...on JP.
As I posted at the outset, I'm not gonna bash him, and I don't think any Carolina supporter should. JP has always been my prodigal "favorite" since he came in, and I wish him nothing but well (I actually think more of his pro potential than many do). However, after listening to the podcast about him it does seem to get to some answers as to some of the things many of us here speculated about during the season, especially some of the locker room observations.
The chemistry issues that made me so crazy watching on the floor make more sense in light of the red flags that popped up as the season wore on, such as:
- Marcus' talk of player(s) needing to buy in and rumors of some locker room division (which according to the podcast may have been JP isolating himself to some degree)
- JP mentioning that he counted his assists during games. Now, assists are a fine thing to count, but if you're doing that it tells me you are probably forcing some passes to get those assists, as opposed to being willing to "make the pass that leads to the pass" and keeping the offense moving and playing within the flow and letting them come naturally. It also speaks to JP inserting himself into being a 2-guard.
- Roy saying in a presser that he had to talk to JP about playing "more like a 3".
That being said, it's hard to put all blame on JP since the idea of Jackson being the 2 in that lineup never panned out (because being the secondary ball-handler is just not in JJ's natural makeup), so JP took over that role by default to some degree, Basically it was like asking JP to play the 3 when there was already another 3 on the floor. Add to that the need for Marcus to free himself up to score, and the ball was in JP 's hands way too much, to the point of being a de facto PG at times.
Bottom line is that we ended up with a square-peg/round-hole situation that was likely a combination of:
a) JP perhaps overly concerned about his future and, b) a dysfunctional lineup that enabled these things.
The reason I'm posting this is because I think it ends up being a positive for everyone. Right or wrong, given what transpired, JP's move makes more sense in that he can take what he feels is his best shot at pro ball, while back in Chapel Hill it frees up the lineup dilemma Roy would've had to deal with had he come back.
Speaking of which, the podcast also adds affirmation to the rumor that Roy was set to make the much-discussed lineup change that was delayed only by Berry's illness, and during their several post-season meetings probably informed JP it was going to happen next season. What that meant for JP was that he would be competing with JJ for PT at the 3, and whether starting or coming off the bench the 3 is where he would be playing. That in itself restores my faith. My critiques of Roy this season were because of my vast respect for him, and how frustrating it was watching him, in effect, coaching against his own personality, i.e., putting a lineup on the floor that just wasn't capable of playing Roy Williams basketball in that configuration. Everything I thought I knew about Roy's history told me he recognized that and would make the needed lineup tweak, and that he was indeed going in that direction is a nice post-season "feel-good" for this Carolina fan.
As for JP, I really hope he catches on with an NBA team, even if he has to come up from D-League... if for no other reason than it would be cool as sh** to see him in the Slam Dunk contest! Seriously, good luck, JP and do well in your future.
As I posted at the outset, I'm not gonna bash him, and I don't think any Carolina supporter should. JP has always been my prodigal "favorite" since he came in, and I wish him nothing but well (I actually think more of his pro potential than many do). However, after listening to the podcast about him it does seem to get to some answers as to some of the things many of us here speculated about during the season, especially some of the locker room observations.
The chemistry issues that made me so crazy watching on the floor make more sense in light of the red flags that popped up as the season wore on, such as:
- Marcus' talk of player(s) needing to buy in and rumors of some locker room division (which according to the podcast may have been JP isolating himself to some degree)
- JP mentioning that he counted his assists during games. Now, assists are a fine thing to count, but if you're doing that it tells me you are probably forcing some passes to get those assists, as opposed to being willing to "make the pass that leads to the pass" and keeping the offense moving and playing within the flow and letting them come naturally. It also speaks to JP inserting himself into being a 2-guard.
- Roy saying in a presser that he had to talk to JP about playing "more like a 3".
That being said, it's hard to put all blame on JP since the idea of Jackson being the 2 in that lineup never panned out (because being the secondary ball-handler is just not in JJ's natural makeup), so JP took over that role by default to some degree, Basically it was like asking JP to play the 3 when there was already another 3 on the floor. Add to that the need for Marcus to free himself up to score, and the ball was in JP 's hands way too much, to the point of being a de facto PG at times.
Bottom line is that we ended up with a square-peg/round-hole situation that was likely a combination of:
a) JP perhaps overly concerned about his future and, b) a dysfunctional lineup that enabled these things.
The reason I'm posting this is because I think it ends up being a positive for everyone. Right or wrong, given what transpired, JP's move makes more sense in that he can take what he feels is his best shot at pro ball, while back in Chapel Hill it frees up the lineup dilemma Roy would've had to deal with had he come back.
Speaking of which, the podcast also adds affirmation to the rumor that Roy was set to make the much-discussed lineup change that was delayed only by Berry's illness, and during their several post-season meetings probably informed JP it was going to happen next season. What that meant for JP was that he would be competing with JJ for PT at the 3, and whether starting or coming off the bench the 3 is where he would be playing. That in itself restores my faith. My critiques of Roy this season were because of my vast respect for him, and how frustrating it was watching him, in effect, coaching against his own personality, i.e., putting a lineup on the floor that just wasn't capable of playing Roy Williams basketball in that configuration. Everything I thought I knew about Roy's history told me he recognized that and would make the needed lineup tweak, and that he was indeed going in that direction is a nice post-season "feel-good" for this Carolina fan.
As for JP, I really hope he catches on with an NBA team, even if he has to come up from D-League... if for no other reason than it would be cool as sh** to see him in the Slam Dunk contest! Seriously, good luck, JP and do well in your future.
