Texas Basketball Report 2.8 - Off Come The Kid Gloves

by PB @ BON on Feb 1, 2008 9:00 AM CST in Basketball

I had a hypothetical conversation with Rick Barnes this morning, which I'll share with you.

PB: Rick, what do you think about the idea of starting JD Lewis at shooting guard?

Barnes: C'mon, PB. Don't waste my time. JD's got a good outside stroke, but he's a bit player. He can't create his own look, can't defend, is a zero on the glass, and never penetrates to draw fouls.

PB: Wait, are you talking about Lewis or AJ Abrams?

Barnes: ...

Is that extreme? To some degree, yes. Abrams' freaky quick release means he can get off shots Lewis could not. And that would be valuable if AJ were connecting on, say, 42-45% of his three point attempts.

But that is not the case. With his 2-7 shooting on Wednesday in College Station, AJ's season numbers from three point range dipped to 35.6%. And that number is misleading, as his blistering start is hiding his atrocious shooting of late. Through five conference games, AJ has hit just 12 of his 46 three point shots, an embarrassing 26%.

Not only is AJ not making his shots, he’s taking far too many of them. His 46 three point shot attempts in Big 12 play is 13 more than Connor Atchley’s total field goals attempted over the same period. Damion James has shot only 52 times in Big 12 play. Thanks in large part to Abrams, Texas has made only 32.7% of its three point attempts during conference play. Our Big 12 opponents, meanwhile, have made 38.1% of their own. (And that includes Texas Tech’s 3-13 effort – everyone else has blistered us from downtown.)

If the bad long distance shooting isn’t offensive enough, then the following should properly disgust you: Abrams has just 23 free throw attempts, 49 rebounds, and 27 assists on the season. For a player who idolizes Alan Iverson, he sure as hell doesn’t play like him. If Rick Barnes wants to keep playing AJ Abrams for 90% of the game, he needs to first lock him in a closet with tapes of Iverson playing on a loop so Abrams can get a look what it takes to be successful when you’re pint sized.

We haven’t even discussed Abrams’ matador defense yet, either.

Andrew and I’s frustration with AJ Abrams is nothing new, but the crippling effect he’s had on this team of late has been masked a bit by his outstanding start to the year. But as the season has progressed, AJ has regressed to the mean. More accurately, he’s fallen well below the mean, to the point where it’s utterly silly that he’s playing as much as he is.

To some extent, Barnes’ hands are tied, as there simply aren’t any good guards on his bench. Neither Lewis, Harrison Smith, nor Ian Mooney is worthy of big minutes, either.

But that doesn’t mean Rick should just sit on his hand. He needs to coach the poor shot selection out of Abrams. He needs to tell AJ that unless he starts getting to the foul line, he’s not worth starting. And most of all, Rick just needs to start playing his other players more, tweaking the identity of this team.

That last point, I think, is the critical one. Aiming to run and gun like the Phoenix Suns is a fine idea in theory, but has proven wholly impossible for the personnel on hand. Our fastbreak has devolved into a non-factor and we can’t score at nearly a high enough pace to overcome the lousy defense that we play. It’s time for a change.

Especially against teams which excel in the frontcourt, Rick needs to abandon the 35 minutes for AJ Abrams plan for bigger lineups. And Rick needs to demand far better muscle and determination from guys like Connor Atchley and Gary Johnson. The Big 12 eats soft forwards for a mid-day snack.

Same with sub-six guards who can’t get to the line, can’t rebound, can’t defend, and can’t shoot.

No, Rick, I’m not just talking about JD Lewis.

Texas Basketball Report Archives
TBR 2.1
TBR 2.2
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TBR 2.4
TBR 2.5
TBR 2.6
TBR 2.7
TBR 2.8

--PB--

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wow, rowdy PB, i like it

but is Barnes listening?

Can we at least say that AJ is better than JD??

We need a two guard line-up and the freshman need to play a lot more.

I was thinking last night that we just aren't the Suns and Barnes needs to realize this.

We have superior talent on the floor, but aren't quite utilizing it. More passing and movement away from the ball. Better/more assists from DJ.

AJ
We all know AJ is capable of shooting lights out and in my mind he is a streak shooter if there is such a thing. Hell he shot 42% from 3 last year. If he can get back to that percentage do you forgive him? His shooting so far probably cost us one loss.

AJ 3 point shooting '07-'08
57-160 .356
111-260 .427 that would mean 54-100 from now on

'06-'07
120-284 .423

Basically, given all his deficiencies, can AJ shoot his way back to acceptance or does he need to play only 25 minutes a game?

by jimmer on Feb 1, 2008 9:30 AM CST 0 recs

Well

If he shot 54% from downtown from here on out, he'd be tremendously valuable.

If he shoots 42-45% from here on out, he'd be acceptable.

If he shoots at his current clip, he's only worth playing situationally.

As far as wondering if Rick is listening, if we don't see improvement against Baylor and Oklahoma in the next two games, I'm organizing a BON call-in for Rick Barnes' radio show next Thursday.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Feb 1, 2008 9:33 AM CST up 0 recs

Conference me in on that

or, send me some questions and I will go to the wingzone. Barnes saying Damion won't play is hilarious.

I sure hope AJ can shoot 54% on the way home.

by jimmer on Feb 1, 2008 9:58 AM CST up 0 recs

And Mason is in an even deeper slump.

but at least he tries to play defense.
I think I got fed up with AJ 5 or 6 games back. but Barnes doesn't have many options. I guess you could start DJ, Mason, James Atchley and Platoon Johnson Pitman Wangeme and Chanpman. And Bring in AJ to spell either Mason or Dj for 10 to 15 minutes a game. They could be more productive if they tried to run more plays for Atchley and James. I don't think either of those will be able to step up and be more reliable scorers. My guess is they will limp along with the hope AJ and Mason will get some form back.

by Xerxes on Feb 1, 2008 10:36 AM CST 0 recs

Is it just me?

I'm a fan of this blog, and I admit I have not watched as many basketball games as I usually do, but it seems to me that our main problem (and I admit there are many) is a complete lack of post presence/interior defense this year.

Atchley is like so many of Barnes' big fellows--they never seem to develop a low post game or even a low post body. They get thinner, but not bulkier. We need some low post bulk, imo. Anyone with serious big men, such as A&M, will give us trouble.

As such, I'd like to see Pittman get more and more time just to see what he can do, but in the long run, I hope we are recruiting some serious down low presence which we are sorely missing.

This lack of either a serious low post scorer or a shot blocker/lane defender in turn causes any amount of poor guard play to be magnified. And while Augustin is great, you can quite obviously tell by the amount of silly 3-point attempts the throws up without hesitation that he has no faith in anyone to whom he can distribute the ball.

by marcus on Feb 1, 2008 10:48 AM CST 0 recs

Nice link.

Thanks, good link.

Do you think, though, that our poor 3 pt. defense could in part be attributable to the fact that our guards get pretty busy trying to help out the post players, and then are too late when running back out to the perimeter?

We'll never mistake AJ for Ivey, that is for sure.

by marcus on Feb 1, 2008 11:21 AM CST up 0 recs

Giving AJ some credit

AJ has improved his overall game this offseason, for which he deserves credit. Last year he was completely one-dimensional: he could only score from 3 and when he drove and shot floaters he missed almost every time. This year he's added the two point shot to his arsenal. Also, he's developed the ability to defend one-on-one better (but still not that well). His decision making has improved from terrible to OK.

It seems that our starting guards have all suffered in shooting lately, and I think a large part of this is the fact that they play so damn much every game they lose their legs. Bad shooting is often a sign of tired legs. Mason busting his ass 100% of the time, AJ running around screens, and DJ doing everything has got them tired. Mason having to bang with the bigs has had the biggest effect and thus his confidence (in shooting) has gone as well.

PB, I think you're right in that Barnes should definitely sit him more and go with DJ, Mason, James, and two posts more often. If AJ is allowed more rest he will have more strength in his legs and get his shot back. I guess my point is that this isn't necessarily completely AJ's fault, but also due to Barnes' mismanagement and our lack of depth.

--always Texas--

by longhorn00 on Feb 1, 2008 11:10 AM CST 0 recs

I think that's a fair point

And a good one.

I was pretty harsh on AJ, but it's become a pretty severe problem.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Feb 1, 2008 11:19 AM CST up 0 recs

I agree with much that you say.

I think DJ and AJ are both wearing down.

AJ shouldn't be playing over 20 minutes a game, preferably mid game or later, to take advantage of his quickness. There's really no spark coming off the bench, no bench points of consequence, and deep team's second wave just serve to wear the Horns down more.

The mean point (equalling 50% for twos) for threes is 37.5%; when AJ drops below that, Barnes must take action.

DJ has show Iron Man capabilities but that is really a measure of how thin we are.

by whills on Feb 1, 2008 12:27 PM CST up 0 recs

Take what your given and use it to...

the best of your advantage.

The reason Barnes doesn't play three bigs is because the depth he is given doesn't warrant it.

G.Johnson/Wangmene/Chapman are not ready to fill in our void in the post. Dexter Pittman is learning but is still a beginner at best.

If we try to go big to compete with the bigger teams we play, we will be outmatched every time because of our inexperience. We cannot create a big guy game in the paint with what we are given this year. Next year.

Atchley and D. James are the only two big guys we have who show chemistry with the team while on the floor and Dexter Pittman is showing promise.

I still vote that we go with the talent we have, go with more guards rather than less and shoot as many open 3 threes as we can all day long between Abrams, DJ Lewis, and Atchley with DJ to drive the ball and Damion James as our primary underneath presence. Having more outside range threats would surely increase the open looks for Abrams. He has a quick release but has to rush so many of his shots, hence many of them do not fall.

I'm not lobbying for Lewis, but I do think it is worth a shot to see if adding another 3 point threat can get the others some more open looks.
Remember also that a 3 is worth 1.5 times a 2. This could work.

"I asked Darrell Royal, why he didn't recruit me and he said: "Well, Walt, we took a look at you and you weren't any good." W Garrison Oklahoma State

by 512 on Feb 1, 2008 11:25 AM CST 0 recs

I think that is a descent into Penders ball

with all the fallibilities that implies. Forget rebounding and defense; just shoot for shooting's sake in the end. If you have some BMW guys or a T. Rencher who can hit 30 or 40 you might have a chance, but you've blown off developing this team for next year.

by whills on Feb 1, 2008 12:32 PM CST up 0 recs

As I've said all along

The best use of Abrams is as a 6th man, coming in as a change of pace. That way he does not have to match up against the opponent's starter and if his shot's not falling, you can get him out fast.

As to JD Lewis, as unimpressive as he has been, come tournament time there is just something about Senior guards. Remember how Winder came out of nowhere last year and made a solid contribution? I can see giving JD a shot.

And I've seen enough from the second string big men to think they could at least hold their own in a zone. Barnes is going to need them at tournament time, so he would do well to play them now.

But none of this matters unless THEY MAKE THEIR GODDAMNED FREE THROWS!

by Caradoc on Feb 1, 2008 12:15 PM CST 0 recs

Here, here. nt

by whills on Feb 1, 2008 12:33 PM CST up 0 recs

Go with 2 guards

The horns have some depth at guard if they play 2 guards (i.e. they have guards who can play: Augustin, Abrams, and Mason). As long as nobody gets hurt, they can get plenty of rest with 3 guys filling 2 positions. It is totally uderstandable if Abrams and Augustin are exhausted, given that they play so many minutes. Augustin needs at least 5 or 6 minutes rest per game. I would play Abrams 25 to 30 minutes and guess that his shooting and D improve a bunch with the rest.

The horns have a lot of depth on the front line. Dex is an animal in the paint and could probably play 12 minutes per half by playing 4 minutes and then resting 4 minutes throughout the game. Dex gives the horns a real threat on offense in the middle. He can get any position he wants (2 inches in front of the goal for example) and catch the entry pass and dunk it after he catches it. The horns just need to get the ball to him immediately after Dex gets great position.

Dex is fine at center in a zone D. Connor would benefit from playing some forward rather than center. Damion, Gary, and Wingman can all play D and rebound effectively on the front line. That is 5 guys to play 3 positions.

I think the D key is that the horns have to play more matchup zone D and less man to man and rest their players so that they can go hard on D when they are playing.

On offense they need to run a lot more pick and roll and give and go and roll plays to get the ball to the big men in mismatches. They need to run actual plays at the start of the shot clock to get shots for those guys who cannot create their own shot. The offense needs to generate shots for guys that are shots they can actually hit (i.e. built in shot selection). Augustin will be the guy normally to go 1 on 1 later in the shot clock.

Barnes says there is a shakeup in the starting lineup next game. My guess is that Dex becomes a starter, Connor goes to power forward, Damion to small forward, and Mason to guard (from small forward). Abrams no longer starts. Barnes talked about not playing Damion. That would be stupid.

This team is very young and has a tremendous upside. I think they will still improve a lot over the remainder of this season.

by Kafka on Feb 1, 2008 12:21 PM CST 0 recs

I agree with most

On the D side - G-unit needs a lot of improvement but he's green, and Wingman is really coming along nicely.

I have mentioned this, but don't you see that DJ is very tentative to deliver a pass to the rolling forward? We run pick and rolls/pops all game, but DJ rarely hits the rolls.

AJ/Mason split time, and DJ gets 5 minutes rest is a good idea. Then DJ 35, AJ/Mason 45 split b/w, as we've discussed ad infinitum, I would start AJ, but in reality it doesn't matter. If they are all playing well we have the ability to go small and run all three.

Barnes has to get more reps for Dex, Wing and G-unit, the idea of playing Gary 4 minutes seems silly regardless of his D. Sit him down, talk to him and then give him another chance. At least 10 minutes.

All that matters is how we play in March

by jimmer on Feb 1, 2008 2:23 PM CST up 0 recs

Pick and roll passing

Yes, I've noticed that Augustin seldom passes to the guy rolling to the bucket. I don't know if that is because he lacks confidence in the hands/skills of the roller, Barnes discourages it, or Augustin would just like to keep the ball. I have to think that Augustin could make this pass really well if he wanted to.

I have total confidence in Dex's hands (and also confidence in Gary's hands). This is the easiest way for these young big guys to score and a good way to diversify the horns offense. It would also make it tougher for opponents to pressure the horns 3 point shooters if the horns could score inside reliably.

I agree with every point you made.

by Kafka on Feb 1, 2008 10:22 PM CST up 0 recs

Give and go and roll

An alternative to running the pick and roll with Augustin is to do a give and go and roll with somebody like Mason or Damion out front.

There are several advantages to the give and go:

it is easier to execute for the giver because he does not have to keep his dribble throughout the play (there is no dribbling required at all) but just has to give to a big guy (at the free throw line for example) and then cut off him to get the return pass much closer to the bucket
when the giver gets the return pass (after giving and going), he has not yet started to dribble so he does not have dribbling to distract him, he can immediately fake the shot and still dribble to the bucket if his defender bites on the fake.
the picker (i.e. the big guy who receives the initial give pass) can legally swing into the path of the defender when he is setting his pick because he has the ball (i.e. he does not have to be set when he is picking the defender, just beat the defender to the spot). This makes it easy to set wicked picks and also to pick up easy fouls.
it is easy to get the ball to a big guy at the free throw line on the initial give pass (compared to the entry pass to the low post, for example). If the picker's defender does try to deny this pass, it makes it easy for the picker to cut back to the bucket for an easy alley oop pass.
if the picker's defender jump switches, the picker just has to execute a single dribble (basically just a bounce pass to himself that he can catch with two hands) to get to the bucket (with the giver's defender (a guard) on his back).

If you had Mason and Dex doing the give and go, with Augustin, Damion, and Connor (all three guys are normally good 3 point shooters) at the 3 point line (should one of their defenders help out inside), it seems like it might have a good chance at working.

by Kafka on Feb 1, 2008 10:57 PM CST up 0 recs

Amen to all of that

by Caradoc on Feb 2, 2008 12:05 PM CST up 0 recs

The bronc buster approach.

I think Kafka has a sensible approach (and is definitely not Kafkaesque).

In the bronc buster approach, styled after Kafka's suggestion, you right the ornery sobs until they don't buck anymore.

[Barnes' speech Saturday, my version]

You big guys, your time is now; however you play, we're going to live with it because I think you're going to get better and better each game. We need you now and we'll need you when we get into the tournament.
All I want from you is your full commitment to play and to improve [this is the point Barnes made to Damion, who appears to have a loss faith in himself, that is, confidence, and perhaps in the team itself]. Buck up and get back on - or sit down on the far end of the bench for the rest of your career.
This is the hard part of the season, the part where the men come to play and the boys go home. If you want this - this game, this school, this future - now's the time to step up. Right now. Not tomorrow. Right now. This time is yours.
This is is the moment you've been dreaming about - right now. The opportunity has appeared before you and you must grab it. If you do, the future is yours. Now let's go whip some Bear ass.

by whills on Feb 1, 2008 12:58 PM CST 0 recs

Psychology

Confidence is a huge thing when it comes to shooting a basketball. I think Barnes is a bit harsh on these kids because they sure seem to have some problems with confidence (Mason, Damion, Gary for example). These kids just need to relax and let their talent flow.

I don't know what happened with Damion against the aggies but, in general, he gives everything he has when he is playing. I hate to see Barnes publically call him out. It would be much better just to talk to him in private and see what is wrong.

I will be surprised if Damion, Gary, Dex, and Wingman do not all improve quite a bit in the next month. They need to play if they are going to improve.

by Kafka on Feb 1, 2008 10:32 PM CST up 0 recs

They don't seem to be having as much fun.

Of course, College Station isn't fun paradise. More like a giant emotional and psychological trap.

I get the feeling Barnes is teaching pretty intently at this point, new info while still pushing them. But there is a point of diminishing returns on too much info. The game is intuitive at its best and being relaxed enough to do that is essential.

I also would presume that Barnes would know if he was getting sick (onset of cedar fever or allergies; back few weeks for that) so his real criticism is about effort and intent. Did something on court get to him, the crowd or the voice in his mind...that was a serious challenge. Like you, I'm concerned about the depth of this.

Agree that hose guys are on the threshold. Maybe not all of them at once, but relatively soon; they do need to be on court. I think Dex is first up on the ticket. We need Damion in that mix now; hope that works out.

by whills on Feb 1, 2008 11:18 PM CST up 0 recs

sort of continuing upon whills'

Whatever tweaks (if any) Barnes makes, he must do it NOW. We just started a brutal stretch of games, and for a tweaked lineup to gather chemistry and experience they will need this time to mesh in preparation for March. We can not wait. It's put up or shut up.

atsmahboy Kelson

by BigTexBD on Feb 1, 2008 2:35 PM CST 0 recs

Rick Barnes' Show

Why don't y'all call into the radio show and voice your questions?

by CaliforniaHorn on Feb 1, 2008 3:16 PM CST 0 recs

Definitely

See comment #3 near the top; that's my plan if we see the same old problems.

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Feb 1, 2008 3:39 PM CST up 0 recs

i don't think aj is the catalyst

while AJ has struggled recently, i think we're ignoring the bigger problems the team faces. The team's strength is at guard, specifically with DJ creating points for teammates and scoring. The problem is that we rely on him way too much. Look at the numbers:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/...

DJ leads the team in minutes, points and assists. If you're game planning against us, your number one priority is to take DJ out of the game. Not the easiest thing in the world, but teams with big and fast guards have done this somewhat successfully (he also has the occasional bad game where he struggles or tries to do too much).

The next 3 top scorers for the team are AJ, James and Connor. AJ is fatally flawed because he can't create his own shot, doesn't set up teammates and tends to take too many shots (not to mention he is a liability on D). If he is taking spot up 3s, he can be dangerous and teams will have to account for him.

While Connor and James have improved exponentially this season, they are still wildly inconsistent. Both are big and athletic and are dangerous all over the court. The problem is that we never know what to expect from them. Doesn't the team do much better when one or both of these guys are playing well? Not only does it take a lot of pressure off of DJ, but it opens the offense creating more opportunities for other players (and lets AJ float around the perimeter where hes dangerous). I really think that Connor and James are the keys to the rest of the season. For us to finish near the top of the conference and have success in the tournament they have to become more consistent and contribute more on offense. Otherwise, I can see the season ending like it did last year.

Rick is definitely constrained in that we don't have many options off the bench so we can't completely overhaul the team's strategy. If Dex continues to play like he did against a&m we will have some flexibility, but ultimately the rest of the bench is raw and fairly limited.

by SFhorn on Feb 1, 2008 4:28 PM CST 0 recs