What is the story with Pittman?

[KJinBigD]

Please direct me to another thread if this has been discussed elsewhere, but I have not seen any injury or other news. I had such high hopes for him coming back for his last year. The decline from last year to this year is simply baffling.

 

[LonghornCatholic]

He has definitely lost his confidence.
He finished the season so strong last year. Like you, I had high expectations.

 

[bierce]

There was some mention here during the KSU game that he had an ankle problem, but I didn't see any mention of that later, so I don't know if there was much to that allegation. I do think he has lacked some explosiveness as well as confidence over the course of conference play.

 

[Pericles]

Have you seen how he often gets double and tripled teamed?

It's tough to even get the ball into him most times.

 

[bierce]

Yes. I also see how he doesn't seem to get off the floor like he was earlier in the year and is using his arms more and his feet less.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Dexter's slide didn't start this year, but rather in January. He showed a helluva lot more early in the schedule than he's shown in Conference. I would break down his problems as 70% mental and 30% due to a lack of hustle. I'm not sure why he's lost his confidence, but it was never more evident than him dishing up the ball with an open lay-up in the last game. His lack of hustling and shuffling his feet costs him at least 2 cheap fouls/game. I think the better role for Pittman going forward is to come off the bench (start either Johnson or Chapman) and just let him know he's probably only going to play 15 minutes. But damn it Dexter, give us the best 15 minutes you have.

 

[TigerPride]

Fatigue

 

[Statalyzer]

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[rickysrun]

Dex suffers from fatigue, but it doesn't help a big man if your team doesn't have a consistent threat from the outside. If I'm playing defense on Texas I sure as hell would collapse down on Dex because I know the guy I'm guarding isn't going to kill me all night.

 

[bierce]

That's partly on Pittman, though. He seems to look for guys under the basket, not guys open on the perimeter.

Case in point--first half last night--Pittman was fed the ball standing just outside the lane with four guys collapsing around him. Lucas and Hamilton on the floor with Bradley and James., I think. Pittman only looked to the baseline across the lane for a cutter to the basket, even though there was no room, since three of the OSU players were protecting the hoop. Result: turnover.

That play begged for a pass back outside, and there should be gobs of similar opportunties for the feed in--feed out game, if Pittman would quickly pass out to whoever is open on the perimeter.

Texas isn't shooting 3 pointers often this year, but it is doing a very credible job at it--37.3% in conference.

 

[rickysrun]

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[bierce]

I don't know the answer to that. I do know that nearly all my memories of great passes from Pittman are of passes to a cutter or someone else in the paint, but I can't honestly say if that is more indicative of tendency than it is of the extent to which I believe the tendency.

 

[jbs]

He's to close to the basket. On one of his shots today his head was underneath the net. I'd like to see him take just a few steps away from the basket and try and get some room.

 

[iluvthisbbteam]

He's a senior...should have figured it out by now...isn't going to happen.