Dana Altman leaves the court Thursday after a loss to Iowa.

The Ducks haven’t had the start they we were looking for, winning just four out of their first seven games. Their three losses have been to Iowa, Houston and Texas Southern.

Houston is a perfect 7-0 on the year. Iowa is 6-2 so far with losses to No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 10 Michigan State. Texas Southern is 3-6, with wins over Baylor, Oregon and Hutson-Tillotson (yes, you read that right). Oregon’s loss to Texas Southern will come back to haunt them in one way or another.

There’s a plethora of issues — evident through the first seven games — surrounding head coach Dana Altman’s squad. One issue is a lack of defensive intensity and effort at times. The Ducks also lack quality perimeter shooting. And then you can look to the fact the Ducks don’t have any good ISO players other than Bol Bol — who’s adjusting to collegiate play, while still putting up ridiculously good numbers for a true freshman.

Yet, amongst all these issues, one seems to stand out among the rest — a lack of veteran leadership. Leaders don’t necessarily have to be juniors or seniors. Many true freshman and sophomores step up for programs year in and year out. But the Ducks desperately could use a leader, both in energy and talent. The one player many have expected to step up is junior guard Payton Pritchard.

The problem is this — Pritchard spent his first two years in the program helping the team in different ways — or quite simply he played two different roles for the Ducks. He spent his freshman season surrounded by an experienced squad in Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey, Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher and Casey Benson. Pritchard didn’t need to be a scorer, but simply a distributor who didn’t turn the ball over. Pritchard averaged 7.4 points per game along with 3.8 assists his freshman year.

Year two for Pritchard brought a whole lot of change. A younger team, transfer players and poor chemistry led to the weight of the team’s success placed upon his shoulders. Pritchard did all that he could, but the pieces weren’t in place for a tournament team. During the 2017-2018 season, he averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Now entering year three, with a talented freshman class and a couple of potential NBA players, the roles of the team have yet to be discovered. Pritchard still has the weight of the team primarily upon his shoulders, but it seems he’s had trouble letting the game come to him, and often forces passes and shots. Could true freshman Louis King be the answer? Or is it simply that Pritchard could benefit from letting his teammates step into the spotlight? There’s no question he’s one of the more talented guards in the Pac-12, but this team could benefit from Pritchard taking the role of distributor rather than scorer — especially when King is inserted into the lineup.

The key to any great basketball team is an understanding of each individual role and unselfish play. Look back to Boucher’s example during the 2016 season. If you recall, Boucher approached Altman about the starting lineup and coming off the bench.

“Chris came up to me before the game and said, ‘Coach, I don’t know what you want to do with the starting lineup, but if you want to bring me off the bench and start the guys you have been starting, that’s great’,” Altman said in the middle of the 2016-2017 season. “That shows you how unselfish he is. Last year, Dwayne Benjamin and Jordan Bell told me the same thing.”

Again, this isn’t meant to blame anything on Pritchard — he’s doing all he can to help the Ducks win. But this teams needs to discover its roles fast, all while considering not everyone needs to be the scorer.