Bucky McMillan asks his guards to play with pace, shoot the three, and play aggressive defense: the calling cards of Tyshawn Archie’s game. He might not be Texas A&M’s biggest transfer portal grab off of name value, but there is perhaps no better fit than Archie in Aggieland.
After spending his first two seasons at Tulsa, where he played alongside future Aggie PJ Haggerty, Archie transferred to McNeese State for his junior season. He averaged 14.3 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals a night, earning All-Southland first team and All-Southland Tournament honors for his breakthrough season.
He also finished near the top of the conference in quite a few stats and metrics, placing first in BPM, second in steals, third in win shares per minute, fifth in usage rate, eighth in effective field goal percentage, and ninth in points and assist rate. He dominated the Southland Conference, but how will Archie fit into an SEC team with big postseason dreams?
Archie is the prototypical Bucky Ball guard, excelling as a shooter, passer, and energy defender. He shot 36.9% from three on over five attempts a game and 90.0% from the charity stripe, ranking among the top 40 FT shooters in the nation. Archie elevated his game against top-100 competition last season, shooting a whopping 41.5% from deep. He is capable as both a spot-up and off-dribble shooter, splitting his touches between the two categories evenly.
One area of concern in Archie’s offensive profile is his weak rim scoring, particularly against high-caliber competition. He shot just 51.8% at the rack, well below average (20th percentile), and that rate dropped to an abysmal 42.2% against top-100 competition (3rd percentile). There is reason to believe this can improve naturally, as Archie was shouldering a massive offensive load for the Cowboys, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be an elite threat driving downhill for the Aggies.
While Archie may not be able to consistently finish over length, he can do everything else Coach McMillan asks of him. He is a willing and able passer, he pushes the ball in transition, and his 3.9% steal rate ranks among the top 60 qualifying guards in the nation.
Archie will lead the Aggies’ bench backcourt with stars PJ Haggerty and Bryson Warren taking the starting role. While he has some shot-creating chops, the team would be better off with Archie taking a back seat to Haggerty and Warren in the scoring department, focusing instead on his passing, defense, transition game, and spacing to make an impact.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: McNeese transfer is the perfect guard for Texas A&M’s ‘Bucky Ball’
Reporting by Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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