Connect with us

Published

on

Justin Webster

Michael Sullivan/CSM / Cal Sport Media via AP Images

Justin Webster drives to the basket for the Hawaii basketball team February 27, 2021, against Long Beach State. Webster recently transferred to UNLV.

When asked to describe himself as a player, incoming UNLV transfer Justin Webster pretty much covered everything.

“I feel like I bring a lot of shooting and scoring,” Webster said. “Obviously people know I can shoot the ball very well, but also I can score in many different ways depending on what’s being given to me: catch-and-shoot, off the dribble, getting to the basket, pull-ups.”

True to his word, Webster demonstrated all of those abilities last year, when he averaged 12.3 points per game while starting 20 out of 20 games as a sophomore at Hawaii.

Now, how will Kevin Kruger and his staff be able to incorporate Webster’s skills into the 2021-22 squad?

Webster made 37.8% of his 3-pointers last year, which is a fine number that gets a little more impressive when you factor in the volume (4.5 attempts per game). In the games I watched, however, his accuracy was closer to 100%.

Webster was lethal on all catch-and-shoot opportunities, especially when he was open enough to set his feet, load up and execute his full wind-up on the shot. And he was particularly locked-in from the corners, which is a crucial skill to possess in a modern offense; coaches love to have a player they can park in the corners to space the floor and rain 3’s.

Defenses cannot help off Webster or his catch-and-shoot game will make them pay:

Webster’s game is built outside-in, and he cleverly leverages his shooting ability to help in other aspects. He’s not super quick off the dribble, but because defenses have to respect his shot and fly out to contest his 3’s, he smartly picks his spots and dribbles past close-out defenders to make plays off the bounce.

Once he beats the first defender, Webster is able to build momentum toward the basket, where he’s good at either finding daylight to get off a high-percentage shot or forcing the defense to continue rotating and passing to newly-open teammates. He also draws a decent amount of fouls for a player who profiles as an outside shooter (free-throw rate of 33.3%, which would have been the second-highest mark among UNLV players last year behind only Edoardo Del Cadia).

Watch Webster get past close-outs and burrow into the heart of the defense:

That’s the basis of Webster’s offensive arsenal: Make 3’s, then beat close-outs off the dribble. Every team needs a player (or two) like that. Now, what else does Webster bring?

He is not a pure iso player capable of forcing the issue against a set defense, but he is shifty enough to work as a secondary playmaker. If he gets an advantageous matchup after a switch, he’ll put the ball on the floor and attack. He can take dribble handoffs and turn the corner toward the rim. He can use the occasional ball screen to find his own shot, and if there’s an obvious open man on the pick-and-roll, Webster can find him.

Webster is not a point guard, but as a secondary ball-handler he can keep the offense on schedule and even make some things happen:

One way defenses can contain Webster is to drop back after he begins his dribble drive and force him to shoot from the mid-range. In the games I watched, he didn’t make a single jumper off the dribble:

That may be an issue of small sample size, however, as Hoop-Math.com had Webster at 43.8% on 2-point jumpers last year.

And while Webster is a competent and opportunistic playmaker in the right situations, he was guilty of throwing some lazy passes last year. In each of the games I watched, he made at least one careless pass that was either stolen or batted away by the defense:

That’s something Webster will have to tighten up, but it’s a correctable flaw.

Webster also adds value in the open court. As a less-than-explosive player who scores most of his points on spot-up shots, you’d expect his transition blueprint to consist of fanning out to the 3-point line, but that is not the case.

If Webster gets the ball in his hands in a fast-break scenario, he pounds his way directly down the middle of the court and usually goes right to the rim. He’s an adept finisher on the run, and again he surprisingly draws a good amount of fouls; a pet move of his is to feign a pull-up 3 in transition, then blow by the defender who has to fly out to contest the shot.

It’s a varied, polished approach, just like the rest of his offensive arsenal:

On the defensive end, Webster is not going to wow anyone. He puts in the requisite work and tries to stay connected to his man, but his physical limitations are what they are. If an opponent is quick off the dribble and has a good change-of-direction move, he can probably turn Webster the wrong way and drive past him before Webster recovers.

Webster also gets bumped off balance with regularity. In hockey, they’d say he’s not strong on the puck; opponents can shoulder him out of the way and create space to get off their shot:

He’s not a liability, but Webster would probably work best in a situation where he is part of a strong team defense and has teammates who can handle the more difficult assignments.

The thing to like about Webster is the varied offensive game. He’s not a star scorer or No. 1 option, but as a complementary player he’s got just about everything you’d want: he’s an ace spot-up shooter, he can beat close-outs, he can keep the ball moving and he can even run the offense a little bit. In contrast to fellow incoming wing Donovan Williams, who is all athleticism and little polish, Webster is all skill.

Webster will almost certainly make the UNLV offense better.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Article written by #LasVegasSun

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement