I'm struggling with a depth chart decision and I thought it might generate a good discussion.  I have two big men- one who is athletic and can score, but it not as good defensively (low SB) as another one of my bigs, who struggles offensively.  I thought I should start the offensive player because I judged him as a better play.  Now, I am rethinking that: Should I put the better offensive player on my 2nd unit, where he might be able to flourish offensively as the top offensive option on my 2nd unit? 

The players in question are Jeffrey Case and Charles Abernethy on my NC State team.  


The main question is: Is it important to have a strong scorer on your bench unit and would you consider bringing a better player off the bench so he can "lead" your bench?

i always base that aroud how i feel about my other 4 starters... if i had solid offensive threats on the other 4 positions, i'd always go with the big defensive guy down low... if my offense might struggle without an offensive force, then i'd start the offensive guy..

Agree with zbolton. I think the second team scorer(s) is underutilized by many coaches. I have had players who get lost on the first team and then moved them to an important scorers role on the second line and reaped large success from them there.

i almost always go with the best defenders/athletes on the first unit when it comes to those decisions.   it seems like usually i have at least a couple of primary scoring threats who are obviuos starters  and so mixing in a couple of defense first types doesnt seem to hurt the offense.  

one issue that can come up is if you feel the offensive player is not getting enough total minutes when he comes off the bench.  obviously there are several ways to remedy this... listing him as backup at two spots, subbing by minutes, etc.  ....sometimes though it can still be hard to get him as many minutes as he might warrant.

sometimes i do tinker with which scorer to leave out of the starting lineup on a game by game basis depending on matchups.  and defense type, too.

I'm having trouble seeing either Case or Abernethy as a scoring option and Abernethy is just not a starter.  I see you're playing 3-2.  My reading of the tea leaves on 3-2 is that you would be better off playing Case at C and Kisielewski at PF.  The post player's defensive skills are averaged in a 3-2, right.  So it makes no difference on the defensive end (maybe for rebounding, but they are fairly similar in that category).   If you switched to 2-3, then the higher SB rating might change my mind about who to play at C.

The gain might be on the offensive end.  The sim might rng more of Case's possessions are in the post...and lord knows you don't want that guy handling the ball!  Better to have Kisielewski sometimes get the ball further from the paint. 

Posted by rogelio on 5/23/2014 12:19:00 PM (view original):
I'm having trouble seeing either Case or Abernethy as a scoring option and Abernethy is just not a starter.  I see you're playing 3-2.  My reading of the tea leaves on 3-2 is that you would be better off playing Case at C and Kisielewski at PF.  The post player's defensive skills are averaged in a 3-2, right.  So it makes no difference on the defensive end (maybe for rebounding, but they are fairly similar in that category).   If you switched to 2-3, then the higher SB rating might change my mind about who to play at C.

The gain might be on the offensive end.  The sim might rng more of Case's possessions are in the post...and lord knows you don't want that guy handling the ball!  Better to have Kisielewski sometimes get the ball further from the paint. 

Excellent perspective, very much what I was looking for.

I do disagree a bit, I think with 96 ath and 93 LP off the bench, Case could score at a decent rate, at least better than anyone else coming off the bench right now.

Last season, for my DII team, my leading scorer was my 6th man. He averaged 18ppg and was the conference POY