Georgia Tech Basketball: Did We See Improvement In Marcus Georges-Hunt’s Game?

The undisputed leader of the 2014-15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was leading scorer Marcus Georges-Hunt.

Going into the season, Georgia Tech fans were expecting, if nothing else, for his game to reach another level.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets /

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

At 6-foot-5, 214 pounds, MGH has the size and build of a player that can make a major impact every night for the Jackets.

But did Tech fans actually see the type of improvement this past season that says he’s developing into the kind of player they expect to see?

Obviously that depends on what kind of player you actually expected to see.

One of the things that fans expected was for Georges-Hunt use his size and ability to do damage in the paint off penetration in order to get high percentage buckets and also draw fouls.

That did happen! Georges-Hunt was very good at going strong to the rim for buckets.

Whether he was receiving a pass while he was cutting through the lane, getting to the rim off dribble penetration, or finishing at the rack on the break, his ability to use his body to absorb contact and finish at the basket was superb.

Now, true, there were times he was not completing three-point plays at the free-throw line when it was needed the most but, overall, knocking down 76.3% from the charity stripe on the season was strong and getting the opposition into the penalty helped the Tech cause.

What people will say was still lacking from his game was a solid isolation and off the dribble game.

Jan 28, 2015; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Marcus Georges-Hunt (3) is fouled by Miami Hurricanes forward Omar Sherman (22) during the first half at BankUnited Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Defenders had a pretty good idea that if Marcus Georges-Hunt was putting the ball on the floor it was to penetrate.

If MGH developed a solid mid-range game off the dribble or developed a move where he could back his defender and fade away on them with a jumper, he could really take advantage of his size.

Fans were expecting him to develop some kind of an arsenal where he would punish people in isolation but that did not happen.

Just imagine if defenders had to worry about Marcus Georges-Hunt knocking down a consistent mid-range jumper to go along with his ability to get to the rim. He probably could have averaged more than the 13.6 points per contest he dropped in 2014-15.

His rebounding was spectacular at 5.5 boards per game. No one can complain about him not getting on the glass at all. He was easily one of the best rebounders from the perimeter in the entire ACC.

If there was one thing that might have disappointed people at times it was that many felt he needed to be more assertive about getting his buckets.

But as the season progressed he actually did become more aggressive.