Villanova basketball just got the best news of their season, as Wildcats guard Justin Moore has been listed as available for Sunday's game against the 23rd-ranked Providence Friars, per Stadium's Jeff Goodman.
Justin Moore tore his Achilles 10 months ago in Elite 8.
Was set to be Villanova’s go-to guy this season. Will be interesting to see how quickly he can get back to player he was, but Moore, Daniels, Slater, Whitmore, Dixon could be dangerous in BE tourney.
Nova is 10-10 overall https://t.co/23vHYjOxBX
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 29, 2023
This move was met with plenty of excitement, most notably from Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant. The superstar took to Twitter to address Moore directly.
“Let's get it,” Durant says. “Welcome back.”
Moore, who tore his right Achilles ten months ago against the Houston Cougars in the Elite 8, averaged 14.8 points per game last season (second-highest on the team). With the Wildcats ranked just 201st in the country in points per game (70.7), one could say that Moore's offensive firepower is needed.
However, Villanova scored just 71.7 points per game last season and were far more successful because their defense was superior, ranking 23rd in opponent's points per game. They're currently ranked 158th in opponent's points per game, as opposing teams score 68.4 points per game So, when Moore returns, it may be his strength, effort and experience on the defensive end that are most useful.
Especially with Caleb Daniels and Eric Dixon averaging 16.6 and 15.8 points per game respectively.
Nonetheless, Moore knocked down 181 shots from 3-point range last season, a rate that far exceeds the 3-point output of Daniels or Dixon. With that in mind, there's an easy way for Moore to make his impact felt on the offensive end when he returns outside of just scoring production.
It'll be him knocking down shots from deep.
Moore is currently a second-round prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft.
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