Baylor Scheierman’s departure left a massive void on the wing for the Creighton men’s basketball team, putting a premium on finding someone in the transfer portal who could contribute right away. The answer the Bluejay staff found was Jamiya Neal, a 6-foot-5 Arizona State transfer coming off a breakout junior year for the Aztecs.
Neal averaged 11.0 points in 2023-24, outscoring his first two seasons in Tempe combined, but shot just 41.5% from the field and 27.5% from the 3-point line in an Arizona State offense that ranked outside the top 200 in overall offensive efficiency and barely cracked the top 300 in effective field goal percentage.
“I was just looking for consistency,” Neal said of his decision to transfer to Creighton. “I was looking for somebody to hold me accountable, a winning program, somewhere I could get some easier shots. I think Creighton checked all the boxes.”
With both offseason portal additions coming off inefficient 2023-24 campaigns, Coach Greg McDermott said a deeper dive into the tape and analytics created optimism that Neal and Pop Isaacs could be better fits in Omaha. In order to unlock a higher level of effectiveness, however, the duo had to buy into Creighton’s way of doing things and understand the kind of shot selection McDermott wants to see from his players.
“It’s an adjustment, and I’ve been just trying to learn,” Neal said. “Obviously, we have great leaders like Ryan [Kalkbrenner] and we have Steven [Ashworth] who are going to push us and lead us, and they’ve been making a transition very easy for Pop and me. I think I’ve just been trying to learn from them and be the best I can be.”
In his first public action as a Bluejay against Purdue, Neal flashed his playmaking with four assists and no turnovers while showing his athleticism on the defensive glass, but he only attempted two shots (missing both) and scored one point at the foul line. In addition to the scoring, he averaged 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists (to 1.1 turnovers) a year ago. McDermott recently shared his vision for the role Neal can play for the Jays this season.
“We want him to be aggressive,” McDermott said. “I’ve been very pleased with his playmaking, both against Iowa State and Purdue. He’s made really good decisions with basketball. He’s got to look for his own a little bit more, but I think that will come as time goes on. And then defensively is where we really need him. He has the length and athletic ability that we don’t possess a lot on our roster, that combination, to be, really, a pest defensively. He’s probably spending a lot of time trying to grow into that role, and it probably impacted his offense a little bit. But I think that’ll come over time.”
To get a better idea of Neal’s skill set, I dove into the film and analytics with the help of Synergy Sports.
Shooting
Overall last season, Neal scored 0.899 points per possession (PPP), ranked in the 49th percentile nationally. Much of his lackluster efficiency came down to shot selection.
Nearly 62% of his field goal attempts were jump shots despite ranking in the 28th percentile in efficiency, which is largely a result of nearly two-thirds of his jumpers coming off the dribble. He shot 26.7% on those shots including 19.4% on 72 3-pointers.
Neal was much better off the catch, shooting 36.2%. He did a great job of making teams pay for leaving him opening, hitting 44.8% (13-of-29) of his unguarded catch-and-shoot jumpers.
With a 6-foot-8.25 wingspan and a 35-inch vertical, Neal proved to be effective around the basket, shooting 64.8% at the rim and scoring in the 80th percentile. He shot 58.8% on layups (50-of-85), 88.7% on dunks (18-of-21) and 2-of-2 on tip-ins.
If Neal cuts down significantly on his step-backs and pull-ups, Creighton’s offense should generate more open catch-and-shoot looks for him, which will likely lead to a spike in efficiency. Improved spacing should also give him more room to attack the basket, creating easy looks for himself and his teammates.
Pick-and-Roll Ball-Handler
Ashworth and Isaacs will likely be the primary ball-handlers for Creighton, but Neal is certainly capable of offering some secondary playmaking. However, he’ll have to take the right kind of shots, which often didn’t happen in Arizona State’s clunky offense.
As a pick-and-roll ball-handler, he scored just 0.549 PPP (13th percentile), shooting 25.6%. He did a good job at times of putting his defender in jail and using his body to get to his spots, and he occasionally made teams pay for going under the screen or playing drop coverage. However, the Aztecs’ spacing was horrific around their ball screens and most of his pick-and-rolls produced bad pull-ups, step-backs or side-step jumpers. He can make those shots but attempted far too many of them last season.
Neal’s teammates didn’t do him many favors in terms of making shots, but he displayed some impressive vision in ball-screen situations. He does a good job getting downhill to draw help, opening dump-off or lob opportunities for his big man. He also does a good job of jump-stopping in the paint and finding the open man on the perimeter.
Spot-Up
His spot-up efficiency was dreadful as well, ranking in the 22nd percentile as he scored 0.735 PPP and shot 26.6% from the field. He struggles shooting off movement, though was slightly better with his feet set. Again, poor spacing often led to bad pull-ups or late-clock desperation shots to drag down his efficiency. He showed flashes of being able to attack closeouts to get to the rim, but the opportunities weren’t plentiful.
He ranked poorly in the two play types that made up two-thirds of his total possessions, which is why the overall PPP figure is so average. Neal showed much more potential in other areas, though the sample size was much smaller.
Transition
This next category should excite fans, especially with McDermott regularly highlighting the overall team speed and up-tempo pace he’s seen from this year’s squad. Neal was terrific in transition (20.9% of his possessions), scoring 1.395 PPP himself (92nd percentile).
His athleticism really shines in the open court. If nobody stops the ball, he’s going to take it all the way every time, and he shows real craft with his ball-handling and finishes as he shot nearly 80% inside the arc. He also shot the ball from 3 surprisingly well at 55% (11-of-20), hitting shots both off the catch and off the dribble.
Neal is effective both leading the break himself or running the floor off the ball. As a distributor, he keeps his head up and shows good vision. He makes quick decisions with a numbers advantage.
Isolation
The volume wasn’t as high (nor should it be this season with how Creighton’s offense works), but Neal proved to be an effective shot-creator in isolation situations, which made up 10.9% of his possessions last year. Between his scoring and playmaking, he produced 1.205 PPP (94th percentile).
His athleticism allows him to get to his spots on the floor when the offense breaks down or when he draws a mismatch.
Neal’s ability to assert ball pressure also creates openings for his teammates as he draws help and forces rotations, sucking defenders from the perimeter to create open 3s.
Cut, Off Screen, Offensive Rebounds and Handoffs
The sample size on other play types is small, but Neal’s athleticism shines through. He can be an above-the-rim finisher as a cutter and can fly in for put-backs if his man doesn’t check him. He also made a handful of plays running off screens or taking handoffs.
“Just bringing my athleticism to it,” Neal said of his offensive role. “I think we have a lot of space with the shooters and opportunities. When I first got here on my visit, Mac showed me film and broke it down and showed me ways that I could be effective in this offense, and I think that’s what made me make my decision to come here. It just makes it so much easier for me.”
Defense
While Arizona State’s offense was a disaster last season, the Aztecs fielded a somewhat respectable defense, and Neal was part of that. Creighton will need him to make a big impact in that area with two small guards starting together in the backcourt.
Neal gives good effort on closeouts, chopping his steps as opposed to flying by and getting a hand up nearly every time. He showed the awareness to make key rotations and put in the effort in scramble situations to pick up the open man. He generally does a solid job fighting through screens but is quick to switch if he gets stuck and his teammate picks up the ball-handler.
Neal doesn’t show elite lateral quickness and will occasionally get caught flat-footed or beat with straight-line drives, but he works hard to move his feet. While he has some versatility on the perimeter, he struggled to get stops in the post as bigger players had little trouble backing him down and finishing over him or drawing a foul.
Neal said he’s embracing the wing-stopper role: “Just a scrappiness, a willingness to guard the ball. Defensively, I think, I’ll bring a little bit more steals to the table, just trying to be that guy. I’m kind of lengthy, I can guard one through four. So I think I’ll bring some versatility to the defensive end as well.”
While the overall efficiency thus far in Neal’s career leaves much to be desired, a closer look reveals an intriguing offensive skill set. If he can buy into the way McDermott wants his team to play, he has a chance to play a significant role for Creighton men’s basketball on both ends of the floor.
