Jalen Reed is developing into an all-around star for LSU
Jalen Reed was a four-star recruit and the 63rd ranked prospect in the 2022 Men's Basketball class. After receiving offers from schools such as Houston, Xavier, Florida and Ole Miss, Reed decided to take his talents to Baton Rouge.
The Jackson, Mississippi native moved to California to pursue his basketball dream and enrolled in Southern California Academy. SCA has produced some of the best basketball players in the country with six other players in Reed's class going on to play power-five basketball.
Entering his freshman season, Reed was the second highest rated recruit in LSU's 2022 class and was expected to play a big role in Matt McMahon's first year. Reed saw 15.4 minutes of playing time per game, but was only able to muster 3.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in those minutes.
Reed came off the bench for most of the season, playing behind the likes of KJ Williams and Derek Fountain. With Williams gone, Reed has been given the nod and has started in all five of the Tigers games in 2023.
He started the season off with a modest eight point showing, but since then, Reed has taken off. In the four games since the opener, Reed has averaged 11.25 points, 4.25 rebound and 1.25 blocks in 23 minutes of action per night.
While those numbers don't necessarily jump off the page, when you watch Reed play this year, he looks much smoother and more comfortable on the floor.
Matt McMahon talked about Reed's development in the offseason and what his improvement has meant to this team.
Arguably Reed's best game of his young career came in a loss to Dayton in the opening game of the Charleston Classic. Reed scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, but he fouled out of the game early. The Flyers were already taking it to the Tigers after going down 15 with nine minutes left, but once Reed went out, it felt like the game was over for LSU.
He was easily the best player on the floor of LSU that night, and if he keeps developing, he could be the best player on the floor every night by the end of the season.
Reed is 6-foot-10 and is a threat to shoot the three, drive in the lane and pass the ball. His sized mixed with his ball skills and shooting ability is exactly what you need in this new era of basketball.
Reed has all the talent in the world, and after a disappointing freshman season, he worked hard this offseason and is starting to put all the pieces together. He has the ability to be one of the best players every time he's on the court, and we'll see if he can get there by the end of the season.
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