Few players are more important to the success of Vanderbilt basketball in 2022-2023 than Ezra Manjon.
After an All-Southeastern Conference season for Scotty Pippen Jr., the talented guard decided to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the NBA draft.Pippen’s decision left Vanderbilt with a gaping hole in it's backcourt and a whole lot of production to replace.
That's where Manjon, the former UC Davis guard, came into play.
In his final season at UC Davis, the three-time All-Big-West selection averaged 15 points and 3.4 assists per contest, while shooting 43% from the field.
Manjon has shown he has the unique ability to turn the corner and get downhill.
Jerry Stackhouse describes it as, “A level of speed that we just haven't had on both sides of the ball.”
That speed allows Manjon to get to the rim as well as into clean midrange looks, where he is able to hit shots at a high level.
The 6-foot-1 guard is still working on becoming a consistent shot-maker from beyond the arc, though. Manjon shot just 20% from 3 this past season on just 1.7 attempts per outing. The UC Davis transfer makes up for his low percentage from deep in other ways, but if he can make enough shots to become a legitimate threat that teams have to guard out to the line, his ceiling is significantly higher.
Manjon’s scoring will be a welcome addition to a Vanderbilt team that needs it, but his ability as a distributor and a playmaker will play an even bigger role in Vanderbilt’s offensive success.
With the speed that Vanderbilt’s point guard possesses comes the ability to open up the offense.
Throughout the off-season, Stackhouse has made a clear point to center the Vanderbilt offense around ball movement. It’s apparent that the Commodores will need to keep the ball flowing to create good looks for their wings who may struggle to get their own looks.
That chain of events that leads to ball movement and defenses being out of place will have to start with Manjon. Whether it’s making plays by getting by his guy for a kick out, a drop down to a big, or making a play out of a ball screen. Manjon will need to be a consistent playmaker for Vanderbilt to keep up with the high-powered offenses of the SEC.
With his ability to put pressure on the rim and get by defenders, the veteran guard certainly has that potential.
The next step for the UC Davis transfer in terms of his playmaking is improving his assist to turnover ratio. The ability to run an offense is certainly there for the fourth-year guard, but he will have to take care of the ball a bit more.
In the 2021-22 season Manjon had an assist-turnover ratio of 1.31 (3.4 assists to 2.6 turnovers per game).
The veteran guard is certainly capable of being a more composed though, in his freshman season at UC Davis, Manjon had a ratio of 2.1.
Manjon can also effect the game on the defensive end. Stackhouse has raved about Manjon’s ability to get up into opposing ballhandlers and to make things difficult for them.
The speedy guard isn’t only a welcome addition, he’s an essential one. The Commodores are in desperate need of a primary ballhandler, playmaker, and an off-the-dribble scorer. If Manjon can’t fill at least a few of those roles effectively then the Commodores could be in serious trouble.
Manjon has shared point guard reps this off-season with Trey Thomas, Paul Lewis, and Noah Shelby. All are capable ballhandlers in spurts. However, that's a significant ask for two freshman and a veteran who hasn't ever played significant minutes in the SEC.
It’s not a stretch to say that Ezra Manjon is Vanderbilt’s most important player this season.
