The future of Marquette basketball can be seen in freshman backcourt

Marquette men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart had some advice for Nigel James Jr. and Adrien Stevens when the freshman backcourt duo became roommates.

“I tell them all the time ‘Open your door,’ ” Smart said. “Because they both have doors in their bedrooms, separate bedrooms.

“Just open your door, come together. Because if you can bring the best of you to help this one, and then if you can bring the best of you to help this one, then we got something. We really, really got something here.”

The hopes of MU to recover from this down season could largely depend on the combination of James’ and Stevens’ games. They have already shown rapid improvement, but they haven’t won a road game yet and the Golden Eagles (9-15, 4-9 Big East) will try to do that at Villanova (18-5, 9-3) on Feb. 10.

“We’ve been through a lot together so far this year,” Stevens said. “We’re going to continue to go through a lot together in our careers at Marquette.

“He’s a great player. I have a lot of respect for him and he’s got a lot of respect for me.”

James became the starting point guard in the fourth game of the season. With junior guard Sean Jones having an injury-plagued season, the 6-foot James is averaging 28 minutes a game and providing 15.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

The 6-4 Stevens was promoted to the starting lineup on Dec. 6. Former starter Zaide Lowery left the program not long after not playing against Dec. 17 against Georgetown. In the 12 games since then, Stevens is playing just over 30 minutes per game.

Stevens has been on a shooting heater over MU’s last two games, going 9 for 12 on 3-pointers. After shooting 14 for 41 (34.1%) from long range in non-conference games, Stevens is 23 for 53 (43.4%) against Big East foes.

“Long way to go to get to, like, the best version of those guys together,” Smart said. “But I think, as freshmen, you see them getting better and better.

“If you put their combined statistics - whether it’s points, assists, deflections, rebounding - any of those stats, if you put them on a graph and, from the start of the season to the end of the season, it’s going up. All of them.”

Nigel James Jr. and Adrien Stevens pair well together

The freshman guards have games that fit well together. The ultra-quick James can get into paint nearly at will to break down defenses. According to Synergy Sports, Stevens is shooting 29 for 45 (39.2%) on catch-and-shoot jumpers set up by his teammates.

“I’ve got to give them credit,” Stevens said after making six 3-pointers against Butler. “My teammates finding me when I’m open. They trust me. I trust them. It’s just a good, two-way street there.”

MU hit a lull in the first half against Butler and the score was tied at 27-27 when Stevens and James ran a two-man action on the right side of the court. James attacked off the dribble, while Stevens popped out to the 3-point line. Butler’s two defenders were so worried about MU’s freshmen that they ran into each other, and James found Stevens for a easy triple. The Golden Eagles led the rest of the game.

“When those guys realize that Adrien can really, really make Nigel better with the things that he brings and with putting energy into him, and NJ realizes the same thing really full-time, all the time, then we’ll have something special,” Smart said.

“And as freshmen, they are going to mess a lot of things up. But they’ve got heart. They have character. And when you combine that with the growing experience, then some of the growth that our other guys are making, we have a chance. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but we have a chance.”

James and Stevens must be keeping their bedroom doors open because they have a tight bond off the court.

“I just think our personalities go really well (together),” Stevens said. “We’ve gotten super close since I’ve been here. He believes in me and I believe in him.

“I really trust him and I love him. That’s my brother. I think we have like a brotherly bond, really. It just clicked. We’ve been through a lot so far together this year. We’re going to continue to go through a lot together in our careers at Marquette.”

Rosters in college basketball change dramatically every season, so MU fans must be heartened to hear that James and Stevens want to stick together.

“I love when they look at each other as a tandem,” Smart said. “As a pair. That’s a start. You want five guys out there that look at each other that way.

“Those guys are roommates. They became very, very close during the recruiting process, once they both committed. They both have a maturity about them that’s beyond what most freshmen have.

“But it also hasn’t been easy for them. They’ve both gone through some different challenges. I think the more they support each other, the better they’ll be.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nigel James Jr. and Adrien Stevens are Marquette's backcourt of future