As the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team navigates its way through a tumultuous 2023-24 season, it does so with a big question that still needs to be answered: what should the Badgers do with Connor Essegian?
At this point in the season, head coach Greg Gard largely knows what he’s getting from his players. The Badgers currently sit third in the Big Ten with a 17-8 record (9-5 Big Ten), but with March impending, Wisconsin would certainly like to shore up some of the remaining uncertainties.
In Wisconsin’s 64-52 victory Tuesday over Ohio State, the 6’3 shooting guard was mostly unnoticeable. He played only 10 minutes without recording a stat, encapsulating his diminished role on this year’s team.
It wasn’t always this way. Last season, Essegian was a dynamic playmaker for the Badgers, averaging 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points per game. His 69 3-pointers set a Wisconsin freshman record, paving his way to a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
This season, he experienced a stark dropoff, averaging 8.2 minutes and 3.6 points per game. So, what happened to Essegian — a player once thought to be a cornerstone of the future — and where does he go from here?
First, the most obvious reason for Essegian’s drop in playing time this season is that this year’s team is simply better. Newcoming transfers and freshmen provided Wisconsin with much greater depth than last season, creating less room for error. And while Essegian lit up the scoreboard offensively, he still had room for improvement on the defensive end of the floor. With an improved overall roster, Essegian’s defensive limitations became much more noticeable and led to him seeing less time on the floor.
Freshman guard John Blackwell seems to be most responsible for Essegian’s decrease in minutes. Blackwell has averaged 7.9 points per game while displaying a more effective defensive presence.
But even with more difference-making players, Wisconsin still longs for the player they saw last year in Essegian. At his most confident, Essegian scores easily and spaces out the rest of the floor, creating a dynamic no team wants to face.
Essegian demonstrated flashes of positivity even during this year’s down season. Before Tuesday’s unmotivating showing, Essegian scored a season-high 15 points on Saturday at Rutgers, proving he is still capable of finding his former self. Yet, by responding to his best game of the season with a 10-minute clunker, Essegian only added to the mystery of how to best utilize him.
Simply increasing his playing time could be Gard’s most viable option to get the most out of Essegian. Last season, Essegian played fewer than 19 minutes just once and became a full-time starter by mid-January.
This season, Essegian’s minutes have essentially flip-flopped — he’s surpassed the 19-minute mark only once. It’s no secret that Essegian found more success last year, and more playing time could very well factor into how well he plays.
It may not be a coincidence that Essegian’s best game of the season was the one in which he received a season-high 24 minutes. It isn’t foreign for a player to find success once they’ve found a rhythm, and by supplying their backup shooting guard with more minutes, Wisconsin could benefit from an in-tune Essegian.
Now, of course, there is good reason as to why Essegian has received less playing time. Gard doesn’t bench players without reason. But if there were ever a time to experiment with Essegian, now would be it as Blackwell and backup point guard Kamari McGee are both facing injuries. Gard is already down two backcourt pieces off the bench, so increasing Essegian’s minutes would come at a lower risk.
If Gard opts not to increase Essegian’s workload, then Essegian must figure out how to become a positive difference-maker in the limited opportunities he has. Truly embracing his role as an off-the-bench offensive option could lead to success and eventually force Gard to play him more.
And his defense, while somewhat improved from earlier this season, is still faulty at best. By playing stronger defensively, Essegian could make Gard’s decisions regarding his playing time a lot easier.
Essegian is a player that seems like a missing piece, and his success could be instrumental in how far Wisconsin goes this season. With a top-20 ranking and a four-game losing streak behind them, now is the time for the Badgers to turn up the heat. A flourishing Essegian could make all the difference.
