EARLY MARKS: Georgetown Hoyas Game Grades for First Week

Some first performances provide optimism for the season

Are we back? We might be back? Yeah, why not? We’re back! After a (mostly) Kenner-less summer, this was our first real look at essentially a completely new team. Your Georgetown Hoyas opened with two home games against sub-250 ranked opponents – Lehigh (282) and Fairfield (293).

First impressions – the talent is MUCH improved. Georgetown failed to cover the spreads against both, hence the drop in their own KenPom rating, but they walked away with two fairly convincing wins despite some stretches of hot shooting against.

But the story of week one has to be the Freshman phenom, Thomas Sorber, who was named the Big East Freshman of the Week.

There was a lot to like in these first two games. Let’s see how everyone grades out!

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Malik Mack – B-

Lehigh: 15pts, 7-16 43% FG, 1-6 16% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 34 MIN

Fairfield: 7pts, 3-9 33% FG, 1-3 33% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 5, TO, 33 MIN

I really liked the way Malik looked against Lehigh. He had some flashes against Fairfield but was overall less effective. The concerns have to be on the defensive end, but offensively, he provides a massive upgrade. The skill level is evident. When he scored, he made it look easy. He took over late against Lehigh to put the game away, finishing a couple of smooth pull-ups and getting to the rim. The numbers didn’t love him in either game. His .750 Points Per Possession against Lehigh and .500 PPP against Fairfield were the lowest of the starters. I think a lot of that is just his inefficiency from three in the first game and overall shooting variance. He shot 34% on 5.5 attempts from three last year at Harvard, so I am not worried. And I expect him to shoot better than he did last year. He struggled defensively in both games. That end is going to be a challenge for him, given his size, but I thought he was good positionally at times. Particularly in the second half against Fairfield after Cooley went away from both Mack and Epps for a stretch because of poor defense. I thought both, but particularly Malik upped the defensive effort.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Jayden Epps – B-

Lehigh: 17pts, 6-11 54% FG, 3-6 50% 3PT, 2-4 FT, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 TO, 33 MIN

Fairfield: 12pts, 3-8 37% FG, 1-4 25% 3PT, 5-6 FT, 1 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 4 TO, 32 MIN

Jayden ended the week with the same grade as Malik but took a very different route to get there. I thought he was very good against Lehigh. My barometer for Jayden this year is going to be his efficiency as an off-ball shooter. Mack allows him to play that role (off-ball), where I think he’s much more effective. And against Lehigh, he showed some positive signs. He averaged 2 points per shot off six catch-and-shoot chances against Lehigh. Last season, he averaged 1.17. Even more encouraging was his off-screen usage. I was clamoring last year for them to use him more off-screens as it was far and away his most efficient action (1.203 PPP on 64 attempts, which was about 10% of his total actions). He was in the 86% percentile in the nation on off-screen action. Against Lehigh, he scored 1.667 PPP on 21% usage. That is a recipe for success. The Fairfield game was the exact opposite and looked too much like efforts last year. I’ll be looking at how many games he shoots below 30% from three this year (it was 16 last year – over half of their games). Two games are not a big enough sample to draw conclusions, but he shot 25% from three against Fairfield and only had one off-screen action. Like Mack, the defense was not great, particularly against Fairfield, and you saw Cooley quickly go to lineups with only one of Mack/Epps on the floor. When Jayden was engaged and locked in defensively, he was good. Solid first week, with room to improve.

Micah Peavy – A-

Lehigh: 20pts, 8-13 61% FG, 0-3 0% 3PT, 4-4 FT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 32 MIN

Fairfield: 8pts, 3-11 27% FG, 2-4 50% 3PT, 0-1 FT, 5 REB, 5 AST, 7 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 36 MIN

Micah was excellent in his debut, though most of his success came in the first half against Lehigh. He showed a polished game and an ability to score at all three levels (which was a slight question coming into this year as he had never been a scorer). He is exactly the type of transfer successful teams bring in. A guy who has proven he can play at this level and is looking for an increased role. He’s going to carry a huge burden on both ends. He took a step back offensively against Fairfield, though you will absolutely take 2-4 from three. But he was an absolute monster defensively. It’s Fairfield, but he put together one of the better individual defensive performances we’ve seen from a Hoya in a while. Through two games, he grades out in the 98th percentile in defensive efficiency (per EvanMiya). And it didn’t look like he broke a sweat doing it. If he can raise the floor of the team defensively, watch out.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Thomas Sorber – A

Lehigh: 20pts, 5-13 38% FG, 0-2 0% 3PT, 10-13 FT, 13 REB, 0 AST, 2 BLK, 1 TO, 29 MIN

Fairfield: 25pts, 11-16 68% FG, 1-2 50% 3PT, 2-3 FT, 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 31 MIN

About as good of a first week as you can ask for. The only thing preventing me from giving him an A+ was his efficiency against Lehigh and the fact that I think he’s going to get a lot better (which should scare the rest of the Big East. Double double against Lehigh, dominant scoring and some good defensive flashes. The talent is clear. His feel on the offensive end is already very good. He responded to an inefficient debut with an extremely efficient outing against Fairfield, including a made three. He showed a bit of everything in these first two games: great touch, good post moves, shooting, getting to the line, offensive boards, and good in pick and roll… Offensively, the sky is the limit for Sorber. But I was also pleased with his defensive effort. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but his positioning was good (a real issue for previous centers), and he had a couple of nice help-side plays that were encouraging, including two blocks in both games. Who knows if this will translate against better competition, but step one showed it in game one, and he did that. I’m all in. Sorber is the future and the present!

Drew Fielder – C

Lehigh: 4pts, 2-5 40% FG, 0-1 0% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 6 REB, 0 AST, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 13 MIN

Fairfield: DNP (Illness)

Drew gets an A+ for intangibles and leadership against Lehigh. He was very vocal and active. It didn’t necessarily translate to the box score, but it will. That game was about Sorber in the post and the mid-range. Fielder will thrive in pick-and-roll and off of hustle plays. I liked Cooley starting him next to Sorber in the first game, and while I am still not sure he effectively plays the 4 (time will tell), he brings a lot to the team. He just needs to find his niche. They definitely missed his steadiness against Fairfield.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Jordan Burks – B

Lehigh: 2pts, 1-2 50% FG, 0-1 0% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 7 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 28 MIN

Fairfield: 4pts, 2-3 66% FG, 0-1 0% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO, 21 MIN

Jordan is long. Really long. I love his activity and effort. He was great on the boards and showed some flashes offensively, though they didn’t really translate to points. He looked like a great piece to help cover up some of the defensive challenges at the guard spot. He started against Fairfield in place of Fielder and added a nice pop of athleticism. I am not really sure what he is offensively yet, and that’s OK. Defensively, he can absolutely make an impact.

Curtis Williams – B

Lehigh: 2pts, 1-3 33% FG, 0-2 0% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 12 MIN

Fairfield: 2pts, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 1 REB, 1 BLK, 6 MIN

Curtis is another long, athletic guard who raises the floor of this team significantly. Like Jordan, I am not sure what he’s going to be offensively, but the lineups that featured him, Jordan and Micah, are legit defensively. I’m not sure if they’ll score enough and if one of Williams or Burks adds some offense to their game, it changes the trajectory of this team significantly, but they are formidable on the defensive end.

Julius Halaifonua – B+

Lehigh: 5pts, 1-1 100% FG, 1-1 100% 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 10 MIN

Fairfield: 5pts, 2-4 50% FG, 1-3 33% 3PT, 0-0 FT, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 15 MIN

We know Julius was a late arrival and has been limited in the run-up to the season, but even in limited minutes, you can see the potential. He and Sorber represent the most offensively talented freshman bigs the Hoyas have had in a long time. This just looks like a smart recruiting get for Cooley. Julius and Sorber are similar enough that they don’t need to change their offensive styles when either is on the court – they can play through both of them when needed. He hit a smooth-looking three from the top of the key in both games, and the shot looks good. He showed a bit more rust than Thomas, which is to be expected, particularly in his feel around the basket and his hands. He fumbled a couple of drop-off passes against Fairfield. And while he didn’t show the defensive flashes that Sorber did, I was very encouraged overall. He was in solid help position and did a good job challenging at the rim.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams – B

Lehigh: 0pts, 1 REB, 6 MIN

Fairfield: 0pts, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1 REB, 6 MIN

Welcome to the Hilltop, Caleb! His potential right now is as a connector and energy guy, and he looks like he gets that. He looked like a great long-term piece to me and a future leader. He played smart in limited minutes in both games. My favorite moment of his came against Lehigh when he got the whole bench to stand up to greet a teammate (I think it was Mack) coming off of the floor on a substitution. The camera just happened to pick it up, but those are moments that are cool to see for a team rebuilding and looking for leadership. Keep it up, Caleb, we see you!

Kayvaun Mulready – B

Lehigh: 0pts, 1 BLK, 2 MIN

Fairfield: 4pts, 1-2 50% FG, 0-1 3PT, 10 MIN

He played sparingly against Lehigh, but he had a nice block late. He got a little lost on the ball handler on a pick-and-roll set but did a great job staying attached and pressuring from behind, then used his length and strength to block the shot from behind. He looks big. His path to minutes right now, I think, is showing out defensively. The team needs help on that end at the guard position. He got run against Fairfield when Epps and Mack were not cutting it defensively. He helped calm things down, and I think we’ll see him paired with one of them as the season goes on. His size alone can cover up some defensive liabilities. He had a really nice left-handed finish for his first collegiate points. I have a feeling that he is going to force his way into more minutes as the year goes on.

Drew McKenna – B-

Lehigh: DNP (unreported reason)

Fairfield: 2pts, 1-2 50% FG, 0-1 3PT, 5 REB, 11 MIN

I have not seen why he was a DNP against Lehigh. He was solid against Fairfield after settling in. He’s big and can be a factor on the glass. He hit a nice pull-up mid-ranger that was absolutely not an easy shot. I was tempted to give him an INC, as we’ve just not seen much yet, but he was very solid against Fairfield and helped stabilize things in the first half. He’s got offensive potential on a team that needs it from the wing position.

Offense – B- (Currently ranked 70th in Off. efficiency per KenPom)

Lehigh: 116 Offensive Rating, 52% Effective FG, 22% 3PT, 38% Assist Rate

Fairfield: 99 Off. Rating, 52% eFG, 30% 3PT, 55% AST Rate

My first impression of this team was that they just looked way more talented across the board. They didn’t shoot great in either game, but everything looked more comfortable. They were more crisp and smooth on the offensive end. A lot of that is Sorber. They played through Sorber a lot in both games, which was smart. He had the matchup advantage, and he took it. I was encouraged by what looked like more of a clear identity and purpose to the offense. A 116 offensive rating would’ve been a top 75% offensive game for them last year, as would the effective FG percentage. They took a step back against Fairfield, but it was generally a slower-paced game. My biggest concern after the Lehigh game was the assist rate. I thought they were much better at moving the ball and finding open shooters against Fairfield, and that 55% assist rate would’ve been in the top half of performances last year.

Defense – C (Currently ranked 130th in Def. efficiency per KenPom)

Lehigh: 105 Def Rating, 55% eFG, 16% Opponent TOV Rate, 80% Defensive REB Rate

Fairfield: 82 Def Rating, 40% eFG, 20.8% TOV Rate, 70.6% Def REB Rate

Look, the defense is still not great…yet. You could certainly argue it was disappointing. The numbers would say otherwise. The target should be a top 100 defensive ranking. They are not far off and there is a path to get there. In the first game, Lehigh got off to a scorching hot start, and it looked early like another nightmare three-point performance from an opponent. At one point, I think they were 7-10 from three. I didn’t think the defense was necessarily bad at that point, but it certainly wasn’t good enough. It took about a half for Georgetown to settle down and execute their scheme – which was to basically switch everything. I am not the biggest fan of a blanket switch scheme, but I am a fan of just having a plan that everyone is bought into, and that’s what we saw. There were certainly a few lapses, and the guard spots look like they’ll be weak points on the defensive end, but overall, I was encouraged. The Hoyas had a run at the end of the first half, and it looked like they were trusting the scheme and their length. They bothered Lehigh. They again started slowly against Fairfield, particularly from the guard positions, but after bringing in some of the defensive-minded guards, they got control of things. In the second half, they were much better. As mentioned, Micah was an animal against Fairfield and really set the tone. But the whole team was generally better in the second half against Fairfield.

Next Week

The Hoyas get a nice long week of practice before their first real test against 66th-ranked Notre Dame. We will know a lot about where this team stands after next Saturday. ND will be coming off of two warm-up games against even cupcakier cupcakes than Georgetown. Last year, the new look ND team beat Gtown in OT. Both teams are more talented than last year, but Georgetown has made the bigger leap – if only because of the lack of talent last year. Both teams have second-year, program-building head coaches. If Gtown wants to be taken seriously this year, it starts with beating ND at home.