Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia Athletics Photo)
Credit Sahvir Wheeler for continuing to acknowledge that he has to shoot better to be a more effective point guard at Kentucky than he was at Georgia last year.
He shot 32 percent from 3-point range as a freshman but that dipped to 22.5 percent last season when he was often forced to take more difficult shots as well as shots when the shot clock was about to expire.
At Kentucky, he knows he will have more scorers on the floor with him than he did at Georgia and he is confident his shooting will pick back up. He said at last week’s UK basketball camp that he thinks 35 percent from 3-point range is a realistic expectation.
“I definitely expect, from 3, to shoot the ball a lot better than I did last year. I’ve put in a lot of time, a lot of reps,” Wheeler said. “The confidence has always been there but fixing some things mechanically. I think I’m going to have a really good year.”
Remember last year when Devin Askew, BJ Boston, and Terrence Clarke struggled mightily to hit 3-point shots most of the season. If Wheeler cannot knock down 3’s, teams are going to back off and let him shoot.
The Georgia transfer says better mechanics are going to help his shooting, too.
“Just having the same set point. I’m releasing the ball from the same spot every time, having consistency,” Wheeler said. “Sometimes I have a tendency to start the ball on my right side.
“It’s kind of hard to have consistency when you’re starting from the right side when I’m left-handed. The ball should be lined up–hip, shoulder, follow-through–that’s the kinda things I’ve been focusing on and I’m seeing immediate results,” Wheeler said.
“I’ve been working hard since our last game, which was Missouri back in March or whatever it was.”
