Derek playing defense and rebounding with the effort he needs has put him into the rotation hopefully for good. I think when he does the little things right that it raises his confidence, with that his skills can finally show.
His offensive arsenal might be the best on the team. I remember Julius Randle telling KSR after the 2014 tournament that Willis was their best offensive player. But Cal has always said that his D and rebounding is what keeps him off the court. That has led to him being a hotly debated player on this board. People saying that the only reason people want him to play is because he's an in-state player, but everyone forgets that he was recruited by big time programs and a top recruit that fell towards the end of his recruitment.
With him playing well, it adds a new dimension to the lineup.
I think most important thing is that he adds some minutes and fouls to the front court. Lee, Poythress, and Skal have been fouling way too much and once the fouls start coming they all start to play tight and commit stupid fouls. Just giving Cal an option that he can rely on in the post helps this team immensely from a depth perspective.
He also opens up the floor by him being a stretch forward. A lot of the offense this(basically all of it) comes from praying that Tyler and Jamal have good/efficient games. Then a lot of it comes down to an inconsistent Alex and Marcus and Briscoe being black holes as shooters. Willis creates an offensive threat by adding not only another 3-point shooter...but also a post player that can actually score. That can be enough to open up some driving lanes and create some more room for our post players. Derek can open up some more space as a steady complimentary player Skal/Poy/Lee to maximize their skill sets.
I think this team is very good and can be special, the talent is obviously there and College Basketball is down as a whole this season. The big part of these guys succeeding is finding their roles and then finally getting a rotation down to match those roles.
I think Cal originally thought that his post was going to be Skal/Poy/Lee with Humphries being their back-up needed for depth and I think he wanted Derek to play out on the wing to maximize his offensive potential. Skal has not performed and Humphries has disappeared and Derek could not cut is defensively out on the wing. With Skal disappearing, it put Lee and Alex in roles where they have to be relied on to carry a heavier scoring burden and I think that exposed them greatly.
Derek playing well gives Cal a front court of Alex/Lee/Willis/Skal. I think now that he knows who he can count on, he can start finding different ways to play these guys and get them in a position to succeed.
I think the next step is finding someone to step into the role of being the 4th guy who can help out Tyler/Jamal/Briscoe. I think that guy can be Hawkins if he gets healthy, because he is like Willis in that he is experienced and has a good all around game but just needs the confidence to get out there and hit shots to compliment his superb defense. If not him, then Mulder or Matthews have to be the guy, though Matthews non-existent offensive game will make it hard to keep him out there long.
I am so exciting seeing the growth of Derek these last two games. Finding those guys who can be the consistent 6,7,8 man guys will be the key to making the run. I think Derek sliding into the rotation is a bigger deal than most realize. This team has the pieces to make a run and I'm confident Cal will figure it out like he's done before. Go Big Blue!!!
His offensive arsenal might be the best on the team. I remember Julius Randle telling KSR after the 2014 tournament that Willis was their best offensive player. But Cal has always said that his D and rebounding is what keeps him off the court. That has led to him being a hotly debated player on this board. People saying that the only reason people want him to play is because he's an in-state player, but everyone forgets that he was recruited by big time programs and a top recruit that fell towards the end of his recruitment.
With him playing well, it adds a new dimension to the lineup.
I think most important thing is that he adds some minutes and fouls to the front court. Lee, Poythress, and Skal have been fouling way too much and once the fouls start coming they all start to play tight and commit stupid fouls. Just giving Cal an option that he can rely on in the post helps this team immensely from a depth perspective.
He also opens up the floor by him being a stretch forward. A lot of the offense this(basically all of it) comes from praying that Tyler and Jamal have good/efficient games. Then a lot of it comes down to an inconsistent Alex and Marcus and Briscoe being black holes as shooters. Willis creates an offensive threat by adding not only another 3-point shooter...but also a post player that can actually score. That can be enough to open up some driving lanes and create some more room for our post players. Derek can open up some more space as a steady complimentary player Skal/Poy/Lee to maximize their skill sets.
I think this team is very good and can be special, the talent is obviously there and College Basketball is down as a whole this season. The big part of these guys succeeding is finding their roles and then finally getting a rotation down to match those roles.
I think Cal originally thought that his post was going to be Skal/Poy/Lee with Humphries being their back-up needed for depth and I think he wanted Derek to play out on the wing to maximize his offensive potential. Skal has not performed and Humphries has disappeared and Derek could not cut is defensively out on the wing. With Skal disappearing, it put Lee and Alex in roles where they have to be relied on to carry a heavier scoring burden and I think that exposed them greatly.
Derek playing well gives Cal a front court of Alex/Lee/Willis/Skal. I think now that he knows who he can count on, he can start finding different ways to play these guys and get them in a position to succeed.
I think the next step is finding someone to step into the role of being the 4th guy who can help out Tyler/Jamal/Briscoe. I think that guy can be Hawkins if he gets healthy, because he is like Willis in that he is experienced and has a good all around game but just needs the confidence to get out there and hit shots to compliment his superb defense. If not him, then Mulder or Matthews have to be the guy, though Matthews non-existent offensive game will make it hard to keep him out there long.
I am so exciting seeing the growth of Derek these last two games. Finding those guys who can be the consistent 6,7,8 man guys will be the key to making the run. I think Derek sliding into the rotation is a bigger deal than most realize. This team has the pieces to make a run and I'm confident Cal will figure it out like he's done before. Go Big Blue!!!
