Whether you want to admit it or not there is a problem when you try to use this system yet play the wrong players. This is very reminiscent of when Groce or Weber would have 2 players on the floor that could score and wonder how we can't keep up. We are still in the same boat when we have Feliz, Williams/Underwood, Ayo and Giorgi on the floor with Trent. One to one and a half offensive players to the other teams five.
I’ve maintained all along that the combination of youth and a talent deficit would keep this team from winning games regardless of what style they played. It’s not like Damonte would be a scorer if he was in another system or role. And for all of the frustration about our defensive field goal percentage, I honestly don’t think that the bottom line would be any better if you traded the high turnover rate for a middling number of both turnovers and shooting.
The flavor of failure that’s being served seems to bug people, which I don’t particularly agree with but kind of understand. What I absolutely don’t agree with is that this team has the experience, talent, and consistent intensity to be successful against the schedule they’ve played regardless of what system they roll out. I actually think that this approach helps them bury their biggest weakness, which is post play.
At the end of the day, I don’t think there’s an answer that can be found this season. And of all the stuff that bothers me about this team and what I saw last night, it wasn’t the system that stuck out. It was that they seemed to abandon any game plan as their shooting went cold in the second half, and then let that drain the intensity out of their defensive effort.
To me, that betrays a lack of confidence in themselves and in the plan. Given the vibe that’s grown up around this program, I don’t know if that can be repaired, ever, absent a massive shock or a solid run of good luck. Maybe Underwood isn’t the answer, which would really bum me out because I really hope that this program can find success without making basketball boring.
If a turnaround requires finding a guy who has a high enough profile to be given the benefit of the doubt coming into this job, we’re in trouble. Nobody of that type is in our price range, and nobody of that type would walk into this situation voluntarily.