Just taking a look at the box score, one could assume that Dontaie Allen had a second consecutive outstanding performance for Kentucky, and that assumption would be correct. Finishing with 14 points on a 4-10, 2-5 three and 4-4 shot from the line to finish with five rebounds and a block in 32 minutes, there was a lot of good that came with the first play red year.
But not everything was positive, specifically at the defensive end of the floor. And UK coach John Calipari has noticed.
“Dontaie broke a ton of defense,” Calipari said. “He made baskets and free throws when we needed him, but he may have given up as many baskets as he scored.”
The thing is, his offense is too valuable to get off the ground.
I said, “Look, if that’s the case and it’s uniform, I’m probably fine with you.” But (ha) you have to get to where … they were game planning things. It happened under a screen, they went do some things, ”Calipari said. “But, I tell you, it deserves to be on this track. You know what it does with the defense, it extends the defense. I directed a play for him, I played a three. To the top, boom. He may have run out of time. “
Luckily for the Wildcats, Calipari believes Allen’s defensive mistakes can and will be fixed, giving some examples of game situations.
“No, no, no (they won’t be hard to fix),” Calipari said. “And he bounced the ball, he had a couple of rebounds. I will give you an example. If your man was being selected and didn’t have the ball, we’ll chase him. She came in and her husband made a three. If your husband gets a drizzle, we wouldn’t be passing it, we would. He reviewed that. If your man was walking down the lane on the weak side, you should stop with both feet in the lane on the other side of the basket as far as you came out. He went out there twice out of the lane and wasn’t ready to switch to a guy he had to switch to, because that wasn’t where he was supposed to be. We spent two days there. But he is not the only one. Isaiah did it, Davion did it a couple of times. ”
Right now, the total number of breakdowns is seven to nine. If you can get that number up to a handful, the UK is in good shape.
“He had some breakdowns,” Calipari said. “You know what? Like I said to him afterwards, ‘You had seven or eight breakdowns, nine (maybe)? We pass at four and keep firing. Keep firing, boy.’ trying. He has courage.
“What he is doing for us we cannot replace. I just have to find out how he gets it better in defense or more comfortable.
Senior midfielder Olivier Sarr added that Allen “changes the game” for Kentucky at the offensive end of the floor.
“Obviously he’s a knockout shooter, the last game and that game proved it again,” Sarr said. “It simply came to our notice then. It explains itself. Open the track for everyone. It changes the game, makes it easier for us to operate and play our game, get to the game. The court is very open ”.
There are still defensive fouls to solve, but this team is at its best when Allen is shooting the ball and knocking it down.
“Dontaie wants to do what’s best for the team, and the best thing for us is to shoot three,” Sarr said. “It simply came to our notice then. He still has to find a way to eliminate these threes because he is a great shooter.