Chris Beard raves about TJ Caldwell’s work ethic, performance

TJ Caldwell looked like his early season self Tuesday night as Ole Miss took down rival Mississippi State, 86-82. Caldwell had assumed the sixth-man role to begin the year, averaging 7.8 points per game in nonconference play to provide a spark off the bench.

However, he entered the contest against the Bulldogs in a bit of a slump. Caldwell was averaging just 1.9 points across seven SEC contests and had been held scoreless twice. His playing time was dwindling as a result. He saw only four minutes a week prior in a matchup against Arkansas.

But when Caldwell checked in midway through the first half, he put all that behind him. The guard immediately made an impact with a steal on defense and hit his first three shots. He continued to impress in the second half, finishing with 18 points (6-8 FG), including four 3-pointers.

Rebels coach Chris Beard had high praise for Caldwell postgame, even going as far as to say he has an NBA future.

“Talented young guy,” Beard said. “Just striving for consistency like we all are, myself included. I’ve been really impressed with his approach the past couple of weeks in practice, individual workouts, film sessions. TJ’s got a demeanor about him. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low. In my opinion, this will translate into not only being a great player in the SEC, but being a pro one day.”

Caldwell is only in his second season with the Rebels, so certainly has potential to develop into a starter one day. Performances like Tuesday night provide a glimpse into what that could look like.

But even this season, he can still make a major impact for an Ole Miss team currently sitting at 18-3 (5-3 SEC). He showed that Tuesday night, playing 27 minutes and coming up clutch to hit a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining and make it a two-possession game.

That effectively sealed the win, and Beard was impressed with his calmness in that pressure moment.

“He’s just got a poise about him that we feed off of in a lot of ways,” Beard said. “It’s a players’ game, right? We had some adversity with some foul trouble and some other guys not bringing their A-game tonight and you need that. Mississippi State, they had a special performance from one of their guys coming off the bench, too. But TJ is a guy I really believe in. If he runs his own race, I think he’ll be a pro.”

If Caldwell can continue to carry that momentum and be a force off the bench, it will make Ole Miss a dangerous team down the stretch of SEC play. The Rebels next face No. 16 Auburn at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.