Nolen & Joseph

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balds

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1) Al Nolen must take the ball to the basket and be more much more aggressive, like he was in first third of the season. We will have to live with some turnovers and bad shots, but the threat of the dribble drive must return to this offense.

2) Nolen and Joseph must be on the court much more together. We need more than one guy on the floor at a time that is comfortable handling the ball. Joseph rocks, and I think having Devoe out there with him makes Nolen more comfortable and loose. This can be tricky because it would limit the amount of rest for our only two ball handlers, but the sub pattern could be structured to allow these two more time together.

Thoughts?
 

I agree 100% on Number 2...those two work well together and the threat of them both being able to bring up the ball is huge.
I would have to disagree on number 1 though. There were too many instances of him taking it to the rack when it was crowded in the middle...then throwing up a wild shot (@ Wisconsin) or making rocket passes when he's 1 foot from Colton or RSIII. The threat of a drive should be present...but the effectiveness of Nolen being the guy has not produced very good results.
 

100% wrong on Nolen. He needs a jump shot. Driving with his defender sagging 6 feet off of him is the reason he can't drive or pass inside. The drive is all he has right now.
 

From the Barn said:
100% wrong on Nolen. He needs a jump shot. Driving with his defender sagging 6 feet off of him is the reason he can't drive or pass inside. The drive is all he has right now.
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Absolutely correct. It's like me playing pick-up games. If my defender doesn't know me they'll play tight until they figure out I can go past 'em, but once they back off it becomes evident I can't shoot on most nights.

I liked the combination of Nolen & Joseph. Very good ball handling and did anyone notice how well Devoe moves with out the ball. Maybe it was just playing the 2 spot where he could get it slashing to the basket off a curl screen.
 

JMGIII said:
I liked the combination of Nolen & Joseph. Very good ball handling and did anyone notice how well Devoe moves with out the ball. Maybe it was just playing the 2 spot where he could get it slashing to the basket off a curl screen.
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Yes - We are fortunate to have two guards who play very different styles. When the situation presents itself, I like seeing them out there together.
 


I love westbrook, but i cant even say he knows the offensive system as well as devoe. Devoe can do more for this team right now than lw can.
 

OK, let me clear everything up for everybody.

1) Al is an average Big Ten point guard (4 to 6 range).

2) Al is at his best as a pass first type point.

3) Al is a well below average perimeter shooter (unfortunately, that still makes him the second best perimeter shooter in the starting line-up).

4) Al can get to the hoop if there's an opening. Unfortunately because of #3, defenses can play off him a bit (although he's still seeing openings that nobody else does).

5) I don't believe Al trusts his teammates enough to dish the ball off to them anymore.

6) Because of #3 and #4, I think Al should overcome #5 and return to being #2 and maybe up his ratings a notch or two in #1.

Got that?
 

I understand that defenses are playing him differently, but this offense was much better when Nolen was at least attempting to push the tempo and get to the basket. Al walking the ball past half court and them passing the ball around the perimeter for 25 seconds isn't working. Teams can just sit in their defense and rarely have to deviate, help, etc. The result is very few open shots.

Is it me, or was Al shooting the ball fairly well in the first 10-15 games of the year?
 

I'd like to see Nolen and Joseph on the floor together 10-15 minutes a game. Maybe it'll be more feasible next year with Cobbs available to play some minutes.
 



Nolen will have some good competition his senior year when Cory Joseph is here.

Assuming he chooses the U.
 

I'll Scream it now.

Play Joseph and Nolen together as much as possible!!!!!!!!!
 

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