Does good defense lead to good offense or vice versa?

Coaches differ on whether players are more motivated by good defense or offense. For example, if you are a lock-down defender and help the team get stops, that could make it easier to score on the other end. Or does a hoop make you dig in harder on defense?

The questions come up when studying Carolina’s two talented freshman lead guards, Caleb Love and RJ Davis.

“These guys are going to be really good basketball players for us, but hopefully it’s before I die,” says Roy Williams. “This isn’t kindergarten basketball; you just got to step up and make some shots.”

Williams says he has been as patient with Love and Davis as any freshmen he’s ever had, but his hair isn’t turning any darker, for sure. “I trust them, I believe in them and I’m gonna put you in the game,” Roy continued. “Now, you gotta play better.”

The analytics show that Love and Davis don’t play as well together as they do when the other isn’t on the court. So, Williams hasn’t been using them at the same time, although they generally wind up playing about the same number of minutes for the game.

Davis is shooting a little better: 33 percent from the floor, 30 percent from the arc. Love is worse, 29 percent and a frigid 17 percent on 3-pointers, but after looking afraid to shoot Tuesday night at Miami, he drained a big long ball to start the Tar Heels’ final push. “Together, they shot 2-for-14 and made seven turnovers,” the coach said, “this isn’t biddy basketball.” Right, Roy – it’s big boy ball.

Davis and Love look talented out there, but they turn the ball over too much (55 between them so far) and they let the Hurricanes blow by them several times for open drives to the basket.

Williams said “if you can stop turning the ball over and stay in front of the guy you’re guarding,” he can live with almost anything else a point guard does as long as they make an occasional shot.

Maybe better offense comes first or is it better defense?

 

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
Chansky’s Notebook: Abby Or No Abby?
This is today’s Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook as heard on 97.9 WCHL. You can listen to previous Sports Notebooks here. Can the USA women score enough to beat potent Germany? Despite only a 1-0 win over China, the U.S. women’s World Cup team looked far more aggressive than in its previous matches. But can that […]
Dakota's Notebook: Equal Pay for Superior Play
The US women’s soccer team is truly America’s team and they’re using their platform in a way few athletes have before. This is Dakota with Tuesday’s sports notebook. The United States cruised through the Women’s World Cup and clinched their second straight title with a 2-0 victory over Netherlands on Sunday. The performance by the […]
Chansky’s Notebook: USA! USA!
This is today’s Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook as heard on 97.9 WCHL. You can listen to previous Sports Notebooks here. That may have been the greatest 16 minutes in the history of soccer. If you turned on the women’s World Cup finals Sunday night from the opening kick, you may have seen something that has […]
US World Cup Squad to Face Germany Tonight
The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team has now set its sights on Germany in the tournament semifinal on Tuesday. The U.S., stocked with six former North Carolina Tar Heels, knocked off China 1-0 on Friday night in the Quarterfinals. Two former UNC soccer stars – Tobin Heath and Meghan Klingenberg – started and played the […]
PHOTOS: Former UNC Women's Soccer Stars, 1999 U.S. Players Honored While Team Prepares for Olympics
U.S. women's soccer held a special friendly on Saturday to both prepare for the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics and celebrate its 1999 team.
Messi Wins World Cup, Argentina Beats France on Penalties
Written by STEVE DOUGLAS Lionel Messi, wearing a black Qatari robe over his blue-and-white Argentina shirt, kissed the World Cup, shuffled toward his teammates and hoisted the golden trophy high in the air. It was an iconic sight that finally — definitively — places the soccer superstar in the pantheon of the game’s greatest players. Messi’s once-in-a-generation […]
World Cup Host Qatar Used Ex-CIA Officer to Spy on FIFA
Written by ALAN SUDERMAN The tiny Arab nation of Qatar has for years employed a former CIA officer to help spy on soccer officials as part of a no-expense-spared effort to win and hold on to the 2022 World Cup tournament, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. It’s part of a trend of […]
Chansky's Notebook: Bailing Out
Roy Williams probably had reasons for the soft statements. Carolina fans reacted strongly to the video of a team party after the win over Duke. Only Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe were in the video, but a statement from players and managers said it was supposed to be a closed event that other students and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Not Him, Please!
You can bet Bills fans are pulling for the Packers this weekend. I’ve always been amazed at how rabid the Buffalo fans are for their pro football team. Yes, their Bills lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s, but they have stuck with a team that has been pretty terrible over the next […]
Chansky's Notebook: No Biddy Basketball
Does good defense lead to good offense or vice versa? Coaches differ on whether players are more motivated by good defense or offense. For example, if you are a lock-down defender and help the team get stops, that could make it easier to score on the other end. Or does a hoop make you dig […]
›