UCLA basketball: 5 questions the UCLA Bruins must answer in 2020
No. 3. Will Tyger Campbell roar even louder as a sophomore?
The name of Tyger Campbell’s game has always been dropping dimes. Getting his teammates involved in the flow of the offense has been his best asset. He came to UCLA basketball by way of La Lumiere High School (Ind.). He finished his senior year averaging 16 points and seven assists per game. He also shot 42 percent from the perimeter. As a four-star recruit in the 2018 class, he was the 91st best player nationally, 13th best point guard, and second-best player in Indiana.
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In his freshman season with UCLA, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound point guard saw his season end due to an ACL tear that happened in October before it began. Last season, he made up for that. He averaged eight points, five assists, and two rebounds. While that doesn’t seem like an impressive stat line, he led the team in assists (third in NCAA), he led the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio with a 2.79 (second in NCAA among all freshmen) and earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in mid-February.
Campbell reminds me of former Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andres Feliz. Both of them are small guards, shifty, they attack the basket well and they pass the ball really well also. Where some may say Campbell’s size is a detriment to his game, It’s actually a strength. He’s able to get into the paint with ease and either uses that dangerously accurate floater of his or find an open teammate in the paint area.
As a redshirt sophomore, I expect his point and assist numbers to improve. He had an impressive season coming off of injury. One would hope for the Bruins’ sake that he pairs well with Johnny Juzang and they become the best backcourt in the Pac-12 next season. Campbell will roar much louder for this team and if anything, he needs to put on more muscle to be able to withstand the contact of opposing defenses. I think he has the potential to be an All-Pac-12 player. If he doesn’t earn a nod on one of the Pac-12 team’s he can at least earn an honorable mention or Most Improved Player honor.