Marquette's David Joplin assesses his progress after 20 games as a starter

David Joplin is always confident he will figure things out.

When the 6-foot-8 junior forward steps on the court at Fiserv Forum on Saturday against Seton Hall (13-7, 6-3 Big East), it will be Joplin's 20th game as a starter for the 13th-ranked Golden Eagles (14-5, 5-3).

Going from the Big East sixth man of the year last season to a bigger role wasn't always going to be a smooth transition. Joplin knew that before the season started, that's why he worked his way into elite shape over the summer.

Joplin's shooting ability made him well-suited to being a microwave scorer off the bench, but he has embraced trying to add new elements while his minutes have increased from 19.1 per game last season to 24.9.

“Trying to keep the same routine," Joplin said. "Trying to understand that it isn’t another game, it’s basketball.

"It’s just the stuff we do all the time. I’m blessed to have this position where I have a big role on a very good team in the country, so I try to make the most of it.”

Trying to be more than a three-point shooter

It's hard not to compare Joplin to Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

With all the other MU starters returning, Joplin grabbed the spot that was vacated when Prosper opted for the NBA draft.

The biggest difference between the players is that Prosper got baskets around the rim with his elite wingspan and athletic ability. Prosper was 97 for 141 (68.8%) at the rim last season. He was also MU's best player at drawing fouls with a 51.5 free-throw rate (free-throw attempts divided by field-goal attempts).

Joplin is 19 for 40 (47.5%) at the rim after going 32 for 63 (50.8%) last season. He has a 14.5 free-throw rate.

“Just be myself," Joplin said. "I’m not O-Max Prosper. So just to be myself, play as much as I can, do what I can do for my teammates.”

Joplin isn't as quick as Prosper, so Joplin has often tried to take advantage of mismatches with his size by backing down opponents.

“We call them KD back-downs," said Joplin, with the name coming from NBA star Kevin Durant. "Working on backdowns, working on getting to a spot. Getting into action off the backdown. Playing off other players, so it works really well.”

The results have been mixed, with Joplin sometimes losing the ball (17 turnovers this season) and getting his shot blocked at the rim. But he continues to work at it with assistant coach Cody Hatt.

"It’s a feel for it," Joplin said. "We’ve all been playing for a while. So just instincts, being a scorer. You have some teams leave me open, so I got to shoot.

"Most teams, I’m not going to get those looks, those same looks. So I got to find a way to keep putting points on the board. Just working on it, putting time in with Cody every day. Teams are going to give me different looks, so I got to find different ways to score because we need it."

Joplin has been Marquette's best three-point shooter

Joplin's best skill is his shooting ability, and he has been MU's most consistent shooter this season.

The Golden Eagles rank 10th in the 11-team Big East with their 30.7% three-point shooting during their eight conference games. But Joplin is 22 for 48 from long distance against league foes, helped by his 6-for-8 performance at DePaul on Wednesday.

Joplin is 43 for 104 (41.3%) overall this season from beyond the arc.

“I’m always confident shooting the ball," Joplin said. "I’m confident in all our guys shooting the ball. They’re in the gym with me every day. I don’t really look at the numbers, I have no idea what I am shooting or what we’re shooting from the three. I know we can do better, but it’s stuff we work on every day so I have confidence in all our teammates."

The MU coaches have always pushed Joplin to improve on the defensive end. But the Golden Eagles are a top-20 defensive team according to the efficiency rankings at statistical website kenpom.com, and Joplin has 17 steals and 10 blocks through 19 games after notching 22 and 11 in 36 last season.

The Golden Eagles have room to improve offensively, and a dynamic Joplin could be a big part of that.

“Jop’s a guy that we really need to be an offensive play-finisher for us," MU head coach Shaka Smart said. "We’ve got some really great play-starters.

"But we need Kam (Jones) and Jop and Ben (Gold) to finish some plays off from outside the arc and even around the basket. So it was great to see (Joplin) make shots (against DePaul) and hopefully we can build on it.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: David Joplin has adjusted after joining Marquette's starting lineup