I've kind of been laying back a bit on Jerome but I am liking the way his game is coming along. He is doing a LOT more as a floor general than he is getting credit for.
The good:
He is the first pg we have had in a long time that always calls the right play. He is not fooled by hidden defensive switches between man and zone. Starting with SUU, when teams have tried to disguise the change up from switch man to zone he forced them to commit every time by driving into the high post area. He then called the play once they were locked in. From Oscar on, we have been susceptible to trick switches out of a zone press causing us wasted possessions because we were not savvy enough to force the commit. He doesn't need to pull it up and get a signal from the staff.
He is creating wing assists to cutters and bigs by forcing the strong side wing to flatten out giving us better angles. He is not allowing our wings to camp out in their sweet spot. I have seen him direct Ike, Cornish, and Pat to slide down even if he has to reset. His insistence on spacing for the post feed from the wing is going to pay dividends for us down the road.
When he drives, he does so to the strong side. This makes the initial blow by harder for him but positions the bigs to be able to follow his or the kick out's shot without getting sealed from the offensive rebound. When your pg drives weak side the lane is easier but the defenders are in a good position to seal off the rebound.
Defense. There is a reason the bigs haven't been forced to help constantly like they have been in years past. It is because he, along with Pat, is stopping the ball.
Things I would like to see tightened up:
I'd like him to not be so quick to give up on the strong side. He needs to fake the reverse more and then give it back to the wing allowing the bigs to reposition and eliminating the quick off guard shots from the reverse. No matter who is shooting we are better inside out with our talent on the frontline and with the rule changes/foul situation.
Shot selection. Not every long shot he takes that makes rebelnet groan is a bad one. They can be daggers and stop over rotation of help defenders defending the weak side wing off the reverse. But, he does take a couple dumb ones per game. It's really not that bad but it is something to correct.
Overall, I have been really pleased and have been a little taken aback that more haven't been noticing his role in the better spacing, positioning, and execution of our offense lately.
The good:
He is the first pg we have had in a long time that always calls the right play. He is not fooled by hidden defensive switches between man and zone. Starting with SUU, when teams have tried to disguise the change up from switch man to zone he forced them to commit every time by driving into the high post area. He then called the play once they were locked in. From Oscar on, we have been susceptible to trick switches out of a zone press causing us wasted possessions because we were not savvy enough to force the commit. He doesn't need to pull it up and get a signal from the staff.
He is creating wing assists to cutters and bigs by forcing the strong side wing to flatten out giving us better angles. He is not allowing our wings to camp out in their sweet spot. I have seen him direct Ike, Cornish, and Pat to slide down even if he has to reset. His insistence on spacing for the post feed from the wing is going to pay dividends for us down the road.
When he drives, he does so to the strong side. This makes the initial blow by harder for him but positions the bigs to be able to follow his or the kick out's shot without getting sealed from the offensive rebound. When your pg drives weak side the lane is easier but the defenders are in a good position to seal off the rebound.
Defense. There is a reason the bigs haven't been forced to help constantly like they have been in years past. It is because he, along with Pat, is stopping the ball.
Things I would like to see tightened up:
I'd like him to not be so quick to give up on the strong side. He needs to fake the reverse more and then give it back to the wing allowing the bigs to reposition and eliminating the quick off guard shots from the reverse. No matter who is shooting we are better inside out with our talent on the frontline and with the rule changes/foul situation.
Shot selection. Not every long shot he takes that makes rebelnet groan is a bad one. They can be daggers and stop over rotation of help defenders defending the weak side wing off the reverse. But, he does take a couple dumb ones per game. It's really not that bad but it is something to correct.
Overall, I have been really pleased and have been a little taken aback that more haven't been noticing his role in the better spacing, positioning, and execution of our offense lately.
