Originally Posted by
Troublemaker
My quick take on Wendell, since he's going to be the key player that needs to step up during the time that Cassius is out. (Ironically, even though Joey's played much fewer minutes, I have total confidence in him as a starter. Joey's going to hit threes, put up 120+ offensive ratings [as compared to Wendell's sub-90 offensive rating for the season on high usage!], and play passable defense.)
Wendell so far has shown an inability to function in the three main things Duke runs on offense: the horns set, the floppy set, and motion. For example, there was a floppy action last night in which Wendell curled into the lane to receive the pass, and he's open to shoot. 100% of the time, the Duke perimeter player takes the shot there or if the defense is collapsing hard on him, kicks out for an open three. Instead, Wendell pauses with the ball in his hands. He does nothing, allowing the defense to reset and forcing him to create something out of nothing. (The possession ended badly but I can't remember whether it was a turnover or missed shot).
Anyway, that's pretty typical of Wendell not doing the right thing in these sets or in motion. There *is* one set piece that Wendell likes and can function in right now, and that's spread pick-n-roll with him as the ballhandler up top. To clarify, that means Duke puts 3 stationary shooters on the wings (stationary for an easy read for the ballhandler), and then Vernon or Javin comes up to set a ball screen for him to drive into open space, and he'll either score at the rim or kick out depending on how the defense reacts. He's actually pretty good making reads and being efficient out of spread pick-n-roll, and up until recently, it was responsible for almost all of his scoring.
I think to get Wendell going and to make him effective while Cassius is out, Duke needs to accommodate him and run this set piece for him more often. The great thing is that Joey's emergence dovetails well with this suggestion. You put Matthew, Joey, and Tre (who has improved his shooting) as the stationary shooters on the wing while Vernon comes up to set the ball screen for Wendell. I believe Wendell will produce 120 offensive ratings (personal and team) out of this setup.