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Message: [QUOTE="oldhusky, post: 4517022, member: 9844"] Continuing off some of your points, I think we need to look at the effectiveness of the offense right now, with a limited roster. We get tired, but the offense with Nika, Lou and Aubrey is working quite well without the three shooter/scorers that were the likely starters heading into this season. We looked forward to having a small lineup of Paige, Azzi and Caroline, with all three being both shooters, and players that could create their own shot. Now at the three small positions we have just one shooter and scorer in Lou, and two players that are not in Nika and Aubrey. Yet the offense is working quite well. Aubrey if finding ways to score even if she isn't a shooter. That is largely due to good team ball movement and a much faster pace which Nika is very much the principal reason for. Nika's volume of scoring is low, which could be a problem if we didn't have other good options, but we do, and Nika makes those other scoring weapons even more effective. In addition to Aubrey feasting on run-outs as Nika pushes the pace, look at how much better we are getting easy baskets inside with Aaliyah and Dorka being far more effective than last year. Lou knows if she gets open, she will get the ball in the right place at the right time, something that would also enhances the game for Azzi, Paige and Caroline if they were in the game with Nika. Next year if healthy we will have three tremendous scoring options, both volume and efficiency in Paige, Azzi and Aaliyah, and probably another good inside option in Ice or Janna. Only one can shoot at a time, so having a player who concentrates on defense and making all of those players better on offense seems like an obvious choice to me. Defensively it is obvious, but I think the team will be better offensively with Nika teaming with Paige and Azzi, than if the third small was a shooter like say Caroline. She is making the rest of the team better offensively without even having the best players available. We are finding bigs inside, getting the ball to our one current shooter on the perimeter in Lou, and getting easy baskets on run-outs and fast breaks. The system run by Nika is working without it's biggest potential scorers and can only be greater when they return. Why would we want to mess with a good thing? I'm not saying keep Azzi on the bench, I think she should start when healthy, but I am saying that Nika at the point is working big time this year, everyone eats, and everyone else on the floor benefits from her leading the offense. We have now a number of other scoring options, and will have more when healthy and next year with Paige, Ice and Janna in particular. We can afford a specialist that makes everyone else better and plays defense. That is not a weakness, but rather a great piece to add to the scorers we have and make them and the overall offense better IMO. Next year Nika should start with Paige and Azzi. [/QUOTE]

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