I generally like small ball. But Olivier is so much better at the 4 than the 5 (As he is our small ball 5) that I think small ball should be limited. I think we are better playing big.
To me JJJ made small ball work well in the past. Until he returns close to 100%, small ball might not happen very much
100%
JJJ is the straw that stirs the drink for most of our lineups imo but especially small ball because of his ability to defend and rebound regardless of who he is guarding and then he is probably our best offensive threat to score all 3 levels.
I agree, here. JJJ's versatility was the key to playing small ball. He could handle the ball, shoot the ball, rebound the ball, and defend four positions. We don't really have another player who can do all those things consistently well.
I also think we came into the year thinking that our advantage was going to be on the perimeter. A lack of a secondary ball-handler has limited that advantage to a degree, as have our struggles to get consistent outside shooting production from our guards. Injuries have played a key role in this.
Additionally, I think we have seen a lot of, perhaps unexpected, improvement from our bigs, in addition to seeing that Tobe Awaka is a little more ready to play than first anticipated.
I was very high on Awaka because of his motor and thirst for rebounds, but even I didn't expect that he'd contribute as much as he has, this early. The rebounding is elite. I mentioned it in another post a week or so ago, and while the caveat that it is still early and he doesn't play nearly the amount of minutes holds true, his "per 40 minutes" and "per 100 possessions" rebounding numbers are significantly better than those of Oscar Tshiebwe. Obviously, there is a long way to go and we need to see if he can maintain that same ability across longer spans and more minutes, but anywhere close to that is elite.
Just to paint a picture...
Awaka has 21 offensive rebounds and 41 total in 76 minutes played.
Nkamhoua has 18 offensive rebounds and 45 total in 330 minutes played.
Plavsic has 18 offensive rebounds and 47 total in 158 minutes played.
Aidoo has 25 offensive rebounds and 57 total in 184 minutes played.
Awaka doesn't overthink things, which is impressive for a freshman, as the mental hurdle of slowing things down is usually a hurdle for young players. Last night in the first half, he caught the ball in the post and without even thinking, spun left, took one power dribble, and went up and used the glass. How many freshman post players that we have had would have caught the ball, held it for a couple seconds trying to think of what they wanted to do, and then tried to finesse a low percentage shot, dribble into traffic in the paint and turn it over, or panic and kick it back out to a guard? I love Awaka's ceiling. He's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. What a find!
Jonas Aidoo is healthy and has made drastic improvement, as well. He is still a little raw, offensively, but he is asserting himself a little more, crashing the boards, and plays really good defense, as well.
Plavsic is Plavsic. Often maligned by our fanbase, he consistently is one of the emotional leaders, plays hard, and plays within himself. Never have to worry about him trying to do too much. He's an underrated passer. 5 ppg and 4.5 rpg isn't flashy, but he has a role, and more importantly, he knows his role and plays within it.
Nkamhoua has shown the most improvement, but maybe leaves you wanting the most of any of the guys in the post. His scoring is extremely important to this team because we struggle for scoring at times. He's capable enough from outside that he can't just be left unguarded. He's a good enough ball-handler that he can drive the lane on many opposing big men. He has a really nice mid-range jumper. His gaffes show up on the boards, where he is inconsistent, and on the defensive end, where he is also inconsistent. If he could provide more consistency in those areas, he'd get talked about as a darkhorse All-SEC level player.
. It's not like the players are bitching and Rick's passive aggressive kinda complaint, didn't even get a warning. The whole article was defending the calls against some UT fans. He made one good point, our defense is in your face and physical, so fouls get called. Click bait, imo
