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- Aug 27, 2011
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Two things have been glaring so far in the early going:
1. This team desperately needs some depth at guard.
2. There's been a lack of a killer instinct.
Boatright's return will hopefully answer #1. The offense has gone completely stagnant every time Shabazz has had to leave the floor this season, and he and Lamb can't continue to play 40 minutes every night. Today was evidence of that, as both players looked extremely tired (on top of just being bad).
Boatright, meanwhile, could be that sparkplug off the bench like Shabazz was last year. While he's the same size, he's a very different type of player than SN (electric athlete with more of a scorer's mentality, so he can spell both guard spots). If he's anywhere near as a good as advertised, this team should be more than fine in the backcourt.
#2, on the other hand, is a little more tricky. With the exception of the 2nd half against Maine, this team has seemed to lack that killer instinct all season, constantly building 15-20 points and then coasting from there. Today, it caught up to them for the first time (with A LOT of help from the refs...something that should get more mention).
Maybe this will be the wake up call. Maybe Boatright, who's supposed to be a constant talker, will help. I really don't know. But that killer instinct, more than anything, is the void that Kemba's departure left behind.
It will be interesting to see how the team responds tomorrow.
1. This team desperately needs some depth at guard.
2. There's been a lack of a killer instinct.
Boatright's return will hopefully answer #1. The offense has gone completely stagnant every time Shabazz has had to leave the floor this season, and he and Lamb can't continue to play 40 minutes every night. Today was evidence of that, as both players looked extremely tired (on top of just being bad).
Boatright, meanwhile, could be that sparkplug off the bench like Shabazz was last year. While he's the same size, he's a very different type of player than SN (electric athlete with more of a scorer's mentality, so he can spell both guard spots). If he's anywhere near as a good as advertised, this team should be more than fine in the backcourt.
#2, on the other hand, is a little more tricky. With the exception of the 2nd half against Maine, this team has seemed to lack that killer instinct all season, constantly building 15-20 points and then coasting from there. Today, it caught up to them for the first time (with A LOT of help from the refs...something that should get more mention).
Maybe this will be the wake up call. Maybe Boatright, who's supposed to be a constant talker, will help. I really don't know. But that killer instinct, more than anything, is the void that Kemba's departure left behind.
It will be interesting to see how the team responds tomorrow.