Offense

[Scarlet Shack]

Couple of things about the offense that all come back to the same thing

1.) the front court players need to be MORE patient when they get their touches. Can't go with it on first touch and need to make the right move of kick it out and continues playing ball. Need confidence and experience that their first touch on the ball isn't their last and and they ball will Come back to them

2.) the guards are a lot quicker than what we are playing...and have to play faster as we are giving up size. Lot of that is still feeling things against better competition in the half court. You can see use of speed on those possessions where the ball is moving crisper ...and that takes more precision against better reasons. Confidence and experience against better teams will work this through

3.) other than mike Williams and Gettys...guys are still learning where their shots will come from that are higher percentage. Those guys are taking their shots in similar style and similar locations which is sign they are playing within the offense and know where their shots are supposed to come from m. Also a reason their shooting percentage is better and rising

Bottom line is the offense part of our game needs to play better teams and work through these things that only happen with playing better teams and getting experience doing so

Pretty sure the offensive effiency will rise as the year goes on as we get offensive confidence and experience

 

[RUJMM78]

Couple of things about the offense that all come back to the same thing

1.) the front court players need to be MORE patient when they get their touches. Can't go with it on first touch and need to make the right move of kick it out and continues playing ball. Need confidence and experience that their first touch on the ball isn't their last and and they ball will Come back to them

2.) the guards are a lot quicker than what we are playing...and have to play faster as we are giving up size. Lot of that is still feeling things against better competition in the half court. You can see use of speed on those possessions where the ball is moving crisper ...and that takes more precision against better reasons. Confidence and experience against better teams will work this through

3.) other than mike Williams and Gettys...guys are still learning where their shots will come from that are higher percentage. Those guys are taking their shots in similar style and similar locations which is sign they are playing within the offense and know where their shots are supposed to come from m. Also a reason their shooting percentage is better and rising

Bottom line is the offense part of our game needs to play better teams and work through these things that only happen with playing better teams and getting experience doing so

Pretty sure the offensive effiency will rise as the year goes on as we get offensive confidence and experience

In theory I agree that the offense should get better with practice and experience playing together.The problem is that B1G opponents have better talent at almost every position as compared to Rutgers .Rutgers has short spurts of offensive success with Williams, Johnson and Sanders but can't sustain the performance which allows the opponent to regain control of the game.

In the last 5 minutes of the 3 losses this season Rutgers committed excessive fouling which made a close game result into a double digit loss.It comes back to the inability to make shots which puts added pressure on the defense to stop the opponent without fouling.

Pikiell must find a way to squeeze 5-10 more points per game on offense which is easier said than done.Scoring in the 50-65 point range won't win many B1G games.The 3 point shot is the easiest way to turn around games which gives Rutgers a opportunity if Thiam and Sa make shots.

 

[rubaseball78]

Sanders and Johnson need to learn what to do when they drive to the basket. Due to their size, they will always be challenged. Need to be able to kick it out to someone to take an open 3 or pull up and take a short jumper.

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

It's the frontcourt that is the issue on offense. Gettys and Freeman need to learn to catch and shoot from 7 ft away rather than expecting layups every time they touch the ball. They are not facing 6'5" centers from Morgan State anymore. If it's not there, kick it out.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Every post is correct and a derivative of my original post

 

[RU-ROCS]

1.) the front court players need to be MORE patient when they get their touches. Can't go with it on first touch and need to make the right move of kick it out and continues playing ball. Need confidence and experience that their first touch on the ball isn't their last and and they ball will Come back to them

This is especially true for Freeman. Against the better teams, he seems determined to go to the basket 1 on 3 to get stuffed at the rim, rather than kick the ball out. That really has to change!

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

It's the frontcourt that is the issue on offense. Gettys and Freeman need to learn to catch and shoot from 7 ft away rather than expecting layups every time they touch the ball. They are not facing 6'5" centers from Morgan State anymore. If it's not there, kick it out.

Neither are good ball handlers, to your point, so they definitely need to hit 7-10 footers.

 

[CranfordKnight]

Sanders and Johnson need to learn what to do when they drive to the basket. Due to their size, they will always be challenged. Need to be able to kick it out to someone to take an open 3 or pull up and take a short jumper.

Anything other than attempting underhanded layups from 10 feet away would be better.

 

[S_Janowski]

We're in desperate need of a big who can play with his back to the basket and create some space for the backcourt and the perimeter. Unfortunately Gettys, Freeman and Sa, who each have different skills sets, aren't that type of player. Gettys is the closest but he's a step too slow against bigger competition. Hopefully we can develop Shaq thoughout the season.

 

[Ruthinking]

Sanders and Johnson need to learn what to do when they drive to the basket. Due to their size, they will always be challenged. Need to be able to kick it out to someone to take an open 3 or pull up and take a short jumper.

Once Nigel and Corey drive the basket and get up in the air they don't have a plan B. They are going to shoot those wild, sometimes pretty, shots. They found their mark against lesser competition but are blocked or challenged by the better teams. They need to be taught to have a plan B and kick it out. Or...Maybe Chom (Thaim) and Mike Williams need to be in better position around the arc when those guys drive.

 

[soundcrib]

We miss as many 1 footers as 19 footers.

 

[bombers3shooter]

This team needs a true point guard badly. Hopefully they can find somebody in the next class of recruits. Mike Williams needs more pick plays run for him and hopefully Thiam continues to develop into a good 3 and D shooter who makes good decisions passing the ball. Last but not least this team needs someone they can throw the ball into the post and get points in the half court.

Love the defensive effort out of this team and think it is a direct reflection of the direction Pinkel is steering this ship. They have alot of good role players, but some of the fits are putting a square peg into a round hole which will get much better as Pinkel is able to bring in his own recruits.

Just have to be patient and trust the process. This year is all about exceeding expectations which I would say they are plenty far above the curve. Next year the step will to be a relevant B10 team that will win games that they shouldn't and become a upper half b10 team.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

How much of this is a function of playing a OOC schedule where for a month and a half everything came easy offensively.

The team and individuals have to make major adjustments. I would think it will take a few more games. Some more than others.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

How much of this is a function of playing a OOC schedule where for a month and a half everything came easy offensively.

The team and individuals have to make major adjustments. I would think it will take a few more games. Some more than others.

This is a huge part of it. The half court offense has to be much tighter, faster and more precise to compensate for players 2-4 inches bigger at each position and quicker

 

[MadRU]

This is a huge part of it. The half court offense has to be much tighter, faster and more precise to compensate for players 2-4 inches bigger at each position and quicker

But it is a double edged sword. After last year this team needed a boost in confidence. The OOC schedule gave that to the team. People are talking positively about the players and staff. Now they have to step up more to get results against the B1G schedule.

Would have been nice to get one of Miami or SHU at home this year to see how the team would have reacted against better opponents with the home crowd behind them.

 

[richthedentist]

The offense was not that great in the OOC portion and it shows but hopefully it will get better

 

[rufeelinit]

This team remains offensively challenged. Several guys got away with things in the OOC portion of the schedule that just will not work against better teams. Freeman is a classic example of a guy who needs to understand this and adjust. More generally our bigs are all suspect in the paint. Until we develop a legitimate threat we will be overly reliant on our guards who tend to be inconsistent. As in the past you look for Pike to have schemes that result in good shots and hope for the best.

 

[bombers3shooter]

When Rutgers goes with their 3 guard lineup those guards need to do a much better job of creating for each other. All three can create off the Dribble, but the whole team during long stretches just looks uncomfortable playing in the half court. It's all necessary for success in the B10.

 

[RUsojo]

We're in desperate need of a big who can play with his back to the basket and create some space for the backcourt and the perimeter. Unfortunately Gettys, Freeman and Sa, who each have different skills sets, aren't that type of player. Gettys is the closest but he's a step too slow against bigger competition. Hopefully we can develop Shaq thoughout the season.

Actually I think the biggest problem is we don't have a player taller than 6'3" who can create offense facing up. Guys can score with their back to the basket but currently are not getting good position. Can't bully athletic guys to get their spot on the block so timing needs to be better syncing the moment they move in position and when the pass comes into the post.

How much of this is a function of playing a OOC schedule where for a month and a half everything came easy offensively.

The team and individuals have to make major adjustments. I would think it will take a few more games. Some more than others.

I would think very little. Most problems seem to be related to positioning and timing.

This is a huge part of it. The half court offense has to be much tighter, faster and more precise to compensate for players 2-4 inches bigger at each position and quicker

Agree that timing must improve in the half court - but mostly relating to moving off the ball in sync to open up lanes or get the ball in a better scoring position.

 

[bowlgoal]

This is especially true for Freeman. Against the better teams, he seems determined to go to the basket 1 on 3 to get stuffed at the rim, rather than kick the ball out. That really has to change!

Freeman struggles against the size. He's just not big enough.

 

[KnightsofChrome]

Every player on the court needs to understand that a 8 to 10 foot shot is a good shot, when available. Force waaaay too many shots. Agree that Freeman is the main culprit to this. But, all the bigs need to shoot the 7 footer.

 

[winfield102]

I'll be impressed if the offensive effeciancy improves as the season goes on. The cupcakes are over. I think Miami was a preview of what we'll see against better teams. I'll be happy if I see us taking the right shots this year, even if they don't fall.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

I feel like we could be a very good transition team if Corey & Nigel improve their decision making on the break. We've got the defensive rebounding and the speed to do it. That would be the easiest way to steal another 10 points/game, and make up for our half court offensive shortcomings.