ATLANTIC CITY — Jaquan (Son Son) Lynch got the toughest decision of his senior year out of the way early when he verbally committed to Florida International and new coach Richard Pitino. To make sure he’s prepared for FIU, he’s going through an equally difficult transition — from shooting guard to point guard, scorer to distributor, shooter to penetrator.
Lynch has spent much of the summer on the ball for the Juice All-Stars, adjusting to a brand new position. He’s worked diligently on getting his teammates involved before looking for his shot, making sound decisions with the ball, running an offense, and improving his ball-handling.
At just 6-foot, Lynch knew he needed to at least become capable of spending some time at point guard to make him an attractive commodity.
“If I wanted to play at the next level, I had no choice,” The Post’s second team All-City selection said on Wednesday during the Live in AC event at Richard Stockton College. “I love making other people look better. I’m trying to get smarter, better as a player and a person, and everything will fall into place.”
Lynch has spent a lot of time watching Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving play to try to get an even better understanding of the position. He has worked hard on running the pick and roll.
The biggest change, Jefferson and Juice All-Stars coach Lawrence (Bud) Pollard said, is Lynch thinking like a point guard. Rather than taking a 3-pointer in transition, Pollard pointed out, he’s trying to drive into the teeth of the defense to free up teammates. He still has a long way to go, the coach said, which is expected considering he is now new to the position.
“He has to make the right pass at the right time,” Pollard said. “[The question is], can he carry a team without scoring, leading the offense, running the team?”
The coach was quick to add: “He has the skills to do it. He’s definitely improving.”
Pollard doesn’t plan to use him exclusive on the ball this winter. He still has several capable point guards, such as Nazai Stokes, Pat (Stink) Brown and Rachard Moody, and with Thaddeus Hall graduating plenty of points to make up.
“Next year I need him to score that ball,” Pollard cracked.
That’s suits Lynch just fine. He still sees himself as a scorer, which is what made college coaches notice him in the first place. His breakout junior season, in which he led Jefferson to the Brooklyn AA regular season crown, the borough title and PSAL Class AA finals, was predicated on his explosive scoring ability. Lynch said he prefers playing off the ball and when he has the ball on the wing and has space to maneuver, he thinks “I’m a shooter.”
It’s all part of his evolution as a player, learning to find an even balance between running a team and making the most of his abilities.