One thing I have realized is this team isn’t very good in transition. They did attack off a make once today otherwise they’re very poor attacking off makes. Their defense is too inconsistent to get transition offense going, our bigs don’t run the court very well. Funny the emphasis is put on offense but they don’t get enough stops and on offense they don’t have enough guys to pass the ball and shoot the ball.
Why the hell are our juniors the most inconsistent ones? Why can’t Irvin and Walton make layups? Irvin attack the hoop like Shaq was there waiting to block it in a 3 on 1 fast break. What the hell was that
I agree but that was the intent when they brought this group in and it’s been out style since coach b got here. Pretty much try and out score the other team and get by with hopefully average d. They do not have the horses to pull it off consistently. Hopefully the run of bad luck stops this year and we have no other big injuries. Right after the games I’m calling for people’s heads but once relaxed I start to find optimism. I just pray for consistency from either Walton or Irvin next year. I believe maar will make another step up and will be all big ten type quality. Walton and maar theoretically could be one of the top back courts out there. I also believe kam will develop into a nice bench player. Wagner and donnall should be a nice pair, add Xavier off the bench and I’m optimistic still. They key is consistency. They all have shown in spurts. Time to grow up and lead and show up night in night out. Robinson and Dawkins will be there to snipe again. Let’s just hope some step up and seize their minutes and roles so we have a nice deep team that can hurt teams in aot of ways. Lots of upper classmen
Another aspect – they often fail to capitalize on the turnover issues of fast-paced teams because they so often refuse to push the pace selectively in transition. If Iowa or Indiana is going to give you a few steals for easy layups, you shouldn’t use the opportunity to slow things down, catch your breath, and set up your plodding half-court offense. If you lack the horses to punish them for their loose play, you negate any advantage they may give you.
We saw yesterday what happens when we fast break. Our two upperclassmen miss layups. Irvin is 6’6 and struggles greatly at finishing. It’s tough to watch.
A big part of it is not having the talent and athleticism (as you point out), combined with an overall risk-averse and non-opportunistic game approach. When we had the horses ('12-'14), the team run would run selectively, to great advantage. So I agree that personnel is the main limiting factor here. Even Dawkins, who definitely can elevate, seems to miss as many dunks as he makes.
Yeah. We have 4 guys who are 6’6 to 6’8 and none of them are even average finishers in my eyes. It’s kind of weird to see that. Seeing jaylen brown be a monster out in California makes you wonder, his finishing ability is elite and we lack that big time.
I am of the camp that Dawkin’s defense is not just bad like most of the rest of the team but it is epically horrible. I actually appreciate his offense. I guess one way to know if he should be on the court would be a longterm +/- report relative to our other players. Anybody know how to get that information?
The thing is, even if his +/- is favorable, I think it is dangerous to give him the minutes. The bench is a stick and playing time is a carrot. If he became a below average defender even, he would be valuable to the team because he is a very good shooter, in my opinion.