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BYU Basketball: Why Nick Emery is just what the doctor ordered for the Cougars

By Shaun Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Nick Emery
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Nick Emery /
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SPOKANE, WA – JANUARY 14: Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives against defender Nick Emery #4 of the BYU Cougars in the first half of the game at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 14, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA – JANUARY 14: Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives against defender Nick Emery #4 of the BYU Cougars in the first half of the game at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 14, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

What Emery Brings

Even if it takes a few weeks for Nick Emery and the team to fully hit their stride with each other, he’ll be able to immediately contribute in some key areas.

He’ll automatically start battling for the spot as top three-point shooter. Right now Zac Seljaas is shooting 37.2% from deep, leading the team. TJ Haws (34%) and Yoeli Childs (33.3%) are the only other Cougars above 30%.

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Emery is a career 37.8% shooter from distance. Even in 2016-17, his “down year,” he shot 37.1% from beyond the arc and averaged 13.1 points per game.

Anything near that output would be a huge boost for the BYU offense. If he’s decent from distance he’ll keep defenses from packing the paint, and the Cougars desperately need another consistent scorer.

But nearly as important is his defense. Emery will immediately become one of BYU’s best perimeter defenders, if not their best. And the Cougars have been killed by dribble penetration and poor three-point defense during their losing streak.

Even if he’s not fully adjusted for a while, he’ll be an upgrade over the players he’ll steal minutes from. Expect to see both McKay Cannon and Rylen Bergersen lose minutes to him.

Rose will likely have a dilemma down the road, whether or not to insert Emery into the starting lineup. It’s almost a guarantee that he’ll come off the bench to start with, and he may be best served as that scoring sixth man throughout the season.

Will his return be enough to turn around the Cougars’ season? Maybe.

But with him on the court there will certainly be improvement.

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