Starters should be Jordan, Harrison, Pointer, Sampson and Sanchez.
Obekpa needs to come of the bench as a defensive enforcer. Unfortunately its 4 on 5 on offense when he's on the floor so he can't start and get the lion's share of minutes at the 5.
Greene is a good scorer but needs to be on the floor as a 2 or as a third guard, not at the point. Greene could start in place of Pointer but that isn't best for the team because you need to insert Phil's offense anytime you sub Obekpa for Karr or Orlando. I would bring in Greene for Pointer whenever Obekpa comes into the game. That way you bring in a scorer along with a defender who's an offensive liability in place of the same. Against a zone I would sometimes consider bringing in Hooper (instead of PG IV) for Pointer when Obekpa enters the game. Greene or Hooper would also play when DLo needs a blow.
Jordan should get most of the PG minutes unless he gets in foul trouble. When he sits, Branch has to be in the game handling the rock. No lineups without a true PG please. It hurts us every time.
That should be our nine man rotation. Gift should get minutes down low as needed due to foul trouble or if someone needs a blow. If we stick with the main 9 we'll have better offensive/defensive balance on the floor (we want to make sure we have 3 legit scorers on the floor at all times), Jordan and Hooper will get more comfortable with their roles and perform better, and PG IV can be our own little Vinnie "the Toaster" Johnson when he enters the game and give D'Lo and Karr breaks from having to be the go to scorers all the time.
One other thought. Its tough to watch Obekpa get the ball within 5 feet of the basket and turn and pass to the perimeter because he has no low post moves that he has confidence in. At his height with his wing span and hops he should be unstoppable from there but he's not. He showed last year that he's not a bad interior passer, so why not put him in a position to use a skill he has rather than in a position to be exposed for one that he lacks. Obekpa should come out to the high post on offense. It would allow Sanchez or Sampson to work down low where they do have the ability to score, and would make use of his size as a high post target and his ability to pass. And it would give us the possibility of some low post offense which we desperatley need given that we don't have a team of sharpshooters. Teams get their FG %'s up becuse their low post players shoot over 50% and take a fair number of shots in the process. The lack of that gives us a huge hcap on offense.
Obekpa needs to come of the bench as a defensive enforcer. Unfortunately its 4 on 5 on offense when he's on the floor so he can't start and get the lion's share of minutes at the 5.
Greene is a good scorer but needs to be on the floor as a 2 or as a third guard, not at the point. Greene could start in place of Pointer but that isn't best for the team because you need to insert Phil's offense anytime you sub Obekpa for Karr or Orlando. I would bring in Greene for Pointer whenever Obekpa comes into the game. That way you bring in a scorer along with a defender who's an offensive liability in place of the same. Against a zone I would sometimes consider bringing in Hooper (instead of PG IV) for Pointer when Obekpa enters the game. Greene or Hooper would also play when DLo needs a blow.
Jordan should get most of the PG minutes unless he gets in foul trouble. When he sits, Branch has to be in the game handling the rock. No lineups without a true PG please. It hurts us every time.
That should be our nine man rotation. Gift should get minutes down low as needed due to foul trouble or if someone needs a blow. If we stick with the main 9 we'll have better offensive/defensive balance on the floor (we want to make sure we have 3 legit scorers on the floor at all times), Jordan and Hooper will get more comfortable with their roles and perform better, and PG IV can be our own little Vinnie "the Toaster" Johnson when he enters the game and give D'Lo and Karr breaks from having to be the go to scorers all the time.
One other thought. Its tough to watch Obekpa get the ball within 5 feet of the basket and turn and pass to the perimeter because he has no low post moves that he has confidence in. At his height with his wing span and hops he should be unstoppable from there but he's not. He showed last year that he's not a bad interior passer, so why not put him in a position to use a skill he has rather than in a position to be exposed for one that he lacks. Obekpa should come out to the high post on offense. It would allow Sanchez or Sampson to work down low where they do have the ability to score, and would make use of his size as a high post target and his ability to pass. And it would give us the possibility of some low post offense which we desperatley need given that we don't have a team of sharpshooters. Teams get their FG %'s up becuse their low post players shoot over 50% and take a fair number of shots in the process. The lack of that gives us a huge hcap on offense.
