…but in my opinion Bueckers should be the PG
This is a recurring idea, and I get it. But I’m not sure Geno’s offense really depends on the PG in the way this thought presupposes. I mean, which of the various PG responsibilities are we thinking of when we say this? I can think of a few on offense and defense.
1. Bringing the ball up the court and maybe even breaking the press
2. Initiating the half court offense
3. Distributing the ball off dribble penetration
4. Initiating the transition offense
5. Making sure there’s court balance on the offensive end in case there’s a turnover
6. Guarding the opposing PG
I’ll stop there. Paige can clearly do all of these. And with typical PGs, if they pass the ball and it doesn’t result in an immediate score, the offense may stall until the ball is back in their hands. This is a natural sentiment I can understand. I think we all feel like we want the ball back in Paige’s hands as soon as possible. At least we used to feel that way until Sarah came along and Azzi returned.
Also if Paige is given all of these assignments, it might limit her on both ends of the court. For example, as PG we might not want her to shoot from the corner or drive the baseline, since it would take her out of defensive balance. And if we have her guard the opposing PG exclusively, it might sap some energy that could be used defending in the lane or on the wing.
Obviously this a question of balance and compromises have to be made. In the 1st quarter of this game Paige spent the first 5 mins guarding Jada Eads as if she were a PG and it was quite effective. And she stayed mostly at the top of the key and Handed Eads off to Azzi or Kaitlyn. But at other times, she guarded Faith or Messiah Hunter and switched between the wing and the 4. When Geno put Morgan and Sarah in the frontcourt, Paige switched with everyone, 1-5. There’s good reason to think this is Geno’s most effective defense, but he’s clearly experimenting with having Paige defend the point.
On offense, and in response to SHU’s press, Paige often brought the ball up the court alongside Azzi, KK or Kaitlyn, and this makes sense since they are the best ball handlers. And Paige did initiate and distribute as PG would, but she also took several shots from the wing or drove into the lane. The 3-woman game with Azzi and Sarah was very effective early on and was often initiated from the wing In the first half. With Ash on the floor instead of Azzi, these same patterns were visible.
All in all, the PG position appears to be dissolved among several players — Kaitlyn, KK, Paige, Morgan, even Sarah — and I’m not sure how much sense it makes to think Geno should reconstitute the traditional form of the point guard.
