Jaden House: Player Outlook
What Rhode Island fans should look for in the newest Ram
Following a stellar 2022-23 campaign, former High Point star Jaden House quickly became one of the more intriguing transfer options for many collegiate programs due to his scoring prowess. Thus, it was no surprise when the ex-Panther landed on his feet shortly after entering the portal. On March 31st, 2022, House announced that he would be joining the Rhode Island Rams, taking his scoring capabilities to a team which is in desperate need of a roster overload following a tumultuous first season under HC Archie Miller.
A Richmond, Virginia (VA) native, House was an unranked prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He spent his high school years at Middleburg Academy- a private school 2 hours north of his hometown- before committing to High Point over the likes of Georgetown, Cincinnati, Howard, and East Carolina, amongst others. During his three-year stint with the Panthers, House appeared in 81 contests (53 starts), averaging 12.4 PPG on 43.9% shooting (349/795) from the floor while averaging 24.8 minutes per game.
It was this past season in which House’s talents were on full display. In 2022-23, he appeared in 30 contests (starting 27) while averaging 17.3 points a night: the third-most in the Big South conference behind only Drew Pender of UNC Ashville and Charleston Southern’s Claudell Harris.
After a 14-17 season for the Panthers, head coach GG Smith was fired on March 3rd, 2023, House formally entered the transfer portal 10 days later, and, having received offers from numerous schools nationwide, he eventually chose Rhode Island once forging a strong bond with lead assistant coach Kenny Johnson. Now, he is expected to take on a new role on a Rams team in desperate need of a roster overhaul. But one big question remains: What exactly will he bring to the table?
House was High Point’s primary weapon this past year, scoring 518 points this season, and was involved in a whopping 31.6% of the team’s possessions: the 13th-highest rate nationally. It would come to nobody’s surprise if he experienced a similar workload with the Rams this upcoming season.
In short, there will be minutes to be had at Rhode Island- particularly in the backcourt- as the team is in the midst of a total roster overhaul. Brayon Freeman, the star of the Rams 2021-22 transfer class, left mid-season after butting heads with the coaching staff on multiple occasions. Another prized transfer, ex-UNC guard Anthony Harris, was not permitted to enroll at the university, and there’s a good chance he won’t ever set foot on campus.
But the list continues. Several other players- star guard Ishmael Leggett, Rhode Island native Sebastian Thomas (who replaced Freeman in the starting lineup following his abrupt departure), and spot-starting forward Abdou Samb all announced they’d be entering the portal following the season. So too did versatile freshman Lou Hutchinson, while senior Malik Martin has graduated and Jalen Carey has entered the NBA draft, while also entering the transfer portal.
At the time of this article (April 2nd, 2023), the Rams have only one guard on their roster who was with the team last year, Brandon Weston. They do also a pair of incoming freshmen guards in Connor Dubsky and Cam Estevez (although how much they’ll play this year remains to be seen). If one had to put money on it, House- who has two years left of eligibility- will be sharing a lion’s share of the teams minutes until the roster can be adequately filled.
It goes without saying that his best feature is his ability to get to the free throw line. He averaged 6.9 free throw attempts per game this year: also 13th in the nation. For a Rhode Island team which was 43rd in the NCAA this past season in terms of free throw rate (37%; 653 free throw attempts vs. 1,765 field goal attempts), House fits the bill offensively: he’s not afraid to get downhill in a hurry and will get to the line frequently.
On the flip side of things, Rhode Island shot 74.4% (486/653) from the line as a team in 2022-23, marking the 82nd-best percentage in the entire NCAA. House, meanwhile, is shooting a mere 64.8% from the free throw line for his career, including an underwhelming 64.7% (134/207) from the stripe this past season. For House, a higher rate of free throw attempts has not resulted in a higher conversion rate, which could be a slight cause for concern. Additionally, House’s overall field goal percentage has regressed on a regular basis, although that could certainly be attributed to an increased workload on a yearly basis, as the table below suggests:
Based on the above data, House’s offensive efficiency has been on a slight decline due to what can be considered borderline-excessive usage. For Rhode Island to maximize his capabilities, they will have to pair him alongside at least one other scoring option, so he isn’t relied upon to carry the offense single-handedly.
The reduction in House’s field goal percentage on an annual basis is not solely related to a higher shot volume, but a higher percentage of three-pointers taken. A career 30.1% shooter from the outside, he doesn’t pose a substantial threat from the outside- especially this past season, when he attempted 4.1 3-point attempts per game, netting 34 of his 122 attempts for a mere 27.9% clip from three.
Instead, House is a player who is best off cutting to the rim. He made 221 of his 371 field goal attempts within 4 feet of the basket over the course of his career at High Point, good for a field goal percentage 59.5% across his 81 games as a Panther.
For the Rams, maximizing House’s skillset offensively entails getting him downhill- where he is a far more efficient shooter, and where there is a greater likelihood of him getting to the free-throw line.
Defensively, House is a rugged player who excels in man coverage. At High Point, House registered 551 defensive possessions in a man-to-man setting from 2020-2023 while surrendering only 449 points. That represents a points per possession (total points surrendered/ total possessions played) average of 0.815 across his three seasons with the Panthers- a most respectable figure.
Most of House’s man-to-man possessions came from outside the charity stripe, where he held opponents to 75 three point makes on 251 shot attempts, a shooting percentage of approximately 29.9%. His profound ability to defend the three should be of assistance at Rhode Island, a team which held their opponents to a 32.1% clip beyond the arc this season, below the NCAA DI average (34%) and representing the 70-best three-point defense in the association as a whole.
So, what’s his at URI? It’s simple: House will be a top scoring option on a team without any guard depth (at least at this point in time). The Rams would be best to put him off-ball, pairing him with a true point guard while utilizing his frame and athleticism to draw fouls down low. Defensively, they can rely on him to be a consistent perimeter defender, working to chase shot-makers off the line.
All things considered, Jaden House represents an intriguing two-way player for the Rams. If utilized in the appropriate capacity, he could be one of the more impactful transfers of this year’s class for a Rhode Island team which can only go up after an all but forgettable 2022-23 season.
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