Finishing at the Rim Becoming an Issue For LSU Basketball, Will Wade Searching for Answers

Tigers offense has issues to fix but converting layups has become a point of emphasis following TCU game

While Joe Burrow and company were punching their ticket to Los Angeles for Super Bowl 56, LSU coach Will Wade and some of his staff members were on a zoom call.

The topic, finishing around the rim. The Tigers are coming off of another difficult loss where offensive droughts were once again a headline against TCU. LSU has proven to be a very different team in recent weeks without the sum of all its parts and part of that equation is finishing at the rim. 

The latest example came against the Horned Frogs on Saturday where the Tigers shot just 42% on their layup attempts. For comparison, TCU shot 52% on its midrange jumpers which helped pull out the 77-68 win over the Tigers. So in search of answers, Wade went to a consultant who specializes in shooting.

"We went through every finish, went through the balance issues and we're actually working on it right now, guys working on some finishing stuff," Wade said. "He's an expert in shooting, turnovers, footwork and finishing and he gave us some great ideas as it pertains to floaters and touch shots."

Wade wouldn't go into tremendous detail on who this coach was, who's had NBA and college experience for a number of years but the program has used him a couple of times, including this season to help with turnovers. 

LSU is currently ranked No. 199 in the country in field goal percentage, shooting at a team effort of 43.9% on the season. The Tigers have always wanted to be a team that plays inside out and that was working in non-conference play for the most part. The trouble has come when going against big bodied SEC opponents where the team has had a more difficult time finishing around the rim.

LSU shot 50% on its layups against Texas A&M, 53% at Tennessee and 41% at Alabama in recent weeks. Even marginal improvement over the next few weeks would help this offense get into a better rhythm moving forward.

Wade said the balance, spin of the ball and speed at which players are attacking the rim all factor into converting at a better rate. If the Tigers can start to convert at a higher percentage at the rim, it could be a difference maker for this offense that just appears to be stuck in the mud.