Florida Basketball: Are 2019-20 Gators already doomed with early struggles?

Terrible offensive sets

It’s impossible to start anywhere other than the offensive end with this group. Despite the immense amount of talent they have, the Gators are averaging just 62.5 points per game. They’re shooting below 40 percent from the field and below 25 percent from three as a team, both of which rank among the very worst in the country.

There are a portion of these struggles that can simply be blamed on poor shooting by normally good shooters, which head coach Mike White mentioned to reporters following the UConn loss.

"“We’ve got two, high, high level shooters in Noah Locke and Tre Mann, and they shoot it way better than they’ve shot it and I’ve got to figure something out. We’ve got to get them better looks.”"

But that last part is key – they have to get them, and everyone else, better looks.

The half-court sets Florida runs are, to be frank, quite terrible. There are normally two or three players involved in an initial action (or a dump in to Kerry Blackshear in the post) while the remaining players stand on the perimeter doing nothing. And, after that initial action, it becomes a freelance offense with even less movement.

Just look at the first three baskets Florida scored against the Huskies. All came in the halfcourt, but all three shots were tough because they were heavily contested and didn’t make the defense work (you’ll see the same lack of movement over and over again if you want to watch the full video).

The lack of movement means the defense doesn’t have to move, allowing them to stay close to their original coverage assignment and eliminate the possibility of open looks. Florida simply has to incorporate more off-ball movement if they want to get better looks out of their half-court offense.

Another option is to put star point guard Andrew Nembhard in more pick-and-rolls, an area in which he has thrived (the Nembhard-Blackshear pick-and-roll has been lethal at times). He’s a big guard at 6-5 who is also quick enough to get back his defender and is one of the country’s best playmakers. When he is put in an attacking position, he almost always creates good shots for himself or others. Incorporating more pick-and-roll is a great way to do that.