AUBURN, Ala. – Devan Cambridge might never top the career-high 26 points he scored against South Carolina as a freshman. His highest point total from this past season was 16. And yet, he still took a massive leap from year one to year two.
The biggest difference? Consistency.
"My mindset was definitely different coming in my second year," Cambridge said. "My freshman year, I feel like I wasn't in the gym enough. I didn't contribute enough. I had some good games, but I wasn't consistent. I wanted to be more of an asset to the team, so I worked hard, stayed in the gym and had a much better year. But I can always build on that."
Cambridge scored 20-plus points twice as a freshman, but he only reached double figures four times during the 2019-20 season. As a sophomore in 2020-21, he scored in double figures 14 times, including 11 of Auburn's 18 games in SEC play.
It didn't matter if he was starting or coming off the bench, Cambridge scored 10 points a contest from the first SEC game to the end of the season. For the year he averaged 8.9 points per game, more than doubling his scoring output from his freshman campaign where he averaged 4.2 points per game. He also improved his totals in 3-pointers (+14), rebounds (+16), steals (+12) and blocks (+4).
Unlike teammate Jaylin Williams, Cambridge didn't see a huge increase in minutes. He was just a better player, both physically and mentally, as a sophomore.
"Definitely physically," Cambridge said. "I gained like 20-something pounds my first two or three weeks. Coach D (Damon Davis) has helped me a lot with my strength. And just thinking the game, I've learned a lot. It's not like a workout that has changed or I'm doing differently. I've learned a lot from BP (Bruce Pearl) in sensing the game, getting certain reads, things like that."
In the offseason, Auburn revamped its backcourt with the additions of transfers Zep Jasper, Wendell Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson. Cambridge, despite coming off a breakout season, will have to earn his minutes. But he knows that and looks forward to the challenge.
"If I didn't embrace it, I would have left," Cambridge said. "You see people leaving. Everybody is in the transfer portal. But I like my team. You've got to fight everywhere you go. You've got to work for it because it's going to be a challenge anywhere you go."
Cambridge also believes this year's Auburn team has what it takes to win a championship.
BY THE NUMBERS
41: As a freshman, though streaky, Cambridge showed the ability to shoot it from deep. He made a career-high seven 3s against LSU. That range carried over to his sophomore year where he finished third on the team with 41 3-pointers made. He knocked down three or more 3s in a game six times, including five coming against SEC opponents.
73.1: There might be no better indication of the time Cambridge put in at the gym than his numbers at the charity stripe. He made just five of 18 free throws as a freshman, shooting 27.8 percent. That number nearly tripled in SEC play this past season where he shot 73.1 percent from the line, making 19 of his 26 free throw attempts in conference games.
8: In the opening game of the season, Cambridge recorded his first and only career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime win against St. Joseph's. Though he never posted double-digit rebounds again, he pulled down five or more boards in eight games last year after doing so just four times his freshman year.
COACHES' CORNER WITH IRA BOWMAN
Q: How did you see Devan grow from his freshman to sophomore year?
A: I think with most of the guys it's just maturity. Their bodies being physically more mature. Devan has a unique advantage in the sense that he's a high-major SEC and a pro athlete – athletically he's gifted in the sense that he could compete in the NBA. It's always hard after having some success as a freshman, expecting a bigger role as a sophomore and then coming into a new mix. With the COVID protocols, things were a little different. At the beginning of the year, I think he wanted to do so much so soon and kind of struggled a little bit shooting the ball and trying to do a little bit too much. By the time the SEC season came around, he settled down and was more efficient in what he was doing.
Q: What is the ceiling for a guy like Devan?
A: He's got a ton of potential. Coach (Bruce) Pearl said this as a freshman in a postgame comment, I think after the South Carolina game where he went off. He has the potential to be the best player on our team. Obviously, the best player on our team the past couple years has gone on to the NBA, so he has an opportunity. But for him his potential is going to be a great 3-and-D guy. Be able to defend, lock down people, rebound and score. He's a guy that's going to be able to catch-and-shoot, make open shots, protect the rim with his athleticism, but being able to really guard. For us, if he's doing that at a high level, we're going to be pretty good.