UCLA Basketball: 3 takeaways from season-opening loss to San Diego State

Without Smith, Offense Lacks an Identity

With Chris Smith in foul trouble, the question became where does the offensive production come from? While Smith was on the bench, it seemed as if UCLA didn’t know what to do with the basketball. It was immensely noticeable in the first half, as they started settling for outside shots that they shouldn’t be taking.

It wasn’t even so much the fact that they were shooting a lot of three’s, it’s that the wrong shooters were shooting them. Tyger Campbell (a career 26% three-point shooter) launched more three’s in the first half than UCLA’s top two three-point shooters (Kyman and Singleton) shot combined.

Ball security was also quite a big issue tonight, as the Bruins had ten turnovers in the first half alone and ended with 15. Nine of the fifteen turnovers happened while Smith was on the bench, as UCLA just seemed out of rhythm whenever their star left the court. There were some bright spots, however, as Jaquez Jr. made a few x-factor-like plays we are accustomed to seeing from him now.

In the second half, the offense seemed a little less complacent. We saw more penetration to the rim and Cody Riley saw the ball much more often. Smith went 0-1 in the second half before fouling out, but when he was on the floor the offense did quite a few good things.  When Smith was on the court, the Bruins were actually plus-3 overall.

Cronin needs this offense to find its’ identity in the weeks ahead. Adding a marquee shooter like Juzang should help.