He's really never run a DDMO since he's been at UK. He's run a variant of it a few times or in some offensive sets, but he's never run it the way his last couple Memphis teams ran it. Truth be told, those Memphis teams didn't have a traditional center and he lacked the personnel to run anything. The DDMO is perfect for a team with multiple guards or small forwards who can handle the ball very well and finish well in traffic. They ate our lunch in the Maui invitational one year (2006) running that. They drove it down our throats again and again and scored 80 on one of Tubby's better teams.
To answer the original question, I think the traditional offense, with a power forward and center clogging the lane is what folks believe doesn't work. And there is no question, NBA offenses (and multiple teams in college- like Alabama and Arkansas) have gone to more of a 4 around 1 or just more of an open floor style of offense where you may have one big man inside and everyone cutting and moving, trying to create open looks from 3pt range first, open lanes to the basket, and back door cuts for lobs and dunks.
My opinion is this: Cal will likely make some changes to the offense this season, but I think ultimately it will depend on how the roster ends up rounding out. So, we've got Tshiebwe who is gonna likely start. He's more a back to the basket inside banger- a traditional 4 or 5. Who else will we have? If Jackson comes back, what will we do? (I'm not holding my breath waiting for him to come back) He would definitely need to play big minutes. That would be 2 big men down low. Kellan Grady coming on board is HUGE for the prospect of running a different offense. He can score on all 3 levels. He can handle the ball. He scores off screens, he scores on spot-ups, he scores off pick and roll. We have some other guys who might do well with more of an open floor kind of offense.
Bottom line though: I expect Cal to make changes to the offense but ultimately it will depend on his personnel.
