BYU basketball: Rating the Cougars NBA Jam style

TJ Haws

After a successful debut in the Princeton game, Haws struggled a little to find himself at the D1 level. But as the games wore on and he got a feel for competition, he has steadily improved for BYU basketball. If L.J. is the solid, workman-like point guard, TJ is the flashy, head-spinning, jaw-dropping kind that thinks the no-look pass is the standard approach.

Haws just doesn’t feel himself if he doesn’t do at least one move like a behind-the-back crossover, spin, leap, and then curl a pass somewhere per game. He also has shown flashes of killer offense, with jab-step three’s and mid-range fade-aways. With a good floater or two, he can be really dangerous once he gets more steady, especially from deep.

Unfortunately, he seems to be most dangerous when he’s got the ball in his hands. This is unfortunate because L.J. is starting at point, and Eric Mika is demanding a lot of ball time. As head coach Dave Rose tweaks the chemistry further as the season goes on, perhaps the mystery of how to best use TJ to his full potential will be unraveled as well.