Matt Bradley is our best player. He's our best 3 point shooter, and can make his own shot from range, and with his pull up jumper (perfect form and balance ... see below). He can drive and finish and get the tough points. A true triple threat player.
But as an 2, he doesn't have the ideal size, and teams are focusing their defense on him. Here is what I think he needs to do to continue to develop his already stellar game.
1. He is quick and strong, but I think he should improve his ball handling, especially by adding more hesitation ('hesi') moves. All the top ball handlers constantly change speeds and directions.
2. I've said both Bradley and Paris need a tear drop. They are working on it, as I've seen both try the shot the last several games. Bradley tried one vs BC. However, I'm not sure I've ever seen either make one this season. The problem is it's a difficult shot to master. The two players with great tear drops were Randle, and more recently SMU's Ford (Ford uses tons of hesi moves too)
3. Bradley has a pretty good step back that he uses at times to get his three off. Like his pull up, his step back is good and balanced. But I think he needs to add more step back variations, and work on getting greater distance on them.
4. Bradley is already a solid passer, but because he draws a lot of defenders on his drives, he should kick out more often or make pocket passes to Kelly or Grant. Once defenses see him make those passes they will not be able to sell out to stop his drives, making it easier for him to finish at the rim
5. The fifth area is on coach. Our offense needs to get him shots on a more frequent basis. Monty was master of getting shots for his best player. I like the double screens with Bradley curling for a mid-range jumper. Monty ran that play (and variations) for Jorge over and over. Funny thing is, I've seen that play ran for South successfully several times.
I am not saying that Bradley never does these things, but that he should further develop them to improve his overall game. By Bradley's junior or senior year he can be one of the best players in recent Cal history.
But as an 2, he doesn't have the ideal size, and teams are focusing their defense on him. Here is what I think he needs to do to continue to develop his already stellar game.
1. He is quick and strong, but I think he should improve his ball handling, especially by adding more hesitation ('hesi') moves. All the top ball handlers constantly change speeds and directions.
2. I've said both Bradley and Paris need a tear drop. They are working on it, as I've seen both try the shot the last several games. Bradley tried one vs BC. However, I'm not sure I've ever seen either make one this season. The problem is it's a difficult shot to master. The two players with great tear drops were Randle, and more recently SMU's Ford (Ford uses tons of hesi moves too)
3. Bradley has a pretty good step back that he uses at times to get his three off. Like his pull up, his step back is good and balanced. But I think he needs to add more step back variations, and work on getting greater distance on them.
4. Bradley is already a solid passer, but because he draws a lot of defenders on his drives, he should kick out more often or make pocket passes to Kelly or Grant. Once defenses see him make those passes they will not be able to sell out to stop his drives, making it easier for him to finish at the rim
5. The fifth area is on coach. Our offense needs to get him shots on a more frequent basis. Monty was master of getting shots for his best player. I like the double screens with Bradley curling for a mid-range jumper. Monty ran that play (and variations) for Jorge over and over. Funny thing is, I've seen that play ran for South successfully several times.
I am not saying that Bradley never does these things, but that he should further develop them to improve his overall game. By Bradley's junior or senior year he can be one of the best players in recent Cal history.
