Majority of Cowboy Fans Prefer Brandon Averette at Point Guard for OSU

I had no idea what to expect when I put this poll question out earlier in the week. Kendall Smith or Brandon Averette? The former starter or the current one? The transfer or last year’s backup?

The people have spoken, though (so has Shaka Smart, by the way), and Averette is the preference among OSU fans by a 2-to-1 margin. Of the just over 1,000 votes that came in, about 700 of them were in favor of Averette.

Which of these players gives #okstate a better chance to win at point guard?

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) January 16, 2018

I couldn’t have imagined this when the season started, but it makes sense to me now. Smith isn’t bad, but he seems to make poor decisions (long 2-pointers, bad turnovers) at the wrong time.

Averette can’t shoot, and he probably dribbles too much. But he’s elite at getting into the lane and has a nice little running jumper. He’s better on the defensive end, too. I think you can (and need to) play both of them to be successful (though maybe not at the same time as I suggested at the beginning of the year).

The numbers point to Averette, too, especially offensively where Smith has struggled (ORtg is points produced through buckets, free throws and assists per 100 possessions and DRtg is points given up per 100 possessions).

Offense (per 100 possessions)

Defense (per 100 possessions)

It surprises me that Averette is so much better offensively per 100 possessions (although he hasn’t faced as many starters as Smith has). It also surprises me that they’re fairly equivalent on defense.

Here were some of the comments from the poll.

Kyle Stevens: Kendall plays no defense and shoots way too many jumpers and 3’s. He’s not a great shooter. Averette at least bust his ass every second he’s out there. I’ll take that any night.

Blake Goddard: They need both. They need Smith to play at the level he is capable of and be a scorer and facilitator. They need Averette to be a spark plug and bring energy each time he’s on the court and hound opposing PGs. The answer is Smith because he’s a better player.

Chris Baker: Averette’s on the ball defense give him the edge despite Smith being a slightly better offensive player.

Diane Way: I just wish Averette would learn to catch and pivot before putting the ball on the floor… those two offensive fouls (and turnovers) last night were tough to watch… and it’s such a fundamental thing… otherwise, I REALLY like the intensity (and chaos) he brings to the defensive (and lots of times offensive) end of the court…

Cowboydroid: Averette is serviceable, but Boynton doesn’t appear to be helping him improve. Also, getting a little tired of Boynton blaming the players for poor play. At some point, it’s the coaching.

Kyle Miller: Averette is a gamer.. He’s undersized but makes up for it with heart and effort. I’ll take a point guard like that any day of the week.

David: Kendall Smith is better moving the ball on offense, Averette is better on at on ball defense and creating a shot after he holds into the ball too long. I’m indifferent on either but like Averette’s effort a lot.

Forever 14: At some point, we have to face the fact that Kendall Smith is a bust. It’s great that he does one or two good to great things every game or two, but that’s just not enough for a starting point guard. If Averette needs more “coaching up” because they guy figured to start ahead of him hasn’t worked out, then Boynton needs to do that. Averette at least brings the fire. Maybe that will be infectious for the rest of the team.

Tom G.: I looked at the box score after the game. Averette and Smith combined for 1 assist. Split the time, keep them both fresh, and go find a guy who can start next year.