5 seconds left...Down by 1...Ball at halfcourt...the pass goes to ???
Who is Kansas' go to scorer down the stretch of the ballgame? This is probably our biggest problem right now, the fact that we really have no one we can 100% depend on in clutch time. Now, one of my favorite parts about this team is the selfishness of everyone and the willingness to make the extra pass. Still, someone eventually needs to develop a killer instinct and needs to be able to want the ball in the above scenario. Here are your candidates:
Brandon Rush
Probably the name you would have heard the most coming into the season, he hasn't started off hot. He had a good game last time out against Toledo though, so hopefully that is how he is going to jumpstart the rest of the season. He is probably too much of a streaky shooter to be a clutch performer, but he is still the odds on favorite to be the guy come Tournament time.
Mario Chalmers
My personal selection for this spot, I think he would handle the pressure the best. He has already proven to be one of the best on ball defenders in all of Divison I, and he can stroke it if he is hot. He can create his own shot well enough, not as good as Brandon Rush can but he still doesn't need an assist to score.
Russell Robinson
The "glue" of the team as Bill Self puts it, he could probably handle this job. He isn't as attractive as the other options I've put out here because he isn't able to create his shot like the others, but still a possibility. He makes free throws well and can shoot just good enough to be respected, but he probably will be the one setting up the game winning shot, I don't think he will be the one taking the shot.
Julian Wright
He can create his own shot and he is working on his jump shot, if he can make it consitently from 15 feet and in he might pass Rush as the favorite for this spot. His jump shot probably still isn't good enough to be the go to guy for this team, especially in crunch time, but he is a candidate none the less.
It would be nice to have this "clutch performer" steup up before conference play, but as long as it is before March everything will still work out fine. If we have one guy that we can turn to every game and depend on, it will help our team's confidence a whole lot as well as changing our game style, with the ability to come back later in games carried by this "clutch performer".
Here are my odds for who will end up being the clutch performer, please leave your own lists in the comment section and have a debate over who you think will emerge.
- Mario Chalmers 3-1
- Brandon Rush 4.5-1
- Julian Wright 6.5-1
- Darrell Arthur 10-1
- Russell Robinson 15-1
- Rest of team 25-1