While the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ game in Japan on Friday against Pittsburgh turned into a slip and slide, it still revealed what GU needs to address. While the cancelled game was not a fair showing of what Gonzaga is capable of, it did show some liabilities for the Zags.
Kyle Wiltjer is not one of them. He was as advertised against Pitt, just as strong as he was last year on the offensive end. Wiltjer hit 5-of-8 shots from the floor, including three 3-point shots.
The issue for Gonzaga: Where is Wiltjer going to get the help?
Due to the loss of the backcourt trio of Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell, Jr., and Byron Wesley, Gonzaga is extremely inexperienced at the guard positions. Josh Perkins takes over at the point and steps into the large shoes Pangos left. He got some minutes last year; however, a broken jaw early in the season stunted that development.
Perkins was just merely all right in the opener, and Eric McClellan was not any better. Perkins gave the offense some pace and knocked down one shot in four attempts while adding a pair of assists. However, it was hard to gauge the play of Perkins with the slick floor. The offense did not have a lot of flow and turned the ball over at will, but some of that could have been caused by the skating rink that was interpreted as a basketball court. Stay tuned, because Perkins may be the x-factor for the squad on the offensive end.
One issue that emerged against Pitt in the first half was a softness on the inside for the Zags. The squad returns the massive Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis. Both of the big men did not play near their size in the opener against 6-foot-7 James Artis and 6-foot-9 Michael Young. Pitt outrebounded Gonzaga 16-14 in the first half, despite a significant size disadvantage.
The two bigs inside were not the only defensive question for GU. As good as Wiltjer is on the offensive end, he can be a defensive liability at times. Wiltjer lacks the speed to defend shifty wings, but also does not have the size to guard post players. As the ultimate tweener, Wiltjer needs support. Gonzaga will depend on a better effort from Karnowski and Sabonis on the back end in upcoming games, or it will give up a ton of points in the paint. The perimeter defense for Gonzaga was less than adequate against Pitt, which could add to even more layups if the back end is not strong.
While they have trouble on the roster, the Zags also face a daunting non-conference schedule. The Zags will go against five teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, and they will stack up frequent flyer miles while doing it. Gonzaga plays Arizona and UCLA again this season. Plus, the in-state competition looks strong again, as Washington has a solid group of freshmen. The Battle for Atlantis will certainly bring talented teams to the opposing bench as well.
Gonzaga goes to both Japan and the Bahamas this season. The jet lag is a possibility, due to a schedule that could add some extra trouble for the squad.
The Bulldogs have a lot of talent, but they will certainly need to get Wiltjer some help. If they are not able to, it is certainly possible that they will dig themselves quite a hole early in the season.
