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Terps guardedly optimistic Sulaimon, Trimble will regain chemistry
Like an old married couple who finished each other's sentences, Sulaimon and Trimble appeared to be even more in sync than Trimble was as a freshman last season with senior Dez Wells.
Their pairing was a major reason for the Terps' winning 15 of their first 16 games.
When Trimble scored, Sulaimon passed.
When Sulaimon scored, Trimble passed.
Trimble credited Sulaimon with improving his defense. The Duke transfer credited Trimble for so readily accepting him and encouraging him to share the scoring load.
It led coach Mark Turgeon to say many times that the Terps had “the best backcourt in the country.” Except for Oklahoma, that might have been true at the time.
That is clearly not the case now as Maryland (24-7) begins play in the Big Ten Conference tournament Friday night in Indianapolis. The Terps, now No. 18, lost four of their last six regular-season games.
Something happened over the past month that changed their chemistry and the team's fortunes, and it can be tied directly to the on-court relationship between Trimble and Sulaimon.
Trimble's shooting slump while he was playing with an injured hamstring for more than a month led to what Sulaimon called “an adjustment period” for the 6-foot-4 shooting guard and others.
“Now that everyone's healthy, we're trying to adjust back,” Sulaimon said Wednesday before practice. “We got used to playing a certain style and now that everyone's healthy we have to play at another style to be successful. We're in the process of doing that.”
Though Sulaimon said that “everyone's optimistic, everyone's in good spirits,” there still seemed at times to be a chemistry problem.
It was never more evident than in Sunday's 80-62 loss at Indiana.
At one point, Sulaimon became so frustrated with Trimble's not passing him the ball that he jumped, contorted his face and flailed his arms.
Sulaimon chuckled when the incident at Assembly Hall was mentioned Wednesday.
“It was out of my character,” Sulaimon said. “As a senior I have to be more poised, be sort of the concrete rock for my team. It was a little slippage there.
“Reflecting on it, I thought I should have handled things differently, but everyone's good now. I moved forward. I learned from it and going forward, I'll be that guy my teammates need me to be.”
Trimble said there are no chemistry problems between him and Sulaimon.
“Just trying to get back to where we were,” Trimble said Wednesday. “We've had a whole week of practice. I think we're starting to get that chemistry back.”
Asked Monday whether he thought Trimble's injury affected the chemistry he had with Sulaimon, Turgeon said on a Big Ten coaches' teleconference that against Indiana, “neither one of them had their better games, but the chemistry is still there.
“It was a tough environment [at Assembly Hall] and they [Indiana] did a good job on us,” the coach continued. “We've just got to continue to believe in each other and feed off each other. I don't see that changing.”
Statistics suggest that the two guards have struggled recently with their roles.
During a recent four-game stretch in the Big Ten when Trimble missed 38 of 48 shots from the field, including 2-for-14 on 3-point attempts, Sulaimon became Maryland's most consistent scoring threat.
Sulaimon went 23-for-47, including 8-for-15 on 3-pointers. He also made 25 of 30 free throws. Sulaimon had a career-high 28 points in the team's loss at Minnesota on Feb. 18.
Since Trimble showed signs of breaking out of the slump — averaging 18 points over the past three games — Sulaimon's productivity has slowed. He has gone 5-for-21, including 2-for-11 on 3-point attempts, bringing his team-leading 3-point percentage down to .441. He has also become less aggressive going to the basket with only four free throws, none in the past two games.
“During a season, a lot of different things can happen,” Sulaimon said. “There was a little spurt there when Melo did get a little injured. I'm not sure how much that affected his play, but definitely he wasn't 100 percent. That increased my role and other people's roles as well.”
Said Trimble: “He had to play a much bigger role than he had when I was healthy. He's had to be more aggressive and he had to look for his shot more, which is something we always want Rasheed to do when things are breaking down. Rasheed really picked up the slack when I wasn't playing to my full potential.”
Turgeon and the Terps are counting on Sulaimon to be an important piece of their postseason success.
“What I'm hoping for is consistency, just really being solid defensively and continue being a great leader,” Turgeon said.
On Wednesday, Sulaimon celebrated his 22nd birthday. As he spoke to reporters before practice, Trimble and senior forward Jake Layman held up signs that read “Happy Birthday” and “Rasheed.”
“It's kind of hard when it's in the midst of all the madness, everyone's trying to focus,” Sulaimon said. “I'm blessed to see a 22nd year on this earth. Everything I've been through, especially in the last couple of years, I'm happy I lived through it and I'm glad to be here right now.”
Looking back, it could not have worked out better for Sulaimon. Considered a potential first-round draft pick after his freshman year, Sulaimon had to rebuild his game, image and confidence with the Terps.
Sulaimon seems to have succeeded on all counts, and pro scouts have talked about his versatility. He has gone from being the “new guy in their locker room” to one of the team leaders who could play a critical role in Maryland's postseason journey.
“It was a point of uncertainty, especially in the beginning,” he said. “Hopefully we can continue this high road and finish out the year strong.”
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