Stotts underutilizes everyone on his roster not named Dame and CJ. The only function of the offense is to get those two looks. It’s why they struggle in the playoffs when teams zone in on what they do best. There’s no adjustment, because there’s never an adjustment. If Dame and CJ struggle, Stotts “adjustment” is to keep feeding them.
The CJ injury has forced Stotts to trust other players, and they’re thriving.
Curry has filled in for CJ and honestly I don’t really see much of a difference between the two. Not saying Curry is better because I do think CJ can be the focal point of an offense, but in Portland’s offense, I haven’t noticed a drop off at all. He’s also better defensively.
With Nurk out, you’re actually seeing Collins get more looks in the post. His footwork has always been there, yet they barely utilized him down there offensively. Why he rarely played alongside Nurk is still beyond me.
Layman is getting Vonleh’d (Speaking of underutilized!) which Terry has probably been dying to do from the minute he started having success. Where’s the off ball movement we saw earlier? He just stands in the corner now. Such a waste of an offensive talent. So what if he’s struggled with his shot? The easiest way to get him going would be to get him easy looks early in the game. But he’s being ignored.
Harkless has always had an intriguing post game but like everyone else his role on offense has been to stand out on the perimeter or set a screen for Dame or CJ. Like Layman, he’s another guy who’s at his best when he’s involved early.
Aminu has made real improvements to his offensive game, and deserves credit. His ballhandling is better. His off hand is better. His finishing is better. His free throws are better. Too bad Terry didn’t utilize any of it until he was forced to.
I could go on but I’m so bored and he’s not going to get fired, so we’ll be back here next year having the same conversation.
