After returning from injury in late December, it became clear that Caleb Grill was one of the best sharpshooting 3-point threats in the country.
He piled up 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting against LSU, 13 points with a couple of 3s against Vanderbilt, then he really exploded with 22 points and six made treys against Florida.
He kept the run going with 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep against Arkansas, 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep against Ole Miss, 20 points on 6-of-11 makes from beyond the arc against Mississippi State and 11 points on 2-of-3 makes from deep against Tennessee.
But starting with the game against the Volunteers as Grill became the pretty clear choice for Sixth Man of the Year, teams began guarding him differently in an attempt to slow down the shooter who had powered the Tigers to their best start in SEC play in program history.
“There’s a lot more grabbing and holding and things like that,” Grill said.
With teams staying as close to Grill as possible at all points, he’s had to change up the strategy. His constent off-ball movement just wasn’t getting him the open looks it had earlier in the conference schedule.
“Just having to switch up, like, how I prepare for games,” Grill said. “I’ve been having to, like, go to different ways of how to get myself open, rather than what I was used to before. So just prior going into games, just finding different ways to find opportunities.”
But those changes haven’t necessarily led to extra opportunities for Grill himself.
After just three attempts from 3 against Tennessee, he went 0-of-4 from beyond the arc against Texas A&M, 3-of-4 on deep attempts against Oklahoma and hit just 2-of-9 on deep shot attempts against Georgia.
He got back to firing deep attempts against Alabama, but most of his work came driving to the basket and getting to the free-throw line, where he had a season-high 11 attempts, besting his previous high of five. He added a season-high 10 rebounds as well for just his third career double-double.
After averaging 6.9 attempts from deep in the Tigers' first eight SEC games, Grill shot just 5 3.67 per game in the three matchups before Georgia.
Either he hasn’t gotten the opportunity to shoot, or the looks haven’t fallen at as high a rate as they were during his incredible run through the start of conference play.
“A little bit of film and then re-watching our own games,” Grill said of how he’s trying to find different opportunities. “Seeing like, where I could have maybe set up differently or maybe where I could have cut differently. … Then applying that on the court.”
But as Grill has lost opportunities for himself, his presence, his “gravity on the court” as Missouri coach Dennis Gates likes to say, has opened up opportunities for others.
In Grill’s drop in 3-point success, Jacob Crews has risen to be a key bench piece for the Tigers, taking some of the deep attempts that are now left open because multiple defenders are keying in on Grill around the perimeter.
“It’s been good to see other people have opportunities to get open looks from deep,” Grill said. “You’ve seen Jacob Crews hit a lot more 3s the last couple games and he’s done a really good job stepping up and feeling that aspect or fill in that role. I’ve hit open shots, but because of how they’re guarding me, it’s going to open up different opportunities for… other people to flourish.”
And it has opened up opportunities in the interior as well as fans saw with a catch-and-pass single movement from Grill against Oklahoma as he slid down the right wing, pulled a defender a step off Josh Gray, then touched a pass back to Gray for a driving dunk.
“I just keep making the right play,” Grill said. “That’s one thing I focus on every game is making the right play. Shoot when you’re open, and then when they take away the shot, you know, sometimes there’s going to be driving lanes in open areas to get other people open.”
So while Grill hasn’t been as much of the deep shooting threat the past few games, he’s diversified, using his gravity to open up his teammates and help them thrive. Even turning into a distributor with a team-high three assists against Oklahoma and two more against Texas A&M, while averaging slightly more than one per game this season (1.05).
“It’s not the first time he’s been face guarded,” Gates said. “It won’t be the last time, but what it shows is his growth and his maturity, his understanding. … There’s no identity crisis when it comes down to what he does for our basketball team. He draws attention, he draws defenders. What we have to do is continue to make sure he touches it, because his usage rate is very high. When he touches it, it increases our chances, whether he shoots it or not, he makes the right plays. … I’m just thankful that he’s grown the way that he has and his understanding. He’s a great teammate.”
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
