Right now we are too soft, are getting nothing from Fede and we don’t stress the defense enough. We settle for way too many jumpers and don’t drive to score nearly enough.
Soft
- Thread starter Bethlehemjohn
- Start date
I wish I could like this post 1000 times.
Also 6/9 players we play are inept offensively. Team isn’t very talented. Can’t outscore teams every game. Need to grind some. Ugh
Exactly. Austin, Jorge, Fede, Jeffrey... just so much deadweight on the offensive end. And we're not exactly last year's Mississippi State squad on defense. So what exactly is the formula, here? Seems unrealistic to expect much from this season.
Play your two freshmen guards as much as possible. Clear it out and let them dribble drive and create off it. Maybe get some layups and some open looks from 3. Maybe even get a couple oop dunks from the twins or Fede provided they can catch it. That is our best hope.
Soft has a negative connotation I hope you do not want to convey.
I think we give effort, play hard. We didn't. Quit. We are just not strong or physically imposing.
We can not be stronger. We can play smarter. I hope we start to play smarter.
Last edited:
G Diaz-Graham has to get 25 minutes a game. Fede is giving us nothing on either end of the court. GDG can possibly give us 10 points a game.
A big concern with the offense is a lack of all movement. Blake looks so awkward driving to the hoop. I love Legett but he drives to the hoop and really passes off. Austin and Federico rarely touch the ball.
This is unfortunately an adequate assessment of the team at this moment. Burton was a bulldog. We are missing that right now.
I think the "soft" designation resonates because when Florida and mizzou play "bully ball" we didn't bully back. Way too much perimeter shots as opposed to taking it inside. I do think the pick n roll with fede should be a play we run consistently but when fede gets bodied out by 7'5 bigs, his offensive game isn't good enough to challenge the defender around the rim. Bub seems to also be speeding up his play and that has lead to a few rushed looks. I do have faith that he is young and will learn to adjust.
But we don't have the players who can grind it out defensively, or the coach who likes to do that. If we can't score 85 points in a game, we probably won't win.
Soft is accurate when you consider we get punched in the nose and have nothing to punch back with. Pitt's trademark has always been a tough, hard-nosed basketball team that won't take crap from anyone. We've lost that identity. Probably because we don't have the players to do it.
Soft - as in opposite of gritty. Those Howland/Dixon teams had it. Games like last night would have been won based on sheer will. We folded like a cheap tent.
First I don’t know about you , but I didn’t get into the game yesterday . We didn’t play they , the Pitt players played ! ( no offense but I hate the we when we don’t play )
There’s three players on Pitts roster who have mature bodies , one of those goes all out 100% of the time ( Ish ) , one really doesn’t impose his will unless he’s trying to score . ( Blake ) and the other is struggling to be a presence on offense . ( Austin)
All three bigs are thin rails and they’re just not able to physically matchup against guys 30+ lbs of muscle stronger . Is that surprising ? Just like shorter teams struggle with putting up shots against Fede and the twins they struggle against guys who can physically manhandle them , as you’d expect .
Two of the three guards are 18 yr old freshman playing constantly against 4th & 5th yr seniors . Wasn’t this one of the secrets of Pitt success under JD . Playing more physically mature players against more highly talented younger squads ? ( Or last yrs team )
They‘re soft , but is that really surprising. They’re young and their thin , and in the era when you can get up to 6 yrs of PT in college younger guys / teams are at a real disadvantage.
I do mean it in a negative way. We have to play harder, tougher, smarter, stronger.
Last night was just not good enough. If you aren’t as strong, then you have to work that much harder.
