A lot of Syracuse fans have called out Adrian Autry’s penchant for hockey-style line changes where he’s subbing 4 or 5 players in a time. Well it’s time for Autry to take a page from hockey coaches and break up his lines.
After the game on Saturday, Autry was hesitant to place blame on his bench, which played 47 minutes on Saturday and contributed just two points, six rebounds, and zero assists/blocks/steals in the loss to Boston College. The four reserves didn’t make a shot from the field and were
out-played by BC’s bench.
“No one can play 40 minutes the way we’re trying to play,’’ SU coach Adrian Autry said. ”This team is good, and this team is going to be good because of our depth.
“I’m not going to stop playing guys, all right?’’ Autry added. “We’ve just got to do a better job.’’
I happen to agree with Autry that he should keep playing guys, but how he deploys his bench needs to change. Syracuse wants to play at a fast tempo, but the game at Boston College wasn’t quick at all. The Orange bench didn’t press or push the pace- instead they came in the game and didn’t do much of anything.
Autry’s first substitution on Saturday actually made sense. The Orange had a 10-6 lead when White/Betsey/Anthony replaced Kyle/Kingz/George. Donnie Freeman moved to the middle and scored five quick points. Boston College took out their center Jayden Hastings and instead of letting Freeman go after the Eagles’ backups, Autry pulled him for Souare.
In the four minutes that followed, the reserves played with JJ Starling and then Nait George. Syracuse scored 3 points and when Freeman came back in the score was 18-15. This was a game that the Orange could have been up double-digits in the first half. With a friendly crowd and an opponent lacking confidence, this game should have been essentially over but Autry kept his starters out for too long.
The problem with the four reserves is that they don’t mesh well. White and Souare are non-factors on offense. Teams ignore them on the perimeter which means the pick and roll offense has guards driving into a packed lane. Betsey has shot well from 3, but he’s not a threat to put the ball on the floor. That means it puts the pressure on Anthony along with George or Starling to create the majority of the offense with two non-scoring threats on the floor.
If you’re going to play a 2nd unit, you have to press and try and get turnovers, but I’d rather see the reserves in pairs with the starters. Against teams who aren’t scoring inside (like BC), Freeman and White can be a strong duo. Anthony can pair well with two of the three starting wings. Betsey would be good to spell Freeman or Kingz with the starters, same as Souare. Sticking with 3 or 4 reserves at a time has not worked out well during ACC play.
According to data at EvanMiya.com, these have been Syracuse’s best group. The injury to Donnie Freeman means there isn’t as much data for the starters, but it also shows that the bench as a whole isn’t a major difference for this team.
Part of the problem is that despite his struggles, George is the only player showing an ability to initiate the offense. When he’s out of the game, Starling and Anthony are too often dribbling around a lot and looking to score. On the other end of the floor, Souare is active, but often chasing the play. Betsey’s not a great rebounder for his size, White’s adapting to the physical inside game and Anthony is often just lost. Starling has improved on defense, but if he’s the best perimeter option, it’s a problem.
I’m of the opinion that college players are going to play their best staying under 35 minutes. Even with overtime, only Starling would have eclipsed that mark against BC. In a slower-paced game without foul trouble (besides White), it would have been fine to go longer with Freeman, Kyle and Kingz on the floor.
There shouldn’t be four-minute stretches with one starter on the floor. Autry would be better served to stagger his subs and keep more balance. If Betsey or Anthony heat up, leave them in a little longer, as it’s certainly a good thing to adjust and ride the hot hand. White can help out defensively- especially when teams want to play 5 out and spread the defense.
Adaptability on a game by game basis is important, but the line changes need to stop.
