THE EAGLE PREVIEW SERIES: Jordan Chatman

By: Andrew Linnehan

Jordan Chatman #25

SG/SF 6’5” 201 lbs

8.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, .418 FG%, .417 FG3%

What We Know: This man can stroke it.

Even though Ky Bowman led this team in three point percentage a year ago, every single player on this team will tell you Jordan Chatman is the purest shooter on their roster. Chatman, a 24 year old sophomore BYU transfer, had a surprisingly successful rookie campaign for the Eagles last season. Chatman’s role was uncertain heading into the season, but quickly solidified himself into the rotation quickly, eventually earning himself a starting spot by the end of the season.

By being a sensational shooter, Chatman gives this offense so much flexibility beyond the two orthodox scoring options of Bowman and Robinson. If you look at every single championship-winning NBA team since the turn of the century, each team had a player whose role was to be a reliable deep threat. The stars like Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and LeBron James were so much more effective with the support of guys like James Posey, Jason Terry, and Mike Miller on the wings. Having a lethal shooter is critical to an offense in more ways than you may think.

Of course, having a knock down shooter can be a game-changer as they can completely take over a game if they get hot. Last year, Chatman went 13 of 17 from downtown in back-to-back games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest averaging 26 PPG in those two contests. Although BC wasn’t able to come down with a W in either of those games, Chatman made up for poor scoring nights from Bowman and Robinson, keeping the game in striking distance. However, Chatman’s ability to stretch the defense is what will benefit the Eagles the most in this upcoming season. When there is a shooter present on the court, the defense must constantly be cognizant of where they are at all times and hence draw at least one more defender towards the perimeter. Attracting this much attention from the defense is sure to open up opportunities for other players, particularly in opportunities going towards the basket. The defense therefore is forced to make a decision: follow Chatman all over the perimeter while leaving the paint vulnerable, or keep the paint congested and leave Chatman wide open for a three. Neither of these options are ideal, and the Eagles should look to expose these opportunities whenever Chatman is on the court.

What We Want: Movement around the perimeter.

Chatman got many of his shots off by standing in a set spot on the court and benefiting from a Bowman drive-and-kick out to the corner or wing. Bowman does a great job of getting his teammates open by penetrating, drawing their defenders, and finding the open man. However, this is a product of isolation basketball that can only be successful with select individuals in the entire world. While BC does have talented offensive players, utilizing a team-oriented offense versus an individual-oriented offense will certainly be more productive for the Eagles this season. This means quicker passes, more cuts, more backdoor screens, more entry passes followed by a cut, more pass-and-replaces — all things that require significant ball and player movement.

The goal for the Eagles this season regarding Jordan Chatman should be to put him in an offensive role similar to Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Of course, these are big shoes to fill, but hear me out. Klay Thompson is never the primary ball-handler of the Golden State offense. Rather, the Warriors run arguably the smoothest offense in basketball history by utilizing passes, cuts, constant player movement, and a whole lot of skill. They recognize Thompson as the spot-up shooter who is capable of taking over a game with a hot night. Despite having scoring options like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, the Warriors create plenty of opportunities for Thompson to succeed by having him curl from off-ball screens, using him in both roles of the pick-and-roll game, and spotting-up from another player’s drive to the hoop and kick. Thompson will rarely need to dribble, but he will never stop moving on the court to find unique ways to free himself open for a shot.

If BC can truly emphasize an unselfish style of offense by keeping their players active and constantly moving, they are sure to tire out defenses while playing efficient basketball. Chatman is crucial to BC’s offensive success; his movement along the perimeter and across the baseline will keep defenses honest and active for the duration of the game.

What We’ll Learn: If we live or die by the three this year.

“You live and die by the three” -Socrates (I think). Essentially, this is a claim that teams who become too reliant on three pointers as a source of offense are subject to inconsistency due to how your shooters are feeling on a certain night. We saw the Eagles live by three in their first ACC game against Syracuse as they went 16 of 26 (61.5%!) from deep in a convincing 96-81 victory. On the other end of the spectrum, in their next game against Wake Forest, BC went 5 of 30 (16.7%) just two days after punishing Syracuse, in a game where Chatman went just 1 of 7 from three. With the type of shooters BC has on their roster, they could beat anyone on any given night. But with the inconsistency they’ve shown, they could also lose to anyone on any given night as well. The best way to prevent inconsistency while still getting threes off is by enhancing the quality of the looks. Call me a broken record, but constant ball and player movement will be pivotal in separating space for shooters and getting better shots in a better rhythm. Chatman plays a huge role in BC’s offense this year. He’s a player who can get overshadowed because he’s not as flashy as Ky or smooth as Jerome, but the Eagles’ success this year will be very dependent on the significance of Chatman’s contributions.

Next up: Deontae “Teddy” Hawkins