Blink and you’ll miss it. If you’re going to watch, look closely, usually toward the end of the first half, and you might witness a rare occurrence. For a few minutes Michael Thompson will take a seat on the bench.
If it seems like Thompson never leaves the court it’s because, in eight games this year, he hasn’t. This includes all 45 minutes of NU’s overtime loss to Michigan State last month.
Thompson is NU’s all-time leader in minutes played. As a four-year starter he hasn’t missed a game while playing more than 80 percent of the team’s minutes every year. He’s been on the court for 90 percent of NU’s 2010-2011 season.
The playing time alone is impressive. And with his college career winding down, simply replacing Thompson’s minutes next year will be a problem. But it’s only one aspect of what Juice means for the Wildcats.
Consider Thompson’s progression on offense. Every year he has improved his shooting, raising his effective field goal percentage from 51 percent as a freshman to 56 percent this year. This improvement comes even as Thompson has become NU’s go-to option when the shot clock is winding down and they need to create a shot.
Point guards often get the blame when an offense doesn’t run smoothly. Thompson deserves some credit for Cats’ offensive improvement over the past few years. He’s the primary ball handler on an offense with low turnovers (16.4 percent of possessions – sixth best in the country) and high scoring (115 points per 100 possessions – 19th in the country). There’s not much else to ask for from a point guard on the offensive end.
Looked at individually, the skill and endurance are impressive, but what’s made Thompson a special player is the fusion of the two. Despite the high minutes totals, there hasn’t been a decline in Thompson’s numbers. His performance has remained consistent, even as the minutes have piled up. For his career there is no statistically significant difference in his shooting effectiveness or offensive output in the last third of the season compared to the rest.
Whatever the cause, continued high levels of production bode well for the final stretch of NU’s season and Thompson’s college career. The remaining regular season games pit NU against three teams (Penn State, Wisconsin, Minnesota) they have already lost to in Big Ten play. NU will need continued strong performances from Thompson if it hopes to even the season series against those teams.
After this season, for the first time in four years, NU will need to find a new starting point guard. They’ll try to replace the school’s all time assists leader, the team’s principal ball handler, and Thompson’s near monopoly on minutes at the point guard position. But that’s a worry for next year.
For now, there are still 120 regular season minutes left for Thompson. If his career to date has been any indication, he’ll make the most of them.
Erik Peterson is a Weinberg senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
