Georgia Tech Basketball 2017-18 player previews: #0 Guard Justin Moore
After playing in 34 of 37 games his true freshman season, Justin Moore is looking to become a bigger piece of Georgia Tech basketball’s offense in 2017-18.
Sophomore Justin Moore enters the 2017-18 season as a candidate for the Jackets starting point guard position after starting in 18 games last season. Entering the 2017-18 season, Moore will be competing with freshman Jose Alvarado, who was the Jackets highest ranking recruit in the 2017 recruiting class.
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In 2016-17, Moore didn’t pose a huge threat offensively to opposing teams with a season-high of just 12 points. His high in ACC play was just 11 points.
In the 34 total games that he appeared in, Moore averaged just 4.4 points per game and just four shots a game. Out of his 137 total shots on the season, Moore made just 59 shots. His 43.1% shooting percentage was better than both Josh Heath and Quinton Stephens who shot 39.6% and 37.5% respectively but still isn’t a tremendous shooting percentage.
Moore like much of the Yellow Jackets struggled from the free throw line making just 52% of his attempts. If Moore hopes to crack the starting five in 2017, he’ll have to make improvements on the charity stripe.
He did have his own troubles when it came to turnovers. His 51 turnovers, however, was the lowest on the team among players returning who started more than 10 games.
Moore’s greatest asset to the Yellow Jackets is the ability to keep the ball flowing in the offense. While he averaged just 2.4 assists per game last season he was able to keep possessions throughout the season alive for the Jackets by making smart passes. If Moore wins the starting job out of the gate this season for the Jackets, his ability to keep the ball moving will be a major reason.
The good news for the Jackets is no matter which they go between Moore and Alvarado, they will have a quality point guard controlling the offense and have a quality point guard coming off the bench.