USC forward Chimezie Metu is developing a not-so-secret weapon

Before the first three-pointer of USC forward Chimezie Metu’s career, he didn’t have enough time to even consider his shot. The first half was expiring against Arizona State last winter. Metu had the ball near midcourt. He heaved. The ball went in.

“The clock was running down,” he explained recently. “It wasn’t really that much pressure.”

In almost any other circumstance, Metu never would have attempted a shot from anywhere close to that range.

This season is different. Metu wants to make himself the type of prospect most coveted in the modern NBA: a big man who can shoot.

Metu attempted just two three-pointers last season. He attempted two in just 23 minutes in USC’s opening game against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, and made them both.

The early part of USC’s schedule, which continues Monday against North Dakota State, is not much more than a formality. But it affords Metu a laboratory to continue tinkering with the latest offensive weapon in his arsenal.

And it offers a scary thought for USC’s Pac-12 Conference opponents. USC already was supposed to be one of the best teams in the country because it combined a talented, veteran roster with a bounty of young depth. It showed why in its opening 84-42 win. But no one expected USC to add a 6-foot-11 perimeter shooter, too.

If Metu can hit consistently from outside, forward Bennie Boatwright said, “You can’t guard him. So you’ve got to hope he misses.”

Metu shined in USC’s opener, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes. There was an unfamiliar buzz at Galen Center, despite an FBI investigation that led to the indictment of assistant coach Tony Bland by a federal grand jury and forced USC to sit guard De’Anthony Melton over eligibility concerns.

A crowd of 6,327 made the game the best-attended USC opener since the building opened in 2006.

Metu’s perimeter game was the most surprising development. Metu has taken advantage of the offseason as well as any USC player. After his freshman season, when he was a defensive force but lacked any polish on offense, he worked to craft a potent mid-range jumper.

He hinted in the offseason that his next project was a three-point shot.

“I’ve been working on it,” he said last week. “My teammates are telling me to shoot it a lot more.”

In practice, he had been hesitant to shoot, but shortly before the season began, he gained more confidence.

In recent years, basketball has shifted increasingly outside the three-point arc. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have built their rosters around long-distance shooters.

“Everybody’s shooting threes now,” point guard Jordan McLaughlin said. “Big men, everybody.”

Metu’s shooting, McLaughlin said, “allows us another option. If he’s able to step out, teams would probably let him shoot it. And once he hits a couple they’ll probably adjust. But it just adds another weapon.”

Then he added a note of caution.

“He just can’t fall in love with it,” McLaughlin said.

NEXT UP

USC vs. North Dakota State

When: Monday, 8 p.m.

Where: Galen Center.

On the air: TV: Pac-12 Networks; Radio 710.

Update: USC (1-0) impressed with defense in the opener. “That’s what we’re hanging our hats on,” Metu said. Fullerton’s 42 points were the lowest figure for a USC opponent in five years. Fullerton shot just 23 percent for the game.

North Dakota State (0-1) lost its opener 85-66 to Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Bison finished second in the Summit League last season. They return three starters. Paul Miller led the team last season with 16.7 points per game.

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand