Nick Faust

Nick Faust had grand hopes for his sophomore campaign.

As the Terps’ top returning scorer, he figured it was time to prove he could be a go-to player. It was time to start taking major steps toward his lifelong dream of making the NBA.

But evolving circumstances have made achieving such aspirations this season nearly impossible. Faust struggled with his jump shot during the Terps’ nonconference schedule, allowing forward Dez Wells and center Alex Len to emerge as the team’s top offensive options. And when the Terps’ floor generals struggled with inconsistency at the start of ACC play, coach Mark Turgeon switched Faust to point guard out of necessity.

The mid-January move initially seemed like a temporary way to kick-start a stagnant offense. Guards Pe’Shon Howard and Seth Allen were tallying far more turnovers than assists at the time, and Faust had run the point for stretches during his freshman year.

Yet with just seven regular-season games remaining, Faust seems entrenched as the squad’s starting point guard. Turgeon believes playing the Baltimore native up top is simply the only viable option for a group that has struggled to score for much of the season.

The second-year coach prefers to have one of his deep threats — either Jake Layman or Logan Aronhalt — on the hardwood at any given moment, solely to space the floor and allow the Terps to lean on their inside-out principles. Having Faust at the point makes that possible, while also giving the Terps added length on the perimeter. It even allows Allen, a natural shooter and slasher, to concentrate on scoring from the wing.

“The thing about Nick is I have to have shooters on the floor,” Turgeon said Saturday. “If I have Pe’Shon at the point, Nick at the two and Dez at the three, we don’t have enough shooters on the floor. I have confidence in Nick; he’s got some experience.”

Such confidence may seem misplaced after reviewing Faust’s less-than-stellar numbers. The former All-ACC Freshman Team member is averaging just 6.3 points on 31.4 percent shooting and boasts a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio since Turgeon added him to the point-guard mix before a Jan. 13 loss at Miami. The Terps, meanwhile, are 4-5 with Faust as the primary ball-handler.

But Turgeon isn’t too concerned with Faust’s stats, and he doesn’t blame the 19-year-old for the Terps’ recent shortcomings. Turgeon understands that Faust has been asked to do little besides drain jumpers and drive to the basket most of his career. Developing into a true floor general was bound to require an adjustment period.

“Nick’s played one way his whole life and now he’s trying to play a different way,” Turgeon said. “It’s hard on him.”

Faust has matured in recent weeks. Gone is the me-first player who shot 4-of-15 in the Terps’ season opener. Gone is the frazzled point guard who rushed a host of ill-advised attempts in a second-half meltdown at Duke on Jan. 26.

Over the past four games, Faust has bought into Turgeon’s system and slowed the pace down on offense. He has gone through his reads, generally made precise passes and found the open man standing on the perimeter.

And though Faust has yet to top the eight-point mark this month, Turgeon believes his team is better when a scoring threat runs the offense.

“Slowly and steadily, he’s been getting better at the point,” Aronhalt said. “For him to run the team for us, it’s pretty big. Because when we have the three guards out there — Nick, Dez and the guys coming off the bench like Seth — we’re so much better around the perimeter.”

Faust realizes as much. It’s why he’s not spending the stretch run of his sophomore season begging for shots or fretting over the NBA.

“It’s been good,” Faust said of his new role. “I’m trying to do whatever I can to help the team win and just be a solid point guard for the rest of the year.”

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