Watched Houston’s 86–68 win over California on TV at the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, I liked how Dedan Thomas Jr. got into the lane. The former Liberty High guard out of Las Vegas used his body to keep defenders on his hip and give himself room to get his shot off. Once he got a step, he knew how to keep that advantage. That’s veteran point guard play.
His defense is what made me pay closer attention. He moved well laterally, stayed in front of the ball and disrupted possessions. Both of his first-half steals came in the final four minutes, and he turned each one into a layup. By halftime, he had six points on 3-of-5 shooting, four assists and two steals.
Thomas scored 14 more points on 6-of-10 shooting after halftime and added four more assists. He finished with 20 points, eight assists, two rebounds, two steals and one turnover in 35 minutes. He shot 9-for-15 from the field and made his only three-point attempt and his only free throw. That’s an efficient night for a point guard who was getting his own shots and creating for teammates. CBS Sports box score and play-by-play
Thomas strikes me as a humble young man. Between those lines, you see just how hard he competes. I saw it most clearly in the way he moved his feet on defense and made Cal work to get where it wanted to go.
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Editorial disclaimer. This independent evaluation is based on a television broadcast and reflects the author’s observations.
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