Bench scoring (and minutes)

[Classof 66]

Remember last year when everyone was complaining that Ben could only play 5 players and did not know how to manage the roster and distribute minutes effectively. A year and deeper talent has changed that perception. 14/15 is not random.

"Minnesota continues to show its depth winning the bench-point advantage in 14 of 15 games this year and ranking 45th nationally."

 

[PMWinSTP]

Did you mean to add a link to this? Looks like you are quoting from something...

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Remember last year when everyone was complaining that Ben could only play 5 players and did not know how to manage the roster and distribute minutes effectively. A year and deeper talent has changed that perception. 14/15 is not random.

"Minnesota continues to show its depth winning the bench-point advantage in 14 of 15 games this year and ranking 45th nationally."

Yep, I'm one of those people who thought he misused the roster last year (also he didn't add enough wings so he was forced to).

He's done a really nice job with rotations this season.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Yep, I'm one of those people who thought he misused the roster last year (also he didn't add enough wings so he was forced to).

He's done a really nice job with rotations this season.

Been fun to see the team functioning with a fairly deep and balanced roster this year.

Year 1 - The front court was a complete mess
Year 2 - Front court had some options but back court/wings were thin
Year 3 - A little thin at the guard spot but as long as guys stay healthy this is easily the most complete and balanced roster Johnson has had to work with.

Key going forward is making sure it says this way on a year to year basis.

 

[Formerswish]

Been fun to see the team functioning with a fairly deep and balanced roster this year.

Year 1 - The front court was a complete mess
Year 2 - Front court had some options but back court/wings were thin
Year 3 - A little thin at the guard spot but as long as guys stay healthy this is easily the most complete and balanced roster Johnson has had to work with.

Key going forward is making sure it says this way on a year to year basis.

Agreed that a deep and balanced roster makes a difference. Either that or Johnson miraculously gained much deeper basketball knowledge over the course of the Summer. Another thing besides the good use of rotations is that he hasn't been afraid to pull guys out who are underperforming.

I recall Mitchell playing poorly for a stretch in the Nebraska game when he was pulled and had his minutes reduced, and the same for Ola-Joseph in the Maryland game when he defended poorly a few times and failed to get a single rebound. Even Christie (who seems to be a favorite of Johnson's) was pulled when he was playing poorly against Michigan and had his minutes reduced a bit.

He is now trusting Hawkins to get massive minutes (for good reason), and it's important for him to establish this guideline with his team-if you don't come out and give great effort and do the right things, you'll spend more time on the bench.

Plenty of games to play, but so far, so good on the coaching front. It's still amazing how much a little bit of talent can impact a coach's ability..

 

[JZABR]

Guard depth is a tad thin. If they had another guy backing up Hawkins, that'd be ideal. He's playing routinely 32-35 minutes a game. I'd like to see that come a few. But then again, you can't really blame CBJ for wanting him on the court. Next year will have more depth with Asuma coming in

 

[MNVCGUY]

Guard depth is a tad thin. If they had another guy backing up Hawkins, that'd be ideal. He's playing routinely 32-35 minutes a game. I'd like to see that come a few. But then again, you can't really blame CBJ for wanting him on the court. Next year will have more depth with Asuma coming in

Hawkins strikes me as one of those guys that wants to be out there the whole game, but yeah, would be nice to have a true backup point guard. At least Mitchell and Christie both look pretty comfortable bringing the ball up and Carrington can as well sometimes.

But Hawkins is clearly the best ball handler on the team by a long shot.