SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Last' night's loss was not a fluke: it was the product of the way we've been playing for several games. The same problems were there. We knew that we couldn't keep playing this way and keep wining, despite the miracle finishes. We didn't think it would happen vs. Boston College, a team that expected to be pretty good but has been having a horrible season. But it did. But the fact of a loss in a low-scoring ugly game shouldn't shock anyone. The question is, what needs to be done to fix it.
Depth is obviously a major problem. Rebounding has been a problem in recent games But the primary culprit was our dysfunctional offense. This should not be a bad offensive team: we have five guys in the starting line-up that can score every different way you can think of. But putting the ball in the basket has been an enormous problem since the Duke game. Yes, we were scoring with good efficiency before that (1.167 points per possession), but we have dropped quite a bit since, (1.043). And its getting worse, (0.933 vs. NC State and 0.937 in this one). Tot translate those numbers, we had 63 possessions in this BC game and scored 59 points. If we'd averaged 1.167 points per possession, we'd have scored 74 points and won 73-62. 26-0, baby! BC, for all their three pointers, scored 62 points in 62 possessions, 1.000, slightly better than our defensive average of 0.959 going into the game.
So how do we fix the offense? After 26 games, we can't expect a player to become something we haven't seen. Michael Gbinije isn't going to become the player we saw in that high school highlight film all of a sudden. What can this team do that we've seen them do that will turn this around?
1) Obviously we need to make open jump shots when they are there. That might solve the problem right there. But it's not the only thing.
2) The offense has become too CJ centric. We see what appears to be a mis-match so we funnel the ball to CJ and expect him to "take his man". Except the defense then collapses on him and he's not going one on one any more. We've got 5 guys who can score. We need to make the defense guard all five guys equally.
3) Another obvious thing: when CJ is double-teamed, he's got to hit the open man, inside or out. But that applies to the whole team. When we drive to the basket, our players seem determined to score all by themselves. They get tangled up in the defense and flip up wild shots that don't go in. We need to be a little less determined to score on our drives and instead use them to set somebody up.
4) Related to that, other teams have had great success against us but getting the ball inside and going right back outside for open jumpers. Not only are the shots open but the shooter is already squared to the basket and his shooting percentage is much higher. We almost never seem to use a drive to set up a jump shot.
5) Trevor Cooney is not Gerry McNamara or Andy Rautins: he doesn't have to be at the three point line to score. He can drive to the basket and score. He could then use that to set up his man for a pull-up jumper. He doesn't have to just hang out at the three point line or run off of screens. He's an all-round scorer. He started to drive to the basket in the late going last night. i want to see much more of that.
6) Tyler Ennis seems to be content to be a distributor until the game is on the line. Then he tries to take over the game, (and usually does). There were several times last night prior to that that he had an open jumper or a lane to the basket and gave it to to keep passing the ball to someone else. A point guard is at his most effective if he forces the defense to guard him and then uses that to set up his passes. It sounds good to have a "pass first" point guard but you've got to throw the jab to set up your other punches.
Depth is obviously a major problem. Rebounding has been a problem in recent games But the primary culprit was our dysfunctional offense. This should not be a bad offensive team: we have five guys in the starting line-up that can score every different way you can think of. But putting the ball in the basket has been an enormous problem since the Duke game. Yes, we were scoring with good efficiency before that (1.167 points per possession), but we have dropped quite a bit since, (1.043). And its getting worse, (0.933 vs. NC State and 0.937 in this one). Tot translate those numbers, we had 63 possessions in this BC game and scored 59 points. If we'd averaged 1.167 points per possession, we'd have scored 74 points and won 73-62. 26-0, baby! BC, for all their three pointers, scored 62 points in 62 possessions, 1.000, slightly better than our defensive average of 0.959 going into the game.
So how do we fix the offense? After 26 games, we can't expect a player to become something we haven't seen. Michael Gbinije isn't going to become the player we saw in that high school highlight film all of a sudden. What can this team do that we've seen them do that will turn this around?
1) Obviously we need to make open jump shots when they are there. That might solve the problem right there. But it's not the only thing.
2) The offense has become too CJ centric. We see what appears to be a mis-match so we funnel the ball to CJ and expect him to "take his man". Except the defense then collapses on him and he's not going one on one any more. We've got 5 guys who can score. We need to make the defense guard all five guys equally.
3) Another obvious thing: when CJ is double-teamed, he's got to hit the open man, inside or out. But that applies to the whole team. When we drive to the basket, our players seem determined to score all by themselves. They get tangled up in the defense and flip up wild shots that don't go in. We need to be a little less determined to score on our drives and instead use them to set somebody up.
4) Related to that, other teams have had great success against us but getting the ball inside and going right back outside for open jumpers. Not only are the shots open but the shooter is already squared to the basket and his shooting percentage is much higher. We almost never seem to use a drive to set up a jump shot.
5) Trevor Cooney is not Gerry McNamara or Andy Rautins: he doesn't have to be at the three point line to score. He can drive to the basket and score. He could then use that to set up his man for a pull-up jumper. He doesn't have to just hang out at the three point line or run off of screens. He's an all-round scorer. He started to drive to the basket in the late going last night. i want to see much more of that.
6) Tyler Ennis seems to be content to be a distributor until the game is on the line. Then he tries to take over the game, (and usually does). There were several times last night prior to that that he had an open jumper or a lane to the basket and gave it to to keep passing the ball to someone else. A point guard is at his most effective if he forces the defense to guard him and then uses that to set up his passes. It sounds good to have a "pass first" point guard but you've got to throw the jab to set up your other punches.
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