Bruins seeking to correct offensive woes
LOS ANGELES – In brilliant flashes, short, yet astounding displays of offense have materialized on the court for UCLA this season.
This year's young, dynamic-yet-inconsistent Bruins team has been predicated on those moments. However fleeting, those moments have led them to victories over Arizona, Missouri, and Colorado – two of which came in difficult environments on the road. The Bruins have lived by their offensive efficiency, and died by it as well.
UCLA forward David Wear loses control of the ball while being guarded by USC players James Blasczyk (31) and Byron Wesley (22) during the first half Wednesday.
ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER
And on Wednesday night against USC – as has been the case since UCLA's victory over Arizona – the Bruins were doomed by their undeniable lack of offensive efficiency. Since beating the Wildcats in Tucson, UCLA has shot just 35 and 38 percent from the field, respectively, in its last two games.
It seems the Bruins are mired in a shooting slump, and with three losses in five games, UCLA's regression on offense could a threatening sign of a further fall on the horizon.
"Guys have been missing shots that usually they've been making," said senior point guard Larry Drew II, who shot 3 of 11 from the field against the Trojans. "We've just got to get in the gym, get up more shots, focus more or whatever it may be. ... We've been in a bit of a slump shooting-wise, and obviously it's affecting our games."
Drew II isn't the only one who has struggled though. Kyle Anderson is a combined 5 of 20 from the field in his last two games. David Wear, who has played more as a result of his brother Travis being sidelined with a concussion, is 5 of 17 in that span.
"Bottom line is we've got to be more efficient offensively," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
Shaking a shooting slump will certainly help that efficiency, but it hasn't been the Bruins' only problem on offense. Teams are starting to slow UCLA down and force the Bruins into playing in the half court – a strategy that worked for Arizona State and USC, almost completely eliminating UCLA's athleticism and quickness on the fastbreak. Couple that with the Bruins' recent penchant for slow starts and brief lapses in effort, and the problems exposed in the last few games may not be so easily solved.
"These last two games we've been playing, we get off to a slow start, kind of let teams hang around," Drew II said. "Obviously, we have the talent to come back and overcome any kind of obstacle like that, but why are we down in the first place? We shouldn't be down. We should play that hard from the jump and we have to figure that out and as a team we have to understand that and that's the only way we're going to get better."
Still, the potential remains. Freshman Shabazz Muhammad, who was "deathly ill" with the flu on Tuesday, shot 50 percent from the floor and scored 17 points in the second half on Wednesday to finish with a game-high 22. Since struggling on the Bruins' Rocky Mountain road trip, Muhammad has been rock solid, shooting 48 percent and averaging 18 points in his last six games.
The rest of the offense has yet to display similar consistency, even as fleeting moments of near-perfection seem to suggest a better product is possible. Lucky for them, they'll have a full week to try to find that formula again, with their next game coming against Washington next Thursday.
"We've got to battle through this and learn from the adversity we're going through right now," Howland said.
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
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