Everyone talks about perimeter shooting woes, but McCullar's calling card was defense and we likely missed his defense as much as, if not more than, his shooting when he went down.
We need to be better, or at least more consistent, shooting from the perimeter. I am definitely not disputing this take.
However, Self wants to play defense at a high level. We like to switch everything on the perimeter. Opposing teams were able to take advantage of this switch and get favorable matchups at times during the season. Early in the season they took advantage of Furphy, and at times they would also try to isolate Timberlake. I believe if Furphy stays he will improve his game in all areas, including defense.
Playing intense defense for an entire game takes phenomenal conditioning and we we need perimeter depth that can defend at a high level coming off the bench.
Jackson and McDowell have shown flashes, we will see if Self thinks they can develop into contributors or if we need to reload with new players.
Looking at Kugel's game, he did have some offensive struggles at times. It appears the staff thinks they can shore up his offensive efficiency, but that we need the long athletic wings that can defend and attack the paint and rim. Timberlake was not a prototypical Self guard, we chose to give up some defense for a sniper, and it didn't work out great. We probably won't sacrifice athleticism and defense for shooting again, unless it is a final roster spot and we have a solid rotation in place.
We need to be better, or at least more consistent, shooting from the perimeter. I am definitely not disputing this take.
However, Self wants to play defense at a high level. We like to switch everything on the perimeter. Opposing teams were able to take advantage of this switch and get favorable matchups at times during the season. Early in the season they took advantage of Furphy, and at times they would also try to isolate Timberlake. I believe if Furphy stays he will improve his game in all areas, including defense.
Playing intense defense for an entire game takes phenomenal conditioning and we we need perimeter depth that can defend at a high level coming off the bench.
Jackson and McDowell have shown flashes, we will see if Self thinks they can develop into contributors or if we need to reload with new players.
Looking at Kugel's game, he did have some offensive struggles at times. It appears the staff thinks they can shore up his offensive efficiency, but that we need the long athletic wings that can defend and attack the paint and rim. Timberlake was not a prototypical Self guard, we chose to give up some defense for a sniper, and it didn't work out great. We probably won't sacrifice athleticism and defense for shooting again, unless it is a final roster spot and we have a solid rotation in place.
