One of the big keys to success coming into the season for Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers was whether or not junior guard Cameron Wright could handle the increased role as a starter.
After averaging only 3.3 points per game off the Panthers bench during the first two years of his career, Wright has done his best to answer any questions about whether or not he was up to the challenge as the Panthers are off to a 7-0 start to the season.
Coming off the best game of his career in which Wright scored a career-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, he is averaging an impressive 11.4 points per game on the season while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor.
Wright has been so impressive this season that Dixon has sung his praises often.
“He’s played as well as anybody on our team,” Dixon said. “He’s played really well. He gives us rebounding, he gives us shot-making ability, he gets lay-ups – and that’s an added thing – and he’s been rebounding at a pretty good rate too.”
Wright has always been a very good defensive guard and paired with James Robinson in the Pitt backcourt they give the Panthers a pair of potentially dominant guards at the defensive end of the floor.
However Wright’s improvement offensively could be the key to the Panthers season.
“My confidence level has gone up a lot,” Wright said. “My teammates set me up on offense. I am also in better shape and that’s the biggest thing that coach emphasizes. He said I have improved.”
One thing that makes Wright very valuable to this current Pitt team is his versatility.
Like most of Dixon’s players through the years, Wright is extremely unselfish. He also brings value in the fact that he can guard either guard sport defensively and while the Panthers are set at the point with Robinson and Josh Newkirk, Wright could play the lead guard spot as well if needed as he is a tremendous ball handler.
“I saw him play off-guard in high school when they didn’t have many big guys on their team, so yes, it is versatility,” added Dixon. “He gets rebounds, he can take it up, and so he’s playing point guard. In a lot of ways our guys are interchangeable in most of our sets. Lamar (Patterson) and (Cameron) have point guard skills. They’re versatile. Cameron could always guard the point and I think we’ve got the ability and versatility with those guys.”
With both Wright and Patterson being able to do so many different things at both ends of the floor it puts the pressure on the opposition to pick their poison.
However if both guys can remain as hot as they have started the season at the offensive end, this Pitt team will remain very tough to beat.
Wright’s start to the season is just one of the many bright spots for the undefeated Panthers.
However while the scoring is nice from the off-guard spot, Wright knows what priority number one is in the Panthers attack.
“I knew what I was getting myself into at Pitt,” added Wright. “They really stressed defense. That’s primary to get us going on offense.”
So far that plan has worked like a charm for Wright and his teammates as the Panthers are averaging 81.7 points per game to start the season.
Can Wright and the Panthers continue their nice start to the season?
That’s something that remains to be seen, but the junior guard can make another statement Tuesday night when the Panthers play host to Penn State.
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