Assessing Lu'Cye Patterson's first six games with Gophers

Has Patterson finally gotten comfortable?

Nov 25, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Lu'Cye Patterson (25) celebrates his three-point basket against the Central Michigan Chippewas during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Lu'Cye Patterson was one of the Gophers' premier additions from the transfer portal this offseason. The Minneapolis native is now six games into his Minnesota career, so what have we learned about the new lead guard?

Ben Johnson and the Gophers staff were forced to replace a lot of talent this offseason, but the most surprising and difficult might've been a late entry into the portal from point guard Elijah Hawkins. They opted to bring Patterson back home to Minnesota after two years at Missouri State and the last two years at Charlotte, adding a veteran ball-handler to their backcourt.

The transition to a Big Ten hasn't necessarily been a smooth one and it has come with its bumps and bruises. Through six games, Patterson is averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on 31/25.9/66.7 shooting splits. That is a steep drop-off in efficiency from his last season at Charlotte.

With Mike Mitchell Jr. sidelined due to injury, Patterson has been forced to generate more offense than what was maybe originally expected, but he seemed to finally find something in Minnesota's win on Monday against Central Michigan. He finished with a season-high 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 40/44.4/75 shooting splits.

"I think the first thing was he had a good week of practice. I think that's where it all starts. When you're trying to get into a rhythm and get it going, it's those habits," Johnson said. "I thought he had a really good week of practice, which builds confidence with everybody, especially yourself and it carried over to the game."

His season-best performance came after his worst in a Gophers uniform. Last week against Cleveland State, he played a season-low 16 minutes and scored only two points on 0-of-5 shooting and he failed to record an assist.

Was Monday's performance against the Chippewas an anomaly or sign of things to come?

"Man, it was good for sure. My coaches and my teammates just keep telling me to go forward and they put that confidence in me," Patterson said after beating Central Michigan. "The struggles that I had shooting early — I know I didn't shoot the best tonight, but some went in. But them continuing to keep telling me to shoot the ball, next shot mentality. That's what has been helping me."

Listed at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Patterson has a unique style of play. He likes to slow the game down and use all 30 seconds on the shot clock. He has played less than two games alongside Mitchell, so their chemistry remains to be seen, but the Gophers' backcourt still has a long way to go if they want to reach the level of play they had last season with Hawkins and Mitchell.