The Easy Button
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We could go to that against a team like Oklahoma when they don’t have their big guy in. Definitely could do that against ISU. Maybe switch out Ellis for Diallo so we match up better with McKay. But that lineup could be lethal in small doses. Wouldn’t want to extend it too much because the right lineup would destroy that group inside if they got a long look.
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@justanotherfan or that small mid major team in the second round of the dance?
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@BeddieKU23 I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little refreshing to see a game without either of those two in it… That doesn’t mean there won’t be games this year when we’ll need one or both of them, I think there will. But those guys can be kind of tiring to watch, and they just don’t have the scoring potential, flash and lengthy athleticism on both ends that the 3 “other” bigs have, especially the freshmen. Even some of their mistakes were fun to watch, like Diallo accidentally jumping over the guy in the paint or Mickelson trying to block an open shooter from behind. Stupid mistakes, but it shows what kind of motor and energy they have.
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@justanotherfan who is guarding Niang?
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All I can say is THANK GOD FOR NO MORE ESPN3! I will be able to watch the rest of the season now!
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@Statmachine sorrrry! Montana game.
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Selden. Wayne takes away his quickness advantage, and because of his strength, Niang can’t beat him up on the block. Because Niang isn’t a high flyer, the fact he’s a couple inches taller than Selden doesn’t mean much. Plus, Niang and Selden played together in HS. Wayne knows Niang better than most.
When you go small, you have to be creative defensively. Selden matches up pretty well with Niang.
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@BeddieKU23 Well, I think Self would say that Lucas brings more sound fundamentals (certainly more than Diallo), better defense and better rebounding position. Bragg and Diallo will make more mistakes than Traylor and Lucas. The big question is…when will those mistakes decrease enough such that their obvious talent makes them the choice over the more experienced guys? Obviously most people on this site think it is now. Self thinks they need more time. It is a puzzle and it will be interesting to see how it fits together.Heck, we sat out 2 guys and still had a hard time finding playing time for everyone.
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@JayHawkFanToo Greene’s driven the basket in a couple games this year–he’s definitely added that to his game. And his D is definitely better than last year also–not great, but better. He’s definitely improved his game. I even seen him dribble the ball more than 3 times without turning it over a couple times, lol
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@KUinLA let’s not forget last year Green was used to help break presses and being the ball up the court. He did fine in the open court. It also gave KU a great FT shooter late in games.
Ray Aleen was never a great ball handler and he did just fine when he needed to dribble.
Neither was/is great at it when a guy is right in their face though.
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@JRyman This team flat murders zone defenses. It’s quite a sight to see 5 different guys drilling 3s.
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I agree Bragg and Diallo have to become reliable with the ball in their hands and that comes with playing time. Both Landon and Jamari were once in the same position but its taken them years to become fundamental players in some regards.
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I agree Self pushed the easy button. He broke that game in the second half when he put in the soft pressure. Oddly, the pressure helped to rest our players vs. the Princeton Offense, kept legs fresh to continue shooting threes, and got a few easy buckets. @jaybate-1.0 suggested that Self uses games against the Princeton to test his players. If that’s what he was looking for, they failed. It was clear they could not guard the action for the full shot clock. When KU wasn’t pressing this showed, and it was clear any time HC got an offensive rebound.
On a normal shooting night, that game is tight by the end of the first half. We may have even trailed early in the second. Self decided PT and REST were more important this game than testing the manhood of his young guns. He will test them at some point! I hope they are ready!
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“Selden matches up pretty well with Niang.”
I think so, too. Wayne just has to stay focused all game because he has a tendency to lapse sometimes and that is when he gets burned.
In the past, I don’t think we have prepared well enough when facing Niang. The scouting report shows his sweet spots on the floor. I noticed last year how much more he focused his scoring in just a few spots. He likes to get positioned in the low/mid post area and use a baby hook or score off the drive and use the backboard on his sweet spot.
If we know that, then when he gets into position, try more ball denial defense and do a bit more to contest his shot or at least deny him his driving path and force him into driving on the left side.
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“This team flat murders zone defenses. It’s quite a sight to see 5 different guys drilling 3s.”
Yes!
And we should be able to do the same thing against a decent M2M defense, too.
I think we need to unleash Perry more. It seems like he should be the perfect candidate to help force at least one defensive big out on the perimeter to stop his trey shot. We need to use Perry’s trey more to help break down defenses.
Another thing… we do use high ball screens, but we rarely take advantage of the mismatches they help create. With our awesome guards… a guy like Frank can take it in on about any big and score (and get fouled).
Look at how much the game of basketball has changed over the past 10 years or so.
“Mismatches” used to mean that a big offensive player was suddenly guarded by a shorter defensive player in the post. Then we would see “back to the basket” scoring.
Today… the “mismatch” tends to work the opposite. The goal is to get an athletic guard up against a slower big to drive the ball and score.
This is a part of the shift from “Y axis” basketball to “X axis” basketball. It is the realization that there are more opportunities by being more gifted with lateral, horizontal movements, than just being tall and vertically capable. Trey shooting also fits in the scheme of “X axis.”
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@drgnslayr I’ve posted this before, after my experience at the Bill Self Fantasy camp, but in the film session review and Q & A session, Self chose IowaState gamefilm to give us an example of a “scout” analysis. It was almost uncanny, he called each of the IowaSt players by their first names, and knew which motion and screens were “just movement junk, or fake” vs which screens were the real deal. Certain IowaSt ball handlers drove strictly to pass to the kick out 3gunner. He knew the percentages, even.
I realized that the variable when KU faces IowaState (or any team) is how well the KU players remember and execute to the scouting report. If Fred Hoiberg was in that room, he’d be thoroughly disheartened by how well Self knows Hoiberg’s plays and sets.
We realize just how long Self has been doing this. To quote Tim Jankovich (former KU assistant coach): “Most coaches are trying to draw up offensive plays, etc…but Self just lives to disrupt the opponent”.
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What we do to Baylor and OU, our first 2 BigXII games, both in AFH–> should be a real telling yardstick. Going up 3-0 in conf play is exactly what we need to do. First road game is at TxTech.
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@HighEliteMajor Awesome post! The versatility I’d like to see out of Self is a bit longer rope for the high-talent frosh. A OAD is useless if you don’t play him. But a lot depends on the kid, too, as too many mistakes (like Cliff and frosh TRob) will get a kid benched. I do see Self always tries to play his talented frosh. Bragg, for sure, will be huge in March. Diallo also, as he’ll naturally get better by March.
Having 6 bigs is the most interesting “problem”.I can officially say this team is deeper than the 2011 MorrisHawks (…EJ rides pine while BStar plays…).
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Many solid comments!
We have great depth… except if we lose Frank or Devonte. They get so many minutes on the court together. Of course, we may play our best ball with them both out there, but we are “putting all our eggs in one basket.”
I hope BG and Svi get enough PT to not only keep the rust off, but enough time to advance their games. Both need to work on their handles… Vick is going to be an awesome player, sooner rather than later, but not sure sooner means this year.
Wayne… I’m imagining that part of why he is making a better impact this year is perhaps Self finally did him a favor by redacting the “he can play anything 1 to 4” comment. Wayne needs to focus on executing at the 3 or 2… not to be our backup PG behind Frank and Devonte. That responsibility should be with BG or Svi. That is a silent contribution they can make to this team by studying the PG position and work on handles just in case they are needed.
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@ralster Great anecdote about the Self camp! Must have missed it in the past. I’ve only talked to Self once and he was too busy charming the socks of my mom to talk ball!
Things like “how well the KU players remember and execute to the scouting report” would likely lead to Self seeing mistakes that the above-average fan (or coach!) doesn’t.
It would be interesting to know if with raw freshman like Diallo, whether Self focuses more on principles or scouting.
@drgslayr We are definitely letting it ride with Devonte and Frank. We need both. Usually on the court together. It would be devastating if one went down. But I think they are it for PGs. BG and Svi need to focus wholly on eating minutes at the 2/3 allowing rest for the three headed monster of Wayne, Frank and Devonte.
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Yep… we have committed to this configuration.
If we lose Frank or Devonte, the other will be our PG… but will also need to rest and not do what Frank has done in the past and play all those minutes and be all beat up come March.
Part of coaching is have backup plans for every situation. There is a decent possibility that Frank or Devonte goes down (even if just a short time). The repercussions would be felt in March, especially if the healthy one is stuck with too many minutes.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out now that BG is back. He won’t be of much value if he can only get 5-8 PT minutes a game. Same for Svi. Svi is really putting a smile on my face every time he takes the ball to the rack!
Did you catch the ISU/Iowa game last night? ISU’s offense is basically a dribble drive with the focus on collapsing the defense and feeding trey shooters. I think we should be doing more of that, especially since we typically have 4 guys out there capable of driving the ball. Sometimes all 5!
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HighEliteMajor, Great post & analysis. The key this year is Pace & More Pace. No more Okie Ball or shall I say Bad Ball with this team.
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If we lose Mason or Graham, Vick will have to come up to speed super quickly, something that is hard to expect from green rookie that is not expected t produce big the first year. He is more likely to be ready on year 2 or 3 rather than this year.
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@JayHawkFanToo I think he could hold his own in spot duty …of course, I’m basing that on his WUG performance…
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@HighEliteMajor Nice post!
I know. Imma couple days behind. Gotta thing during the day that keeps me busy and out of trouble, when I wish i could be at home watching and rewatching college ball all day.
