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12/10/2019 9:54 am  #1


The Rotation

The most "mayhem" we've seen so far has come in the form of the rotation.  Shawn Walker Jr. has started five games and yet was a DNP_Coach's Decision in our most recent game.  Armel Potter was buried on the bench to begin the season and has made the most of his opportunity ever since.  Arnaldo Toro is the only player on this team to have started each game he has played in.  (When you let that sink in, it's a rather amazing statement.)

While it's likely a fool's errand to project how the rotation will likely pan out, my guess is that the two players most likely at risk are Mezie and Javy (perhaps not a coincidence that these are two players "inherited" by JC).  Mezie has the right size to succeed but as has been mentioned here, he really has consistently appeared to be a step slow (or thinks a bit too much) on the court since he has arrived at GW.  He also possesses a midrange game, not a three point arsenal, which flies in the face of what JC is trying to accomplish.  (For more evidence, Maceo is playing 33.3 minutes per game while shooting 33.3% from 3.  Yet it's because that he CAN make 3's that he's playing as much as he is.)  As for Javy, one way to look at this is that as long as AT is healthy, staying out of foul trouble, and rebounding as if his next meal depended upon it, the backup center on this team is only going to see the court for a handful of minutes.  Nevertheless, Ace Stallings is outperforming Javy (buzzer beater notwithstanding) and the coaching staff appears to feel more comfortable relying upon Ace.

This team has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time and since Justin M. is no longer here, that brings us down to 9 with Ace next at 8.5 minutes per game.  This does not include Chase Paar who should not be dismissed if for no other reason than he can hit a three point shot.  Plus, the lingering question of whether we are going to actually see full-scale mayhem on the court this season remains.  Are we saving it for conference opponents (so as to not show it on film prior to conference season) or do we simply lack the correct personnel to effectively pull it off this season?  Mayhem all but requires a longer bench; it would be interesting to see if this could be effective using a 7 man rotation.

Other tidbits:

Battle/Jack have combined to shoot 96% from the foul line but Javy/Ace have more combined free throw attempts (obviously playing considerably less).  Battle moved more without the ball against Delaware than in any other game I could recall but almost all of his touches still seemed to come from beyond the three point line.

Perhaps it's a case of my being stubborn, but I'm not ready to give up on JNJ as a point guard.  It's a bit of an intangible but I've watched him see the court in a way that most are unable to grasp.  The "2-3 steps ahead" type of thing.  His turnover problems have been two-fold: 1) He tries sometimes to make the more difficult play when the safer, easier play is the correct one.  And 2) He is sometimes a bit lackadaisical with the ball.  Once he understands how to channel his focus as a point guard, there's no reason why he can't be an outstanding one.  In the interim, we are fortunate that Armel is around to help show him the ropes (not to mention JC).  It's impossible to argue that the offense hasn't flowed more freely with Armel running the offense. 

JNJ/Potter/Walker have combined to shoot 19% (12-63) from 3.  This has to keep the coaching staff up at night.

 

 

12/10/2019 11:57 am  #2


Re: The Rotation

I think the odd rotations and minute allocations have been to see what we have as far as talent on the roster, in addition to rewarding practice performance. With a short roster to begin the season we have had to get creative with our match ups, especially at the 5. 

I agree that Mezie's season outlook is questionable with him being suspended one game and having Amir coming back. As physically talented as he looks, he's still trying to piece it all together. Mid-range jumper looks fresh but 3 ball seems out of range. 

 

12/11/2019 7:07 pm  #3


Re: The Rotation

The rotations are the process of building a program. This year is not a year for contending for a championship. Therefore, JC needs to take stock and see what he has and what he doesn't. Expect a revolving lineup door until a regular rotation settles. We are starting to see parts of it but there are still minutes up for grabs. Competition for spots and time are an important aspect of any program culture. I think there was a definite feeling that for the past few seasons that aspect was lacking and some took certain things for granted such as playing time. Sometimes you have instill a certain trait in your program even if it means some inconsistency in lineups from game to game.

 

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