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  • VAUGHT: Calipari needs more productivity from Kentucky post players

    By LARRY VAUGHT

    It wasn’t long ago that Kentucky coach John Calipari said it would be hard to play PJ Washington and Reid Travis together because neither is a shot blocker like EJ Montgomery or Nick Richards.

    Recently Calipari has been playing them together, though.

    “Reid’s not even the same player that he was back in the Bahamas. I mean, he’s so different and so much better. The one thing that I’ve told our bigs, you’re trying to draw fouls versus score the basketball,” Calipari said.

    “We have one guy of the bigs who does not try to draw fouls. he’s trying to score. Who is that if you watch the games? EJ (Montgomery). He runs from the contact. So, that’s why he isn’t drawing a foul.”

    In nine games, Travis has shot 64 free throws and Washington has attempted 48. Montgomery? He’s attempted only 13.

    “Even though he fades away he’s trying –- the other guys, all three of them, they’re not worried about scoring; they’re just worried about drawing a foul. How many fouls do they draw? Not enough. Offensive. How many one-footers have we missed this year? We probably miss three or four a game. A game. One-foot shots. How did you miss that? Well, you weren’t thinking about making it,” Calipari said.

    “We’re doing a lot of basic stuff. We’re way better than we were.”
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. JPScott's Avatar
      JPScott -
      Quote Originally Posted by JPScott View Post
      Playing P.J. Washington & Reid Travis together they’ve been productive at times but there’s absolutely no rim protection on the defensive end, and that’s something I don’t see getting better as UK starts to face tougher competition and teams do more to exploit it.

      I’d rather see E.J. or Nick in protecting the rim with one or both of P.J./Reid most of the time.

      Just to give some statistical backing to what I'm saying, I went ahead and looked at the Plus/Minus of various combinations of big men in the Utah game. Even though neither Nick Richards nor E.J. Montgomery did much in terms of stats vs. Utah, E.J. Montgomery had a +15 plus-minus while Nick Richards had a +14 plus-minus in the game.

      More interestingly, looking only at the combination of P.J. Washington and Reid Travis (the starting frontcourt and seemingly the preferred combination by a number of people) without a third big man, the overall plus-minus for the game was -2!

      Negative 2 plus-minus by itself isn't necessarily significant, but putting up a -2 in at 27 point win is IMO.

      Although I don't think anyone should put too much stock into the results of one game, it is gratifying to me to take a rather controversial opinion based on observation and then see that the stats bear me out.

      Again, I don't think this is a fluke, for whatever reason when Travis and Washington are your ONLY interior defenders, the other team tends to get pretty much whatever they want inside.
    1. kingcat's Avatar
      kingcat -
      Quote Originally Posted by JPScott View Post
      Just to give some statistical backing to what I'm saying, I went ahead and looked at the Plus/Minus of various combinations of big men in the Utah game. Even though neither Nick Richards nor E.J. Montgomery did much in terms of stats vs. Utah, E.J. Montgomery had a +15 plus-minus while Nick Richards had a +14 plus-minus in the game.

      More interestingly, looking only at the combination of P.J. Washington and Reid Travis (the starting frontcourt and seemingly the preferred combination by a number of people) without a third big man, the overall plus-minus for the game was -2!

      Negative 2 plus-minus by itself isn't necessarily significant, but putting up a -2 in at 27 point win is IMO.

      Although I don't think anyone should put too much stock into the results of one game, it is gratifying to me to take a rather controversial opinion based on observation and then see that the stats bear me out.

      Again, I don't think this is a fluke, for whatever reason when Travis and Washington are your ONLY interior defenders, the other team tends to get pretty much whatever they want inside.
      That's very telling Jon.
    1. bigsky's Avatar
      bigsky -
      Quote Originally Posted by bigsky View Post
      Yeah I learned. Cals guards have to learn the drive or shoot decision happens before they get the ball. Cals big men have to learn the quick move to the basket involves positioning first, and contact contact contact . Nick Richards cant hold position against my sister.
      Yeah, fans should understand Cal by now. He wants that quick decision and execution. Perhaps fans could revisit “a time to sow and a time to reap”. Every year we are seemingly baffled by his contradictions which aren't. “Know the next pass” “Be ready to drive or shoot”.

      Here, let me sum it up for you: “The right move is the one you have confidence in making before you get the pass.”
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