Texas Basketball: 3 players with concerning recent slumps

2) Concerning recent slumps for Texas basketball

One player that came out of the gates very hot this season for the Longhorns as a key role player, but largely saw his production and efficiency wane of late, is senior power forward/center Royce Hamm. Also getting his first start of the season so far in Texas’ loss to Oklahoma in this week’s rivalry game at home, Hamm could continue to play a significant role for the rest of the season.

In total, Hamm has played in a dozen games so far this season, averaging around 11-12 minutes on the floor per game. And each of his eight starts in his college career to date came in the last season and a half or so.

Throughout his dozen games played so far this season, Hamm has averaged 2.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 0.3 turnovers. He’s shot 53.8 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, and a measly 28.6 percent from the free-throw line.

All of that has amounted to a career-best 3.4 box plus/minus rating, .164 win shares per 40 minutes, 0.5 total win shares, 52.9 true shooting percentage, 117 offensive rating/91 defensive rating, and a 13.9 player efficiency rating. The all-encompassing advanced metrics do clearly paint a mixed picture for Hamm’s production so far this season.

Outside of a decent performance in the loss to Oklahoma, Hamm didn’t do much to contribute for the Longhorn on either end of the floor. He has also fouled out in each of the last two games, which severely limited his playing time against Oklahoma and Kansas State. He needs to find more consistency, and at least not foul out, to find more success for Texas in the near future.