The changes Dwayne Bacon has made this season go beyond statistics and testimonials from his coaches and teammates. There have been several examples, and here's one of them.
The Florida State men's basketball team was in the early stages of what would be a 98-49 win over Southern Mississippi on Tuesday. FSU was moving the ball around, and it eventually went to Bacon, who was nestled in the corner.
The sophomore swingman is hitting on 40 percent of his 3-pointers this season. So a somewhat-open attempt from long range would have been justified.
Instead, Bacon opted to drive inside. Then, faced with two men protecting the rim, he quickly passed the ball out to a wide-open Jarquez Smith, who drained a 3-pointer.
"I know every night the defense is going to come out and put pressure on me at first," Bacon told Warchant. "But once I get everybody involved, loosen up the [defense], then, it comes back to me eventually."
Through nine games, it appears FSU's star sophomore has overhauled his game in an attempt to become a more complete player.
Bacon leads the Seminoles (8-1) with 16.7 points per game and has scored in a variety of ways. He's still using the athleticism that made him a five-star prospect out of high school. But he's also made a concerted effort to take more mid-range shots and 3-pointers from better angles.
He's shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from beyond the arc and close to 74 percent from the free-throw line. One year ago, Bacon finished the 2015-16 season shooting a respectable 44.7 percent on field goals but only 28.1 percent from 3-point range.
