NBA analyst mentions Calipari's dated offense in critique of BJ Boston

BJ Boston’s freshman season did not go as expected, to say the least. Boston came to Kentucky as a projected top three draft pick, but after averaging only 11.5 points per game on 37.9% shooting and going scoreless in Kentucky’s season-ending loss to Mississippi State, his stock is in flux. John Hollinger, a former NBA executive and analytics pioneer that now writes for The Athletic, took a crack at evaluating Boston’s season today, and wrote that one reason he may have struggled is John Calipari’s “anachronistic offense,” which has held back similar players in the past.

All this has talent evaluators scratching their heads and asking tough questions. Is this guy any good? Is it just Kentucky’s system holding him back, as it seems to have done with some other perimeter players? How much did this team’s brutal shooting close off his windows to drive? Will his rail-thin body (just 185 pounds) ever fill out?

If Boston does declare for the draft, it seems he’s going to present the biggest conundrum for teams in the 15 to 30 range. There are hopeful kernels in Boston’s stat line if you look closely enough. His steal rate (2.5 per 100) is pretty stellar for a freshman wing, he had a low turnover rate despite a high usage role on a team with no spacing and the eye test says his 30.0 percent mark on 3s was probably an outlier on the low side.

That said, some of the other markers are ghastly bad. He shot 38.4 percent on 2s, which is just phenomenally awful in any context. He doesn’t draw fouls. His assist rate was unremarkable, although again, a lack of surrounding shooting may have contributed. Deciphering the impact of an anachronistic offense will be one of the biggest scouting challenges here; how do you evaluate a player in an offense that is driving and kicking for 15-foot 2s?

This is not the first time Calipari’s system has been criticized. In January, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony brought up Cal’s “archaic offense” while discussing Boston’s disappointing season.

The hope among optimists is that Boston’s inability to show anything beyond small glimmers of what made him such a coveted prospect in high school lies more in Kentucky’s archaic offense, poorly constructed roster and his own lack of physical strength than deal-breaking talent shortcomings.

If there’s one thing that’s become painfully obvious the last few years, it’s that Calipari continues to prioritize two-pointers (including the dreaded long twos) and multiple-big lineups while the rest of the game adapts to a more modern, NBA style, a contrast hammered home by Nate Oats’ success at Alabama this season. I think Boston’s struggles are more complex than just a system, but there’s no denying that evolving the offense is one of many priorities for Calipari this offseason.

Check out Hollinger’s full evaluation of Boston at the link below (subscription required).

[The Athletic]