Sometimes you have to tiptoe around a story. It’s not that topics are taboo or that you don’t know your way around a player or a locker room after 34 games with the player or the team. It’s that some subjects are just difficult to bring up with someone, no matter how obvious.

Slumps are one of those subjects.

No one wants to go through them, so you can imagine the eagerness possessed by players in a funk to discuss what’s gone wrong. So you’re standing at Lamont West’s locker Wednesday and, what do you know, this is going to be easier than expected. He knew the numbers.  Since making 7 of 10 shots and 6 of 8 3-point attempts and scoring a career-high 23 points at home in a win against Texas on Feb. 20, West is 5-for-25 from the floor and 1-for-14 from 3-point range and has totaled 13 points.

His coach, Bob Huggins, told West he’s leaning too far forward when he shoots. West believes he’s also not taking the time he normally affords himself to get set and then shoot. He’s tried to figure out exactly what’s gone wrong to sink his 3-point percentage from a team-best 39.5 to 34.7.

“I guess it’s the intensity of the games?” he said, not even sure himself if that’s the cause. “I don’t know. I feel out of character lately. I do feel like I’ve been rushing my shots. I usually take my time and shoot it. I don’t really know what it’s been. I do know change is going to come.”