Miami Hurricanes Basketball Player Breakdown: Wooga Poplar
Perhaps the player with the most attention on them for the 2023-24 season for the Miami Hurricanes has to be junior guard Wooga Poplar who many view as the Breakout ACC Player of the Year. After earning a spot in the starting lineup last season, Poplar showed flashes with his shooting touch and high-flying athleticism that he could become a top talent.
2022-23 Season Stats:
8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 47% FG, 37.5% 3PT
Storyline for the Season:
The storyline is as straight forward as it gets, can Poplar become one of the best wings in the ACC this coming season? While he'll be competing for touches with his talented teammates, Poplar has all the tools in his bag to become one of the top players in the conference. It all breaks down to consistency, as showed what he can be in Miami's March matchup against Pitt where he knocked down six threes on high efficiency. On the flip side, Poplar had many games as well where he wasn't able to make a three or be an offensive threat.
On the subject of skill alone, Poplar is what Miami needs this coming season to fill-in for Isaiah Wong. While not the ball-handler Wong was, Poplar makes up for it with elite athleticism and a promising jumpshot. If Poplar does want to become an All-ACC talent, he'll need to be a confident ball handler and shot creator.
Expectations for Next Season:
Becoming a consistent double-digit scorer should be the baseline goal for Poplar, as Coach Jim Larrañaga will need him to take a step up in production. With that jump in scoring production, Poplar needs to maintain his shooting efficiency. At great splits already, Poplar can really solidify himself as a top scoring wing if he's able to hover around those shooting splits next season.
With his athletic tools, Poplar needs to further develop as a two-way player, as Miami struggled at times when Wong was attacked on defensive possessions in seasons past. A handle would be a plus as well, as otherwise Poplar will rely on the playmaking of Nijel Pack and Bensley Joseph to get him looks.
Prediction: With such great talent around him, Poplar doesn't finish with quite an ACC Breakout Player of the Year campaign. However, he'll become a consistent double-digit scorer for Miami and be positioned to be the top player for Miami in the 2024-25 season.
Miami Hurricanes 2023-24 Basketball Schedule
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