The Baconator: A look at Florida State Guard Dwayne Bacon

When it was announced that Jonathan Isaac would commit to Florida State and not go the NBA route, Coach Leonard Hamilton could breathe a sigh of relief. Florida State had not made the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, and it was thought that the Killer B’s in Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon would depart as well. However, Dwayne Bacon announced that he would return for a second season with the Seminoles.

Bacon returns to the Seminoles with two new additions to the team: five star small forward Jonathan Isaac and shooting guard Trent Forrest. Florida State is slowly but surely starting to build in their recruiting in basketball in hopes of matching success of their football team Coach Hamilton has recently done a great job in recruiting for the Seminoles, but Bacon returning to the team has given them a boost for the upcoming season.

In his 2015 freshman campaign, Bacon averaged 15.8 PPG and 5.8 RPG, ranking him third among ACC freshman. Standing at 6’7, 210 pounds, he’s a very explosive player, getting to the rim effectively with the ball in his hands. In the clip below, you can see the effectiveness and quickness that he possesses. He is excellent at finishing at the rim along with playing above it. The ability to find a way for a contested shot to go through is also his strong suit. Alongside that, Bacon is also a great candidate to put someone on skates with his smooth handles.

Bacon is a scoring machine. If anything, scoring is his best strong suit which will carry him far post college. In the Seminoles match against Virginia Tech, he managed to score 22 points on 8-16 from the field and 5-10 from the field. As you can see from the video below, Bacon was able to combine those great handles with a smooth perimeter jumper

Dwayne’s game is very smooth. He flows to the basket and his shots fall in smooth like butter. He also keeps his composure when faced with crunch time plays, one of which he managed to accomplish in his game winning shot against in-state rivals in the Florida Gators. Tied at 71, Bacon used his size and pulled up for the jumper, which he often uses to his advantage.

Bacon is a great scorer, but he does need to work on is his shooting. Last season, he averaged 71% at the FT line, a number that is low for his ability. He also averaged 44% from the field and 28% beyond the arc. If he has put in the work over the off-season to develop a better free throw percentage at the stripe and make better shot selections, he will be a force to be reckoned with. As the ACC is coming off a season that saw eight teams make it to the NCAA Tournament, he would need to stay focused if he wants Florida State to be included in that mix.

Dwayne Bacon is heading into his sophomore season at Florida State, which will now come with the pressure of making the NCAA tournament. Although Beasley departed, the addition of five star Jonathan Isaac, Trent Forrest, and returning teammate Xavier Rathan Mayes should allow Florida State to be a potential contender in the ACC. Again, Florida State has not made the postseason since 2012, but that all may change if Bacon can put a little more “sizzle” into his game this upcoming season.