STARKVILLE — Basketball players aren’t exactly trained to pass up open shots.
But the way Mississippi State (15-8, 3-7 Southeastern Conference) has been shooting the basketball from distance, coach Chris Jans knows that might be the Bulldogs’ best option in many cases.
“We can’t just throw it up because we’re open,” Jans said Monday. “There’s some shots out there that we’re taking in almost every game that probably aren’t the best for us right now.”
Just looking at the numbers proves Jans right. Mississippi State as a team is shooting just 27.6 percent from behind the 3-point line, the sixth-worst percentage in all of Division I.
That’s despite a 40.5 percent mark from point guard Dashawn Davis, hinting at how bad some of the Bulldogs’ other regulars have been from 3.
Guard Shakeel Moore has improved, but he’s still at 27.5 percent. Forward D.J. Jeffries sits at 24.8 percent. Guard Eric Reed Jr. is down to 23.7 percent.
That makes it easier for Jans to preach passing up some 3-point attempts, although the first-year MSU coach knows it’s a fine line to walk.
“That’s a touchy subject because you want them to play with great confidence and you want to give them a lot of freedom, and I think we do that,” Jans said. “But at the same time, we want to play in that character that we talk about a lot of how we need to play and be successful.”
Jans’ hallmarks are defense and rebounding, and the Bulldogs have been strong in both areas ahead of Wednesday’s 8 p.m. tipoff against LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC). MSU has the No. 6 defense in the country through Monday night’s games, per KenPom.com, and it ranks 18th in offensive rebounding as well.
The Bulldogs have done their best to use their athleticism in order to run the fastbreak, converting turnovers into quick shots or — even better — high-flying dunks.
Mississippi State has had plenty of those recently, including a pair of alley-oops to Moore and forward Tyler Stevenson during Saturday’s win over Missouri. Jans said those kinds of slams can be — and have been — ”game-changers.”
“They’re worth the same amount of points as a layup, but let’s be honest: It just ignites the crowd,” Jans said. “It ignites your own team. It causes timeouts sometimes by the opposing team when you’re at home and even on the road. They just make the team feel better. When you make athletic plays like that, it can only help our team, and we’ve had a bunch of them lately.”
Jans said he plans to emphasize getting to the basket, trying to find ways for the Bulldogs’ most athletic players — including Jeffries and guard/forward Cameron Matthews — to get to the rim.
The MSU coach said a friend watching the Bulldogs in action told Jans he “had no idea (Jeffries) was that athletic,” but Jans has known for a while.
“When he gets downhill like that with his length and athleticism, he’s hard to guard,” Jans said.
Jans made it clear he wants to stress driving with players like Jeffries but not at the cost of phasing out the 3-pointer altogether.
A self-proclaimed fan of “rhythm” shots, Jans said he’s seen Jeffries shoot better in practice and has faith it will eventually translate to game action.
“It’s not as if we’ve told him, ‘Hey, you’re done with the 3-ball,’” Jans said. “That’s not the case. I want him to be judicious in his decision-making with that shot.”
That can be hard for players who find themselves in open space behind the arc.
But if Mississippi State wants to keep its three-game winning streak going, it’ll be up to the Bulldogs to do what they do best — and that’s not shooting 3s.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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