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Notre Dame basketball: Blake Wesley contributing despite shooting woes

By Brad Weiss

LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 22: Blake Wesley #0 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles against Noah Locke #0 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at KFC YUM! Center on January 22, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 22: Blake Wesley #0 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles against Noah Locke #0 of the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at KFC YUM! Center on January 22, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame basketball team is getting great play up and down their lineup, as Blake Wesley learns to contribute without his shooting touch.

Since being inserted into the starting lineup, true freshman Blake Wesley has established himself as the best player on this Notre Dame basketball team. Blessed with the ability to score in bunches, Wesley has exceeded expectations since joining the starting lineup, becoming one of the best pure scorers in the ACC.

Now a potential draft prospect, Wesley has gotten the attention of opposing defenses, and it is clear that the game plan is to stop him from beating them each night. Throughout the last four games, Wesley has really struggled in terms of his shooting touch, shooting 20 percent or below since a dominating effort against Louisville.

Luckily for the Irish, he is finding ways to make an impact during his shooting slump.

Notre Dame basketball star finding ways to contribute

During the last four Notre Dame basketball games, three of which they have won, Wesley has gone a combined 10-of-55 from the field, including 3-of-23 from the three-point line. That is after getting off to a blazing start to his collegiate career shooting the ball, but it has not stopped him from helping his team to victories.

In fact, Wesley has led the Irish in assists in two of their last three games, crucial wins against Virginia at home, and the Miami Hurricanes on the road. Coming off a bad loss to No. 9 Duke on Monday, the Irish had a quick turnaround on Wednesday, going to South Beach to take on the Hurricanes, and while Wesley struggled with the shot once again, he was key in the victory.

This is the kind of thing you want to see from a true freshman, as he is still trying to get his buckets, but also is so good that when teams are crashing on him, he is finding an open teammate. He is going to be the No. 1 target for defenses the rest of the season, and he has shown that he can rely on his teammates to help him on the offensive end when he is struggling.