How to fix our Offense
- Thread starter Farsight
- Start date
I’m so tired of hearing about the offensive struggles and what needs to be done. It’s the DEFENSE. DEFENSE. DEFENSE. The players either have to try harder on defense, by chasing their man harder, fighting to get over screens, etc., or pope is gonna have to implement some type of zone that is played 90 percent of the time and roll with it. But the effort they put in a man to man in first half of games is embarrassing. I’m so tired of watching them be so quick to switch every ball screen and not even put forth any effort to get thru the screen.
We just need to get back to movement in the offense. Too much standing around watching the guy with the ball or ball screen only. And stop with the funky lineups. We brought Perry in at 14 1/2 mins. Went from having a 4 point lead to down 3 within a minute and a half. I think he’ll be a player in a few years but he has the least upside of all 3 freshmen right now. Chandler comes in at 8:30 and we have a 1 point lead. He goes out at near 6 mins and we’re down 3 and didn’t get it back. Noah must be in the dog house. Came in against Colgate and gave us a lift but hasn’t touched the floor since. But none of these freshmen should be in unless we’re ahead or losing by 20. Keep Butler and Carr on the floor as much as possible.
In the OSU game our offense scored .96 points per possession.
We gave up 1.26.
It was both the offense and defense lol.
You're not going to win many games going 4-22 from 3. You're not going to win many games blowing layup after layup.
The two losses we were sub 1.00 ppp. The offense definitely faltered in those games.
We gave up 1.26.
It was both the offense and defense lol.
You're not going to win many games going 4-22 from 3. You're not going to win many games blowing layup after layup.
The two losses we were sub 1.00 ppp. The offense definitely faltered in those games.
He can’t guard the post either, idk what you’re watching. Also, playing the 5 puts him in even more scenarios that he can’t guard because 1-5 PnR is the most common action that is ran. You’re asking us to literally give the paint to the opposing team and stamp their logo in it by moving Carr to the 5.
Last night was an all systems failure and we've been building up to it.
We've had some issues on both ends that have been clear since the Western game, arguably, but most definitely during the Clemson game and first half against Gonzaga. Our fantastic second half against Gonzaga is the only impressive half we've had in the last 5 games.
That game was the culmination of poor play. It's time to turn our fortune around. A high seed is still on the table with quality play in the SEC despite the disappointing result.
True , we are just really limited in the paint .. Carr is a good offensive player , not big enough / strong enough to handle elite 4's or 5's ( even thbest hope is developing ough he's really a fine player ) and AW is so entirely limited on offense , and not exactly a rim protector either . No jumper at all. None . Best hope is developing Garrison but my Lord the growing pains would be rough .
Yep. And given the sheer amount of Q1 games UK is going to have, our resume has the potential to be very good.
Might be one of those situations where our resume gives us a better seed than we might even deserve.
The best lineup we have right now is still the starters we have. I think winning the Duke game and the Gonzaga one have given fans an unbalanced review of the team and expectations. If we had beaten OSU and Clemson but lost to Duke by six and to Gonzaga by twenty, I think people would be looking at the team going into SEC season as a good, but very flawed team. That’s exactly what we are….and I worry that the weight of the world comes crashing down on these guys who are built like underdogs, do not have the elite talent and probably aren’t built for prime time just yet. We are who we have been, frankly. A team full of guys who haven’t played together in a system that they struggle to embrace wholeheartedly, full set of good players but each limited to specific areas of proficiency. Being #4 in the country could be the ultimate undoing of this squad I’m afraid.
SEC play don't give you time to fix your team. Your to busy fighting for wins to change stripes. This team is what we have seen and treads are setting in. 4 to 5 seed likely in March and a 6 to 7 loss SEC conference team.
To be fair, it was the statistics that told us they were good shooters. And as a team we're shooting 35% which isn't terrible, although most of our best shooting nights were at the front of the schedule. But we're simply not shooting the volume we expected, or that Pope repeatedly says he wants us to shoot. It's gotten to the point I'm starting to wonder if he's trying to psyche out other teams into thinking we're going to pull up from 3 every trip down the court. Right now we're 42nd in the country in attempts per game, but again I think that's skewed by higher volume games against weak competition early in the non-con.
Pope did as well as any of us could have reasonably expected putting together an entire roster in one offseason. But what we have is a nice collection of role players. That’s really it.
I don't think Pope has the luxury of making Robinson a complimentary player. Who would he compliment?
Carr is effective in stretches, but I don't think you could rely on him to carry you throughout a game. He tries to be physically but most of the time it looks like he's bouncing off his defender in the post. I also suspect he's so embrace the team-leader role that he's not looking for his shot as much as he should.
Oweh is athletic and fairly consistent, although he can disappear for stretches. Shooting it better than his form would lead you to believe.
Butler looks great one game and not great the next. He didn't come here with a reputation as a scorer, and he's also the point guard. If he's needing to score a lot of points that probably indicates bigger issues. But if someone on the team is going to emerge as the clear best player, Butler seems the most likely.
Amari and Garrison obviously aren't the answer. Brea is mostly one dimensional on offense, and mostly a liability on defense. Who knows when Kerr is back, but I'm not making any breakout predictions for him anyway.
People are mistaking lack of quickness for lack of effort. Robinson and Brea just aren't quick enough to guard top level guards. The only similarity I see between this year's team and last is we only have one guy that can keep a guard in front of him. Solution? Zones junk defense? I don't know
We're gonna have to play some zone imo, should have done it more Saturday imo. On offense, as others have said, more passing, cutting, moving without the ball, less dribbling.
On some of these teams like a Tennessee and Mississippi State, I hope to see a box and one some, with Butler guarding Lanier (or Hubbard for MSST) and zoning the other four players. Make everyone else beat you. As for a team like Auburn, I don’t know that we have a solution unless Williams re-emerges
Why does no one never look at the bigger picture?
Even if we have our stout defense, if we can't score, if we can't move the ball and make baskets, nor play as a team offensively, defense doesn't matter. You need a balance game.
We are not playing as a team offensively. No motion, no screens, no cuts, just standing around and dribbling. It looks like a Cal offense.
They obviously have potential, but like Pope said, because of our lack of athleticism, they need to play as a team.
We had some big defensive stops and yet we still could NOT score from that.
Momentum typically happens with a defensive stop and a score. Or the opposite. While we lacked defense, we also could not score.
Defense is useless, if we cannot score.
Even if we have our stout defense, if we can't score, if we can't move the ball and make baskets, nor play as a team offensively, defense doesn't matter. You need a balance game.
We are not playing as a team offensively. No motion, no screens, no cuts, just standing around and dribbling. It looks like a Cal offense.
They obviously have potential, but like Pope said, because of our lack of athleticism, they need to play as a team.
We had some big defensive stops and yet we still could NOT score from that.
Momentum typically happens with a defensive stop and a score. Or the opposite. While we lacked defense, we also could not score.
Defense is useless, if we cannot score.
I disagree. I think Robinson is a hopelessly passive personality. IMHO, having Brea on the floor for 25-30 minutes is the one change that we need to see most. Brea should be made to sit when he doesn't shoot when only minimally defended. He'll fill it up if he'll just start taking every possible 3-point shot that is only minimally defended - and he can't possibly give up that many points on "D". Just MHO, of course.
On the flip side ... even if Brea doesn't get 25-30 minutes per game. I think Robinson's minutes should be reduced significantly. There is no "fire" in Robinson. He's the antithesis of Oweh, on the floor. Plus, if there is one but only one "selfish" player on the squad, at this point - on balance - I'd say Robinson plays more selfishly than any of the rest. Again ... just MHO, of course.
And, whatever, and notwithstanding the debacle in NYC ... Go 'Cats !
Only way to fix is recruiting . We are what we are a team of solid role players that can shoot good (i said can not are). We're hitting we can beat anyone . We don't have a star to demand double teams to open up shots except doubles on Brea from 3.
Were hot we can beat anyone were not hitting gaured 3s then it doesn't take a world beater to beat us.
Were hot we can beat anyone were not hitting gaured 3s then it doesn't take a world beater to beat us.
Nice thread with some good observations/suggestions. I would add one more thing—which many folks on here will probably disagree with—and that is, we are going to have to start taking some 12-14 footers. We are making 3’s at a 32.5% clip against the 5 major teams we’ve played; that ain’t gonna get it done. And we don’t seem to be able to make shots in heavy traffic, even if it’s 2-3-4 foot from the basket. So, we’re gonna have to start pulling up whenever possible and taking the open 12-footers. I don’t care what the analytics say (and I’m a former math teacher), THIS team is not going to make shots trying to force shots in the CROWDED paint area. Not athletic enough
Reverse the ball better when these teams attack us at half court . Also backdoors, If we can skip the ball this too ,but I don't like throwing the ball across the floor against defenders . We have 10 days to figure how we are going to produce against extended perimeter defenses .
Coach has had 12 games and numerous practices to see what he’s got to work with. I have confidence he will come up with a plan.
Defensive improvement can be achieved and will solve lots of problems. Any offense and any lineup looks good when you have a high FG percentage. Sometimes you just shoot it poorly and it makes you doubt everything you do. It is the same lineups and offense that beat Duke and Gonzaga. Playing from behind hurts your shot selection and offensive decisions. We aren’t as good as our big wins and bad as the Ohio State loss. Don’t give up on these guys, they are all we have until next year. As long as they play hard, live with the outcome and support them. They are good kids and Pope is a great choice to lead the Big Blue.
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