Aaron Brooks, Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, Maarty Leunen and Tajuan Porter can likely stack up with any other starting five in the nation.
Turn to the bench, however, and it’s been a different story this season.
“I think a lot of it has to do with them getting confidence as far as when they do get their opportunity to play, instead of being afraid to make a mistake, actually being confident they can contribute to the team,” Taylor said. “Us guys that get the big minutes of course need to step up because we play a large role in the outcome of these games but at the same time, if you look at all the good teams, they got a couple guys coming off the bench giving them that added boost with whatever. It may be scoring, rebounding or energy.
“We’ve got to get some guys stepping up off our bench because it’ll be important to us.”
In Pacific-10 Conference play, Oregon’s bench has been outscored by the opposition in 10 of 15 games, including by margins of 19 twice, 17, 16 and 13 points, and scored in double-digits just three times in conference play.
Prior to Thursday against Washington State, Oregon’s bench failed to score in an 88-69 loss to Stanford, which marked the Ducks’ third straight loss and sixth loss in their last eight games.
Likewise, Oregon’s bench – primarily consisting of guard Chamberlain Oguchi, forwards Joevan Catron and Adam Zahn as well as occasional appearances from centers Mitch Platt and Ray Schafer and guards Adrian Stelly and Churchill Odia – accounts for just 19 percent of Oregon’s point total.
“We do need them,” said Oregon coach Ernie Kent, who added that he may shake up the starting lineup this weekend against the Washington schools. “We need to get, first of all, solid play out of (the bench). And if that’s just good defensive stands and rebounding, OK, but at some point in time, they’re going to have the opportunity to score, and we need them to score some points.”
The causes for the struggles of Oregon’s bench this season have been abundant.
The Ducks have struggled to nail down a consistent sixth man, a position thought to belong to the struggling Oguchi, who finished as one of Oregon’s hottest players at the end of last season. He’s failed to find his touch this season, shooting just 33 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range.
He shot 38 percent from three-point range last season and finished as Oregon’s third-leading scorer as well as one of the conference’s deadliest threats from beyond the arc.
The Ducks haven’t benefited from that this season.
“As far as numbers-wise, it’s been disappointing,” Oguchi said. “It is a mental thing. I think a big part of it was when I got hurt (with a sprained ankle for five games) and then I came back and my confidence was down a little bit.”
Taylor can certainly sympathize with Oguchi’s struggles. A knee injury last season sidelined Taylor and he failed to find his touch off the bench while Oguchi was the bigger part of the offense down the stretch.
“I know for me last year, you want to play well,” Taylor said. “You don’t want to come off the bench and make a mistake right away so you play a little bit conservative, not trying to make plays. Guys just have got to be fearless and ready to contribute because it’s important for us.”
He added: “Chamberlain, he’s been a big part of our team in the past but he hasn’t been playing his sort of game and hasn’t been giving us what we know he’s capable of.”
Though Oguchi was the leading scorer off the bench entering Thursday’s game at 6.7 points per game, no other player averages more than 3.3 points per game off the bench.
That includes Catron, a true freshman from Phoenix, Ill., who was a three-year all-conference selection and two-year all-state selection in high school. He said adapting to the bench has been a difficult transition.
“We really don’t get much of an opportunity but when we get in there, we try to make something happen,” Catron said. “It’s very tough (to get into a rhythm). This is my first time coming off the bench like this so I’m just trying to adjust to it and stay loose throughout the game if I know I’m going to have a chance to go in.”
The minutes have also been few and far between for the bench with Oregon’s starters logging 73 percent of the total minutes as well as 81 percent of Oregon’s combined point total, entering Thursday’s game.
“Not getting a lot of playing time all year kind of makes you struggle a little bit coming off the bench and all of a sudden being expected to produce,” said Zahn, primarily a defensive specialist who started four games early in the season but now averages just 11 minutes per game and 3.3 points per game. “But at the same time, you’ve got to be ready to come in whenever you get your opportunity. For the starters to be relied on for scoring all the points is not realistic, especially playing against the better teams.”
With the starters recording the majority of the minutes down the stretch, Kent knows how important a reliable bench becomes.
“We’re at a point in time where we need some of those guys to step off the bench and hopefully give us some things,” Kent said. “This bench needs to produce a little bit more.”
And now with Oregon eyeing the postseason, Oregon’s bench becomes just the more crucial.
“A bench is key to a lot of postseason runs and a lot of great teams have good, solid benches,” Oguchi said. “We’re looking for that.”
[email protected]