Boynton's adjustment helps Cowboys see offensive improvement

Jan. 3—In the days leading up to the Oklahoma State men's basketball team's matchup with Wichita State on Dec. 17, and days after losing to Virginia Tech in Brooklyn, sixth-year coach Mike Boynton knew something needed to change.

Then a month into the season, the Cowboys were owners of a turnover problem that played a large part in the four losses they had been handed at the time. So, starting during their eventual road win over the Shockers, Boynton tabbed High Point transfer and senior guard John-Michael Wright to be the "initiator" of OSU's offense.

"We gotta have our guards be more confident in getting us organized," Boyton said before mentioning Wright on Dec. 15. "What we found 10 games in — you've got enough data to make some adjustments, and that's probably one of the adjustments we'll make moving forward."

Since then, the Cowboys have won three out of four, with the only loss being a 69-67 defeat courtesy of defending national champ and then-No. 4 Kansas.

After two games in the new-look offense — wins over Wichita State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi — Wright had his best game yet with the Cowboys during their loss to the Jayhawks in the Big 12 Conference opener. Leading OSU's offense in Allen Fieldhouse, he dropped 19 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.

"Our whole coaching staff has been getting on me to try and control the team better," Wright said after the Cowboys' meeting with the Jayhawks. "I believe everybody has settled in with each other — not just me. We're learning how to play off each other a lot better. ... I'd say I feel pretty comfortable right now."

In their first 10 games, the Cowboys were averaging 15.1 turnovers a contest. They were among the bottom ranks of the country with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.89. And, based on their turnovers and possessions, they were only averaging 54 useful possession per game.

In the past four games, they've slightly dipped their turnovers with 14.25 a contest. Their assist-to-turnover ratio over the past two weeks has been 1.0, boosting their overall mark to 0.92. and they're now getting 57 useful possession per game.

But how exactly has Wright manning the offense translated to even the slightest bit of improvement? It's allowed OSU's top two scorers, junior guard Bryce Thompson (12.6 points per game) and senior guard Avery Anderson III (11.5), to work toward getting better shots.

"We weren't confused about what we were supposed to do, but there would be times where I would bring the ball up, and Avery would and Bryce would," Wright said following the Cowboys' win over West Virginia on Tuesday night. "It's a triple threat that we've worked on in practice, and then it jumps opens things up for the bigs as well."

Against Kansas, Wright's season-best performance opened everything up for Thompson, who torched his former team and matched the career high that he set during the 2021-22 season with 23 points.

Thompson hasn't minded not having the ball each and every possession. Now in his second year with the Cowboys, he's realized how important everyone has become in their new roles on the floor.

"I like being on the ball and off the ball," Thompson said following the win over West Virginia. "But for the sake of this team, John-Michael's a really, really good facilitating point guard that can score. I'm able to excel at the two, so I think that just goes hand-in-hand, and I've been loving it."

In the aftermath of their first Big 12 win of the season, Boynton didn't want it to be mistaken with what's going on with OSU's offense. Sure, Wright is at the helm, but he doesn't want to lead on that it's his.

A crucial part of the Cowboys' success thus far has come from complete team efforts. That's what helped them keep up with then-No. 8 UConn. It's what helped them nearly upset the defending national champs. and it's what helped them pick up their first conference win of the season on Tuesday night.

Boynton knows this year's team isn't built to feature any certain individual scoring 20-plus points a night. But coupling the occasional scoring spurt — similar to Thompson's against Kansas — with a couple of players executing their role can lead to them being one of the toughest matchups in the Big 12.

In fact, Boynton thinks that's a recipe that can help them string together back-to-back wins when the Cowboys host No. 6 Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena, and a recipe that can help them exceed expectations after being picked to finish seventh by the conference's coaches in the preseason polls.

"If we get both of 'em on the same night, now we're talking about a team that can really compete for the league," Boynton said. "I don't say that lightly. I know how hard this league is."

Follow News Press sports reporter Jon Walker on Twitter @ByJonWalker for updates on Oklahoma State athletics, Stillwater High and more.