calumnus said:
Big C said:
stu said:
calumnus said:
I agree with your defense of Lars. Statistically he was our best returning player and is even better this year. It is great that Okafor is coming on but I think Lars vs Okafor is a false narrative. If Okafor is deserving of more PT let him play more than just back up center, let him also play alongside Lars at PF.
I think playing two posts could help our rebounding and rim protection but the idea raises some questions:
Can either shoot beyond a few feet, move with the ball, or pass? Our spacing wouldn't be great with two guys stuck in the paint.
Can either defend beyond a few feet from the basket? Many opponents can put 4 shooters on the floor.
Can both play 30+ minutes?
This being 2023, we can no longer have 40% of the lineup be post players. We would need at least one of them to stand out on the perimeter and do nothing on offense, and also to not close out on three-point shooters on defense.
Problem is, nobody gave Fox the memo that this is 2023. He has assembled possibly the worst shooting team in the country. The question we are discussing is how can THIS team improve?
It is a little premature to discuss this without having seen how a Clayton and the rest of the team will look with a healthy Askew. However, with the addition of Clayton, it looks like we already have improved a certain amount. If we can play like we did against Colorado, and learn to sustain it for more than 3 quarters, we will have improved a lot. If Fox can play an offense to utilize the 3 main guards plus Bowser (which Fox had probably already envisioned prior to the season, expecting all of them to be healthy, which didn't happen until 3 practices prior to the Utah game), then Fox can finally begin to practice his whole offense. With Askew playing point guard, we looked like a high school team, with our best player, Askew, bringing the ball up the floor, dribbling around like the freshman version of Ayinde Ubaka, looking for an opening, and then shooting or passing too late in the clock to be effective very much of the time. I still think Askew should be playing without the ball more often than with it, and Brown and Clayton share the point, most of the time. Askew needs to have the ball longer to score than most scorers, because he creates all his own shots. I am saying, give it to him, but give it to him later in the clock, if we haven't scored already. When Askew needs rest, either Clayton or Brown could play the shooting guard This will free Askew up to concentrate on scoring, which is what he does best, offensively. That is the main thing I'd do.
Our offensive rebounding is very poor. Doesn't anyone know how to follow, how to tip a missed shot into the basket? It would be a perfect natural improvement for Lars, perfect for him, because he would not have to catch the ball, just go up and give it light touch with the finger tips. He would have to learn to anticipate in a different way, but he already anticipates well enough to be our best offensive rebounder by miles. Maybe we could bring Omondi Amoke back, tell him all is forgiven, and we could pay him to come in here as a well-paid consultant and teach the big fella how to make the simple tip in. And while you are at it, teach at least Kuany, Okafor, Newell, and Bowser how to do the tip in as well.
Finally, I'd like Kuany to shoot more, be more aggressive in asking for the ball, and shooting with it. Newell and Okafor are coming along nicely. The shooting looks like it is improving,
SFCityBear
