What Dave Rice’s departure from UNLV means for Stephen Zimmerman’s development
By Andrew Ford
On Sunday night, Dave Rice resigned from his position as UNLV head coach following an up and down four and a half seasons at the helm. The Runnin’ Rebels are off to a mediocre 9-7 start this season, including an 0-3 start in Mountain West Conference play, after entering 2015-16 with a talented roster and lofty expectations.
A huge problem for UNLV has been the team’s gross underperformance offensively. Currently ranked 253rd in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, Rice either couldn’t get his players to execute his game plan, or his offensive game plan simply wasn’t very sound. It’s hard to believe it wasn’t the latter of the two given the talent on the roster.
No player on the roster is more talented than freshman center Stephen Zimmerman Jr., who could easily hear his name called in the lottery during the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft. Under Rice’s direction this season, Zimmerman averaged 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He also leads the team with five double-doubles.
While those are impressive numbers for a freshman, Zimmerman might have been held back by the often stagnant, directionless offense while Rice was in charge. The offensive woes probably aren’t all Rice’s fault. At the very least, though, Rice wasn’t taking full advantage of Zimmerman’s capabilities.
UNLV has talented, athletic wing players who can create for themselves in Patrick McCaw, Ike Nwamu and Jerome Seagears, but the offense shouldn’t center around those guys while Zimmerman is relegated to fighting for scraps when the Rebels’ ball-handling playmakers happen to pass up a jumper early in the shot clock.
Rice undoubtedly wanted his team to get out and run in an attempt to get a good shot up before teams had a chance to setup the half court defense. Given the personnel, that strategy makes perfect sense. What doesn’t make sense, however, is why Zimmerman wasn’t more involved in the transition offense. Zimmerman possesses above-average mobility for a 7-0 center, and he knows how to run the floor hard and head directly to the rim. He has been rarely rewarded for his hard work in that regard. Only eight (3.8 percent) of UNLV’s transition possessions have ended in a Zimmerman shot this season, per Hoop-Math.com.
Even more problematic for Zimmerman’s development has been the misuse of his skill set in half court sets. There have been countless possessions this season where Zimmerman could be found setting ancillary screens for teammates or roaming aimlessly in no man’s land between the elbow and the low post. Too many possessions have ended with nary a single touch for Zimmerman.
A face up big man like Zimmerman who thrives at the elbow should be the pivot point of the offense, not a second or third option on most plays. He is capable of catching the ball 15-17 feet from the basket, facing up and either attacking his man off the dribble with an impressively quick first step or finding an open teammate in a variety of ways. Feeding Zimmerman and allowing him to serve as the nucleus would make for a much more effective offense and one that is much more likely to end positively even when the defense has a chance to get set. Not to mention it would give Zimmerman much-needed reps that could move his development forward at a quicker pace.
Zimmerman needs to work on passing out of double teams and limiting his turnovers in such situations, but he’s tough to double when he faces his man up, because his decisiveness doesn’t leave enough time to do so. His vision is solid and he can easily find an open teammate on the wing after utilizing a flare screen or at the bucket after a hard cut when given the chance. Zimmerman has just eleven assists this season, not because he’s not a capable passer but because he has not been put in enough situations that allow him to use his vision.
One way UNLV’s interim head coach Todd Simon could implement Zimmerman into the flow of the offense while also putting him in a position to succeed — something Rice didn’t do enough — is to have him set more high ball screens before popping to the elbow or free throw line extended area to create quality pick-and-pop situations.
These plays would take some attention off of UNLV’s ball-handlers and create better driving lanes because Zimmerman is such a threat from midrange. They would also allow Zimmerman to catch the ball while facing the rim with the defense potentially scrambling to recover after the pop — a precarious scenario for any defense to encounter.
Maybe with Rice out of the picture, things will change for the better for the Runnin’ Rebels and Zimmerman. At this point, Zimmerman must be accustomed to spending a lot of his time helping to get less talented teammates open, but it’s time to break the cycle. Zimmerman becoming a bigger part of the offense and being used properly would not just be significant for his development and draft stock. It’s key if UNLV is to right the ship or at least salvage some of the wreckage this season.