Pace and Space: What Kaiden Rice's Commitment Says About Georgetown's Style of Play

Kaiden Rice's commitment to Georgetown might not be the biggest move made in the transfer portal so far, but it gives us another clue about what we can expect from Georgetown's offense in 2021-22.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “pace and space” by now, if you’re a basketball fan. It refers to the modern style of play in basketball today, starting out in the NBA and making its way to college, where teams play faster to increase the number of possessions they have and also emphasize perimeter shooting to open the floor for easier shot attempts around the rim.

It’s also the phrase that best sums up what the commitment of The Citadel transfer Kaiden Rice to Georgetown means for next season’s team.

The commitment of a 6-foot-7 guard from The Citadel to Georgetown may not send shockwaves across all of college basketball, but it is very interesting when you consider the kind of player Rice is, how the team he came from plays, and how he could fit in with next year’s Georgetown team.

Let me explain.

Rice, who is taking advantage of his extra COVID year of eligibility and will count against Georgetown’s scholarship limit, spent four seasons at The Citadel. As a senior, he took a big jump, averaging 17.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. His shooting numbers are eye-popping: he shot 41.4% from the field, 34.8% from three-point range, and an impressive 88.7% from the free throw line.

Rice is the definition of a three-point specialist, something that this team could use to help spread the floor for the likes of Aminu Mohammed and Jordan Riley.

Last season, Rice took the second-most three-pointers in college basketball (264), and was sixth in made three-pointers, with 92. His three-point attempt rate is extremely high, at 72.3%. For comparison’s sake, Jahvon Blair’s 3PAr this past season was 57.7%.

And it’s hard not to blame Rice for taking as many three's as he does. The man has an impressive shot, and a lightning-fast release.

So how does Kaiden Rice fit in next season, and how could Georgetown utilize his skillset to take them to another level?

Rice will be the guy that replaces Jahvon Blair’s perimeter shooting, as well as his scoring off the bench (although, it is possible that Rice could start, theoretically). While he is not as experienced as Blair was as a creator for others (Rice had an assist rate of 6% last year, compared to Blair’s 22.1%), Rice has very similar (and in some cases, better) shooting numbers than Blair (Rice had an eFG% of 54% last year compared to 49.4% for Blair), and will be an effective off-ball scoring option for the Hoyas, who will have Dante Harris and Aminu Mohammed as the primary ballhandlers for the team on offense, with a little Don Carey and Jordan Riley mixed in there, perhaps.

Rice comes from a team at The Citadel that played at one of the most frenetic paces out of all NCAA D1 teams last year, and shot a ton of three-pointers, 720 in just 25 games, to be exact. The Citadel was fourth (4th!) in the country in tempo, according to KenPom.

Could that be a sign of things to come for Georgetown next season?

All signs point to yes.

Uber athletic team that can run? Check.

Shooters to spread the floor? Check. (Carey, Rice, Berger, even Tre King)

Patrick Ewing has been chomping at the bit since he came to Georgetown to field a team that can run and gun opponents to death. His teams have consistently played at a fast pace since he got to the Hilltop, but this team is poised to take things to a new gear this coming season, after ranking 101st in tempo this year, according to KenPom, and 87th the year before that.

Consider that in the first season with James Akinjo and Mac McClung in the backcourt, Georgetown was ranked 25th in the nation in tempo according to KenPom. That team had a starting lineup of Akinjo-McClung-Pickett-LeBlanc-Govan. Basically, a lot of athleticism.

Why does this matter? Well, the Hoyas will have superior personnel to that 2018-19 team this year, with even more athleticism, and also more shooters. And if Tre King starts at the 5, that will unlock an extra gear for this Georgetown team, compared to when the slower Jessie Govan was at center for the 18-19 team. They will fly up and down the court.

So while Kaiden Rice isn’t the flashiest name out there, he’s a perfect fit for Georgetown as a strong three-point shooter who doesn’t need the ball in his hands all that much to score. And his arrival signals an offensive evolution for the Hoyas in 2021-22, one that is going to involve an even faster pace on offense, and more three-pointers. Even more reason to be excited for next season.