Player Preview Series: How veteran Bensley Joseph will help Providence on both ends of the floor
"He can get after you, harass you. He identifies as almost a Pat Beverly type of guy. That’s who he wants to be."
When Providence stood on the doorstep of the Final Four in 1997, they did so on the backs of four players who eventually saw an NBA floor, but also a strategic wrinkle that was rare at the time.
In the NCAA Tournament, Friar head coach Pete Gillen played two point guards together for critical stretches — and a pair of small guards at that in the six-foot, 170 pound God Shammgod and 5’9 backup Corey Wright.
Unconventional in the ’90s has become commonplace 20+ years later. Over the past decade teams like Villanova (Jalen Brunson/Ryan Arcidiacono), Duke (Quinn Cook/Tyus Jones), North Carolina (Nate Britt/Joel Berry) and Connecticut (Shabazz Napier/Ryan Boatright) won national championships running with two point guards on the floor together for prolonged stretches.
In Providence, Kim English wants to build an offensive system in which his players enjoy ultimate freedom. There was an instance last year in which he publicly questioned if he needed to pull in the reins and start calling more sets following a tough loss at Villanova, but it’s apparent that English’s preference would be to instill a system in which he fills the court with high IQ players he trusts to make correct, split-second decisions.
Which leads us to a potential pairing of point guards Jayden Pierre and Miami transfer Bensley Joseph in the season ahead.
The Friar offense would benefit from having two experienced playmakers breaking down defenses together, while the downside comes on the defensive end. Pierre is 6’2, 185 pounds, and Joseph is roughly the same size (6’2, 188). How the duo holds up defensively would likely be matchup-specific.
When English plays just one of his point guards at a time, the Friars will be physically imposing across the board. Just look at the wings and off guards alone:
Wesley Cardet Jr. — 6’6, 210
Jabri Abdur-Rahim — 6’8, 220
Justyn Fernandez — 6’5, 205
Rich Barron — 6’5, 220
Ryan Mela — 6’6, 200
Corey Floyd Jr. — 6’4, 210
The frontcourt is massive with the seven-foot Christ Essandoko, 6’10 Oswin Erhunmwunse, 7’2 Anton Bonke, and the punishing Bryce Hopkins on the interior.
Conversely, Providence certainly has the size surrounding Pierre and Joseph to play them together and get away with it. Both players have to expect significant roles after playing 30+ minutes a night last season. It’s also worth noting that Joseph ran alongside a six-foot point guard a season ago, as Miami played both Joseph and Nijel Pack over 30 minutes a game.
In Joseph, Providence is getting a similar offensive player to Pierre. Joseph averaged nearly 10 points per game a season ago (9.6), to go along with 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals a game. A career 38% shooter from beyond the arc, Joseph also had a high turnover rate (19.4%) — one that almost mirrored Pierre’s from a season ago.
Neither point guard was ball dominant last year. Joseph’s Usage Rate was 17.8%, which ranked fourth on the Hurricanes, while Pierre’s was 19% (comparatively, Devin Carter came in at 28.0%, Bryce Hopkins 26.9%, Josh Oduro 26.3%, and PC’s other key role players in the 13-14% range).
A veteran presence, the Massachusetts native turns 23 in February and brings three years of experience to Smith Hill — years that included an Elite Eight run his freshman season, and a Final Four appearance as sophomore. Here he is against UConn in the national semifinal in 2023:
Miami saw serious regression last season, finishing 15-17 overall and 6-14 in the ACC, while dropping their final ten games. Joseph was terrific in spot-up opportunities (87th percentile nationally) and made 31 jumpers off the dribble (ranking in the 76th percentile in efficiency).
A starter in 27 of the Canes’ 32 games, Joseph was at his best late in the season when he returned home to take on Boston College (13/7/6) and at North Carolina (21/6/5), and he had a big game against now teammate Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Georgia in the Bahamas in November (13/6/3/3 — Miami was a +20 with him on the floor).
At his best, Joseph is a guard teams have to respect from beyond the arc, but one who can also make incoming defenders pay off the bounce with his quickness. He was prone to taking off-the-dribble threes early in the shot clock at times last season, but looked comfortable shooting mid-range jumpers, getting to the rim, and drawing and kicking to teammates. Pierre and Joseph have the potential to free each other offensively, but both will need the turnovers to drop if the Friars are to reach their potential.
Defensively, Joseph is a sturdy guard who consistently ranked around the 55th percentile nationally in points per possession against the past two seasons. He had 47 steals, but also blocked 22 shots last year. He’s quick laterally and, as the tape shows, he can be a pit bull on both the perimeter and the interior. He has quick, strong hands stripping bigs and guards alike. Joseph doesn’t back down to bigs inside.
“On the ball, off the ball, he’s someone that we rely on very heavily, especially toward the end of games — the last five minutes — when you have to get the stops,” Miami head coach Jim Larranaga said to Blue Ribbon prior to last season.
Joseph figures to be one of the most impactful additions to the Friar roster. The point guard spot went from young to experienced in short order this spring, and in Joseph PC has added a potential leader.
“Bensley’s presence is really helpful to him,” PC assistant coach Dennis Felton said on our podcast of Joseph’s pairing with Pierre. “Bensley’s really good about sharing his experience as a leader, as a competitor who played in the Final Four and who has a couple of years of experience on Jayden in terms of doing this thing at a very, very high level. He’s seen both — he’s been a point guard on a team that made it to the Final Four, and then this past year he was on a team that underachieved a little bit, and he understands the difference. Sharing that experience, not just with JP, but all of our players, is going to bring a lot of value to our team this year that won’t be as evident to everybody outside of our program, but as a coaching staff that was just what we were looking for.”
“Tremendous leadership,” was the first thing PC assistant Matt Palumbo said when asked about what Joseph has brought to the program. “He was a big part of those Miami teams (that reached the Elite Eight and Final Four). You have to be great at all of the team elements — leading, being tough, things that result in winning — and he’s absolutely brought that without a doubt.”
“Additionally, he’s a great defender and has the potential to be an elite defender. He’s really a pesky on-ball defender. He can get after you, harass you. He identifies as almost a Pat Beverly-type of guy. That’s who he wants to be.”
The staff believes Providence’s point guards have improved one another this summer. “They get after each other,” Palumbo said. “They guard each other full court. They are playing each other one-on-one. It’s iron sharpens iron. We’ve got two really good guards, and we knew that as soon as we got him. They are just making each other better.”
Like much of PC’s transfer haul from this spring, Joseph seemed to be just what the Friars needed from a fit perspective, adding leadership, toughness, and playmaking, with experience playing deep into March alongside other talented guards.
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Looking like Derrick White on some of those defensive plays!