Texas Basketball: 3 best shooters for the Longhorns for 2023-24 season
Chendall Weaver, G
The best three-point shooter that Terry and the Longhorns staff added via the transfer portal this offseason is the former UT-Arlington Mavericks freshman guard Chendall Weaver. The reigning WAC Rookie of the Year was a proficient shooter from the mid-range and deep for the Mavericks last season.
Weaver has a solid fundamental shooting stroke that translates to efficient floor spacing from multiple levels of the floor in the offensive halfcourt.
According to Sports Reference, Weaver was one of just over a dozen freshman guards and wings in college hoops to shoot at least 40 percent from deep while making at least 30 three-point field goals.
Where Weaver was really proficient last season was his corner three-point shooting. Weaver ranked in the 82nd percentile among Division I guards in corner three-point shooting last season, hitting those looks at an impressive clip of 47.4 percent.
He was also an excellent contested shot-maker in catch-and-shoot situations at UT-Arlington last season. Weaver shot 48 percent from deep on guarded catch-and-shoot three-point attempts, good for fourth in the WAC during the 2022-23 campaign (per Synergy).
Weaver is a threat that opponents will have to respect from deep, especially when he’s posting up from the corners. But you can’t forget about his ability to stroke it from mid-range and get to the rim. Weaver is excellent at hitting those mid-range baseline jumpers, a staple of his game when he doesn’t like his look from beyond the arc.
The only area where Weaver needs to improve his shooting efficiency is from the charity stripe. While Weaver shot better than 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc last season at UT-Arlington, he was barely over 70 percent from the free-throw line.
A shooter as good as Weaver needs to be shooting at least 80 percent from the free-throw line, especially given his ability to get to the stripe. Weaver is adept at fighting through contact and getting to the line, evident by his impressive .447 free-throw attempt rate during his true freshman campaign.
That is a point of emphasis for him to improve in workouts this offseason at Texas.
Weaver will also be counted on to add some floor spacing for the Longhorns’ backcourt unit coming off the bench. Having a 40 percent or better three-point shooter coming off the bench is a huge benefit to a guy like true freshman combo guard Chris Johnson, who could use a solid supporting cast given that he’ll be a raw primary ball-handler playing in the Big 12 game in and game out.