Reed needs to start

[Palatine]

Have to disagree on better defender. Is he more mobile yea that’s it. He over extends his hedges a ton leaving everyone scrambling to find open people thereafter. He blocks a few shots but loses a ton of rebounds by trying to block shots he shouldn’t worry about. He can’t defend on the block anyone strong while Reed is harder to move. Since defensive rebounding is a result of defense and where you are, I take Reed all day in this. Although he needs to stay on his feet when backed in, don’t jump to block shots stay straight up.

It’s amazing to me Reed isn’t getting 25-15 of the minutes and starting it’s baffling. Congrats great game against UMES where were you for 3 games against real competition? 5 rebounds in well over 60 minutes is beyond horrendous for any 6’10 individual. He’s a back up let’s get him back there.

Did it ever occur to you that the reason SJ high hedges so far up court is because Hurley wants him to? And the reason he tries to block so many shots (which hurt his rebounding numbers) is because Hurley wants him to? That, perhaps, the reason he starts is that he is doing exactly what the coach asks him to do? BTW, after 8 games Reed has played 156 minutes and Johnson 144. For the record SJ averages over 5 rebounds a game for 40 minutes.

Watch our offense. Johnson tends to play in the high post and Reed tends to play in the low post. Think they are doing that on their own? They are very different players and Hurley uses them differently. DUH. On defense, the rebounds that SJ loses often go to Ball or Steward or McNeeley, etc.

Make peace with it.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Did it ever occur to you that the reason Samson Johnson high hedges so far up court is because Hurley wants him to? And the reason he tries to block so many shots (which hurt his rebounding numbers) is because Hurley wants him to? That, perhaps, the reason he starts is that he is doing exactly what the coach asks him to do? BTW, after 8 games Reed has played 156 minutes and Johnson 144. For the record Samson Johnson averages over 5 rebounds a game for 40 minutes.

Watch our offense. Johnson tends to play in the high post and Reed tends to play in the low post. Think they are doing that on their own? They are very different players and Hurley uses them differently. DUH. On defense, the rebounds that Samson Johnson loses often go to Ball or Steward or McNeeley, etc.

Make peace with it.

1000 likes

 

[Apollo]

My buddy has a hot take...

Keeping Samson Johnson as starter that way Reibe can be a starter next year without demoting TRJ from starter to backup...

 

[RuffRuff]

Borderline conspiracy theory!

 

[Mooch82]

My buddy has a hot take...

Keeping Samson Johnson as starter that way Reibe can be a starter next year without demoting TRJ from starter to backup...

Weird take. We think Reibe would be offended to come off the bench behind a senior? Who cares. He’d start as a sophomore. Sanogo nor Clingan started as freshmen.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I agree with Reed starting but there is literally nothing to take away from any of our bigs playing well against this type of cupcake. The physical mismatch is too great.

 

[alphasigko]

I have been saying this before the season started. SJ is not a starter, but a decent backup Center.

 

[Palatine]

I have been saying this before the season started. Samson Johnson is not a starter, but a decent backup Center.

Not everyone agrees. Do you have a theory why Hurley disagrees?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Have to disagree on better defender. Is he more mobile yea that’s it. He over extends his hedges a ton leaving everyone scrambling to find open people thereafter. He blocks a few shots but loses a ton of rebounds by trying to block shots he shouldn’t worry about. He can’t defend on the block anyone strong while Reed is harder to move. Since defensive rebounding is a result of defense and where you are, I take Reed all day in this. Although he needs to stay on his feet when backed in, don’t jump to block shots stay straight up.

It’s amazing to me Reed isn’t getting 25-15 of the minutes and starting it’s baffling. Congrats great game against UMES where were you for 3 games against real competition? 5 rebounds in well over 60 minutes is beyond horrendous for any 6’10 individual. He’s a back up let’s get him back there.

Johnson is a better defender. He alters shots. I was amazed in chat the other day where he tips a pass, controls it, starts a fats break. Then he altered another shot and I think dunked at the other end. Ball comes back and he plays near perfect defense and is called for an imaginary foul that replays showed did not happen. Fans on chat: what a bum, all he does is foul.

He can be better player. His hands are poor. Reed has great hands but is slow adjusting to guys attacking the rim with pace. He’s fine if we face a slow, back to the basket big, but those are rare. Reed is phenomenal on the boards, I wish SJ was. Combine them and we’d have a great player. Until then we need to mix and match based on matchups and what the team needs. But Johnson is a better hedge defender and better shot blocker. Better against cutters. He does get backed down but few guys can even do that.

 

[RuffRuff]

Not everyone agrees. Do you have a theory why Hurley disagrees?

Samson knows the system better. The only way this team plays good defense is via team defense as not great individually and only reason that Samson is the guy right now has to be because he generally knows where to be more often than Tarris does.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Johnson is a better defender. He alters shots. I was amazed in chat the other day where he tips a pass, controls it, starts a fats break. Then he altered another shot and I think dunked at the other end. Ball comes back and he plays near perfect defense and is called for an imaginary foul that replays showed did not happen. Fans on chat: what a bum, all he does is foul.

He can be better player. His hands are poor. Reed has great hands but is slow adjusting to guys attacking the rim with pace. He’s fine if we face a slow, back to the basket big, but those are rare. Reed is phenomenal on the boards, I wish Samson Johnson was. Combine them and we’d have a great player. Until then we need to mix and match based on matchups and what the team needs. But Johnson is a better hedge defender and better shot blocker. Better against cutters. He does get backed down but few guys can even do that.

A lot of what you’re saying defensively is true, but IMO it’s effectively erased because of how many second and third chances the other team gets when SJ is on the floor.

That and his inability to set a screen on the offensive end have a very large impact on total team play on each end of the floor that is hard to look past.

 

[ctchamps]

Yeah I think you've got the reason. Johnson is the better weakside rim protector. We start Ball and McNeeley, who are poor defenders and get blown by a lot. Whereas the backups only really have Mahaney as a weak on-ball defender. So Johnson's rim protection impact is greater with the starting group.

It's not just the inability of our perimeter players keeping their players from driving into the lane. Ball and Mahaney are poor at rebounding. That compounds the way Hurley wants Johnson to play on the defensive end. In the second half of the UMES game Solo picked up a quick foul and was replaced by Ross. The Ross, Stewart and McNeeley combination demonstrated, at least against a weak opponent, how effective Samson can be on defense with a supporting group that does rebound.

Per 40 minutes our player rebounding this year are:

Reed - 18.6
Stewart - 8.9
Ross - 7.6
Nowell - 7.2
McNeeley - 7.1
Abraham - 6.2
Johnson - 5.8
Diarra - 5.4
Karaban - 5.1
Ball - 3.2
Mahaney - 2.4

Having Johnson start with Mahaney and Ball was a recipe for disaster. Isolating the problem with Johnson alone however does not recognize the team problem with that line up. I don't care who starts between Johnson and Reed. But I hypothesize that a line up with Reed, Mahaney and Ball will be its own problem.

@HuskyHawk was correct in pointing out the strengths of Johnson and Reed. Now it's up to Hurley to configure lineups to maximize those strengths.

 

[ctchamps]

A lot of what you’re saying defensively is true, but IMO it’s effectively erased because of how many second and third chances the other team gets when Samson Johnson is on the floor.

That and his inability to set a screen on the offensive end have a very large impact on total team play on each end of the floor that is hard to look past.

That's because this years guards are not doing what Newton, Spencer and Castle did last year. It's the reason Ross is getting more minutes. McNeeley, Ross and Karaban/Stewart can remedy those second and third chances.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

That's because this years guards are not doing what Newton, Spencer and Castle did last year. It's the reason Ross is getting more minutes. McNeeley, Ross and Karaban/Stewart can remedy those second and third chances.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Having a center that cannot rebound is a big piece of our rebounding woes, even if we’re not getting the same contributions in that area from other positions on the floor as we did last year.

 

[UConn990411]

Yeah I think you've got the reason. Johnson is the better weakside rim protector. We start Ball and McNeeley, who are poor defenders and get blown by a lot. Whereas the backups only really have Mahaney as a weak on-ball defender. So Johnson's rim protection impact is greater with the starting group.

But he’s also not a great weak-side rim protector, at least not enough to mitigate his lack of rebounding and bad defensive positioning.

Perimeter defense is inexplicably the biggest issue this team has, but rebounding is up there. Reed would at least help with the latter.

 

[alphasigko]

Not everyone agrees. Do you have a theory why Hurley disagrees?

Not sure. Blind loyalty perhaps? SJ's Stats since the start of the season should be all the evidence he needs to start Reed in lieu of SJ.

 

[husky429]

I wonder if Hurley is having Reed come off the bench because they're playing even minutes. If the rotation is Samson-->Reed--> Samson--> Reed the advantage is we end up having Reed in at the end of the game (assuming no foul issues) and he isn't just jumping in the last 4 minutes after a break.

 

[Palatine]

Not sure. Blind loyalty perhaps? Samson Johnson's Stats since the start of the season should be all the evidence he needs.

Maybe it's because the team can play faster with Johnson in the game. Maybe Hurley believes it is easy to guard the arc with Johnson inside. Maybe it's because Johnson knows the offense and is a better passer. Maybe Johnson is in better shape and a better athlete. Maybe he thinks Johnson has a higher upside.

If you think it's "blind loyalty," and that Hurley is incapable of having your objective analysis, you must have a low opinion of our coach

 

[FreeKlaiber]

If we want to offensively play a 5 man out, and open up backdoor cuts, Samson is better option

However his slight body and sometimes bad form makes him an inferior screener. & Foul magnet. Harris' widebody is better utilized to get shooters open coming off screens, just like they had with DC.

I think its Samson's defensive energy that Dan Hurley wants to take advantage of to start the game, and the reason he will continue to start (though being objectively outplayed right now, though its very early).

 

[uconn_jack]

It does seem that one or two of the first run (and usually sucessful) plays of any game are lobs to Johnson before the opposing team keys in on it. Maybe Hurley likes to get those couple of early buckets and to keep the defense thinking about them while running other stuff.

 

[Kenny11]

Last season we really had 3 excellent point guards with newton, castle and Spencer and a 4th solid point guard in Diarra. This season our point guard play hasn’t been as good although Diarra is going to be fine. Samson obviously thrives with point guards that can drive and hide whether they are going to shoot or pass. Last year cam had so many little layups and floaters because the defense thought he was going to throw the lob to Johnson or Clingan. I think that threat and how Samson runs the floor is why he’s been starting. Hurley is not too stubborn to change it.

 

[alphasigko]

Maybe it's because the team can play faster with Johnson in the game. Maybe Hurley believes it is easy to guard the arc with Johnson inside. Maybe it's because Johnson knows the offense and is a better passer. Maybe Johnson is in better shape and a better athlete. Maybe he thinks Johnson has a higher upside.

If you think it's "blind loyalty," and that Hurley is incapable of having your objective analysis, you must have a low opinion of our coach

Could be any or none of these. Two comments on your list: Johnson is hardly ever "inside" except after a dunk as he is too busy hedging and trying to get back on his man, and, I am not sure minimal rebounding and blocking-out skills plus excessive fouling constitute a higher "upside".

 

[mauconnfan]

Did it ever occur to you that the reason Samson Johnson high hedges so far up court is because Hurley wants him to? And the reason he tries to block so many shots (which hurt his rebounding numbers) is because Hurley wants him to? That, perhaps, the reason he starts is that he is doing exactly what the coach asks him to do? BTW, after 8 games Reed has played 156 minutes and Johnson 144. For the record Samson Johnson averages over 5 rebounds a game for 40 minutes.

Watch our offense. Johnson tends to play in the high post and Reed tends to play in the low post. Think they are doing that on their own? They are very different players and Hurley uses them differently. DUH. On defense, the rebounds that Samson Johnson loses often go to Ball or Steward or McNeeley, etc.

Make peace with it.

Don’t give me DUH crap you idiot. He hedges too high and no coach on earth wants him to create a scramble to find open people he wants him to get back to his guy smart guy. Make peace with this he sucks overall and can’t rebound at all. Don’t try to make it what it’s not with some twisted idea that you’re right.

 

[Kowalski]

Yeah I think you've got the reason. Johnson is the better weakside rim protector. We start Ball and McNeeley, who are poor defenders and get blown by a lot. Whereas the backups only really have Mahaney as a weak on-ball defender. So Johnson's rim protection impact is greater with the starting group.

Agree. I think Hurley values the rim protection more & especially since they were constantly leaving perimeter shooters open in Maui. SJ’s not Clingan in that regard but probably better than Reed. Last year, Spencer wasn’t the best on ball defender but he was effective at running shooters off the 3 pt line because he knew Clingan was there if he got beat.

 

[jibsey]

I do not understand Samson running around at the 3 point line on defense. On offense he sets screens and rolls for a lob, fine but on D all he can do is foul and allow a drive with the rim unprotected. Of course he fouls at the rim too.
Look, our coaches understand this better than we do but unless the big man he is guarding is an elite 3 point shooter let the guy screen or shoot out there and stay inside for the rebound.
We don’t win without rebounding and defensive superiority.

 

[yungdowork]

Don’t give me DUH crap you idiot. He hedges too high and no coach on earth wants him to create a scramble to find open people he wants him to get back to his guy smart guy. Make peace with this he sucks overall and can’t rebound at all. Don’t try to make it what it’s not with some twisted idea that you’re right.

People said the same thing about Whaley and Sanogo in terms of their hedging, so it seems pretty obvious there is at least one coach who wants that

 

[mauconnfan]

People said the same thing about Whaley and Sanogo in terms of their hedging, so it seems pretty obvious there is at least one coach who wants that

Wow let’s not compare Whaleys hedge to any of those others. He was the absolute best we’ve seen and made actual steal quite often so he had a leash. Sanogo stayed close to home a lot, but also got burned but he could score and rebound down the other end so let’s no compare them either.

 

[jake14mw]

This issue of Johnson getting as many minutes as he has been playing has probably been as big of a mystery as any to me. I think people have posted some reasonable theories here. I believe the staff will figure out what the team needs to do improve our play from the 5 position. They have figured out tough issues in past seasons, like they did with what to do with Jackson on offense when teams were not playing defense against him.

 

[Palatine]

Don’t give me DUH crap you idiot. He hedges too high and no coach on earth wants him to create a scramble to find open people he wants him to get back to his guy smart guy. Make peace with this he sucks overall and can’t rebound at all. Don’t try to make it what it’s not with some twisted idea that you’re right.

Do you watch the games? Johnson gets back to the opposing center virtually every time he high hedges. I'm not saying I'm right. Read my post I am clearly guessing and gave numerous examples of my speculation.

I am not saying I'm right. I saying Hurley is right and you're wrong.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Wow let’s not compare Whaleys hedge to any of those others. He was the absolute best we’ve seen and made actual steal quite often so he had a leash. Sanogo stayed close to home a lot, but also got burned but he could score and rebound down the other end so let’s no compare them either.

Whaley was great at it and recovered quickly. Adama got much better at it by his junior year. Johnson isn't nearly as bad at it as you suggest. I think what we see is what we saw in that bad stretch in 2023, the guys behind aren't doing the job of covering the rim. Alex is good at that now (note his improved block rate) but Liam doesn't really have it down and is often late. Stewart is better at it. Playing defense at the 3-4 in our system is really hard. It doesn't help that the poor perimeter defense means even more guys are free to attack the rim.

As it was then, it is now. It's a collective team defensive issue. It's not on Johnson or Reed. Reed doesn't hedge as high because he isn't quick enough to get back.

In any event, this is the team we have. Looking forward to adjustments and better play.