Tylor Perry can learn from former K-State guards as he looks to do more with Cats
If you only watched the second half of Kansas State’s past two games then you might think Tylor Perry is on such a hot streak that flames will emit from his hands the next time he dribbles a basketball.
His late-game stats have been so good recently that they look like they belong in a video game.
Perry broke through with five 3-pointers and 19 points during the second half at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Before that, he drained two 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the second half of K-State’s last home game against Oklahoma.
So why did the Wildcats lose both of those games? And why did their starting point guard walk away from each contest feeling like he could have done more to help his team?
Problem is, Perry has not been the same player at the start of games. He has been the ultimate example of a Jekyll & Hyde scorer, going from zero in the first half to hero in the second half.
His first half stats against Oklahoma State: No points on six shots in 18 minutes of action. Before that, he only mustered five points in 19 minutes against Oklahoma.
What gives?
K-State coach Jerome Tang and his staff have been working all season to try and get complete games from Perry, but little has worked. Even when he turns in quality stat lines, they are often skewed by just one half of productive basketball.
There are several reasons to explain why that might be happening.
For starters, Perry is playing a different role on this team than he grew accustomed to during his previous two seasons at North Texas. Last year, he averaged 17.3 points and made 41.3% of his 3-pointers while helping the Mean Green as a combo guard. He used ball screens to get open in a slow-paced offense and shared point duties with other players.
But the ball is usually in his hands now that he is running the offense for K-State, and his numbers have dropped to 14.6 points per game and 32.1% from 3-point range.
Looking to facilitate and get other teammates involved has undoubtedly made it harder for him to score consistently. But he is still more than capable of scoring in bunches.
And when he puts it all together he can turn in games like he did earlier this season against UCF when he made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points as K-State won 77-52.
Time is running out for both Perry and the Wildcats as they look to play their best. K-State has lost four straight games and is now on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble with rival Kansas coming to Bramlage Coliseum on Monday.
Tang’s team needs to start winning quickly if it is going to save its season.
Getting 40 solid minutes from Perry would help tremendously.
Perhaps he could look into the recent past for some motivation. Jacob Pullen and Markquis Nowell are two of the best K-State guards in recent memory, and they closed out their college careers playing as aggressively as they possibly could.
Nowell was famous for launching the occasional shot from midcourt logos. They didn’t always go in, but he always had enough confidence to attempt them and that attitude rubbed off on his teammates. Perhaps it is time for Perry to start firing away from beyond the arc, even if means not running sets on a few possessions.
The Wildcats are 2-0 when he makes six or more 3-pointers and they are 4-4 when he attempts more than 10 outside shots.
Pullen also found himself struggling a bit when he was a senior in 2011. Back then, he was unsure if he should look to score first or be a facilitator. But when KU came to town for a late-season game he was no longer confused and scored 38 points in an 84-68 victory that ignited a six-game winning streak for the Wildcats.
We have seen Perry play that well lately, too, just not for the entirety of a game. One way or another, K-State needs that to change.
This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Tylor Perry can learn from former K-State guards as he looks to do more with Cats."