Rutgers basketball: Shooting, backcourt injury update, and more takeaways from practice

PISCATAWAY -- In search of improved shooting, the Rutgers men's basketball team will aim to utilize its size and better spacing in the backcourt this upcoming season. That was a big theme during Wednesday's summer workout.

With the height and athleticism the Scarlet Knights possess at the guard and forward positions, spacing seems to be a point of emphasis in their half-court offense. The speed of sophomore Jamichael Davis starting plays from the wing so guys such as 6-foot-10 Ace Bailey and 6-foot-4 Jeremiah Williams can come off screens and play downhill looks like something they may go to. Postgrads Zach Martini and P.J. Hayes appear to be shooters with a nose for scoring.

This is without the likes of injured guards Dylan Harper and Tyson Acuff.

Playing downhill and opening up space may allow showtime finishes from Bailey, Harper and Acuff around the rim as they drive through open lanes.

Bigs such as Emmanuel Ogbole and Lathan Sommerville, both listed at 6-foot-10, are finding their way in the offense as well. Setting screens before rolling, sealing off defenders, and opportunities for second-chance points looked to be what their role in the offense is so far.

On the other side, shooting did appear to be a struggle for some guards and bigs during drills and halfcourt sets. With multiple players from last year that shot under 30%, there were a lot of drills that involved more midrange and deep shooting.

"Mostly shooting. Shooting, shooting, shooting. I think that's kind of been a big gray area in my game and I just kind of want to make more shots," said Williams when asked what he worked on this offseason (he shot 20.8% from deep last season).

Here's four other takeaways from practice that was open to the media:

Injury update on Harper and Acuff

Acuff, who was the eighth leading scorer in the country last year at Eastern Michigan, was out of practice on a knee scooter, recovering from a broken foot. Pikiell said he's not worried about his 6-4 guard.

Harper was in practice clothes but didn't participate in practice. He had a workout before practice and "looks great" according to his head coach, with no signs of swelling. He underwent an elective procedure on his right knee last month and was seen Wednesday on the court in high spirits talking with coaches.

"When the doctors clear him, they'll clear him," Pikiell said.

Free throw competition at the end

Towards the end of practice everyone was set off into teams of three to shoot free throws. There were three players left that participated in a shoot out from the charity stripe: Davis, Hayes, and Martini. After a couple of rounds it was Hayes who ended up winning the competition and was celebrated by teammates as he walked away with a finger over his mouth to a signal for the invisible doubters. Last year at San Diego State he was second on the team in free throws with 79.1%. He also shot shot 39.7% from behind the arc.

Jamichael Davis gets more reps and shows improvement

The 6-foot-2 sophomore has gotten more reps at the point with Harper out. Rutgers ran some plays from the sideline, and other plays from the baseline, and if there wasn't a direct entry pass to a big, Davis was the primary ball handler to start plays. Last season he shot 22% from deep, with an average of 3.1 assists a game, though their back court has more depth, expect those numbers to rise. Davis was hitting shots at a consistent clip from all levels in shooting drills. He also faired well in free throw shooting. With the injury to some expected starters, it's been Davis' time to shine, and he has.

"You always have to look at these things, these are the obstacles, everyone is going to be hurt, sick, thankfully we're doing it now in July," said Pikiell. "The more reps they get the better."

Proud Rutgers moment for an alumni

Former Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr. signed an Exhibit 10 contract Sunday with the Celtics, according to Jared Weiss from The Athletic. Last season, he played in 10 games with the Toronto Raptors before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

"I'm excited, I'm a Celtics fan so I was excited about that," Pikiell said. "I think he's a good fit too for them. He's versatile, they switch one through four, he can really shoot the ball, they space him. Ron was working really hard, too, here; he's in great shape. It's tough when you have a surgery like that, you're getting back into it."