Jordan Price is having a great season for the La Salle Explorers. The 6’5″ junior out of Decatur, Georgia is averaging 22.7 points per game and carrying the struggling Explorers on his back. Though La Salle has lost its last seven games, Price is doing just about everything he can to get his team a win. In their most recent 61-66 loss to Fordham, the Explorers were led by Jordan Price with 21 points and 9 rebounds on the night. Though he led his team in points and was the second leading rebounder, he missed some key shots and turned the ball over down the stretch. La Salle was unable to hold on against Fordham; it’s opened conference play with an 0-2 record.
After watching La Salle struggle its way out to a 4-8 record, it’s easy to say that Jordan Price is not the problem. With his ability to put the ball in the basket, there’s no doubt that he’s a bright spot on an underwhelming Explorers team. According to Kenpom, Jordan Price is being used on 31.7% of the Explorers’ possessions, ranking 19th nationally. In addition, he takes 32.9% of the team’s shots, ranking 24th. The only player in the Atlantic 10 who’s used in more possessions is Davidson’s Jack Gibbs (33.0%). Needless to say, he’s depended on for a lot of this team’s offense.
Even with his ability to score readily for the Explorers, Jordan Price has some setbacks as well. For one, the junior is leading his team in turnovers per game at 3.2 while only averaging 2.8 assists per game. Effectively, he’s been giving the ball up more often than setting his teammates up with buckets. In addition, he’s only making 68.4% of his free throw attempts. The Explorers have struggled immensely in that category, and his shooting hasn’t helped.
At some point, La Salle needs to start getting Jordan Price to become a better play maker. He’s really good at scoring the basketball; we know that. His next step is getting other teammates involved more frequently so that the Explorers don’t live or die by his shooting. When Price can’t find the bottom of the net, it would be encouraging for La Salle to know that he can readily distribute and set his teammates up with good looks.
In addition to Price needing to become a better passer and play maker, his teammates need to help him out as well. They need to get more involved in both ends of the floor. The Explorers are only using 4 players on 16% or more of their possessions. That means a significant portion of its roster is playing a limited roll on the court. One player that can really start to get more involved is Tony Washington. The sophomore is only involved in 13.9% of La Salle’s possessions, but he’s been averaging 10.5 points over the last two games for the Explorers.
Jordan Price is good, but he can’t do it all. Despite staggering statistics in regards to possession involved in and shots taken, Price’s offensive efficiency is just so-so according to Kenpom. A lot of this has to do with the need to get other players involved. If the junior wants to take the next step in helping this team improve, he needs to learn to be a passer in addition to being a scorer. As far as the rest of this team goes, take more shots and even out the contribution percentages. This could really help La Salle play the “team basketball” it needs to compete in the A10.
