According to Andy Katz if DJ comes back.
Doubtful but possible. Rush came back, after all. If DJ does decide to make it back to the 40 and Balbay is back at full strength, here are three things I'd like to see next year:
Pressure. Balbay's presence and the addition of another guard in Brown would give Texas the backcourt depth it needs to pressure the basketball against teams that would otherwise try to out size the Horns around the perimeter. This type of defense would be a boon offensively for athletic open court players like Damion James and Justin Mason who could get an extra two or three cheap buckets a game. It could be fullcourt man pressure, a quick trapping fullcourt 1-2-2, or a 3 quarter court soft trapping zone. Hell, we could run some old Dean Smith run and jump and call it jump-run-trap defense or the JRT defense and SI will anoint us as cool kids with a cutting edge artcle. (For all the proponents of the DDM I say this, ball-you-man motherfuckers.)
Zone. We'd use much more of it to hide our 3 guard personnel. It's a terrific halfcourt change up for a team that pressures full court. It makes it easier to find people after your press is broken. Barnes needs to teach it this offseason. A nice matchup 2-3 would work well because our midgets can move.
A Big Personnel Package. The tourney proved that you need some semblance of an interior game for nights when your perimeter game is off. A package of Mason and DJ in the backcourt, James at the 3, Connor at the 4, and Chapman or Dex at the 5 would allow the Horns a variety of offensive options. 3-4 legit perimeter shooters to counter zone. Three slashers and penetrators to take advantage of pressure man. A potentially elite level post player that could be used when teams play soft on the perimeter. Three terrific passers including a good passing big man in Connor. A devastating baseline screener in Dex to free DJ or James when we go to our double stack with Mason on the ball, or when we run baseline screens in general.
Your thoughts? Suggestions for sacrificial Mayan rituals to help keep DJ? Would it be prudent to sacrifice HenryJames or burn his banjo?
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More fantasy land ruminations from PB @ BON.