This is my major issue with the current roster. The primary ball handlers are not 3 level scorers and are higher turnover guys because of it. Not saying it’s easy, but we went from Malcolm to London to Ty, who could all score at 3 levels and not turn the ball over. Kihei scored from multiple levels his 2nd year, but turned it over a bunch. Based on the numbers above, Reece is a 1 level scorer who’s committing more turnovers because if you keep him out of the lane he can’t or won’t shoot so you can play the pass. I like Reece, but his inability to create and make shots for himself severely limits the offense as much as anything.
Maybe McKneely can become that player, hopefully sooner than later.
Yeah, good posts. Kihei has done what’s been asked and he’s become a better shooter. Reece continues to struggle shooting at all and Armaan has just been okay.
What’s the answer? It’s obvious: they should all shoot better. Problem solved.
Yeah. I mean, its kind of unfortunate that one could argue no one on the roster has even played up to expectation so far (probably Stattman, arguably Gardner), much less appear to have taken a substantive step forward. That by itself makes for a rough early part of the season.
Let’s just hope we can shoot lights out against Coppin State. Sister Jean and her team put up 103 on them while only allowing 45… Coppin State did just get their first win tonight, though, so may have some confidence, which we can hopefully quickly squash.
Agree with the assessment, but frankly the staff is not molding the offense to current personnel. Reece should be running 75% P&R action to get downhill- using Kadin/Gardner as the roll guys. Run sides when Reece is off the floor with Armaan/Taine/Carson flying off screens.
I think they are running the version of sides that is most conducive to dribble drive. The quick ball reversals are meant to get the defense out of position. I’m not in love with it and it doesn’t appear to be particularly effective, but I would assume that is the coaching staff’s adjustment to the roster’s inability to come off screens and shoot.
Yup, but if you have high major athleticism at your guards, you can take that away easily enough (I can’t explain it well, but basically see what NCSt and Duke do vs our sides) and force the counter where the guards have to be able to shoot. And ours can’t. (In other words, basically what you said). The most annoying thing to me about this is just Tony’s stubbornness rearing it’s head. He knows this is what’s going to happen. It’s basically him watching Laster slip screens v Salt and taking an eternity to adjust. Somewhere between freaking out (many coaches) and watching the same error again and again and again, there must be a happy medium……
I agree with you that it is most likely stubbornness, but here is my devil’s advocate reply…
We are three games into the season, with 2 closed scrimmages in the preseason. If it looked good during the scrimmages and it’s the offense he spent the entire offseason preparing to use this season, maybe it’s not yet stubbornness to try it for 3 regular season games before you abandon it, especially to see how it would work against a high level defensive team like Houston. Should he have gone away from it during the game? Probably, but it’s not like the high ball screen was particularly effective either with the aggressive double team Houston was putting on our ball handlers. It essentially forced the guards to try to get the ball to Gardner, Caffaro or Shedrick at the top of the key where they are ineffective (adjustment is to set the screen with a shooter, probably Stattmann). I’m hoping there are some adjustments, and/or different options being used during the game on Friday because it’s clearly not being executed to the level of expectations.
The things that bother me most about the offense are our 2 point % and turnover %. If we know we aren’t a great 3 point shooting team and we are currently 257th in 2 point % and 263rd in turnover %, something’s not right.
All fair. And I’m not sure we have any really good answers. I don’t think we’d look particularly good in any ball screen offense either. I guess my view is that – based on what we’ve seen so far – we are going to see some ugly offense this year. I’d prefer seeing some ugly offense that gives us a bit more hope that we are building towards something.
The sides offense hasn’t looked very effective this year. It appears to be a combination of poor screens and poor usage of screens. It looks to me like defenders are regularly squeezing through the gaps to easily get above the screen rather than a true pin down. This never happened with Salt (when you were screened, you knew it), and Mamadi got much better at it. Then the shooter has to not only cut tight up against the screener (don’t leave a gap for the trailing defender) but also feel whether the defender is pinned down or going over the screen and adjust his location accordingly. It has to be an immediate recognition and adjustment and then good footwork to be able to elevate as soon as he receives the pass. Then the passer also has to know where to put it. I hope this stuff comes together as the season wears on, but it’s been pretty loose and ugly so far.
Is a great point on using screens and passer being on target and on time with the pass. Overall it seems routine passing in college basketball is pretty sloppy that way
I’ve been trying to figure out what felt off with the offense this season, and I think you nailed it. There’s a lack of crispness in the execution. Not to drag any current players, but when the skill set is not elite (like it was with a KG or TY) the execution has to be on point to make sure the player gets every advantage out of it. While KG has that crazy quick release and could adjust/align in the air, he could compensate for coming off a screen wide and giving a defender a chance to come over, also helps having a brick wall in Salt setting the screen.
I’d love to see Kihei actually whip a pass to a shooter coming off a screen, it seems like he defaults to a bounce pass most of the time and it’s too slow getting to the shooter. Reece, throws a chest pass, but he also appears slow in his delivery.
On the screen setting side, one that has stuck out to me for several seasons now is Caffaro. He seems to almost never actually catch his defender with the screens he sets. Maybe I’m wrong and unfairly picking out one guy, but he’s been here for four years. Salt wasn’t just big, he knew exactly when and where to set the screen to actually interfere with the defender and create an advantage. Caffaro is out there setting screens all over the place, but they don’t seem to be doing anything. It’s both frustrating and interesting in that it illustrates how there is actually a decent amount of skill required for what folks might normally dismiss as being something anyone could do.
Great point. Diakite had to be arguably better than anyone on today’s squad to displace Jack Salt in the starting lineup. Salt’s personal offensive contribution was pretty pedestrian, but the value he brought to the team was substantial and I think CTB was quite aware of that.