Based solely on today’s Red-Blue Game, you might figure Dusan Ristic and Craig Victor crash Arizona's starting lineup, and Brandon Ashley still has some progress to make in his recovery from a foot injury.
But, of course, it was only a 24-minute scrimmage after less than two weeks of full practices. So Sean Miller says “you can’t just go on what you saw tonight.”
At the same time, Miller said again that it’s already possible that the Wildcats could go with multiple starting lineups this season, when he’s mostly stuck with a similar group after mid-December.
Among other things, could allow Miller to “start” a defense-stretching shooter such as Gabe York or Elliott Pitts while also taking advantage of physically gifted wing Stanley Johnson and making sure Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski keep their spots.
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“To breed team chemistry and reward those who deserve it, we may rotate our starting lineup,” Miller said. “But those things aren’t worked out yet. We’re 10 practices in counting today. We’ll know more of over the next couple weeks.”
While Ristic and Victor both showed the kind of offense that could warrant significant minutes on the court, Miller sees plenty of work to be done on the other side of the floor.
Miller said Ristic played better in the Red Blue Game than he has in practice but has a great “skill level in understanding how to play.”
He also said:
“Dusan is ahead of the game on offense. He has tremendous hands, he has a knowledge of how to score, and free throw shooting, jump shots, hooks -- he’s ahead of where you see normal frontcourt players. Defensively is where he’s trying to catch up. He’s already much better today than he was this fall. The speed of the game and all of those things, that’s his challenge. But he’s among our hardest workers and he has a bright future. We’re very excited about him.”
Of Victor, Miller said:
“Craig is aggressive and he’s physical. Like Dusan, he’s not as advanced when you start going up and down in a college basketball kind of way defensively. He’ll catch up. But we like the talent of both Dusan and Craig, not only this season but as a part of our program.”
Kaleb Tarczewski, for one, didn’t hesitate when asked which player impressed him the most today. It was Ristic, he said.
“Dusan is a great basketball player,” Tarczewski said. “He really brings a different type of post play. He’s a big dude with long arms and he’s really skilled. It’s really nice to be able to play against him every day.
“He’s a big guy but he’s really good and crafty about finishing at the rim, and he’s a skill player. He didn’t show it too much today but he can knock down the three, too. Going against him and Brandon it’s a mixture of everything on the team so it’s good.
“I think he’s going to be able to come in and help this team in ways that we really haven’t had before. Adding that second seven-footer, and obviously he’s a great basketball player, is really going to help us out.”
Whatever lineup the Wildcats settle on, Miller expects it to be balanced.
“If you just think about some of our returners – Brandon was a double-figure scorer, Kaleb was right at the fringe of being a double figure scorer (9.9 ppg), T.J. can get 10 points per game and Gabe can shoot the basketball.
“I think we have a balanced attack in our scoring and I think it can come from a variety of ways. I would be shocked if we didn’t have four or five players in double figures. If we’re clicking, that’s how our offense should look.”
Hard to read much into the defense played today, with both teams barely going seven deep (and using walk-ons just to get that deep) and both teams shooting over 52 percent.
“Defense starts to wane,” Miller said of intrasquad scrimmages. “You’re playing against each other. There aren’t as many substitutes. You’re out there in front of a crowd for the first time, and we’re not as in the right place. But that’s every Red Blue Game, and it’s the month of October.
“No one has to remind us that the 18th of October is football season. We’re just beginning. Where we will be in a couple of weeks is a much different place than we are at today.”
That said, Miller and the Wildcats know it won’t be easy to replicate the suffocating defense last season that limited opponents to just 38-percent shooting and was No. 1 in defensive efficiency.
Especially after they lost Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon to the NBA.
“Our defense was probably in and around the same place this year as it was last year (at this time) but we lost two terrific defenders in Aaron and Nick,” Miller said. “So who actually becomes them or how we make up for their loss that will determine a lot for us because we still want to be a great defensive team.”
Tarczewkski may be able to help make up some of the difference defensively.
“Kaleb’s our most improved player,” Miller said. “You didn’t really see it tonight but in 10 practices he might be our best player by how consistent he’s played. He’s a remarkable defensive player.
“At his size, his agility, his understanding, his physicalness, rebounding and just how well he moves, he impacts the game on defense a lot like Nick and Aaron did.
“And on offense, the game has slowed down for him. He has a much better touch away from the basket. He’s a better free throw shooter. He utilizes the things that we do as an offense and scores off those things.
“But it was almost like he didn’t play as well as he’s been playing and Dusan had one of those moments were he played better today than he’s shown. But Kaleb is ready to go. He’s ready. I believe he’s going to have an outstanding year.”
I asked Miller if it was true that every time a scrimmage has been held this year, the one with T.J. McConnell on it wins (McConnell played for the winning Red team today).
"Yes," he said, then kept responding by saying McConnell “is an NBA player” and going into detailed praise.
“At his position, he has total command on defense and on offense. People (presumably NBA scouts) come and watch us practice: They recognize how important a player he is to our team and how good he is.
“Part of it is T.J. doesn’t exude confidence like we’d like him to but if anybody has the right to be confident, it’s him based on what he’s done for four years, in college basketball. It’s great to have him. … My belief in T.J. .... I can’t believe in him more as a point guard and player.”
Our full coverage: A feature on the game and festivities, seen-and-heard notes, Greg Hansen's column and Zack Rosenblatt's story on a fan from Singapore who took a bucket list trip to the Red-Blue Game.
Here's the official box score.
