Jaland Lowe has officially finished the season as the LEAST efficient player in the country.

[GaryMcgheeForThree]

So this is something I’ve been monitoring this year, which I personally think (even more than rebounding woes) is the biggest issue with this team, and simultaneously a huge reflection on our lack of coaching prowess.

Jaland Lowe ranks dead last among all D1 basketball players in field goal percentage among the 350 players who qualify.

That’s right, Jaland Lowe is statistically the least efficient player in the entire country who was allowed to shoot enough to qualify. Not just guards. Not just in the ACC. Not just power 5… Jaland Lowe is statistically the worst player in the country at getting a basketball to go through a hoop.

347. Zhuric Phelps, Texas A&M, 37.66%
348. Dominique Daniels, California Baptist, 37.63%
349. Caleb Love, Arizona, 37.58%
350. Jaland Lowe, Pitt, 37.56%

The last time I posted about this in Mid-January, we did in fact get worse, and made zero attempts to change until the literal last regular season game.

I can armchair quarterback all the reasons why I think this happened, but ultimately the fact that we showed almost no tangible willingness to change is mind bogglingly stubborn on both the coaches AND players, and frankly flat-out incompetent.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Big time Xavier Johnson vibes, whereby he flashes and you think you really have something... but do you?

And he only shot 38.8% in 2023-2024, so it's not like this is a big step back overall (obviously it has been from 3).

 

[ECUPittfan]

Well does he stick around? No reason to go to the draft. Someone will still overpay him.
Or does he take a look in the mirror and fix his game and stay here.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Well does he stick around? No reason to go to the draft. Someone will still overpay him.
Or does he take a look in the mirror and fix his game and stay here.

Obviously no draft. I still think he transfers but I think this season cost him about $500K. So I think he'd be reasonably priced enough to keep.

 

[Chairman Moe]

Well does he stick around? No reason to go to the draft. Someone will still overpay him.
Or does he take a look in the mirror and fix his game and stay here.

I've mentioned in a few posts lately that I would not be saddened to see Jaland leave. He is a good kid and plays with a bit of an attitude, but he would have to have a far better complement of players on his team, IMO. Jaland is not big or strong enough to take over a game and doesn't have the raw talent shooting-wise. The evidence of the numbers in the OP is pretty alarming

Speaking of alarming, isn't Caleb Love the dude who originally played @ UNC? If so, was he as inefficient there (UNC) as he was this year @ AZ?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

isn't Caleb Love the dude who originally played @ UNC? If so, was he as inefficient there (UNC) as he was this year @ AZ?

Yes. Love is a terrible player. Addition by subtraction at UNC. He and RJD couldn't play together. Too similar. Hmmmmm.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

From a few "advanced" stats:
- Lowe was third worst on the team in Adjusted Team Defense after Corhen and Cummings (Dunn was the best by a large margin. Like very large. Among players with 450 possessions.)

- Lowe was the worst true shooting % player on the team by a good margin. Here, might as well list them:
1. Jorge .722
2. Corhen .635
3. Austin .600
4. Cummings .585
5. Kante .582
6. Dunn .562
7. Leggett .554
8. Guillermo, Deliac .551
10. Lowe .499

Shooting below 50% in True Shooting (which gives you the bonus percentage for threes and free throws) at a high volume is quite difficult. Lowe has done it twice now. Only Jeffress did it last year too.

I know guys like Lowe who have to shoot "bail out" shots late in the shot clock should be given a little grace, especially when his teammates are standing around, but it really is a pretty bad to shoot 42.2% and 29.8% from two and three. He's at 38.1% for his career, I doubt he will ever become a good shooter.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I've mentioned in a few posts lately that I would not be saddened to see Jaland leave. He is a good kid and plays with a bit of an attitude, but he would have to have a far better complement of players on his team, IMO. Jaland is not big or strong enough to take over a game and doesn't have the raw talent shooting-wise. The evidence of the numbers in the OP is pretty alarming

Speaking of alarming, isn't Caleb Love the dude who originally played @ UNC? If so, was he as inefficient there (UNC) as he was this year @ AZ?

Right, I'm trying to think what he does particularly well. Given all the offseason chatter, I went into the season with the notion that he was one of the better PGs in the country. So that in conjunction with him leading the team in scoring kind of reinforced my belief that he was a really good player.

Then you kind of watch the season unfold and start digging deeper... I mean, is he even an asset? Yeah, he'll get you 16/night... but at what shot volume? And he just gets constantly bullied on the defensive end. I just don't see it, quite honestly. Not in this role anyway. He almost needs to be hidden, as opposed to being the focal point of the offense.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

I do think this general inefficiency might encourage him to say. Why would another team permit him to take so many crap shots

 

[Thee Jackie Treehorn]

Then you kind of watch the season unfold and start digging deeper... I mean, is he even an asset? Yeah, he'll get you 16/night... but at what shot volume?

This season, he was the kind of player I used to mock like 15 years ago (when Pitt excelled in efficiency). He's a high volume, low efficiency scorer who has impressive ppg numbers at a glance but is a paper tiger, a player you're not worried about beating you if you're the opposition.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Doesn’t surprise me to see that stat….he has been a disaster. Lowe’s inefficient play started to manifest itself in December , and when I raised the issue on this board at that time, one boneheaded and former prolific poster on this board assailed me with the contention that he was the best soph in the country and that I was “pining” for a James Robinson style PG. What a joke!

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

80% of this board had him going to the nba 3 months ago lol .

 

[tps48]

Well does he stick around? No reason to go to the draft. Someone will still overpay him.
Or does he take a look in the mirror and fix his game and stay here.

Who cares? With Capel as coach, the team will stink with or without Lowe. Capel is 55-79 in the ACC.

 

[FireballZ]

This season, he was the kind of player I used to mock like 15 years ago (when Pitt excelled in efficiency). He's a high volume, low efficiency scorer who has impressive ppg numbers at a glance but is a paper tiger, a player you're not worried about beating you if you're the opposition.

The inflated stats reminded me of Rosario, I think it was, from the meddling Rutgers teams.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The inflated stats reminded me of Rosario, I think it was, from the meddling Rutgers teams.

Good pull

 

[9782978]

Cut Jaland some slack. He is what and who he is. Capel should never have made him the centerpiece of the team. He’s a good, but def not P4 star quality. Get mad at Capel not Jaland. Jaland is a good kid trying his hardest to lead a below-average P4 team with an average or below average P4 coach and coaching staff. The harsh criticism of Jaland is embarrassing to me as a Pitt alum. Leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. Heather should not have extended Capel through 2030 and Capel should not have bet so many chips on Jaland. Simple as that. Back off on Jaland.

 

[FireballZ]

Cut Jaland some slack. He is what and who he is. Capel should never have made him the centerpiece of the team. He’s a good, but def not P4 star quality. Get mad at Capel not Jaland. Jaland is a good kid trying his hardest to lead a below-average P4 team with an average or below average P4 coach and coaching staff. The harsh criticism of Jaland is embarrassing to me as a Pitt alum. Leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. Heather should not have extended Capel through 2030 and Capel should not have bet so many chips on Jaland. Simple as that. Back off on Jaland.

Yes, sir, Mr. 9782978. Very heartfelt!

Sorry, it's impossible to take a number seriously. Quit living in the metaverse.

​

 

[Thee Jackie Treehorn]

Yes, sir, Mr. 9782978. Very heartfelt!

Sorry, it's impossible to take a number seriously. Quit living in the metaverse.

​

I assumed it was a bot!

 

[FireballZ]

I assumed it was a bot!

I believe it's NTOP and he's simply had a brain implant. All binary code since.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I believe it's NTOP and he's simply had a brain implant. All binary code since.

Wouldn't he have to have a brain before he could get a brain implant?

 

[zookeeper2000]

Crazy that he could have one of the highest FT shooting percentages while having one of the lowest FG shooting percentages.

Edit: He’s #29 in FT according to this page, so I guess he isn’t elite but still pretty decent https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/current/individual/142