[quote=“Hoos9412, post:9, topic:3464”]
One thing to keep in mind is both Jabri and Carson are legitimate college freshmen age wise. If they weren’t athletes they would still be freshmen this year. They aren’t a year or two older like many (majority?) top 150 recruits.
[/quote]Its actually the opposite now. I use tu think about my son repeating a grade and put him in a more challenging academic envirinment. But kids are now reclassifying up or staying in their " CORRECT" grade. Age is not why, Jabri is not playing. Jabri is not playing because he been out of basketball 2 out of the last 3 years and his defense is bad. I dont think Carson was going tu play thos yr regardless but man im happy he got in the last game. I just wish it was a better substitution situation.
Thos are tu big factors.
I gotta agree with Tu on this one. The staff knew what Huff was on defense. He’s been in school for 8 years. He’s always struggled to cover the hard hedge and get back. As Tu mentioned in the past he’s had Braxton, Mamadi and to a lesser extent Salt to cover for him cause the Hoos had that anchor in the middle. Go back to the UNC Greensboro game in the 19 tournament the game changed when they put in Huff who didn’t/couldnt hard hedge on their shooters and his sagging stopped their guys from slipping screens when they were getting back Mamadi and Jack who were so aggressive on the hedges.
Bottom line for me is, the staff should be completely aware of everything Jay can do or even what he thinks at this point and they could have made those adjustments earlier rather than attempting to force a square peg into a round hole.
Also shout out to @brogdonfanpage on another killer break down love this stuff.
If you go tu a NBA game and watch the warmups. You would be AMAZED how little shots these players miss. Im not talking the Ty or Steph of the world. Im talking about players who almost didnt have a job this yr like Quinn Cook. I know warmups is different from a game. But I think you are under estimating the abilities of these players tu shoot at a high level. I also get the 2 point percentage vs 3 point percentage topic. I think the 3 point game will continue tu grow. Which is a great thing. Ty is a GREAT passer But a PHENOMENAL shooter. However, He is not the most athletic. I think the emphasis of the 3 point shot has allowed short and not that athletic players tu be in the league. You dont have tu jump over the backboard tu play in the NBA. You don’t have tu be 6’6 tu play in the NBA. It made the NBA more attainable and realistic.
I think a lot of other factors are getting overlooked. We have a lot of new faces this year, we’re trying several different offenses, and we’ve hardly had any practice time. I feel comfortable saying that Tony hasn’t been blindsided by the defensive struggles. I’m sure he was aware of them before any of us. There are a lot of crazy variables this season.
You sure about that? Still saw a bunch of freshmen start the year as 19 year olds. A typical college student enters at 18.
I listened to a podcast w/ Jeremy Lin last year and he distilled the NBA down to lay-ups and three-pointers. Said any other shot, percentage-wise was not advised. In this Jeremy Lin interpretation, denying a team one of the two best shots would be wise in my opinion. Once you deny them the lane, you may have to determine what a team’s points per three-point attempt ends up being… and especially the corner 3, which is closer in the NBA. If the opposing team’s 3-point percentage is above 33%, then the strategy may break down.
A good team scores above 1 point per possession, so limiting a team to shoot less than 50% on 2-pointers and less than 33% on 3-pointers should be every team’s goal obviously, but if you can be elite at one or the other… I believe you will win more games than you lose.
For sure any discussion taking place on a message board is the oversimplification of a complex situation, typically guided by limited in-depth knowledge. I trust TB and staff are aware of every point I’ve raised and another 100 I’ve never thought of it. Nonetheless, it’s worth questioning and wondering what it was they saw that made them think it would work with hard hedge, especially given what they know about him and what they knew of the new faces. I’m sure there’s tons of unseen variables as well.
Huff playing 9 minutes a game in2019 was not ideal. He plays 20 minutes a game in the madness and we win all games by 10 or more. Of course less excitement.
Are we really second guessing the 19 season? Pretty sure that ended as well as it could.
I recommend reading the link AdventiveQuasar posted. I thought it was very informative. That defensive strategy isn’t just an idea. It’s what the Bucks have done the last two seasons, and they have led the NBA in defensive efficiency both years.
Jay drives me crazy on the hard hedge as well. It’s not that he shouldn’t be hedging up top, but with his length, he doesn’t need to body up on the hedge like Akil, Darion, Mamadi and Braxton did. He can keep some separation with the man after the screen, be very effective because of his length, and still be in better position to slip back into the middle. In watching UVa’s bigs hedge over the years, the hard hedge is really a learned skill, almost an art. Everyone early in their career would hedge too hard or for too long and either be called for the foul or be so out of position that he couldn’t drop back fast enough to help in the middle. With game repetitions and years in the system, everyone got much better. I hope with more game time that Jay can stay aggressive, but realize his height gives him the advantage that lateral quickness gave Akil and others.
As to the 3-pointer, I think that what Gonzaga is doing WITHOUT emphasizing that shot is nearly unbelievable. At best, Gonzaga is an average to below average 3-point shooting team (33.25% for the year) on an average of 20 shots per game (yes - they shot lights out against us and Iowa, so they are probably better than I give them credit for). The damage they are doing inside the arc is truly remarkable though - they shoot over 65% on their 2s, combined with an average of over 23 FTA per game, many of of which are and 1 - makes you wonder why they bother with the 3 other than as a balance to make you play honest.
Watching those clips of jack was hilarious. More often than not he didn’t get a body on the guy either. The guy would see him coming and just head away from the basket. No thank you I’m not going to run into that dude.
Again why wait until now. What is even worst. We weren’t expecting Trey tu play. I say this alot. Can you imagine this team without Trey. He is the most talented and skilled player on the team. By the way. Trey is athletic but he is not ATHLETIC. And being a broad jumper doesnt help. Anyway, His defense is developing. I think TB is stubborn and was determined tu make Huff a great defender in this defense. Finally an ass kicking open his eyes. I listen tu J Willy. He talked about TB being determined about Dre being a shooting guard and J Will disagreed. After an entire yr and a few games of the season. Dre showed why he would do better as a four in our system and TB told J Willy playfully. I know I know. I dont want tu hear it.
No im not sure. Maybe its more of the top players. How old is Reece or Casey last yr?
Excelent EFFING post Jazz. Very good post. Thank you for that info.
It still doesnt make Dave post not true. I personally think replacing Salt with Mamadi was the biggest move that season.
Ok, I will look for it. Thank you for the info.
That was the move that won them the title. Mamadi was at his best and Ty Kyle Dre thrived in the small ball lineup.