First, a tip of the hat to Open Look Analytics (Openlookanalytics.com and @OLAnalytics on Twitter) for their great data which was used for this article. College programs should be subscribing to their services.
From 2014 through 2017, how many adidas Uprising players have posted an Offensive Rating (“ORtg”) of more than 125, a usage rate of more than 25% and played at least 200 minutes? The answer is two.
In 2016, 2018 Romeo Langford had an ORtg of 126.4 and a usage of 27.0%. Langford is currently ranked as the sixth best prospect in the 2018 class by Rivals, 24/7, ESPN and Scout.
The other player is 2018 Marquette commit Joey Hauser. Joey’s ORtg this year was 127.7 and his usage was 29.1%.
It’s important to understand how a player got to their ORtg and usage. In Hauser’s case, his eFG% of 57.7% isn’t earth shattering, but includes good indicators for the future.
His 3FG% of 46.3% was excellent, but only 32% of his field goal attempts were from deep. Scoring a variety of different ways, his 2FG% was a solid 52.2%.
Driving up the ORtg was Joey’s ability to get to the free throw line. His impressive free throw rate of 56.8% was complemented by making more than 90% of his attempts.
One thing that can derail an ORtg is the turnover. Joey’s turnover rate of 12.0% was very respectable. As the notes below on him and his brother Sam from more than two years ago indicate, the Hauser brothers have played under control for years and that remains true today. As a freshman, Sam Hauser led Marquette in minutes played and had a turnover rate of just 10.8%.
We continue to believe that Joey’s transition to college should be easier for him than the average freshman. Having viewed Joey multiple times over multiple years, the statistical output from him is not surprising. The question isn’t whether or not he’ll be good at Marquette. The question is “how good?”
2015 Notes: “Joey’s comp would be Henry… he’s not where Henry was at this stage, but some similarities in what they can do at their size (at a high-level)… Joey has a couple inches on Sam and is well built. Still, his upper body isn’t where it’ll eventually be and as he gains strength it’s only going to make him more of a menace.
He can work on the block, he can pop out and knock down the three and he can run the floor and finish quite well. Both he and Sam defend all sorts of players, including small guards… and do so with success. I had Sam at a ~40-70 type range… I could see Joey a bit better.. maybe 25-45ish.. if he works on his strength and just keeps improving though, there is a very high upside for him.
Like Sam, Joey can pass the ball as well. Some well-delivered dishes cross-court.
What might stand out most about both of them is their calmness and confidence on the court. They both look incredibly comfortable. Both do make highlight-reel plays, but even with those there is a unique smoothness and confidence. Under-control. Relative to what many freshmen go through, their transition to D-I basketball may be a little easier for them because of their make-up.”
Other Notes:
If you knock down the ORtg criteria to better than 124, 2019 Matthew Hurt of D1 Minnesota joins the group (124.7; 29.6%).
2018 Zion Williamson just missed the cut as well, with an ORtg of 125.1 and usage of 24.3%.