There’s a look of determination and confidence in LeJuan Watts’ eyes as of late.
Entering the year as the preseason Big 12 newcomer of the year, Watts joined the Texas Tech basketball team expecting to take on a big role left by the departure of Darrion Williams. Stands to reason, considering Watts and Williams have similar builds and put up identical numbers during the 2024-25 campaign, Watts doing his damage while at Washington State.
From the start, Grant McCasland knew Watts was going to be important, but he had certain traits that needed to be reined in. Turnovers and a lack of defensive awareness were first, then came Watts finding his rhythm as the No. 3 option behind JT Toppin and Christian Anderson.
Conference play was a bit of a roller coaster for Watts. It started strong with a 19-point, 9-rebound effort in the opener against Oklahoma State, but as the competition heated up, Watt’s impact was hit-and-miss.
In Texas Tech’s first 13 conference games, Watts reached double figures just three times, a stretch that included four-straight games scoring under 10 points. His shooting numbers plummeted and old habits returned on both ends of the floor.
When Toppin went down with his season-ending injury, Watts became the first player Red Raider fans pointed to as someone who needed to step up. In the two games since, Watts has answered that call, and looks like a new man in doing so.
Watts has averaged 16 points on on 10-of-18 shooting in wins over Kansas State and Cincinnati. His stats, though, tell only part of the story, one that predates Toppin’s injury, about the growth factor McCasland has been looking for since the summer.
“It’s been gradual up to this point,” McCasland said after the 80-68 win over Cincinnati, “but I think he’s an anchor on us where before was kind of the third option. Now I feel like he’s one-two, and I’ve really squeezed him, to be honest. I’ve challenged him not from a scheme standpoint, but from an individual development standpoint to really fight to get on balance, to shoot on balance shots.”
By nature, Watts is a fun-loving guy, always the first to dap up a teammate after a good play with a cheesy grin on his face. That bleeds into his play style, which can appear erratic and out of control. McCasland said Watt’s shortcomings on offense have come from his feet being too close together on shot attempts, leading to missed layups and some of the turnovers that have plagued him to this point.
“If you know LeJuan, he’s artistic,” McCasland said. “He’s fun. He’s talkative. He’s joyous. And he plays kind of like. … he wants to play and I’m like, dude, do not play that way when you have that ball. Play that way in the way you communicate, but be more simple and solid and tight and physical. …”
McCasland noted Watts’ 6-foot-6 frame, which allows him to move well in the post with his head-fake to get opponents in the air and finish against bigger defenders in the paint, is a big factor to what Texas Tech can do in this new faster offense.
Watts knows how important he is to the Red Raiders, especially now without the Big 12 player of the year favorite on the floor. He’s taken that in stride, showing a determination the last two games Texas Tech has sought from the beginning. The pressure is simply more amplified as the calendar moves to March.
“JT being out, now everyone has to step up,” Watts said. “I think that I had to take a bigger role in the offense now. That’s 20 points in a game, 10 rebounds (gone), so I mean just stepping up, and been working on my feet, work with hopping into my hook shots. Just working mixed with stepping up for the team.”
McCasland’s always known Watts had the capability to be a leading man, he just hasn’t had to. Now there’s more pressure on Watts to contribute, and that doesn’t always mean scoring more points. Decision making is perhaps the biggest area, but the Texas Tech coach knows Watts is up for the challenge.
“I think because of the circumstances we’re under, I’ve squeezed it really tight,” McCasland said. “But to his credit, he shows up every day with a smile and he says, ‘Coach me and lets figure out a way to be better.’ He’s really been big for our team the last couple games and he will be moving forward.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball’s LeJuan Watts stepping up when Red Raiders need him most
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
