Taking a Deep Look into Tavarius Shine’s Comeback Season in 2018

The preseason storylines surrounding OSU’s basketball team were primarily negative and, at times, overwhelming. Lost amid the FBI scandal, the benching of Jeffrey Carroll and the expulsion of Zach Dawson and Davon Dillard, however, was Tavarius Shine.

Shine’s return to Oklahoma State’s basketball team didn’t so much as glimmer among headlines and seldom was discussed locally. That’s understandable, considering the national magnitude of the aforementioned problems. As the season nears its end, though, people are starting to realize how much they missed Shine’s contributions. And ironically, this season has also served as a reminder of what his absence brings.

Shine, a redshirt junior, played in six games of the 2016-17 season before a lingering back injury ended it. Merely a year after being considered an afterthought, Shine has proven himself as one of OSU’s most valuable players. Depending on how much you value defense, there’s a strong case that Shine is the Cowboys’ most impactful weapon. This was most evident early in the season, and one game in particular sticks out.

Iowa State’s Donovan Jackson was lighting up the Cowboys from beyond the arc on January 6. He abused OSU, going 8-for-12 on his way to 30 points. At some point in the second half, Shine switched onto Jackson.

Jackson, at least in that game, didn’t play like he was confident with his handle. Almost all of his points were on catch-and-shoot 3s, and he didn’t have to work that hard to get open.

It wasn’t so easy when Shine was draped all over him, relentlessly fighting through screens while denying Jackson the ball. Taking away that scoring option saved a lot of points and allowed OSU to force overtime before eventually securing the victory.

Shine’s defense is what differentiates himself from the rest of Mike Boynton’s squad. Not to take anything away from guys like Carroll, Brandon Averette and Mitchell Solomon; Shine is one of OSU’s most well-rounded player (if not the most) on the court, almost always.

The most impressive thing about this season, to me, is the fact that it came after back surgery. That’s an area of your body that’s utilized with nearly every movement. It’s not like a sprained ankle or a wrist injury (which caused him to miss time this season). That’s something that makes everything difficult.

It’s one thing to return after an injury and be the same player you were before. It’s another thing to be even better. Take a look.

This season, Shine is averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He’s shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. All of those are career-highs.

Yes, he’s also receiving more minutes than ever before, but let’s just scale up his minutes from those other seasons to display how he has taken advantage of every minute this year. Here’s a look at his production per 40 minutes played. These are hypothetically the numbers he’d produce if he played an entire game (fatigue obviously isn’t taken into consideration here).

Statistically speaking, Shine provided the same level of production during his first three seasons. His scoring in particular is nearly replicated three years in a row until this season. He’s averaging nearly six more points per 40 minutes than any other season in his career. He is taking more shots, but he’s also shooting a higher percentage than he has in the past. He has clearly gotten better.

The Cowboys have benefitted when Shine is on the court, and they have suffered without him, going 1-4 when he doesn’t play. OSU gives up 75.4 points per game when he’s inactive, but that number drops to 71.3 when he plays at least 25 minutes.

With Kendall Smith, Jeffrey Carroll and Mitchell Solomon departing after this season, Shine’s role will increase for the second year in a row. He’ll be the most experienced player on the team. If he can stay healthy for a full season, his presence will be a substantial boost not only on the court, but also in the locker room.