Maryland Basketball: Jaylen Brantley proves to be serviceable backup guard
By Chris Bengel
Jaylen Brantley didn’t play a ton during his first season in College Park.
However, the former junior college guard was an integral member of Maryland’s bench throughout the 2016-17 season.
At the beginning of the season, it was widely known that Anthony Cowan and Melo Trimble were going to anchor the Terrapin backcourt. It was just going to be a question of how comfortable Cowan would be as a ball-handler early on.
Cowan performed extremely well as the team’s point guard, which allowed Trimble to score more off-the-ball than he had during his entire Maryland career.
Coach Mark Turgeon also wasn’t afraid to sit down Cowan because he had a veteran guard sitting on his bench in Brantley.
While his numbers weren’t exactly gaudy, Brantley definitely had his fair share of success at times. The Springfield, Mass. native averaged 4.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.8 minutes-per-game.
Brantley’s playing time double from what he had seen in the previous season. In addition, he played 296 more minutes throughout the course of the season.
He had seven games in which he scored in double figures. The junior guard’s most productive outing was a 14-point (4-of-10) performance against Howard on Dec. 7.
One of the biggest strengths of Brantley’s game is his ability to shoot from beyond the arc.
The Maryland guard shot 38.6 percent from three and averaged 2.5 attempts-per-game. Brantley had nine games in which he connected on multiple shots from long-range.
Brantley is a great spot-up shooter and that’s really been a huge part of his game throughout his Maryland career. In two seasons, he is shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc.
In terms of ball-handling, Brantley didn’t have the offense run through him a ton, especially when Cowan or Trimble was on the floor.
However, Brantley is fearless when driving with the basketball or letting it fly from the perimeter. Despite his 5’11 frame, he plays with reckless abandon whenever he’s on the court.
Brantley may not play a ton, but he certainly fit into his role very well this past season. He often provided a spark off the bench, which was partly due to his ability to shoot the three at a high clip.
With Trimble gone next season, Brantley could be even more productive as a senior. Depending on where freshman Darryl Morsell is offensively, Brantley can definitely continue to grow.
Next: Terps still in the mix for Jemarl Baker