Film study: How Mark Sears is playing at an All-American level

Over the last week, Alabama basketball has picked up victories over Vanderbilt and South Carolina to open SEC play, driven by the stardom of senior guard Mark Sears.

Through 15 games, the Muscle Shoals, Ala. native is averaging 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 59.4% shooting from 2 and 49.4% from beyond the arc.

Let's examine the film and statistics from Sears' outstanding season start, unraveling the reasons behind his compelling early candidacy for an All-American bid.

College basketball differs from the NBA in many facets, notably the tendency for traditional, back-to-the-basket bigs to lead elite offensive teams.

So let this sit in for a second: Sears, a 6-foot-1 guard, is the best offensive player on the best offense in the country, according to KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating.

And yes, this is quite rare.

As seen in the chart above, Sears is the last guard to be the leading scorer on KenPom’s No. 1 offense since Villanova’s Jalen Brunson in 2018.

Sears isn’t just the leading scorer on the best offense, but doing so with terrific efficiency.

He is one of two players in the country – 6-foot-3 or shorter – with a 65 percent true-shooting percentage and a 25 percent usage rate, alongside Colorado’s KJ Simpson, according to Barttorvik.com.

Additionally, Sears’ 49.4% mark from 3 is the second-highest among high-major players (min. nine 3-point attempts per 100 possessions), trailing only Miami’s Wooga Poplar.

With Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller out of the fold this season, Sears’ increased usage has come with more opportunities as an on-ball scorer.

Last season, he scored 80 points as a pick-and-roll ball-handler across 37 games. Through 15 games in 2023-24, Sears is already up to 63 points.

As seen in this compilation, he is incredibly difficult to contain in ball screens. If the defender goes under the screen, it opens up a sliver of space for him to fire away from beyond the arc. If the defender goes over the screen, he can explode downhill to finish at the rim.

Sears does an exceptional job at changing speeds, decelerating on drives, and leveraging his above-average positional strength to bump defenders and create space at the basket.

Here, Alabama forward Grant Nelson sets a screen, South Carolina blitzes the ball screen and Sears maneuvers away from pressure and explodes to the rim to finish with a runner around the help defender.

See this possession, Sears sets an inverted screen for Latrell Wrightsell, receives the handoff from Nick Pringle, then slices and dices through a small window to finish at the basket.

Sears ranks in the 83rd percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, converting on 44.4% of his 2-point attempts (12 of 27) and 50% of his 3-point attempts (6 of 12), according to Synergy Sports.

What allows Alabama’s offense to flourish is Sears’ versatility as both a high-level pick-and-roll creator and off-ball mover in lineups with Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada, a 6-foot-3, 22-year-old guard.

Sears’ shot is a beauty to watch. He has a quick, compact motion, paired with impressive range and the utility to shoot from different angles and distances on the court.

This season, Sears ranks in the 99th percentile on spot-up jumpers and the 98th percentile on off-screen jumpers.

Overall, Sears’ statistical profile and eye test all point towards his status as a contender for the All-American team and SEC Player of the Year. The success of the Crimson Tide will heavily hinge on the performance of the 6-foot-2 lefty guard.