Mailbag: Is Tigers’ offense a concern?
The Tigers will play four of their next six games inside the friendly confines of Fedexforum.
Even though that stretch begins on the road (8 p.m. Wednesday at Tulsa), it stands to give the Memphis basketball team an opportunity to work on some things. Most notably, its offense. The Tigers (76.8 points per game) have not scored more than 68 points in their last four games.
No. 20 Memphis’ next six games will be against teams currently rated
outside the top 75, according to Kenpom.
Let’s dive into this week’s Memphis basketball mailbag.
Why has the offense been a disappointment so far this year? — @Samwill17384011
In short, because expectations were sky-high. That’s probably an overly simplified explanation, but hear me out.
When Penny Hardaway assembled his well-documented No. 1 recruiting class in the country, many of the prospects within the group were touted as highly productive (in terms of offense) hotshots. Namely, James Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa, Lester Quinones, D.J. Jeffries and Boogie Ellis. Damion Baugh and Malcolm Dandridge were never expected to provide the same kind of production on offense. Not this season, anyway.
So, Wiseman’s gone, having played only three games in a Tiger uniform. Like it or not, losing a player with his
ability to score points (19.7 points in those three games) changes things dramatically for a team that spent many months counting on his presence. So, there’s that. Achiuwa and Jeffries have held up their ends of the bargain. And Quinones, who missed four games with a broken hand, is averaging 11.0 points per game. Obviously, outside of Wiseman, Ellis (6.5 ppg) is the most glaring disappointment.
Package that with Lance Thomas and Isaiah Maurice’s issues, as well as the plague of turnovers and, sure, the offense might not be where most thought it would be. Here is where Hardaway stands on the matter:
“I didn’t peg that but, honestly, if we can take the turnovers and chop those in half, we can score more points,” he said. “You win games with offense. You win championships with defense. So I would rather be locking people down, because if they can’t score, they can’t beat us.”
Have a lean on Jalen Green and Greg Brown recruitment? Next closest target after those two? — @Ryanhemming22
Memphis appears to be in pretty
good shape with both Green and Brown. Most recruiting analysts and experts have Green (a 6-5 combo guard and the third-ranked prospect in the Class of 2020) picking the Tigers. There have been rumblings all along that Green might ultimately decide to bypass college all together and play professionally overseas (á la R.J. Hampton). But Green put that talk to bed during a recent interview, telling reporters, “I am going to college.” Memphis is also in good standing with Brown (the 6-7 power forward and eighth-ranked 2020 recruit). Earlier this month, Rivals.com recruiting analyst Corey Evans predicted Brown will land with the Tigers. Others are more skeptical, as Kentucky, Texas and Auburn remain in the mix. As long as Mike Miller is on staff at Memphis, I like the Tigers’ chances to pick up both. Memphis is also working on three-star combo guard Karim Mane, among others.
When is the next game on the Tigers’ schedule (if there is one) where maybe they can give Boogie some extra time on the floor and extra usage to let him try to find his way out of his slump? — @Seattlemarinerd
Believe it or not, Wednesday’s game
at Tulsa might be it. Hardaway has mentioned repeatedly just how hard Ellis is on himself and that if he could just relax, he would have more success. The numbers point toward the Golden Hurricane being tough on defense, as they rank in the top 80 in scoring defense (65.0 ppg) and 31st in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.1). Call it a hunch, but facing a Tulsa defense that packs the paint might give Ellis more open looks along the perimeter.
Should we change how we’re using Boogie? — @sharrell86
That would be tough at this stage (more than halfway through the regular season). Ellis is what he is and trying to change that would also require changing how Memphis is using other players on the roster. Hardaway probably said it best himself. “He’s going to need more minutes, but he has to maximize. Right now, we can’t wait on anybody. We’re going to teach. We’re going to watch film. I can’t wait until it turns. We’re getting him shots. He just has to knock them down.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.