Quote Originally Posted by ChillinDuke View Post
My guess is what Coach K sees in Cam is someone struggling, someone frustrated that he's struggling, someone that is working tirelessly to execute on the coaching he's being given, and someone that needs to start to show the support of his coach that he is doing everything right.

I think the fact that Jack is playing more minutes than Cam is the telling sign that the starting nod is more support and confidence building than performance based - insofar as my definition of performance is on-court and not including "attitude" or "work ethic". ...

Said differently, I think Coach is fully aware that Jack's on-court performance thus far this season is superior to Cam's. And Coach is also fully aware that Cam Reddish has a ceiling that has not been anywhere close to achieved. And thus my conclusion is that Coach is managing the situation as best he believes to grow Cam into his untapped potential while not sacrificing losses.
I think this has it about right. Coach K has demonstrated through the years a pretty masterful understanding of the psychology of his players -- in fact, I think this is his primary differentiator as a coach, moreso than any Xs and Os magic. And, he's shown an ability (and desire) to motivate through positive reinforcement, not just through negative reinforcement.

Given Cam's continued hard work on defense and Coach K's much better understanding of Cam's temperment than any of us, it seems that Coach K has made a reasonable determination that not starting him (which would no doubt receive inordinate attention as a "benching" or punishment) would not be the most effective way to help Cam's on-court improvement.