliber to the roster.
“He’s been fantastic,” Drew said. “He’s 100 percent cleared, and he’s practicing full speed the whole practice and playing 5-on-5.”
“We fully expect him to be ready Nov. 6 and have no restrictions.”
For more SEC Media Day coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.