Our BEST Starting Five....

[RuffRuff]

Im not sure about that...I mean we HAVE lost 3 in a row so "absorbing" his currently atrocious defense has been a problem thus far. I mean Solo is one of the two WORST defenders in the entire Big East and worst 300 in entire NCAA Bball. Hes pretty bad.

So absorb Solo’s D with our other 4 stud defenders? Hate to break it to you, not like the rest of this squad is lighting the floor on fire with their inner Dennis Rodman. The biggest question is WTF can’t Solo defend?

I love the idea of having the best 5 on the floor when closing games, but could be meaningless if we’re chasing. You want to start the game with your best 5. Analytics will say that over the aggregate you want your most productive 5 on the floor as often as possible and that means starting them. It’s an absurd strategy to think the closing 5 is a different group than the starting 5 unless you’ve recognized a mismatch in game or require a specialty based on the game scenario (ball handling).

Baylor is now a huge game based on how we’ve fared and what’s ahead. If we can’t win on a neutral court against mid majors I’m not really confident in this team going on the road and winning. Zags are really good. I’d have to think Hurley will look to put the best foot forward Wednesday, and if he has any intention of reshuffling we’ll see it.

 

[jayp123669]

So absorb Solo’s D with our other 4 stud defenders? Hate to break it to you, not like the rest of this squad is lighting the floor on fire with their inner Dennis Rodman. The biggest question is WTF can’t Solo defend?

I love the idea of having the best 5 on the floor when closing games, but could be meaningless if we’re chasing. You want to start the game with your best 5. Analytics will say that over the aggregate you want your most productive 5 on the floor as often as possible and that means starting them. It’s an absurd strategy to think the closing 5 is a different group than the starting 5 unless you’ve recognized a mismatch in game or require a specialty based on the game scenario (ball handling).

Baylor is now a huge game based on how we’ve fared and what’s ahead. If we can’t win on a neutral court against mid majors I’m not really confident in this team going on the road and winning. Zags are really good. I’d have to think Hurley will look to put the best foot forward Wednesday, and if he has any intention of reshuffling we’ll see it.

But that's precisely the point you cant "absorb" his terrible defense. Solo is the epitome of "get you 5, lose you 5" type player. Meaning that he is one of our top 3 offensive players but how "valuable" is he if he gives back the 5 scored on defense? Your left with a zero sum player. According to data hes our overall WORST player due to this. Obviously; I want Solo on the floor IF Hurley can fix his defense because there really is a lot to like about his offense. But that's a big IF at this point. Right now per data, Solo is essentially a bench player who comes off the bench for offensive firepower, in small spurts (15-20 min or less on the floor). Similar to how John "Microwave" Gwynn was utilized in the past with Calhoun among others. An offensive sparkplug but not a full time player. That's what he is. That's what his numbers SAY he is. I'm hopeful he can change but that means his defense must get markedly better and FAST.

So knowing this, yes UConn would need to mix and match to maximize there best defenders and offensive players because none are the same. Last year we were blessed...our 5 best offensive players ALSO happened to be 5 of our best 6 defenders. There was no drop off and no need to mix and match. This year that's not the case. Solo is a perfect example. A top 3 Offensive player for us and our by far worst defender.