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Zakai Zeigler playing like 'a maestro' as a true point guard in Tennessee's offense

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•01/10/23•

GrantRamey

Zakai Zeigler
Tennessee basketball point guard Zakai Zeigler runs the offense at South Carolina (Tennessee Athletics)

Of all the offensive success Tennessee had in the 85-42 win at South Carolina on Saturday, only three points came from Zakai Zeigler. The sophomore point guard took five shots and made just one. 

A year ago at Colonial Life Arena, Zeigler tied a then-career high with 18 points off the bench — including eight straight points in the second half to give his team much-needed breathing room — to lead the Vols in an 81-57 win over the Gamecocks.

But this version of Zeigler, the one who has 18 assists over his last two games, might be the best version Tennessee has seen.

“You know, actually, that’s been a big thing that we’ve been focusing on,” Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark said before practice on Monday, “that I personally have been trying to focus on with him.”

Zakai Zeigler averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game this season 

Zeigler had a game-high eight assists at South Carolina on Saturday, coming off his double-double in the 87-53 win over Mississippi State on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena, where he scored 11 points to go with a season-high 10 assists.

“Yesterday,” Clark said, “I asked him how does it feel to really be a point guard now. Like, how does it feel to really learn how to run a team? And he just started smiling.

Two assists stood out against South Carolina. Both ended with a high-flying, one-handed dunk from senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua in transition.

On the first, Zeigler took a pass from Tyreke Key on the fast break, and in an instant looked back and dropped a bounce pass of his own to a trailing Nkamhoua, who finished with a nearly uncontested slam.

In the second half, Ziegler ripped the ball away for a steal on the defensive end, ran to the foul line on the other end of the floor and delivered a behind-the-back bounce pass to Nkamhoua, who was running open to the rim.

Clark had to ask him about the sequence during their conversation on Sunday.

“And I said, ‘What feels better to you?,’” Clark said. “‘Throwing a behind-the-back pass to somebody to dunk, or making a deep three?’ And he cut me off. He was like, ‘Making that behind the back pass, getting other guys shots.’ 

“That’s starting to be something that feels great to him because he feels like he’s creating for us.” 

Up Next: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt, Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Zeigler has been one of Tennessee’s best big-shot artists since he arrived in Knoxville. He averaged 8.8 points and 2.7 assists per game during his breakout freshman season a year ago, averaging 22.1 minutes playing behind Kennedy Chandler.

He’s still coming off the bench this season, but is up to 10.2 points and 4.1 assists, to go with 3.1 rebounds, in 27.7 minutes per game.

“He sees the floor really well,” senior 7-foot center Uros Plavsic said on Monday. “He connects people on the floor. He is our true point guard.”

Zeigler had 93 assists in 35 games last season. He’s already at 61 through 15 games this season.

“He looks like a maestro, man,” Clark said. “I think his growth is what is allowing our guys to get even better as well.”

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