This is how I see it, would love some feedback.
Tubby's offense is predicated on being able to do a few things well, execute the pick and roll, execute the high/low, score in transition, and rotating the ball to an open wing from a double team or penetration. All of the above we have been very poor at executing due mainly to personal reasons, but also due to some coaching issues.
Pick and Roll. It is predicated on the ball handler getting separation from his defender for an open look or to gain penetration into the lane. Hoffarber and Maverick were simply unable to do this. Allowing two defenders to nullify our two man pick and roll really hurt us. Nolen was no threat to shoot and not a great finisher, but was adept at making the defense add another defender to stop penetration and finding an open player. Joseph was good at getting open for a jumper off the pick and roll (see last year B10 Tourney), but not a great passer of finisher. Incoming Andre Hollins strikes me as the perfect G to be able to get separation and knock down jumpers or get penetration.
High Low. I think the reason it worked well last year and was a train wreck this year has to do with spacing and timing. Last year we had Hoff, Westbrook and Joseph keeping defenses honest allowing the big guys to have time to operate. I routinely saw three guys near Mbakwe in the lane and saw a G hedging on Iverson/Sampson this year all the time. A good seal is meaningless if a G is allowed to hedge underneath without penalty. The timing was also slow this year. The pass from the wing to the elbow, the seal, and the lob need to go bing bing bing. Last year they often did. This year the process seemed slow and deliberate and simply lazy. Hopefully adding some shooters to the mix will help, but there has to be better, quicker execution.
Transition. Nolen was the best I've ever seen in Maroon and gold at finding spot up jump shooters (Hoff) in transition. I saw many times where Hollins/Mav/Chip were in transition and Blake was trailing and I almost came out of my skin saying "find him!!!) only to see them slow up and bring the ball back out top. Of course having a piss poor defense doesn't give you many opportunites to run. Hopefully getting more G's will allow us to press next year.
Ball reversal to the wing off of double teams. I thought this was the best thing we did (although the ball movement was slower than I'd like). The problem was we had nobody on the wing who could do anything with it. Rodney was open often but can't shoot. On the closeout, I'm convinced he could get baseline almost every time on his guy. The problem is they seal off the baseline and he doesn't have the willingness/ability to simply pull up and hit a 15 foot baseline jumper. Visions of Westbrook hitting threes and floaters on the baseline. Hopefully Austin/Rodney/Joe Coleman will develop these skills, because we should have ample size advantages next year to create doubles.
I know the pieces just weren't there this year, but I would have loved to see the Gophers get into the offense quicker and move the ball faster. To have a bad offense and only make the opponent guard you for 15 seconds is questionable. I would also have told Mav to shoot the three every time he was open. I think he's a decent shooter who might have gained some confidence and possibly given us a threat we sorely needed.
Tubby doesn't strike me as the guy who will change a lot of what he does, so hopefully we can get more players who are good at doing what he does.
Tubby's offense is predicated on being able to do a few things well, execute the pick and roll, execute the high/low, score in transition, and rotating the ball to an open wing from a double team or penetration. All of the above we have been very poor at executing due mainly to personal reasons, but also due to some coaching issues.
Pick and Roll. It is predicated on the ball handler getting separation from his defender for an open look or to gain penetration into the lane. Hoffarber and Maverick were simply unable to do this. Allowing two defenders to nullify our two man pick and roll really hurt us. Nolen was no threat to shoot and not a great finisher, but was adept at making the defense add another defender to stop penetration and finding an open player. Joseph was good at getting open for a jumper off the pick and roll (see last year B10 Tourney), but not a great passer of finisher. Incoming Andre Hollins strikes me as the perfect G to be able to get separation and knock down jumpers or get penetration.
High Low. I think the reason it worked well last year and was a train wreck this year has to do with spacing and timing. Last year we had Hoff, Westbrook and Joseph keeping defenses honest allowing the big guys to have time to operate. I routinely saw three guys near Mbakwe in the lane and saw a G hedging on Iverson/Sampson this year all the time. A good seal is meaningless if a G is allowed to hedge underneath without penalty. The timing was also slow this year. The pass from the wing to the elbow, the seal, and the lob need to go bing bing bing. Last year they often did. This year the process seemed slow and deliberate and simply lazy. Hopefully adding some shooters to the mix will help, but there has to be better, quicker execution.
Transition. Nolen was the best I've ever seen in Maroon and gold at finding spot up jump shooters (Hoff) in transition. I saw many times where Hollins/Mav/Chip were in transition and Blake was trailing and I almost came out of my skin saying "find him!!!) only to see them slow up and bring the ball back out top. Of course having a piss poor defense doesn't give you many opportunites to run. Hopefully getting more G's will allow us to press next year.
Ball reversal to the wing off of double teams. I thought this was the best thing we did (although the ball movement was slower than I'd like). The problem was we had nobody on the wing who could do anything with it. Rodney was open often but can't shoot. On the closeout, I'm convinced he could get baseline almost every time on his guy. The problem is they seal off the baseline and he doesn't have the willingness/ability to simply pull up and hit a 15 foot baseline jumper. Visions of Westbrook hitting threes and floaters on the baseline. Hopefully Austin/Rodney/Joe Coleman will develop these skills, because we should have ample size advantages next year to create doubles.
I know the pieces just weren't there this year, but I would have loved to see the Gophers get into the offense quicker and move the ball faster. To have a bad offense and only make the opponent guard you for 15 seconds is questionable. I would also have told Mav to shoot the three every time he was open. I think he's a decent shooter who might have gained some confidence and possibly given us a threat we sorely needed.
Tubby doesn't strike me as the guy who will change a lot of what he does, so hopefully we can get more players who are good at doing what he does.
