nate33 wrote:bsilver wrote:doclinkin wrote:
I think with Trae out of the game they will put the ball in the hands of the #1 pick. Surround him with shooters and dunkers. Let him see what he can do.
Don't know why you'd want to do that with a rookie. He should be working, foul line in to start.
And sends wrong message to the rest of the team, "we're valuing AJs development ahead of yours".
Didn't matter with Dallas/Flagg because the team wasn't going anywhere and everybody knew it.
I think it's simply going to be backup PG by committee.
Any of Bub, Riley, Kyshawn, AJ and even Tre and Bilal may have a hand in initiating the offense when Trae sits. We will see who gets the hang of it first and seizes the role.
That and I disagree with the premise that asking AJ to attack on ball somehow does AJ or the team a disservice.
You want a player to have reps at the thing that got them to the league so they develop confidence. AJ has been an on ball player and showed he can not only score efficiently, but spray the ball around to the right guys without too many turnovers considering his high usage. Here he gets better shooters and finishers to flush the ball than his teammates at BYU. If he’s who he was drafted to be, an offensive driver who forces defenses to foul or scramble, then his effectiveness on ball should give his teammates wide open shots.
The team has been consistent in trying to give players opportunities to succeed at what they do best. First. Then expand their roles as they get comfortable. AJ is a load with the ball. Give him the ball.
In the starting line up you’re asking him to defer to Trae and learn on the fly a totally different way to play than he’s ever tried before. Off ball movement to get open. Spot up shooting. Catch and shoot from range. I saw him fade when Mikel Brown had control.
This offensive philosophy was an ideal fit for AJ before we got Trae. Anybody of any size who had the ball could drive up court with it if they had the mismatch or were confident. That’s how Deni broke out.
I expect we will still see a lot of that and rely on Trae to adjust to an off ball role at times. But when he’s out of the game, that is our entire game plan I think. It’s one that AJ is particularly good at, it’s what got him drafted #1.