STILLWATER — Eric Daley Jr., through no fault of his own, was removed from the Cowboys' starting lineup ahead of the Jan. 20 game against Kansas State, but since that transfer he has The impact is more widespread.
Dailey went from being a starter role player to being the primary scorer for Oklahoma State's second unit. In four games he started in the Big 12, Daley averaged nine points per game. Since he moved to the bench, he has averaged 12 hits. He looked for shots more when coming on, shooting nine off the bench compared to 6.5 when starting. His rebounds and assists have also increased since his transfer. OSU also defeated West Virginia on Saturday for its first conference win.
“I’m okay with that,” Daly said. “It's great to be a starter, but it's even better to do the right thing for the team. The coaches needed me to come off the bench and be the spark plug, and that's what I've always done. That's what happened.
“There's nothing wrong with that. Whatever we have to do to win is what we have to do, so that's fine.”
OSU coach Mike Boynton wasn't able to get much production off the bench. Entering the game against K-State, the Cowboys' bench had scored just 25.9 percent of the team's points in league play. The bench's struggles were most evident in OSU's Big 12 opener, with six of the Cowboys' 70 points coming off the bench.
Since the lineup went from Javon Small, Bryce Thompson, K'ion Williams, Daley, Brandon Garrison to Small, John Michael Wright, Thompson, Connor Dow, Garrison, the Cowboys' bench has accounted for 32.7% of their points. provided. In four games with the old batting lineup, the bench scored a total of 65 points. In three games under the new system, the bench has already scored 67 points.
Daly, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound freshman, has the size and skills to do a lot. He is confident in his ability to score, as evidenced by his ranking third on the team in field goals made behind Small and Thompson. His size allows him to play primarily in the post as a power forward, but more recently Garrison has been used as a small-ball center. And he has the skill to get off the bounce and contribute to other teammates, ranking third on the team in assists behind Small and Williams, and Daly's turnover-to-assist ratio of 1.58. He ranks second on the team behind Small.
As a starter, Dailey reached double-digit hits once in four Big 12 games. He has two double-digit appearances off the bench.
Daly's consistent performance was somewhat under the radar in Saturday's game against West Virginia, with Garrison and Small taking center stage. He had eight points, four boards and two assists, tied with Garrison for a team-best plus/minus of plus-9. That means the Cowboys were nine points better than the Mountaineers when Daley was on the floor.
His two assists against West Virginia also came in crucial moments.
With OSU trailing 61-56 with about four minutes left, Daly grabbed a solid offensive rebound and kicked it out to right field for a 3 to pull the Pokes back. Moments later, when Daley had the ball on a fast break, he ripped a crosscourt pass to Thompson for a three, giving the Cowboys the lead.
So far, Daley isn't pleased with Larry Reese's bravado in announcing his name before the tipoff, but undoubtedly Daley's influence permeates far and wide in his new role.
“When he was starting, almost all of our offensive production came from the starting group,” Boynton said. “You need some balance. He gives us that. We know he can score. He's a player coming in, whether he's eight years old or 18 years old. I don't know, he's going to get some baskets, but he's a scoring threat.
“And especially him. [center]We've been doing a lot more in the last three games and he's giving us a little bit of a mismatch. [centers] Obviously, he's not used to playing out on the perimeter where he can drive and pass. Having that element coming off the bench is a big boost for us.”
Daly vs. bench starting lineup
| PPG | RPG | APG | F.G. | FGA | FG% | |
| starting lineup | 9 | 3 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 6.5 | 58% |
| bench | 12 | 3.7 | 1.7 | Five | 9 | 56% |
