(01-08-2021 09:11 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(01-07-2021 07:40 PM)s2dsayer Wrote:  

(01-06-2021 08:44 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  I like the line up of Strickland at point, Lewis, Wooden, Amadi and Jacobs. Wooden and Jacobs looked really good together yesterday. Their were several good passes between them that resulted in easy baskets. Amadi and Strickland are energy guys. This lineup makes us stronger in the paint, which will lead to more easy baskets and allow us to win the rebounding battle.

Morse and Hodge sub in at guards. Christmas and Edwards sub in at the forwards. That is your nine man rotation. We don’t have another five beyond Jacobs. Morse, Hodge and sometimes Christmas provide guys who can shoot from outside and open things up for Edwards and Christmas to drive to the basket for easy or contested layups.

The remaining three players on the roster are Mensah, Harvey and Taylor. Mensah isn’t an option for more than a couple of minutes each game right now. Harvey and Taylor seem to be the odd men out this season. Harvey plays decent defense and has a nice looking shot. It just doesn’t go in very often. It is a shame because he has the size and length that fits perfectly in Byington’s system.

Lewis is playing too many minutes. I would like to see him down to 30-32 minutes a game so that he is fresh for the stretch run.

Pardon my ignorance, I really haven't watched much this season but... what's the deal with Mensah? I thought he was this huge "get" for the program?

Mensah is a strange one. I understand why he's not playing, but I feel like he's someone we should invest court time with. With his size and talent you could see what a huge upside he has. Not sure 1.5 season is enough time to get him to where he needs to be. I'll trust Coach B on this one whichever way he goes.

Keep in mind everyone has an extra season of eligibility so this year where Mensah would have likely red shirted is gravy. Apparently he is a lot more effective in practice and getting better each time out. Could be a case of game speed and or also the competition in terms of bigs in practice as to why there is a discrepancy on his performance. I do like that he shoots free throws well- we haven’t had a big who is good from the line in some time and this team needs that.

Advanced stats and it’s early in a stop start schedule but Lewis is top at 26.4 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) and 1.7 win share and Amadi is next at 22.4 PER and 0.7 Win share. Big drop off after that.

To put it into context Lewis’s PER last year was 20.7.

Lewis has never been a reliable shooter from 3 and forces up shots in traffic at the end of games when possessions become extremely valuable. This being said, he is our best player and is a good player. I just see the potential for him to be even better than he is. The goal of every player should be to play their absolute best. IMO, if Lewis would take less 3s and pull up on drives for more uncontested 2s, he would score more and shoot at a much higher percentage.

One universal problem I see with players today is they either shoot from 3 or they drive in as far as they can to shoot a contested shot. None of them seem to value the mid-range shot and it is there all the time.

(01-08-2021 11:12 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  Lewis has never been a reliable shooter from 3 and forces up shots in traffic at the end of games when possessions become extremely valuable. This being said, he is our best player and is a good player. I just see the potential for him to be even better than he is. The goal of every player should be to play their absolute best. IMO, if Lewis would take less 3s and pull up on drives for more uncontested 2s, he would score more and shoot at a much higher percentage.

One universal problem I see with players today is they either shoot from 3 or they drive in as far as they can to shoot a contested shot. None of them seem to value the mid-range shot and it is there all the time.

In fairness that’s what basketball is now and it’s likely coming from the coaches and driven by analytics- a mid range 2 isn’t viewed to be a good shot now. It’s layup or get fouled or 3s- that’s basketball and not a problem specific to Matt Lewis.

I didn’t know this was being coached and am surprised the analytics support this approach.

(01-08-2021 11:20 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  

(01-08-2021 11:12 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  Lewis has never been a reliable shooter from 3 and forces up shots in traffic at the end of games when possessions become extremely valuable. This being said, he is our best player and is a good player. I just see the potential for him to be even better than he is. The goal of every player should be to play their absolute best. IMO, if Lewis would take less 3s and pull up on drives for more uncontested 2s, he would score more and shoot at a much higher percentage.

One universal problem I see with players today is they either shoot from 3 or they drive in as far as they can to shoot a contested shot. None of them seem to value the mid-range shot and it is there all the time.

In fairness that’s what basketball is now and it’s likely coming from the coaches and driven by analytics- a mid range 2 isn’t viewed to be a good shot now. It’s layup or get fouled or 3s- that’s basketball and not a problem specific to Matt Lewis.

Add it to the list of things that work that have been abandoned in favor of less effective means.

Mensah could score 20 a game if he had a released high 4 to 6 feet jump shot.

(01-09-2021 05:39 AM)AllForDukes Wrote:  

(01-08-2021 11:20 AM)NJDuke97 Wrote:  

(01-08-2021 11:12 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  Lewis has never been a reliable shooter from 3 and forces up shots in traffic at the end of games when possessions become extremely valuable. This being said, he is our best player and is a good player. I just see the potential for him to be even better than he is. The goal of every player should be to play their absolute best. IMO, if Lewis would take less 3s and pull up on drives for more uncontested 2s, he would score more and shoot at a much higher percentage.

One universal problem I see with players today is they either shoot from 3 or they drive in as far as they can to shoot a contested shot. None of them seem to value the mid-range shot and it is there all the time.

In fairness that’s what basketball is now and it’s likely coming from the coaches and driven by analytics- a mid range 2 isn’t viewed to be a good shot now. It’s layup or get fouled or 3s- that’s basketball and not a problem specific to Matt Lewis.

Add it to the list of things that work that have been abandoned in favor of less effective means.

My understanding is (even though I don't agree with it 100%), is that is the current coaching philosophy. But much like the 4-out 1-in offense, you have to have the talented pieces to make it work. My position is that more often than not, most teams don't the talent and should consider alternatives.