If the NCAA gave out monthly awards like the NBA, there would be no question who November honors would have went to. The son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, the 6-6 sophomore has started the season on an absolutely torrid shooting streak and currently leads all NCAA draft prospects in scoring at just over 26 per contest, as well as with his 31 points per-40 minutes adjusted. While some of his early scoring exploits went unnoticed, last Saturday’s record 43-point explosion in a win over San Diego in the Great Alaska Shootout championship game was enough to turn some heads.
We covered Thompson extensively during our preseason rankings and breakdowns and in his initial scouting report there was a great deal of discussion surrounding the potentially positive impact the arrival of head coach Ken Bone could have on the budding star.
Now a couple of weeks into the season, it is clear that this has been a drastic boost to Thompson’s game. Bone has made him the focal point of the offense – something he wasn’t last year – and is running a tremendous number of plays specifically designed to get the ball in his best’s player’s hands, whether it’s isolating him at the top of the key, putting him in pick and roll situations, or particularly running him off of screens. While he is a deadly shooter with his feet set, his ability to catch, square and fire at such a consistent rate is what really makes the youngster appealing as a pro prospect. His release is high, quick and nearly identical every single time regardless of where he is on the floor and how much pressure the defense is exerting. This is a part of his game that should translate over immediately to the professional level, giving him a nice framework to build off.
The increase in overall output from Thompson thus far in the early part of the season has been absolutely staggering. He has nearly doubled his scoring per-40 minutes pace adjusted, increased his shooting numbers from the floor and beyond the arc by 10 percent each, increased his assist numbers and most impressively has gone from attempting 1.1 free throw per-40 minutes, to eight.
While improving his ball-handling skills has certainly allowed Thompson to attack the basket off the bounce more effectively than during his freshman season, much of his increased success seems to stem from a newfound sense of confidence he is exuding. The combination of winning a gold medal with the USA U-19 team this summer and the WSU coaching staff making him the go to option has clearly gone a long way to making him more aggressive with the basketball. Thompson is looking and playing like a guy who is clearly the best player on the floor pretty much every time he steps on the court, and it’s gone a long ways in increasing his assertiveness.
What this confidence on offense has done for Thompson is allow him to show NBA scouts that he is more than simply a one-dimensional shooter. While he is far from being labeled an explosive athlete, his conditioning and strength are definitely improved and he seems to be a half step quicker off the dribble than he was last season. Rather than simply being a player who needs to be run off of screens in order to get his scoring opportunities, Thompson is starting to display the ability to create scoring chances for himself.
Defense has, and will continue to be the sophomores Achilles heel. While his size, frame and excellent intensity level certainly help mask some of his shortcomings in this area as a college player, his average lateral quickness hinders his defensive potential significantly right now. At this point it looks as though he would have to guard the small forward position rather than shooting guards in the NBA, but that isn’t to say he can’t continue to work on his lateral quickness and improve in this area. He does show good instincts and is averaging over two steals per game thanks to his smarts and anticipation skills. Becoming a more solid and consistent defender will make Thompson an essential lock for the pro game, if he isn’t one already.
It might be too much to expect Thompson to continue leading the country in scoring while playing in the Pac-10 Conference, but he has certainly displayed the skills and shooting ability to keep his average comfortably over 20 points per game, especially given how integral a role he has in the Cougars offense. Also working in Thompson’s favor is the fast start for his team as Washington State stands at 6-1 after a close road loss to perennial power Gonzaga on their home floor. It’s only a matter of time now until the rest of the country catches onto how impressive Thompson has been thus far this season.
