@HighEliteMajor
HEM, you’ve hit the nail on the head. We need to develop a reliable 3 point shooter. You can’t do that if you have guys on too short of a leash. Why is it that Tharpe and make mistake after mistake and stay in games, while other guys (especially Greene) make one mistake and they’re gone? I love Coach Self, and agree with most everything he does, but he seems to have one or two guys, every year, who he won’t allow to play through a few mistakes. Yesterday, White comes in and misses a quick 3, and that’s it for him. Last year Ellis was the guy, until tournament time when he finally was forced to let him play. Is he trying to hide people from NBA scouts?
Seldon is adding very little. Until he develops an outside shot it is going to be more of the same. Self definitely needs to pick one guy from Greene, White and Frankamp, and get them regular minutes, I’d say a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes a game. Those minutes can come from Seldon, Tharpe and Mason, and maybe a few from Wiggins. You can’t be successful in March if you don’t have at least one reliable 3 point shooter. Teams will continue to play zone and pack it in on our bigs, until a reliable 3 point shooter emerges. To me Greene is the logical guy. He’s long, and he has quick feet. He appears to be very comfortable with the ball when he’s been allowed to play through a mistake or two. White is quicker than last year, but he’s still a bit of a plodder. Frankamp is overmatched on the defensive end of the floor. That leaves Greene the obvious choice.
There must be a practice or attitude issue going on with him. I recall one game where he didn’t get in when everyone else on the roster did. That’s the only explanation I can think of, because it is obvious watching him he is a tremendous talent. Or, maybe Self is hiding him until next year? Problem is, we need help this year, and we need shooting help now.
The other guy I’d like to see get more minutes is Landon Lucas. The only other player on the team with his rebounding ability is Embiid. Lucas is always solid when he gets into the game. Traylor adds nothing offensively, and from the limited time I’ve seen Lucas, he doesn’t appear to be as good a rebounder as Lucas. Lucas is one of those guys who, when he finally gets a chance to play, is going to make everyone say, “Where the heck has that guy been?”
We need help now, not a year from now. Coach needs to mix things up, or the conference season will be more of the same.