Washington Huskies Basketball: Andrew Andrews 2012-2013 Evaluation
March 14, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Huskies guard Andrew Andrews (12) shoots against Oregon Ducks guard Johnathan Loyd (10) during the second half in the second round of the Pac 12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Oregon defeated Washington 80-77 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Statistics: 7.8 ppg (36%, 27% from three), 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg (1.8 turnovers per game).
What He Did In 2012-2013: Andrews was perhaps the most intriguing player on the team, and certainly one of the most difficult to really evaluate or grade due to his overall lack of consistency. He started off from the very beginning of the nonconference season playing solid on-ball defense while also running the offense with competence. The only problem? His woeful, sub-40% shooting from the field and a fairly common issue with playing out of control, leading to turnovers or ugly shots. Still, he definitely looked the part of a well-rounded guard, even if it hadn’t all come together.
Right around the start of the conference season, he started to flash his greater potential, usually in the form of successful individual games. 17 in a loss to Utah, 15 at Oregon, and most impressive of all, 20 points in the wild home win over Arizona State. But sandwiched between those three performances? 3 points in 23 minutes against Oregon State and 2 points in 24 minutes against rival Arizona. Though it’s undeniable that he improved nearly every facet of his game, including his shooting, as the year went on, he couldn’t be counted on as a reliable source of scoring, and he often recorded as many turnovers as assists, even in the final stretch of games.
What I Expect Of Him In 2013-2014: Andrews is brimming with potential, and given the fact that he will be a redshirt sophomore in ’12-’13, a big step forward will be expected of him. Gaddy and Suggs are both gone, and though several guards, including Nigel Williams-Goss, Darin Johnson, and Jahmel Taylor will be added as freshmen, I’ll be a bit surprised if Andrews doesn’t seize a starting spot, either as point guard or shooting guard.
While his energy, aggressiveness, and overall edge were what set him apart from his often listless teammates in ’12-’13, he will need to learn to better harness those qualities in order to improve his shooting percentage, especially at the rim (lack of control had less to do with his jump-shooting struggles) and in order to cut down on turnovers. The assist to turnover ratio will be especially key if he finds himself running the offense as a one.
I’m sure he will improve in both categories simply as a result of another year’s development, but I’m not as confident that he will suddenly be a complete player, someone that can be relied upon as a go-to scorer in crunch time, or the guy to steady the offense when the game is slipping away. I think he has a great shot of getting there by the time he leaves this university, but I think more realistic expectations for next year are 10-12 points, 4-5 rebounds (he is a terrific rebounder, both offensively and defensively, for his size) and 3 or 4 assists per game. But combined with perimeter defense that became increasingly Overton-esque as the year went on, and that still would make Andrews one of the two or three most valuable contributors on the roster.