Around the Perimeter: Bench spark and balanced attack

Can the 9-0 Lightning set a new record? Sudbury and Windsor stand in their way, but a pair of wins this week would give them best start in league history. Columnist Jason Winders on how London has gotten it done so far …

(Photo: Luke Durda).

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STARTING FIVE

1. We’re going streakin’. The Lightning improved to 9-0 on the season with two wins last week. The team is now one win shy of the Moncton Magic’s record of 10 wins in a row to begin an NBL Canada season. The Bolts have opened up a four-game lead on the second-place KW Titans, as the 24-game season is now, strangely enough, more than one-third over. (Of course, I remind you, everyone makes the playoffs.)

2. Rich get richer. When Lightning centre Amir Williams hit the COVID list on March 17, retroactive to March 14, the team lost the league leader in field goal percentage (.700) and one of the most dominant defenders in the league. The guy has missed two games and remains in second place in blocked shots (averaging 1.57 per game). COVID sapped the big man’s strength for a day or two, but otherwise he has felt no ill effects of the virus beyond trying to fight off boredom of being sequestered alone for a week in his room. (March Madness helped the former Ohio State Buckeye get through it, however.) Williams will return to play against Sudbury Thursday in London.

3. Defensive posture. We talk a lot about this team’s defense, but holy crap this team can play D. If you are going to shoot league-low percentages from beyond the arc, then playing clamp-down defense on your opponent is a solid backup plan. Tops in steals per game, second in blocks. They are holding teams to only 96.1 points per game, 42.3% from the field and only 31.4% from 3 (and that stat is even more amazing because they don’t get to play themselves shooting 3s …).

4. Another double-double. The Lightning netted another double-double this week. Guard Chris Jones was named Player of the Week for the week ending March 20. He is the second straight Bolt to earn the honour. (Cameron Forte won last week.) The 6-foot point guard was instrumental in London’s two wins, averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game. Fellow backcourter Jermaine Haley, meanwhile, was named Canadian Player of the Week. The 6-foot-7-inch guard averaged 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Jermaine Haley Jr., the NBLC’s reigning Canadian Player of the Week. (Photo: Luke Durda).

5. What do you bench? Maybe it is to be expected when your team is so good that it brings guys like Terry Thomas, Mareik Isom, and (at least until Saturday) Jordan Jensen-Whyte off the bench. But if you want to credit something cool for the 9-0 start, point to the bench. Check out these numbers …

Lightning bench vs. opponent bench

27-19; 29-15; 30-25; 73-44; 43-38; 49-29; 36-37; 24-13; and 28-0.

Three numbers should jump out:

First, the lone blemish for the bench was in a 123-104 win against Windsor on March 13 in London. Of course, Cameron Forte dropped 44 on the Express as a starter in that game, so needless to say that eases the sting a bit.

Second, and maybe the most incredible number I have seen this year, is that the bench scored 73 points – 73! – against the Lansing Pharaohs on March 6 in London. Lightning starters only had one player in double digits (Forte, 10). Seven bench players scored, including four in double digits with Jensen-Whyte, Amir Williams, and Isom with 12 each, and Terry Thomas with 19.

Third, the bench pitched a shutout against Syracuse on Saturday. Maybe that was to be expected, as the visitors only brought three extra Stallions with them, but a goose egg is still a goose egg.

Thus far this season, London has scored 1,007 total points with the bench accounting for 339 (or 33.6%) of them.

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LIGHTNING NOTES

Raheem Williams was cut from the team for attitude reasons on March 19. … * Whispers * Mareik Isom is a perfect 18-18 from the free throw line this year. … An announced crowd of 1,551 saw the Lightning in a great matchup against Syracuse Saturday at Budweiser Gardens. The Lightning (along with the rest of the league) are lagging in attendance from where they left off in 2020, but it’s nice to see it trending up. … TBL teams improved to 5-9 against the NBL Canada with a 2-1 week, with the Lightning handing the league its only loss, a 109-95 win over the Syracuse Stallions Saturday in London.

BEYOND MY BYLINE

It’s the bat, man: Really cool piece on Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals who is swinging this wild lab-designed, custom-crafted bat. It is wild how few rules govern the bat in Major League Baseball (Section 3.02). Will be interested to see if technology will help, or further ruin, how the game is played.

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