Princeton Rewatch - Specifically watched Gavin Griffiths

[NickRU714]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

 

[bac2therac]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

good post, thanks for doing this analysis.

In a game where basically everyone stunk and yes Cliff was not an impact in this game Gavin taking way more criticism than he should for a few defensive lapses. I do get what Pike was trying to do but quite frankly he gives too much loyalty leeway to guy like Derek and Hyatt who were awful

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

Exactly. The only points Gavin gave up were the 3 where he was late closing out on Allocco, which was the only time he was guarding him, and then doing a poor job of picking up Scott on the backcut, but that was really Hyatt’s defensive breakdown. Allocco and Lee scored 55% of Princeton’s points in the game, and other than the one late close out, those points came against our other guards.

 

[winfield102]

Simpson and Hyatt each only played 18 minutes. 12 minutes was probably enough with the way they were playing.

We seem to have a stable of similar players this year. It's going to be important for Pike to be on top of the situation when it's clear a guy doesn't have it that night.

In the early Pike years, guys had to play even if they were 2 for 17.

 

[RUsojo]

The handling of Gavin game one was very concerning. Our coach looking at +/-, a useless stat especially on a one game basis , IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME is absurd.

Felt like Pike panicked and tried to win the game likes he’s been doing for 5 years with a team built very different.

This was a coaching loss for sure. Good thing is, pike always gets better as the year goes on.

 

[RUBlackout]

good post, thanks for doing this analysis.

In a game where basically everyone stunk and yes Cliff was not an impact in this game Gavin taking way more criticism than he should for a few defensive lapses. I do get what Pike was trying to do but quite frankly he gives too much loyalty leeway to guy like Derek and Hyatt who were awful

Great analysis and I agree with BAc here.

Hyatt to me is the kryptonite on the team. You either beg REALLY good or AWFUL play from him.

I think Simpson is playing out of position at SG and needs ball in his hands

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Great analysis and I agree with BAc here.

Hyatt to me is the kryptonite on the team. You either beg REALLY good or AWFUL play from him.

I think Simpson is playing out of position at SG and needs ball in his hands

Unfortunately he is not a good ballhander or distributor. He dribbles high and out of control and is not hard to strip or trap in the backcourt, and when he gets trapped he tends to throw the ball away. By the time you are his age, you are either a good ballhander or you aren’t. It isn’t one of those skills that is likely to improve much at his age.

 

[BillyC80]

I think Hyatt made GG look bad when Hyatt got beat and Gavin tried to switch/help, getting called for that shooting foul.

In reality Gavin defended his position as he should have, other than that one late close-out, as was mentioned.

Offensively GG takes good shots and is very efficient on his drives and his set-up and release on outside shots. I have no doubt those shots will fall very often for him this year.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I just watched up to the 1st timeout and I am done.

It was definitely a team effort. The only plyer that didn't have a breakdown that resulted in points was Fernandes, but he was just fortunate because he had 2 breakdowns that resulted in a non shooting foul and a missed open shot.

Gavin was not nearly as bad as I thought and Simpson and Hyatt were dreadful.

Again this was only 6 possessions.

BAsket 1. Gavin and Hyatt have a miscomminication with a switch that led to a wide open 3 that was missed. Cliff had to close out way out of position and his man ended up getting the OREB as a result. a few passes and SIMPSON with a real late close out

Basket 2. In transition SIMPSON gets torched off the dribble. Hyatt was in a position to help but didn't.

Basket 3. GAVIN loses his man and gets caught up in Simpson and a Princeton player not even screening.

Basket 4. CLIFF gives up 2 OREB in possession with the last one ending in a layup

Basket 5. HYATT real slow getting out on shooter

Hyatt is just a major problem out there on D. Not fair for Gavin against a team like Princeton. Hyatt and Simpson are not going to look good at all in this segment when the film is looked at. I hope Simpson had a few really good days at practice.

 

[Goku]

Thanks for doing this for us

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Watching those 6 possessions there is nothing real special that princeton did other than a few backdoor cuts. Just breakdowns that we just shouldn't have. This wasn't we shouldn't play Princeton thing. It was we shouldn't have players breakingdown and not going the extra step.

 

[RU205]

Princeton is a seasoned, well coached team that returned all but 1 player from a sweet16 run. It’s a tough game 1 match up for a team trying to fit new pieces together.

GG will get more playing time starting tonight and this team will come together.

 

[RUBlackout]

As I said without analyzing..Hyatt and Simpson issues and don’t deserve to start

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Not done....
Went back to watch the stretch from 8:35 to 7:18
Basket 1 Simpson's man bullies him to the paint and gets a layup
Basket 2 Hyatt's man gets beat on a backdoor cut as gavin's man moves in to the area. Both players end up sticking with the guy guying backdoor but both are late.

Pike takes gavin out of the game and not Hyatt. I really don't know if that was supposed to be a switch there, Really wasnt a screen but Gavin's guy was near Hyatt's guy

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I do think watching possessions and being able to rewind often times makes you see things completely differently. Sometimes it doesnt help

 

[BillyC80]

Watching those 6 possessions there is nothing real special that princeton did other than a few backdoor cuts. Just breakdowns that we just shouldn't have. This wasn't we shouldn't play Princeton thing. It was we shouldn't have players breakingdown and not going the extra step.

Haven’t focused on the first 6 possessions per se, but in general Princeton’s “Five-Out” offense is ideal for them, and creates a challenge to defend because all 5 guys can drain the three.

Staying out on man-to-man against them creates lots of room for cutters, and opportunities to get beat to the ball, on offensive rebounds for them.

 

[Knight Owl]

Princeton is a seasoned, well coached team that returned all but 1 player from a sweet16 run. It’s a tough game 1 match up for a team trying to fit new pieces together.

GG will get more playing time starting tonight and this team will come together.

You forgot they had two other top guys transfer out…one to Northwestern and the other the FGCU I believe.

 

[RUBlackout]

Haven’t focused on the first 6 possessions per se, but in general Princeton’s “Five-Out” offense is ideal for them, and creates a challenge to defend because all 5 guys can drain the three.

Staying out on man-to-man against them creates lots of room for cutters, and opportunities to get beat to the ball, on offensive rebounds for them.

And when you realize you don’t have the same defensive horses like you did in the last it will burn you faster.
Exactly why I thought we should have changed to zone to switch it up and hide our weaknesses

 

[Knight Owl]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

So he’s not Jaden Jones…Whew!😂
GG really does seem to have scoring ability at all three levels. Can he guard really strong or really quick dudes man to man?…remains to be seen.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Princeton is a seasoned, well coached team that returned all but 1 player from a sweet16 run. It’s a tough game 1 match up for a team trying to fit new pieces together.

GG will get more playing time starting tonight and this team will come together.

Princeton lost their 1st, 2nd and 5th best scorers from last year and their 2nd and 3rd best players this year are both Sophomores, so this was not anything like the team that went to the Sweet Sixteen.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Haven’t focused on the first 6 possessions per se, but in general Princeton’s “Five-Out” offense is ideal for them, and creates a challenge to defend because all 5 guys can drain the three.

Staying out on man-to-man against them creates lots of room for cutters, and opportunities to get beat to the ball, on offensive rebounds for them.

Yes, but there was nothing out of the ordinary happening when we got beat.

One interesting observation after watching 10 or so defensive possessions.....could have been coincidence but twice a princeton offensive player got near a teammate and didn't set a pick, but both times Hyatt and Gavin got confused whether to switch or not. Almost like anticipating a screen that never ocurred.

 

[BillyC80]

Princeton lost their 1st, 2nd and 5th best scorers from last year and their 2nd and 3rd best players this year are both Sophomores, so this was not anything like the team that went to the Sweet Sixteen.

They are well coached, and ran their offense well.

I think they’re also well coached on defense (mainly on their hustle for loose balls and rebounds), but frankly we beat ourselves by missing so many chances close to the rim.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

So he’s not Jaden Jones…Whew!😂
GG really does seem to have scoring ability at all three levels. Can he guard really strong or really quick dudes man to man?…remains to be seen.

He liked a lot better to me on film vs watching game live (on TV).

 

[fatsam98]

Great job OP.

I feel like once he gets a little confidence going we'll see the player we thought we were getting. Hopefully that starts tonight and the crowd is supportive if he misses a couple shots early

 

[bethlehemfan]

His defense was pretty terrible in the first half. The second half definitely was not his fault and maybe he should have gotten some more run late when we needed a bucket. Cliff had a bad stretch on d and Jmike on O which doomed the second half plus Princeton played very well down the stretch.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

His defense was pretty terrible in the first half. The second half definitely was not his fault and maybe he should have gotten some more run late when we needed a bucket. Cliff had a bad stretch on d and Jmike on O which doomed the second half plus Princeton played very well down the stretch.

His D was terrible, but he wasnt worse than Hyatt or Simpson.

I think (dont know) Princeton tricked or fooled Gavin and Hyatt. I think Gavin and Hyatt are switching all screens. Did Princeton actually send guys to confuse and to make us guess whether a screen is being set and whether a switch should occur.

 

[toby83]

good stuff!! + / - thing always though was tricky to get nuts over

 

[bethlehemfan]

His D was terrible, but he wasnt worse than Hyatt or Simpson.

I think (dont know) Princeton tricked or fooled Gavin and Hyatt. I think Gavin and Hyatt are switching all screens. Did Princeton actually send guys to confuse and to make us guess whether a screen is being set and whether a switch should occur.

yea obviously whatever screen defense you use you have to commit to it right not float around doing nothing. I’m guessing we spent some time defending screens in practice because that was pretty abysmal. We got caught chasing people rather than impeding them. Simpson had a very rough go of it on both ends and with Princeton’s physicality having Derek and gg on the floor at the same time was a pretty rugged combo.

 

[knights1212]

I was at the game and Gavin shot 2-4 for four points. Yes he only played 13 minutes when I felt he deserved much more. He didn't appear to me to play bad on defense. Too many other guys played poorly and yet played many more minutes. I just hope Gavin can get much more time tonight and show his real value.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

If I am right it is one thing to execute a switch on a screen that has been set. It is another thing when a team confuses you in to thinking a screen is going to come and doesn't.

Obviously communication is a must.

On both plays Gavin and Hyatt are defintely lost and both times a screen was never set

 

[kcg88]

Simpson and Hyatt were the biggest culprits on defense early. Simpson got a little better (or at least he picked up the intensity somewhat) as the game went on. Hyatt did not.

 

[GRU23]

I don’t think Gavin’s D was terrible and a lot of the mistakes that looked like his were actually Hyatts, but he might not be communicating properly either and generally doesn’t have a great defensive profile. I think if we gave him more non-Hyatt minutes he would’ve looked better.

 

[bethlehemfan]

I was at the game and Gavin shot 2-4 for four points. Yes he only played 13 minutes when I felt he deserved much more. He didn't appear to me to play bad on defense. Too many other guys played poorly and yet played many more minutes. I just hope Gavin can get much more time tonight and show his real value.

I think he’s gonna play. He will probably be our most efficient scorer.

 

[fluoxetine]

Our coach looking at +/-, a useless stat especially on a one game basis , IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME is absurd.

Uh, did Pike state somewhere he looked at that or are you just completely making it up?

 

[fluoxetine]

The handling of Gavin game one was very concerning. Our coach looking at +/-, a useless stat especially on a one game basis , IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME is absurd.

Felt like Pike panicked and tried to win the game likes he’s been doing for 5 years with a team built very different.

This was a coaching loss for sure. Good thing is, pike always gets better as the year goes on.

Thanks @MiloTalon13 for sending the clip, obviously was attacking your post a bit here but I was wrong.

 

[Knight Shift]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

But this man a beer! Great work!

 

[shields]

Jaden Jones comment from a few days ago was just stupid.

 

[runova09]

Jaden Jones comment from a few days ago was just stupid.

GG scored more points in 1 game than in JJ's whole career!

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Rewatched the game last night (thanks Peacock!)
I specifically watched Gavin when he was in and kept notes.

Basically all the "analysis" here has been wrong.
He arguably had one of the best games on the team considering his very limited opportunities.
13minutes - the least on the team.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he's starting tonight after the staff watches the tape and realizes what happened in the game.

Offense:
2-4 shooting
0-2 from 3
2-2 from 2 (1 at the basket, 1 mid range sideline jumper).

His two 3s were relatively open and wide open. Both missed. No real excuse for that (alternatively Oskar had 2 heavily contested 3s and made them both). Not really concerned as the shots looked fine.
The 2nd shot he followed it and got his own rebound but had the ball knocked away.
But he was making the effort to follow his shot.

His 2 made baskets:
He drove to the hoop, took contact and MADE A BASKET AT THE RIM. Shocker I know but it can happen.
Considering how the rest of the team shot at the rim - the fact GG was buried is almost malpractice in a game we scored 61pts.

2nd basket was off an inbound. Took the pass, pump fake the 3, dribble in and hit a mid range shot from the sideline. Arguably the 2nd best play of the game (after the Clif/Woolf alley oop).

Literally couldn't have asked for 4 better shots.
He did spend a lot time buried in the corner - got very RHJ vibes when he would be sidelined for plays and stuck in the corner.
There was no off ball screens, off ball motion to get Gavin the ball in space or moving.
Not sure if that's the offensive plays (looked a lot like the last couple of years of everyone standing around) or Gavin missing plays.
There was a lot of the guards haphazardly driving to the hoop and throwing up terrible shots.
Guards were 2-18 shooting at the half.

The staff needs to do a better job of getting GG the ball and putting him in motion (all the same stuff we've said for years - the offense is stagnant).

Defense:
The -23 people keep throwing around is one of the most uninformed stats ever.
+/- is teammate dependent.
It's not GG fault that Clif gave up back to back 3s to his man. Or that Oskar got attacked and beat to end the half.
Or that Hyatt's guy kept getting back cuts unimpeded.
Or Simpson couldn't stay in front of his guy.
GG was the least of the issues defensively actually considering how the rest of the team played.

Early in the game, he was helping to the middle too much and lagged off his man moving from the corner to the wing.
Princeton passed the ball around quick and GG couldn't get out in time - made 3.
That was literally the only play where his man made a basket.

He tried to go over a screen and his man cut back on Hyatt to split the defenders for an easy drive (that was missed).
GG took a foul at the rim trying to block a shot because Hyatt got beat on a back cut.

When shots went up, he actively turned his back to find his man and box out.
Nothing outstanding but he just stuck by his guy and didn't lose his man or give up any points - other than the early 3.

Of course he played great tonight.. different competition level. And at his new home.

But don't take too many bows yet.. you were wrong on his D.. for the PRINCETON game. He played much better D this game... maybe because he had his film vs Princeton to see what he needed to change?

But take a bow on his offense. Dead on. At one point where he missed 2 threes in a row.. every miss I just said KEEP SHOOTING. SHOOTERS GOTA SHOOT.

I scolded him and Palmquist vs Princeton for turning down shots to feed others... when THEY NEED TO SHOOT THE BALL.

And about Pike.. said several times this week.. give him time.. he played with lineups early last year and figured it out. he will do so again.

 

[Westcoast]

And when you realize you don’t have the same defensive horses like you did in the last it will burn you faster.
Exactly why I thought we should have changed to zone to switch it up and hide our weaknesses

I don't know if you can really go zone on a team that stays beyond the arc all game. If there was a way to cover the arc with 4 guys and leave Cliff in the paint, that would be awesome. But I suspect they'd get a ton of open looks from deep.