I am thinking it's an experiment gone bad

[coolm]

Trae is a great player. Coach is certainly a good coach. We have some players with D1 skills. This just went off the rails.

Maybe you just can't put that much on a single player. Not because he (Trae) has trouble with it, but because it's a team game and enough of the team doesn't develop into the whole identity.

Maybe we still needed more development due to limited progress from last year. This just could have been a particularly bad collaboration with the players we had to begin with. Nothing against Trae or anyone else.

I've loved watching him play and am glad he chose to be a Sooner. I'd say it's enough to just see the novelty he created for a season - but we have a program to care about and other players.

Maybe it's a good lesson in what not to do ever again.

 

[Swans]

I am thinking we have two freshmen who have hit a slump. Trae’s shooting percentage has bottomed out these last few games and Manek has struggled on the road in conference play. Neither has experienced the physicality of conference play like the Big 12 and they may be wearing down. As shooters, they have to keep shooting and hope they start hitting again consistently.

The good is that CJ and Odomes have upped their games.

 

[thebigabd]

Really good post, coolm

 

[Maverick008]

Trae is a great player. Coach is certainly a good coach. We have some players with D1 skills. This just went off the rails.

Maybe you just can't put that much on a single player. Not because he (Trae) has trouble with it, but because it's a team game and enough of the team doesn't develop into the whole identity.

Maybe we still needed more development due to limited progress from last year. This just could have been a particularly bad collaboration with the players we had to begin with. Nothing against Trae or anyone else.

I've loved watching him play and am glad he chose to be a Sooner. I'd say it's enough to just see the novelty he created for a season - but we have a program to care about and other players.

Maybe it's a good lesson in what not to do ever again.

I don't get this post at this time? I didn't realize the season was over? The main issue I personally saw last night wasn't a selfish team it was poor shooting and unfortunately mainly from Trae. That's going to happen. We all have said at some point or another that IF Trae shot poorly the others had to step up. That's what we got last night. James, McGusty and McNeace to a lesser extent, came through for the most part and kept the team in the game on the road against the #7 team in the nation. No they didn't win the game but to me that was a vast improvement from the last few games.

At this point it seems like Trae is pressing harder and harder each possession thinking he has to make the big play for this team to win. Unfortunately which is true in a lot of cases, when he presses harder he seems to make a mistake or two which is actually making things worse instead of letting things come to him or taking what the other team is giving him.

I get that they have now lost 7 of 9 (I believe) and lost their last 4, but is the season really over? And considered a failure? Last I checked, there are still 5 conference games to be played, the big 12 tourney and most likely a post season game or two if not more. I feel like some of the fans have quit on this team already and that's unfortunate given there's actually quite a bit of the season left.

I say us as fans need to shrug this slump off as well to an extent. It is what it is, get behind these guys and find a way to beat Texas on Saturday and then go shock the conference/world winning at KU on Monday and right this thing.

Will it happen? Maybe not but then again it is what it is. The beautiful thing about sports/life in general is, you at least get that chance to turn things around most of the time. Lets not call it a failure just yet......just sayin

 

[SoonerBounce13]

SInce January, trae has a 1.2 ato ratio. not good.
And in Feb, he is shooting 17% from three.

 

[TINY]

I will use one of your own lines, “I will trust Lon over some message board experts”.

 

[coolm]

I will use one of your own lines, “I will trust Lon over some message board experts”.

Oh most certainly. I never discount the possibility that I am completely daft. Just a thought.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I am thinking we have two freshmen who have hit a slump. Trae’s shooting percentage has bottomed out these last few games and Manek has struggled on the road in conference play. Neither has experienced the physicality of conference play like the Big 12 and they may be wearing down. As shooters, they have to keep shooting and hope they start hitting again consistently.

The good is that CJ and Odomes have upped their games.

Amen!

 

[ocugolfsooner]

I just think this team lacks leadership. It's tough when a freshman is your best player, and the two guys who were the best players from last year are having horrific sophomore slumps. It was good to see McGusty hit some shots and be more engaged last night, hope it continues.

James and Lattin just do not seem to possess great leadership qualities. It also appears to me that this team is just not having fun playing basketball right now.

 

[JBaker]

Trae being on this team has undoubtedly made us better. If you watched the team last year and this year, you’d have to be absolutely crazy to deny that. So I don’t think you can say this is a failed experiment.

This team’s real problem is the post play and defense. It’s not a new problem this year either. Doolittle was a lot better last year, and I certainly think some of the regression can be attributed to his being away from the team for so long. Lattin has no post game. Despite what announcers say from time to time, he is a below average defender, and he has failed to develop a jumper. Neither Lattin nor McNease are good rebounders for their size and athleticism. Basically nobody on the team blocks out well.

Because the post defense is so consistently bad, our perimeter defenders help on every touch in the paint, and we give up a million wide open threes per game. That can also be attributed to just general lack of hustle on defense. Nobody is playing like their hair is on fire out there. But none of those problems are new this year. They were clear as day last year, and nothing has been done to address them.

Yes, Trae is in a big shooting slump, and Manek can’t seem to hit the broad side of a barn on the road. But those things could be overcome if we were playing defense and getting any contributions from the post aside from open dunks. Trae and Brady’s shooting early in the year masked many of the glaring issues this team has. Because of that, we kinda go as those go.

 

[chuckb]

Trae being on this team has undoubtedly made us better. If you watched the team last year and this year, you’d have to be absolutely crazy to deny that. So I don’t think you can say this is a failed experiment.

This team’s real problem is the post play and defense. It’s not a new problem this year either. Doolittle was a lot better last year, and I certainly think some of the regression can be attributed to his being away from the team for so long. Lattin has no post game. Despite what announcers say from time to time, he is a below average defender, and he has failed to develop a jumper. Neither Lattin nor McNease are good rebounders for their size and athleticism. Basically nobody on the team blocks out well.

That is just objectively false.

People love to take shots at Lattin more than anyone else on the team. He certainly hasn't developed any strength or an offensive game, but to say he's not a good defender is simply disconnected from reality.

 

[JBaker]

That is just objectively false.

People love to take shots at Lattin more than anyone else on the team. He certainly hasn't developed any strength or an offensive game, but to say he's not a good defender is simply disconnected from reality.

Strongly disagree. Lattin is not a very good post defender. He gets pushed under the hoop by opposing bigs constantly. He gets a lot of blocks because he is long and athletic and goes for the block on every shot within 5 feet of him, which puts him in terrible position to rebound. Not trying to single out Lattin, as I’m hard pressed to find a positive thing to say about any of our players’ defense.

 

[ousooners1baby]

I don't think Lattin is good defender either, Is he a decent rim protector? yes

 

[SoonerBounce13]

That is just objectively false.

People love to take shots at Lattin more than anyone else on the team. He certainly hasn't developed any strength or an offensive game, but to say he's not a good defender is simply disconnected from reality.

I've never been impressed with ihs overall defensive game...he's good at blocking shots but that doesn't make you a great defender.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Was odomes hurt? why did he only play 15 minutes? He's our most consistent player on both sides of the ball

 

[chuckb]

I don't think Lattin is good defender either, Is he a decent rim protector? yes

That's part of defense.

And, he's not a decent rim protector. He's block rating is 35th in the entire nation. That's 35 out of 12 players times 351 teams. Better than "decent."

https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Oklahoma

His defensive box plus/minus and defensive rating are both, by far, the highest on the team. It's not close. Would it be better if he was stronger and could better resist strong, low post players? Unquestionably, yes. But to say he's not a good defensive player because there's 1 weakness in his game is to be unfairly critical of him.

Of course, there's a whole other thread about how terrible Trae Young is for OU because he's a selfish prima-donna who only cares about himself so...

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/oklahoma/2018.html

 

[ousooners1baby]

Odomes just kinda got lost in the game Saturday. Two charging calls got him some down time and probably just a coaching decision thinking his head might not be right after those calls went against him. A couple of players that stepped up probably added to pine time.

No Lattin isn't trash as a defender he just isn't good. Weak side hes pretty good but he is scored on easily. High screen and roll he does fairly well, I think, and can get back quickly on his man. He's blocked a ton of shots in his career but that is absolutely it.

 

[steverocks35]

Let's get real. Lattin is not even an average defender, he's not a good defender at all. He's constantly out of position because he leaves his man to try for the blocked shot. If his guy catches it in the post he fouls or gets scored on. Ahmad and Konate for West Virginia just ate his lunch the entire night.

 

[MercedeSooner]

Trae is a freshman and he’s hitting the wall as expected with the minutes and workload he’s had to shoulder. Also it’s not a coincidence during confernce play the refs have allowed a lot more physical play with him as his turnovers have risen. He ll get his 2nd wind hopefully starting this Saturday but the staff needs to find a way to help him out more.

 

[chuckb]

Let's get real. Lattin is not even an average defender, he's not a good defender at all. He's constantly out of position because he leaves his man to try for the blocked shot. If his guy catches it in the post he fouls or gets scored on. Ahmad and Konate for West Virginia just ate his lunch the entire night.

Let's not let facts get in the way of a good narrative.