Way back on Dec. 9, UNLV trailed by one point in the final seconds against Loyola Marymount. Freshman point guard D.J. Thomas drove to the free-throw line, rose up for a go-ahead floater — and missed. UNLV lost, 78-75.
A week later against Saint Mary’s, the score was tied at the end of double overtime when Thomas drove and missed a baseline fadeaway with eight seconds left. The Gaels got the rebound, broke the other way and scored in transition to hand UNLV a 69-67 loss at the buzzer.
Those misses, coming in high stakes moments, could have rattled Thomas. Instead he has persevered, and now UNLV has a true go-to guy at the end of games.
In each of UNLV’s two most recent victories — road wins at New Mexico and Fresno State — it has been Thomas leading the way in the final minutes, taking and making big shots to propel the Scarlet and Gray to a five-game winning streak.
Head coach Kevin Kruger said the late-game heroics are a part of Thomas’ natural progression, and praised the youngster for having the guts to attempt the biggest shots.
“You’re not going to make big shots if you don’t take big shots,” Kruger said. “The confidence early in the year to take them is, I think is without question paying off at this point.”
Against New Mexico, Thomas scored six points in the last five minutes to guide his squad to an impressive 80-77 win.
At Fresno State on Wednesday, it was Thomas who put the ball on the floor and hit a short jumper to extend UNLV’s lead to 66-63 with two minutes to play. That was UNLV’s final field goal and provided what were ultimately the winning points.
It’s a lot to ask of a freshman, but Thomas’ preternatural feel for the game makes him an obvious choice for high-leverage shots.
“He’s our primary ballhandler,” Kruger said. “At the end of the game, when it comes to handling the ball, decision-making, we’re going to put the ball in his hands and trust that good things happen.”
Thomas is UNLV’s leading scorer at 12.4 points per game, and he’s also the top playmaker, with an average of 5.9 assists.
What really makes Thomas an ideal option at the end of games is his ability to score from all three levels. According to Hoop-Math.com, he is shooting 55.4% on attempts around the rim, and a crisp 43.8% from the midrange area, which is where defenses tend to funnel potential game-winning attempts. No other UNLV player is shooting better than 27% from midrange.
When UNLV needs a bucket and opponents clamp down, Kruger wants some assurance that his squad will be able to manufacture a quality shot. The best way to do that, he said, is to trust Thomas to get to his spots and create an open look.
“The physicality on the ball gets ramped up,” Kruger said of late-game situations. “It gets harder to attack. It gets harder to make shots. Not giving into that and knowing we’re going to get good shots, you almost take for granted because he does it so well.
“You’re confident you’re he’s going to get in the paint and make good plays.”
Now that Thomas is converting those shots, UNLV looks like an entirely new team — a winning team.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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