Georgia's Yante Maten growing into versatile, all-around scoring option

ATHENS -- At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, it's easy to understand why coaches have asked Yante Maten to do most of his work underneath the basket.

His height, strength, athleticism and basketball acumen have suited him well as a traditional power forward to work the both the high and low blocks. Most of his baskets as a sophomore at Georgia this season have come near the basket as high-percentage shots, the kind any coach prefers for his big men to take.

But then the Belmont game, in the first round of the NIT, happened. The Bruins weren't big down low, which gave Maten a clear advantage. Maten used his size to power his way to 20 of Georgia's first 34 points in the 93-84 win.

But it wasn't just his size and presence down low that gave Belmont fits. He hit his first 3-pointer of the game early. Later, he hit two more, showing the kind of range teams try to utilize with stretch-four big men.

"When he did that, it kind of made him unguardable for a while," Belmont forward Evan Bradds said.

Maten wasn't considered this kind of basketball player before. All of a sudden, there's a whole new layer to what Maten can be as a player and how the Bulldogs move forward with as a team.

"I think it's going to help the team out a lot if I'm able to consistently hit that shot," Maten said. "It will spread the court for everyone. It will help (center) Derek (Ogbeide), as well. When I'm at the top of the key, he can be left down on the post, knowing I can hit that shot."

If Maten's 33-point outburst against Belmont came solely inside or at the foul line, it would be understandable to consider it a one-time occasion due to the size advantage. But Maten's ability to hit shots from multiple spots on the court drew smiles from head coach Mark Fox during the postgame news conference Wednesday.

While Georgia is still focused on the NIT, with its second-round game coming at St. Mary's at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Maten now has a chance to make an even greater leap as a junior. He was a reserve player who averaged 5.0 points per game a year ago. In year two, his minutes significantly increased along with his production, with Maten scoring 16.7 points each time out.

The Bulldogs could be tougher to defend as Maten's game continues to grow. It's something that Fox seems excited to see.

"Slowly, he's stretched that range out where he's made a couple of 3s," Fox said. "I think the key for Yante's game is that people are going to try and take things away from him. Now that he has developed consistency with his versatility, he can go different places to score. That will be to his advantage if he can remain consistent from different places on the floor. It will make him that much harder to guard."

At the end of shootarounds, Maten steps back behind the arc to practice 3-pointers. Most of his attempts are at or near the top of the key, which is where he has made most of his long-range jumpers.

Georgia guard J.J. Frazier said he's seen Maten's ability to hit those shots for a while. It's just a matter of Maten having the confidence to take the shots in game situations.

"We always knew he had the range, but he's so dominant inside," Frazier said. "He felt like that was something he wanted to stick to."

Maten has made eight of his 14 3-pointers this season, which is good for a 57.1 percent. While Maten hasn't attempted many 3-pointers, the clip he's shooting at underscores his ability to take smart shots as opposed to any shot.

Maten is a big player who displays a nice blend of toughness with finesse inside. Just because his outside game is opening up, it won't mean he'll start standing around the 3-point line chucking up shots. But the added element will allow more freedom to his style of play on the court.

"I think you might see more of those," Fox said, "but his bread is buttered in the paint."

The bigger question, in the grand scheme, is whether Maten's versatility as a junior next season can help elevate his game and the program to the level it has hoped to reach since Fox arrived in 2009. And that's to be a team that doesn't have to sweat out Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament.

It's a lot of pressure to place on a player, but that's where the attention will likely turn, given that senior guards Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann are moving on. Frazier will be the go-to leader of this team, naturally, but Maten could see yet another jump in production as his game continues to develop in versatile ways.

Fox said he felt it took some time for Maten to assert himself as a dominant player inside. Now that it's something he's comfortable with, Maten has no problem being a go-to scoring option. It could mean big things for the immediate future of Georgia basketball.

"When they needed me to score I would," Maten said. "I wouldn't try to do anything that was out of character. I took my team, read the defense and take a good, quality shot."

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Georgia's Yante Maten growing into versatile, all-around scoring option ."