Is Maddie Scherr's heavy minutes load hurting her productivity?

Kentucky women’s basketball has been struggling as of late after expectations were already low heading into the season. Despite the negativity, Maddie Scherr has given us some spectacular moments in her two seasons at Kentucky — 2023-24 has been no exception.

However, those good moments have been matched by just as many underwhelming performances in recent weeks.

In Kentucky’s 72-65 loss to Georgia on Sunday, Scherr recorded just four points and five turnovers in 39 minutes of play. She practically played the entire game, yet she was more hurtful than helpful. The worst part is that this wasn’t a one-game fluke. Since SEC play began, Scherr has scored below her season average (13.6 PPG) in six of the nine games. Additionally, in those nine SEC games, she is averaging 3.8 turnovers per game and has fouled out four times. The senior guard is also averaging 35.8 minutes per game in that span.

So, what does all of this mean? After all, Kentucky needs Maddie Scherr, the team’s second-leading scorer, to succeed… right?

The answer is yes, of course they do. However, it may be time to take the “load management” approach with Scherr. She’s recorded at least 35 minutes in 11 of 19 games this season, including three with 39 or more. Playing her fewer minutes might actually help her productivity on the court and also help Kentucky in the long run.

Allowing others to get a chance to find their rhythm

Amiya Jenkins played all of eight minutes against Georgia after playing 20+ minutes in the three previous games, and she even scored in double figures in two of those three games. Jenkins didn’t come into or leave Athens with an injury, and she was 1-1 from the field with an assist against the Bulldogs.

Additionally, Saniah Tyler scored 18 points against Georgia on 6-7 (4-4 3PT) shooting in just 21 minutes of game time. And yes, Tyler did foul out, but that wasn’t until the very end of the game when Kentucky was fouling, trying to claw back in the final seconds. She clearly had the hot hand on Sunday.

We’ll also throw Cassidy Rowe into the mix, who has been a staple defensively. She doesn’t wear that mask as a fashion statement, folks. Rowe’s a tough player, and that’s not to say that Scherr isn’t, but Kentucky could use some of Rowe’s fiery passion on the floor. While she may not be a huge offensive threat, she did score two points in 23 minutes of action. Is that really any worse than four points in 39 minutes? Plus, Rowe only committed one turnover to Scherr’s five against Georgia. She always looking to draw charges.

None of this is to say that Scherr needs to be plugged to the end of the bench, but there’s some talent on this team that could benefit from an additional 10-15 minutes of game action. As for Scherr, she could use an extra 10-15 minutes to rest up. Kentucky is at their best with Maddie Scherr at her best. Sitting at 9-14, there’s no sense in trying to run the wheels off of her.

It might be time that Kyra Elzy just mixes things up a bit. After all, how much worse could the outcome really be?