Georgia basketball: Four reasons to be excited about the 2020-21 Bulldogs

Rayshaun Hammonds as the leader

The 2020-21 Georgia basketball team has one rising senior currently on the roster, and he’s a good one. Rayshaun Hammonds has been a familiar sight on the court for Georgia basketball fans since his freshman 2017-18 season. Since arriving on campus, he has started 85 of his 93 games, averaging 10.5 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Hammonds started taking the reigns of leadership late in the 2019-20 season, in response to Georgia’s skid of 10 losses in 12 outings. In several games, he brought a spark in the opening minutes with a flurry of shots inside and outside of the arc. His early game success forced defenses off their gameplans and it opened up opportunities for teammates to shine.

Hammonds doesn’t just lead with his shooting, he leads with physicality. He didn’t average 2.1 offensive rebounds per game by luck. Hammonds had 10 games with at least three offensive boards. In Georgia’s last eight games, Hammonds only had less than seven total boards once.

With three years in Athens and two years with head coach Tom Crean, he’s the player most young pups will look up to this coming season. As seen in how he played late in the year, Hammonds has a visible desire to take Georgia basketball to new heights. The young players are going to notice that and they’re going to want to play their best for him.