In a city as frigid as Reno during this time of year, Bighorns guard Lamar Patterson has been red hot. His team has reaped the benefits of his strong play, posting a 4-2 record the past six games.
Patterson credits preparation as a key to his recent success. Looking ahead to the grind of a D-League schedule stays top of mind for the 25-year-old guard.
“Making sure my legs are fresh and ready to go,” Patterson said. “Beginning of the season my legs were tired from two separate training camps, practice, traveling, and of course the games. But, that's a part of the business so I had to find a different approach to making sure I got the appropriate rest and treatment.
“More ice and compression boots have been key along with more visits to our team trainer in Reno,” Patterson added. “All of these components have been very helpful.”
Before joining the Bighorns, Patterson spent training camp with the Kings. He describes the opportunity to play with Sacramento’s D-League affiliate as a “humbling one” that’s teaching him to become a leader both on and off the court.
“I was able to gain the respect of the guys with my NBA experience and also being someone everybody can talk to,” Patterson said. “So with that I've taken on the challenge to be that leader. Also being in Reno is teaching me how to be a more consistent player in every aspect of the game.”
Statistically speaking, Patterson has been among the D-League’s best. Over the course of the Bighorns last six outings, he’s averaged 27.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game. For a perimeter-oriented player, he’s shooting a healthy 49.1 percent from the field. His true-shooting percentage is 59.8 and his effective field-goal percentage is 54.
Patterson has also been the D-League’s third-leading scorer. He’s achieved this by taking advantage of defensive holes, shooting better than 70 percent from less than five feet away from the basket. If he makes his way into the restricted area, Patterson has given opponents all sorts of trouble by making 75.5 percent of his shots at the rim.
Being able to go inside and cause problems has led to added benefits for the Bighorns. Averaging 10.2 free throws a game, over a quarter of his points are made from the charity stripe. He is putting opposing players into foul trouble, drawing 7.5 personals per contest.
Patterson has also shown an ability to stretch the court, which has opened up the paint for the Bighorns. His most effective deep ball is from the left corner, where he’s shooting 40 percent over the past two weeks.
With his play both inside and out shining recently, Patterson’s season averages are now 21.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In Patterson, it seems the Bighorns have found a very talented player they can lean on from a night-to-night basis.
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