Bynum’s noisy impact for the Friars

Billy Donovan. Bryce Cotton. Kris Dunn. Jared Bynum? Luca Greco explores the possibility that the Friars have yet another great guard in tow.

A number of legendary floor generals have made their mark in Friartown. Billy Donovan was the head man during the Friars’ impressive trip to the Final Four in ’87. Bryce Cotton earned Big East Tournament MVP in 2014 while leading Providence to their first conference title in 20 seasons. Kris Dunn earned consecutive Big East Player of Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards on his way to becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Jared Bynum has a ways to go if he wants to imprint his name in this conversation, but he is certainly trending in the right direction.

Bynum was a standout player during his freshman year at Saint Joe’s, leading the A-10 in assist/turnover ratio. The DMV native has recently earned Big East Player of the Week honors following astonishing performances in back-to-back games. Bynum launched himself into the national spotlight following a week where he averaged 25.5 points and 84.6 percent from behind the arc. He seemed automatic last Tuesday at St. John’s with 19 points and was 4-for-5 from downtown.

In his career-high 32-point performance against Georgetown, every spot 21 feet away from the basket was a hot zone. You may remember Bynum also hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds at 21st-ranked Xavier.

Last season, Bynum was just 5-of-42 on his three-point attempts. That’s 11.9 percent. He now boasts the second-best 3-point percentage in the Big East with 45.5%. Not only that, but his quickness off the dribble allows him to get around defenders and score around the rim with ease. He has also been a pest defensively, recording at least one steal in each of his last five games.

Bynum’s improvement from last season has been drastic. Although he suffered some injuries, he averaged 5.8 points and 26.9 minutes in 17 appearances, to now averaging 10.9 points in 25.3 minutes per contest. He is currently posting career-highs in 3PT%, FG%, and FT%. In his stint at Providence, the Friars are 26-9 when he touches the floor.

Jared Bynum looks to add his name to that legendary list of guards that have represented Providence as his team continues their hunt for a Big East regular-season title. The Friars return to action against DePaul on Saturday at the ‘Dunk.