Monday was a good look at what we've been discussing since the roster was put together. It looks different. It is brand new. Lots of new pieces with different capabilities than previous MY teams. Any good offense relies on timing, intention and ability. Mike Young's system requires more of the timing than most offenses, so new pieces can throw cogs into the machine. If you will remember back to last season and how Robbie Beran looked lost early...well, now you not only have an entire group with that level of understanding of MYs offense, you have a group mostly made up of players with very little understanding of playing within a college offense period. The veteran players on the wing have a collective 2 years in Mike Young's system and 3 years playing college basketball. There were mistakes on almost every offensive possession that wasn't specifically drawn up by MY and the coaching staff, and it was almost always someone forgetting what happens when X action takes place. That happens. It's going to continue to happen. I say all of that to say there are still two aspects to an offense that go beyond the timing and understanding of the system. I will get to intention in a moment, but I want to discuss a positive first. There is very clear talent and potential on this team. Both from an offensive standpoint and a defensive standpoint. Also from both physical skill (Lawal and Johnson) and motor skills (Young and Schutt). Young and Schutt are a continuation of the type of skill MY has put on the floor for the entirety of his career. Lawal and Johnson are new. Incorporating their strengths within the offense will be imperative if this team wants to achieve its goals. In order to build upon the offense to a level where they can incorporate new things to highlight Lawal and Johnson the players need to first show a basic level of understanding of the base offense. They're not there. Nor are most teams of similar age. Overall observations The good - There is more than enough shooting to keep teams stretched to a level the offense needs to stress a defense. They shot almost 33% from 3 as a team and it somehow felt like there were a lot of missed shots they could've made. They're going to get open looks, need to knock them down. Lawal and Johnson provide a dynamic the program hasn't seen in a while, especially Johnson. I wouldn't hate it to see him be given a little more leeway if he gets the ball in transition, because if he isn't thinking and just playing he can get down hill and make plays from all 3 levels. Schutt is a Cattoor level shooter. He would have been such a huge help on last years squad. Keeping Schutt, Lawal and Johnson should be the top priority for next season. They provide a core that could do very big things. The bad - The offense is clunky due to the timing issues, for sure. But there's also no intention, especially in unfamiliar areas of the floor. One area I have disagreed with MY in his development of players and the system is it feels like the players can be lulled into robots at some level. If Lawal/Mutts/Beran/Johnson/etc get the ball at the top of the key or the elbow there is very little intention to be a playmaker with the ball. They are looking for their next key (i.e. dribble hand off, dribble at back door, pass and ball screen/slip) rather than making primary and secondary defenders play when they have the ball. Multiple times Lawal got the ball at the free throw line and there was an open teammate on the back side. Sometimes it *should* have been his primary read and he didn't make the right read. But sometimes it wasn't the primary read and he just needs to recognize where to make a play. This is why the 4 spot is the most important spot in MYs system. They have the ball in their hands, a lot. They need to know where the ball goes and be able to make defenses stressed and stretched. I'm very unsure if that will be something they can do with Lawal at the 4. He is a very below average passer. I think his understanding of the game will grow exponentially, but there is no excuse making a pass 20 feet over your teammates head when you weren't being doubled and barely being pressured. I'm betting part of the discussion in him choosing VT was a promise to play him primarily as a 4 since it's his only way into the NBA....but man...that's gonna be a rollercoaster of a watch at times. I love him as a 5, and hope VT utilizes a lineup with him at the 5 to stretch a lead or make a comeback. I think this team will be the greatest improvement you will see from game 1 to game 31, especially under MY. That's due to clear talent, high potential and issues that can be fixed, given experience. They have the ability, but that is unfortunately not even half the battle.