Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Substitution strategy

All else being equal, you would want your best starting five on the floor for the entire game. However, that is not practical, because there are several other factors that enter in. First is morale. Everyone wants playing time, and if they never get on the floor because they are not quite as good as the starters, they will be looking elsewhere, especially in today's revolving door transfer atmosphere. So, the coach has to balance morale with team efficiency.

Second is the fatigue factor. If a player is at 95% because of fatigue, do you pull him to put in another player that is 90% as good as he is? That is the kind of decisions a coach has to make. Then there is the problem of player availability because of foul problems, how certain players mesh together, etc., etc. There is a lot to be considered.

No comments: