Small Ball: How Many Minutes & Who Plays the Post?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

We are going to play some small ball this year. Partly because we have all these very green big guys and partly because we are loaded with studs at other positions who will earn playing time.

So . . . how many minutes per game do you think we'll be playing small ball? Could this be another 2013? That team started

Marcus Paige
Dexter Strickland
PJ Hairston
Reggie Bullock
JM McAdoo

... all of whom played 30+ minutes down the stretch. Only Leslie McDonald played double-digit minutes in support.

The big problem, of course, was that we didn't have anyone who could play the post. McAdoo got stuck with the job and worked his tail off, but it wasn't a good fit. Unfortunately we only had one other good big - Brice - and he just wasn't ready enough as a freshman. He helped but, by the end of the season, he was looking a bit shell-shocked. Our other bigs - Joel James, Desmond Hubert and Jackson Simmons - were young, unready and/or not good enough.

So we went with a small, iron-man lineup.

This year we have a lot more depth at PG, SG and SF, but huge question marks up front.

Can our only proven big guy, Luke, play the big starter minutes? Can he be this year's McAdoo in a small ball lineup?

Would guys like Brooks or Huff be better in the post in a small ball lineup? Both could be fast enough - whereas Manley may still need to work on that. Brooks looks like he may have adequate speed and finesse. Huffman has fierceness and strength. But it's hard to see either of them matching McAdoo's 14.4 points per game.

So . . . who do you like in the post when we play small ball? And how many minutes of small ball do you think we will play?

 

[FranktheHeel]

We are going to play some small ball this year. Partly because we have all these very green big guys and partly because we are loaded with studs at other positions who will earn playing time.

So . . . how many minutes per game do you think we'll be playing small ball? Could this be another 2013? That team started

Marcus Paige
Dexter Strickland
PJ Hairston
Reggie Bullock
JM McAdoo

... all of whom played 30+ minutes down the stretch. Only Leslie McDonald played double-digit minutes in support.

The big problem, of course, was that we didn't have anyone who could play the post. McAdoo got stuck with the job and worked his tail off, but it wasn't a good fit. Unfortunately we only had one other good big - Brice - and he just wasn't ready enough as a freshman. He helped but, by the end of the season, he was looking a bit shell-shocked. Our other bigs - Joel James, Desmond Hubert and Jackson Simmons - were young, unready and/or not good enough.

So we went with a small, iron-man lineup.

This year we have a lot more depth at PG, SG and SF, but huge question marks up front.

Can our only proven big guy, Luke, play the big starter minutes? Can he be this year's McAdoo in a small ball lineup?

Would guys like Brooks or Huff be better in the post in a small ball lineup? Both could be fast enough - whereas Manley may still need to work on that. Brooks looks like he may have adequate speed and finesse. Huffman has fierceness and strength. But it's hard to see either of them matching McAdoo's 14.4 points per game.

So . . . who do you like in the post when we play small ball? And how many minutes of small ball do you think we will play?

This season, we will definetely go small and i agree with you due to our depth and length at the 1,2, and 3 we can play with some different guys at the 4 and 5.
In saying that I would say Huffman at 5, when going small, he already has the reputation as a bruiser downlow and that's going to be exactly what we need when going small. A big who can be physical, have a good nack for rebounding on both ends of the floor and getting the ball to our guards to push it up the floor. We will have enough scoring from our 1-4, so he won't have to worry about carrying that load for us.
I would also say Maye. Luke will be able to stretch the floor for us, run the floor well and find good positioning on the defensive end to grab boards and get it to our guards to push it. He has experience in our system and will definetely put all his energy into it.

I can see a few possible combinations:
The 3s for days:
Berry
Felton
Robinson
Johnson
Maye

The lengthy/disruptive:
Berry
Pinson
Robinson
Johnson
Huffman

The crafty:
Berry
Felton
Williams
Johnson
Huffman

The run you off the court:
Berry
Woods
Williams
Johnson
Pinson

The solid/experienced:
Berry
Williams
Pinson
Johnson
Maye

Thinking about how many minutes to go small I would say in the beginning of the year, it's fair to say 10-12 depending on the matchups and how effective it is. Playing small will certainly be exciting, it will be super up-tempo and a chance to outrun the opponent off the court.
I really can't wait to see a little combo of small ball this year.
We're gonna be tough to beat, there's just so many different lineups we can throw out there.
Watch out, the Defending Champs are here and ready to Go!!!!

 

[Heels5150]

We also could full press the heck out of teams. We are so loaded and deep with extremely quick, athletic and long athletes in the backcourt. I am not suggesting doing this for the entire game but pick your spots and with the right personnel it could be extremely effective

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

We also could full press the heck out of teams. We are so loaded and deep with extremely quick, athletic and long athletes in the backcourt. I am not suggesting doing this for the entire game but pick your spots and with the right personnel it could be extremely effective

I'm a big fan of this idea. I hope we see Roy trying it out a lot early on.

Who would be on the floor in your ideal press configuration? I'm thinking

Seventh
Jalek
Kenny
Brandon R
??

I'm thinking Sterling would be good as the rim protector, but I'm not sure if he runs the floor fast enough. Huff? Walker? I'm inclined to keep Luke and Garrison out for "regular" duty.

That lineup lets all of our presumed starters get a rest. We run them ragged for a couple of minutes and then hit them hard with a refreshed starting lineup.

 

[Heels5150]

I'm a big fan of this idea. I hope we see Roy trying it out a lot early on.

Who would be on the floor in your ideal press configuration? I'm thinking

Seventh
Jalek
Kenny
Brandon R
??

I'm thinking Sterling would be good as the rim protector, but I'm not sure if he runs the floor fast enough. Huff? Walker? I'm inclined to keep Luke and Garrison out for "regular" duty.

That lineup lets all of our presumed starters get a rest. We run them ragged for a couple of minutes and then hit them hard with a refreshed starting lineup.

I believe we have the overall best back court in the country. Athletic, quick, fast, experienced and all on the same page. The unity of the Tar Heels has always been amazing but these last 3 seasons they have taken it to another level. They genuinely look like they are playing for a TEAM and not each other. That is a huge reason I believe they have been successful. My all press team is hard because you can interchange so many components. But, from paper I would think Berry ( very strong, moves his feet well and his IQ and aggression ), Seventh ( finally he is healthy, quick and fast and one of the best overall athletes in the whole country), B-Rob, ( long, fast athletic, I think the game has slowed down for him and I believe he is a diamond in the rough), Theo ( smart, high basketball IQ, selfless, a tremendous athlete who will always put his team first) and Brooks (his overall quickness and reaction time, always has his head on a swivel). But really you can plug in almost anyone and get great effort and results.