McGusty Question??

[cvangild]

So what's the deal with McGusty's minutes so far this season? He averaged 25 min/game last year (over 30 mins/game over the last 15 games) and was our best player the 2nd half of the season, averaging about 14 pts/game over the last 15 games.

This season (so far) he is averaging 16 min/game and averaging a little over 6 pt/game??!! I was expecting Young and McGusty to be one of the best back courts in the Big 12 coming into the season...but thus far he isn't getting near enough minutes (IMO) to build on the impact he had last year.

Is there something going on here? Has he been injured and just isn't quite at 100% yet? I realize James is playing much better (hasn't been great by any means) but it's not like Odoms is tearing it up...maybe we start Young/James?McGusty? Heck, in the USC game last night it even seemed like Shepard was getting some of his minutes during the 2nd half!

Scoring in his forte but it's hard to get in an offensive groove if you aren't getting enough minutes/shots! I'm sure there is plenty that goes on that most of us will never know about and maybe the coaches feel his defensive effort hasn't been near what it should be...but sorry, it's not like anyone has been a defensive juggernaut this year...so if that's the main reason..it's a weak one imo.

I just feel for OU to be the best they can be THIS YEAR, we need McGusty on the court!!! Let's face it, we may not have Trae with us beyond this season (I hope that isn't true) and I would hate to lose a kid to a transfer because of getting shorted on PT. Something just isn't jiving. You don't see a kid who had a very good freshman year get his minutes cut in half unless he just gets way recruited over at his position...which is not the case.

Thoughts??

 

[NickZepp]

McGusty looks like he doesn't really know his role anymore. Last year by the end our offense basically had to run through him as he was our best scorer. But now with Trae being a complete freak and dominating the ball McGusty doesn't seem to really know his role now. But it took till somewhere in conference play for it to click for him last year also.

 

[cvangild]

That's my point. Hard to figure out your role when you're only playing 15 min/game.

The kid is a scorer and can fill it up. But a scorer (a lot of times) needs to get in the flow of the game. He hasn't gotten near enough shots to prove his worth.

I think OU would be a better team if Trae average 20-22 points/game and McGusty averaged 15 pt/game than Trae averaging 28+ and KM averaging > 10 pts/game.

There are going to be games where Trae's offense isn't there and it would be nice to have a dependable guy capable of putting up 20+ to take up the slack. I don't thik Sherpard or Odoms is that kind of guy...CJ...maybe.

 

[Darwin]

That's my point. Hard to figure out your role when you're only playing 15 min/game.
The kid is a scorer and can fill it up. But a scorer (a lot of times) needs to get in the flow of the game. He hasn't gotten near enough shots to prove his worth.
I think OU would be a better team if Trae average 20-22 points/game and McGusty averaged 15 pt/game than Trae averaging 28+ and KM averaging > 10 pts/game.

Did he not get enough shots this summer? Did he not get enough PT in practice. Best scorer on last years team is setting a very low bar.
He has skills to be a great player, so enough hard work should pay off with time, just ask Buddy.

 

[sperry]

There are more shots to go around this year because of the pace we play. So while Trae shoots a lot, there are still just as many shots to go around.

 

[sooner 1234]

James and Odom have our played him not only in games this year ,but also the offseason.
That’s not a bad thing .McGusty has had a soph slump not to mention the others guards have upped their game .

McGusty body language even when he is in,reminds me of James last season .He will come out of his shell ,maybe not even this season ....but there is of special basketball ahead of him before he’s done here at OU.
Don’t give up on him ,he’s just on a rut this year .

 

[coolm]

the only one holding mcgusty back is mcgusty. CJ has rededicated himself and it shows in his body and his shot, but he makes enough mistakes defensively that mcgusty could slide in there more if he got his crap together. He just hasn't yet. It's cool ... give him a little more time. They're still figuring stuff out.

It would be HUGE if he did too. Because this group could really use a 6th man who comes in and really scores well.

 

[stormspencer]

McGusty is struggling in part due to Trae Young. I know that they don't play the same position, but extended minutes for Trae and a large pool of rotation (10-11 guys) has affected Kam's minutes and his confidence....to a degree. Kam has never been a really efficient player, and his efficiency stats are down even more this year. I'm copying something I read about him over the last week:

His offensive rating was barely over 100 last year. But this year, it’s dipped down to 89.3. He’s currently 5-22 on 3-pointers (23%) and is turning the ball over 3x as often as he’s assisting teammates (TO Rate of 15.3% compared to an Assist Rate of 5.9%). This is a kid who scored 22 points in a home win over TCU to close out the regular season last year. He had a 5-game stretch in January where he scored 17, 19, 21, 10, and 22 points. He’s a talented kid, but it looks like he’s fallen out of favor a bit this season.

Here’s the tough question for us. Is it worth finding more minutes and opportunities at this time to get him going? This is Trae's team and it should be. This isn’t going to become a more balanced team. It’s Trae’s way, and it’s difficult to argue it shouldn’t be.

In the end, I think Kam is going to have to somehow mentally adjust to fewer minutes this season, but try his best to become more efficient and contribute better on both ends of the floor.

 

[Soonerinkc]

James and Odom have our played him not only in games this year ,but also the offseason.
That’s not a bad thing .McGusty has had a soph slump not to mention the others guards have upped their game .

McGusty body language even when he is in,reminds me of James last season .He will come out of his shell ,maybe not even this season ....but there is of special basketball ahead of him before he’s done here at OU.
Don’t give up on him ,he’s just on a rut this year .

Mentioned this last week...against oregon I believe...even in TO's he looked like he could care less...

He has 2 ways to go...down and out (okay 2 in 1) or like James, rededicate himself in Mid-season to up his game.

 

[SoonerinNC]

It looks like he is having a hard time flowing with the offense. Remember, last year he and Doolittle did a lot of one on however many defenders after Woodard went down.

We don't need that from him this year. He needs to get into the flow of the offense and work to get open. If he does he will get the ball from Trae.

 

[tmeyer3307]

I thought McGusty played pretty well against USC. I mean 8 pts in 13 minutes is pretty solid. I get he doesn't create for others well and it's a great defender, but he should get more than 14-15min a game. Why not split him and Odomes right down the middle. Whoever is playing better between the two of them should get a few more minutes. Odomes gives us nothing on offense really, but runs the floor well and can defend. Then have Shep give Young a break for 5-6 min a game and also give James a break for 10-12 min a game. We should have 5 guards playing in 3 spots this season. Lazenby doesn't need meaningfully minutes.

 

[oudna]

McGusty seems to have found his niche

I like him coming off the bench. It’s imperative he’s on the floor when TY rests. Instant offense

 

[NickZepp]

Looks like he's figuring things out.