Why Jaylin Sellers could be Providence's difference-maker this season.
Watching film of Jaylin Sellers during his previous stops at Central Florida and Ball State, one thing becomes apparent very quickly: he takes it to the rim with bad intentions.
Look no further than this dunk reel filled with him throwing down over (and in some cases through) defenders:
Sellers was one of the headliners of a strong portal class for the Friars last spring, choosing Providence over Illinois, Cincinnati, and Georgetown — and in the process joining Jason Edwards in an overhaul of PC’s backcourt.
He comes with significant credentials: a former MAC All-Freshman Team performer before averaging over 13 points per game on 45% shooting from beyond the arc as a sophomore at Ball State.
His profile only grew after transferring as a junior to UCF. His first season in Orlando coincided with the program’s first in the Big 12, and Sellers was more than up for the challenge — averaging a shade under 16 points per game and coming up with big-time performances against the likes of Kansas (18 points in a win), Texas (24 more in a road victory), at Miami (22 points and 11 boards), and versus Oklahoma (20 points in win over the Sooners).
He was the fourth-leading scorer in the nation’s best conference.
While at UCF, Sellers played with a pair of familiar faces — DeMarr Langford (the younger brother of former Friar Makai Ashton-Langford) and a very good point guard in Darius Johnson (who Providence recruited hard coming out of high school).
He was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 at season’s end two years ago, but played in just three games last season due to a back injury.
Digging into Sellers’ career, there are all sorts of encouraging numbers.
While he’s known for his athleticism, Sellers put up outstanding shooting numbers at Ball State. In his two seasons there he shot 44% as a freshman from three (albeit on 24 makes) and 45% his sophomore year (54 makes).
He ranked in the 98th percentile as a spot up shooter and 91st as a jump shooter, while also ranking in the 84th as a pick and roll scorer as a sophomore.
Sellers’ percentage from beyond the arc dipped to 29% in his first season at UCF. That could be due to a step up in competition, but it’s worth noting that he also broke his hand in August 2023.
Even with a drop in his perimeter shooting numbers, the tape from two seasons ago is very encouraging. He was a force in transition (90th percentile), and was very good on handoffs (79th) and in isolation (84th). Sellers plays with real aggression when taking the ball to the rack, regardless of who is there waiting for him.
He converted three and-1s in the second half against Miami, and simply punished Wooga Poplar on the third score:
He didn’t produce much by the way of assists as a junior (1.1 assists in 32 minutes a night), nor did Edwards last season (1.3), so it will be interesting to see how English and his staff implement a pair of guards whose first instinct is to score.
Sellers also did a lot of shooting on midrange step-backs, so we’ll see if he is asked to pull back there.
He had seven games of 20+ points as a junior at UCF, with a career high of 34 (in non-league play vs. Stetson). Here is Sellers stepping up big in the win over #3 Kansas:
Sellers sported a very low turnover rate (7.6% — essentially one per game) and hit free throws at 83%. Both Sellers and Edwards are 80% free throw shooters, while Sellers is also an occasional post threat (16 post up possessions in 2023-24).
Defensively, Sellers has some encouraging metrics, including ranking in the 86th percentile against pick and roll scorers at UCF in his lone full season there.
Shot Chart Breakdown: Sellers did a lot of damage on pull-ups from midrange at UCF (roughly 20% of his attempts). We’ll see if that is still a big part of his game at Providence. The first shot chart is from UCF, while the second is from his sophomore year at Ball State. He shot a ridiculous 48% on right wing threes in his final year at Ball State.
So, why is Sellers the player on this roster most capable of swinging this season from good to great?
After missing last season, Sellers is being slept on a bit. Edwards seems like he will score 16-18 points on an average shooting night, Duncan Powell figures to be more than solid at the four, while Kim English and his staff were thrilled to return the likes of Corey Floyd Jr., Ryan Mela, and Oswin Erhunmwunse. All three are capable of taking a big step forward this season, but Sellers has the most potential to turn into another game-breaking scorer alongside Edwards. He’s already done it at a high level.
If Providence is to be great this year, Edwards and Sellers will very likely both have to be terrific for them to get there.
For Sellers, that will mean finding his niche as comfortably as he did in his first year at UCF, defending at a high level, and looking more like the perimeter shooter he was at Ball State. No one is expecting 44-45% shooting from distance again (especially after a year away), but if Sellers can shoot in the 35-37% range this offense becomes far more dangerous.
As talented as Edwards is, and for as accurate as Powell has become from deep at this stage of his career, this is a Friar roster that otherwise faces question marks beyond the arc. They could really benefit from Sellers reemerging as a consistent threat from three, or freshman Stefan Vaaks nearing his 36% clip from last season in Estonia.
Providence wants to play fast this season, and perhaps no player on this roster is better suited to do so than Sellers. He’s a wrecking ball when getting out in the open court.
Ultimately, if the Friars are to make a push toward a top 3-4 finish in the Big East this season, they’ll need both Edwards and Sellers to play at an all-conference level.
Sellers has earned high praise since setting foot on Providence’s campus — and he’ll be raring to go on Monday night’s opener after spending virtually all of last season as a spectator.