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Julian Hammond III is picking up where he left off.
A stellar finish to the 2022-23 season, Hammond is off to a fast start to his junior season. Although it has been just two games for the Colorado men’s basketball team — solid home victories against Towson and Grambling State — Hammond has been serving notice that maybe his late run last spring is the new normal.
It’s hot streak the guard from Denver hopes to continue when the Buffs host Milwaukee on Tuesday night (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
“Julian Hammond, to me, is the consummate sixth man,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “He brings so much to this team. To me, he’s a sixth starter. I’d be comfortable with starting Julian any night of the week. But I think he really has embraced that sixth man role. And he’s really good at it. He comes in and gives us a punch off the bench.”
While KJ Simpson was sidelined down the stretch last season, Hammond assumed a bigger role and thrived.
Hammond finished last season with a 6.9 scoring average while shooting .333 from 3-point range. During the final five games, however, Hammond went 5-for-13 from the arc (.385) while averaging 13.2 points. Hammond also posted an assist-to-turnover rate of 2.50 after previously owning a 1.02 mark. During that run Hammond posted career-highs for points (21 against Washington in the Pac-12 tournament) and assists (six against UCLA in the Pac-12 tourney).
It has been more of the same so far this season. Hammond went 3-for-6 with seven points and four assists in the opener against Towson before matching a career-high with four 3-pointers against Grambling State, eventually finishing with 14 points and six assists.
In two games, Hammond has collected 10 assists against only three turnovers while going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers. While Hammond showed he can be effective as a starter, with Simpson healthy Hammond is likely to remain in a premier bench role.
“There’s always been a philosophy that I’ve adhered to that you don’t always want to start your five best players. Because you want to substitute strength,” Boyle said. “I think Julian gives us that.”
The early returns on the revamped five-out approach on offense have been encouraging so far for the Buffs. CU has averaged 85 points through the first two games while amassing 49 assists in back-to-back games for the first time in 21 years. After an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range in the first half against Towson, the Buffs have gone 18-for-33 (.545) from the arc.
“It’s a lot more away screens, and setting screens off the ball,” Hammond said about the new offensive approach during the preseason. “Playing out of down screens, away screens and all that. It’s different for sure. We have a lot of guys who can play a lot of different positions. It’s really position-less, and we can all attack off the dribble, so we get these gaps. Once you get past your guy, you’re in there, and you just make a play from there.”
Pat Rooney
Continue reading...
A stellar finish to the 2022-23 season, Hammond is off to a fast start to his junior season. Although it has been just two games for the Colorado men’s basketball team — solid home victories against Towson and Grambling State — Hammond has been serving notice that maybe his late run last spring is the new normal.
It’s hot streak the guard from Denver hopes to continue when the Buffs host Milwaukee on Tuesday night (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
“Julian Hammond, to me, is the consummate sixth man,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “He brings so much to this team. To me, he’s a sixth starter. I’d be comfortable with starting Julian any night of the week. But I think he really has embraced that sixth man role. And he’s really good at it. He comes in and gives us a punch off the bench.”
While KJ Simpson was sidelined down the stretch last season, Hammond assumed a bigger role and thrived.
Hammond finished last season with a 6.9 scoring average while shooting .333 from 3-point range. During the final five games, however, Hammond went 5-for-13 from the arc (.385) while averaging 13.2 points. Hammond also posted an assist-to-turnover rate of 2.50 after previously owning a 1.02 mark. During that run Hammond posted career-highs for points (21 against Washington in the Pac-12 tournament) and assists (six against UCLA in the Pac-12 tourney).
It has been more of the same so far this season. Hammond went 3-for-6 with seven points and four assists in the opener against Towson before matching a career-high with four 3-pointers against Grambling State, eventually finishing with 14 points and six assists.
In two games, Hammond has collected 10 assists against only three turnovers while going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers. While Hammond showed he can be effective as a starter, with Simpson healthy Hammond is likely to remain in a premier bench role.
“There’s always been a philosophy that I’ve adhered to that you don’t always want to start your five best players. Because you want to substitute strength,” Boyle said. “I think Julian gives us that.”
The early returns on the revamped five-out approach on offense have been encouraging so far for the Buffs. CU has averaged 85 points through the first two games while amassing 49 assists in back-to-back games for the first time in 21 years. After an 0-for-7 start from 3-point range in the first half against Towson, the Buffs have gone 18-for-33 (.545) from the arc.
“It’s a lot more away screens, and setting screens off the ball,” Hammond said about the new offensive approach during the preseason. “Playing out of down screens, away screens and all that. It’s different for sure. We have a lot of guys who can play a lot of different positions. It’s really position-less, and we can all attack off the dribble, so we get these gaps. Once you get past your guy, you’re in there, and you just make a play from there.”
Pat Rooney
Continue reading...