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With the departure of Robert Carter, Jr., Marcus Georges-Hunt becomes the focal point of the offense. Georges-Hunt is now the current Georgia Tech leader in minutes. He has played under Brian Gregory as much as any member of the team. Thus, his leadership on and off the court will be paramount. Is he up to the task?
Measurables and background:
At 6'5" and 214 lb., Georges-Hunt is a touch undersized for the small forward position, but definitely holds his own defensively regardless of his matchup. He hails from College Park, GA, adjacent to the city limits of Atlanta.
Georges-Hunt was a 4 star recruit across all the major scouting services in 2012. He was a product of North Clayton High School where he left as the all-time leader in points with over 2100. In his junior and senior seasons there he posted eye-popping numbers, averaging over 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.
In his freshman season with the Jackets, he averaged over 10 points a game with an effective field goal percentage of 48.1%, which led the team in scoring. His most memorable moment that season was a tip-in to beat the buzzer and down the #6 Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables, FL.
2013-14 performance:
Georges-Hunt was one of the only constants in a Georgia Tech team that had a lot of turmoil during and after the season. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on an eFG% of 46.1%. That shooting percentage is not particularly efficient in part due to the amount of shots he had to take to bolster the offense last season. Still, he was an important and consistent two way player in a season without many constants.
He had his share of heroic moments again last season, like a game-winning four point play against Boston College during the 2014 Atlanta winter snowpocalypse.
#AskJackets: Marcus Georges-Hunt:
Role on this year's team:
As stated before, this is Marcus' team now. Despite not playing the point guard position, I expect him to man the duties as a primary ball handler. This usually referred to as a point-forward role, where a forward triggers the offensive sets from time to time. For those that remember the 2010-11 season for Iman Shumpert, I could see that type of ball domination this season for a team that needs immediate offensive answers.
Georges-Hunt is a complete, all-around player who defends, passes and rebounds exceptionally well for his position. He finishes at the rim very well for his size, with or without contact. In addition, he has really worked on his three point game in the two years in Midtown, adding a deadly stroke from either corner, the shortest and easiest three point location. He has a penchant for hitting big shots will definitely be the player with the ball in his hands at the end of a one possession game.
Sometimes his normally good shot selection can fade, as he has a tendency to rely on his pull-up jumper even in traffic. Also, though he gets to the free throw line at a high rate, he could stand to make more than his career rate of 65.6%. It's important that Georges-Hunt is aggressive, especially if and when the offense falls into long lulls. Even coach Gregory has admitted he wants Georges-Hunt to attack even more this season. The sky's the limit for Marcus, and we'll see how well he can produce as the primary option on the team this year.