It hasn't been a secret that Max Klesmit has struggled offensively this season. His 33% from the field and 28% shooting from three are both career lows by a wide margin, yet head coach Greg Gard hasn't lost faith in his senior. In fact, he's encouraged Klesmit to shoot even more.
"Quite frankly, in the first half, going into a timeout, I just yelled at him, shoot the ball. He was turning them down. Why are you turning them down? Shoot it," said Gard in his Northwestern postgame press conference.
"In the second half, I thought getting to the free throw line was important to see the ball go in there and then obviously knock down the three. He was much more aggressive. Stop being tentative. If it's good, let the thing fly," Gard added.
Gard's encouragement could be the key to end Max Klesmit's slump
Klesmit has been on a cold streak for much of the season, bringing up the idea that maybe Gard should turn elsewhere for offensive production. Ultimately, Gard has continued to roll with the senior guard and has tried to get him to shoot his way out of the slump. The idea helped a bit, as Klesmit had his best shooting performance since the USC game over two weeks ago and went 3-7 from the field.
It's a clear vote of confidence from the head man that Klesmit can figure things out. He was a career 44% shooter before this year, which makes this season's woes so much of a surprise.
Klesmit still offers plenty of value on the defensive end, but his shooting will need to continue to improve for the Badgers to make a deep postseason run. Maybe Gard giving Klesmit the green light will give him the confidence he needs to get back to his old form.