This Is It!
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@drgnslayr Good post.
The thing that the 08 guards had that we don’t have now is the skill in the post. If you have 4 NBA level guys rotating in the post it makes life easier on the guards. Thinking back on the 08 run I think of big plays by all 4 big men including huge shots by Arthur, huge blocks by Cole, and overall solid play from Sasha and Darnell. Hard to believe we will be even close to that level this year. Not being pessimistic, I just don’t see Lucas/Bragg/Dok/Coleby living up to that level of skill and experience.
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@BShark he labors when he screws up, doesn’t labor when the ball goes in.
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Probably has something to do with how he’s wired to play. Coaches teach aggressiveness all the time and Landen is doing what was taught, but its now a foul. Hard for any player to adjust to cream puff rules we have now. He’s had some bad calls go his way (like the one in the Georgia game where the offensive player pushed off with his forearm) and some of the offensive fouls where he’s fighting for position (and apparently doing something wrong) is hard to get someone to do it a different way.
It’s a big part of how Landen get’s open. I could easily swing this to coaching as well. If we want to minimize those type of plays we need to figure out how to feed the post without our posts having to create the over-the-top play so often. We often put it all on the player but remember its the offense we are running that is creating the play in the first place. I hope coaches react to how that type of play is being called and adjust.
Regardless he is making a lot of silly fouls, really aggressive plays instead of just defending with his wits, he’s trying to bully guys on the court. This game no longer wants you to be that type of player
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Luke proved last season he could do it with 2 good feet.
He is trying to figure out how to do it on 1 foot.
It takes time.
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@jaybate-1.0 @drgnslayr We already know Josh has great handles, great court vision. He cannot be too far away from being able to be a 3rd initiator! That no look pass to SVI against UAB was SICK!
Lagerry cant be that far behind from being a 4th.
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Concerning the weave…
Looking back at our last game. Perhaps it is an indication of what is to come, watching Udunka pick and roll. The pick and roll and pick and pop is something we really need to capitalize on this year. It creates possibly the best scoring opportunity for our bigs since really none of our bigs are traditional back-to-the-basket types. Udunka and Carlton are two perfect candidates for this.
It is easy to run pick and roll/pops out of the weave. Even though our opposition knows we will run it, we can still have plenty of success. And we don’t strictly run the weave… just one more gimmick from Bill’s bag of tricks.
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The big difference between this KU team and so many others is Josh Jackson. Stay with me here because this may get crazy.
Josh Jackson is the most complete player to come to KU under Self. He can affect the game in a million different ways. Already this year I can think of him making big plays with perimeter shooting, rebounding, drives, passing, defense, shot blocking, steals, big time dunks, etc. He can literally do it all.
That should be the difference come March. Jackson can just decide that KU isn’t going home that night when things aren’t going well and whether its defense, offense, transition or whatever, Josh Jackson will make plays because he can make a million different plays to help us win.
Frank and Devonte are carrying us now, but don’t be shocked when its Josh dropping a 20 point, 11 rebound, 6 assist, 4 steal, 2 block gem of a performance at the most critical time you could imagine. He has that talent and that will.
That will matter come March.
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@justanotherfan the thing I like most about him, he is the ultimate team player, never stops complimenting his teammates.
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I can’t imagine what KU will be like once they figure out their post game. And to be honest, I hope they don’t figure it out until middle of conference season, and ride a complete package basketball team all the way to the National Championship.
KUs trip to the title is just 1 year delayed is all.
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Has he always been this poor of a shooter from Trey?
I don’t see how see how’ve could play in the NBA with the Trey he has shown so far. He reminds me of Julian Wright.
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“Ya’ dang tootin’!”
Been wanting to use that one for a while now… and your post was so nails on I couldn’t resist!
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Some mention above of the 2008 ChampHawks. Their proof-in-pudding was in their dominance. Team D. Team O. Balanced scoring with 4 guys in double figures almost every time. Suffocating D. Transition smoothness. Zone busters.
38-3
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@ralster Jackson is looking like a one man zone buster this year! He is so far ahead of where any freshman we’ve had at this point. The question will be if he continues to progress and be successful when good coaches get film on him. I suspect he will because he is so versitile as mentioned above.
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@justanotherfan Like my Dad said of Jackie Robinson: “whatever it took to beat ya!”
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His three point shot has not been good, but his midrange jumper is very solid. Looking at the NBA, we see two similarly sized players that are good midrange shooters, but not good three point shooters - Rudy Gay and DeMar Derozan. That is Josh’s current model. Of course, he would like to add the three point shot, but he can succeed in the NBA with his current game.
He is different from Wright in that he is a legit perimeter player. Wright played inside quite a bit, even at KU. He rarely played on the perimeter or even defended perimeter players. Already this season we have seen Jackson do both. That’s a critical difference. Additionally, for all the hype about Wright’s ball handling ability, Jackson is world’s better as a dribbler and passer. That lefty baseline pass he made to Svi for the three in the corner was all you need to know. There aren’t many guys in the NBA that would have made that pass. I assure you that Julian Wright could not make that play.
That’s the big difference with Jackson. He can make so many plays his inconsistent three point shot isn’t a big deal. Think about Brandon Rush. Was Rush nearly the ball handler or passer that Jackson is at any point in his KU career? I would have to say no. Rush was the superior shooter, but Jackson matches or exceeds Rush in literally every other category right now.
Enjoy Josh right now, because he will be playing in the NBA this time next year.
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@drgnslayr You are looking only at guards from 2008. Go back and look at who had the best game in the championship… Darrell Arthur with 20 & 10. Inside game is ALWAYS needed. Someone on this team is going to have to give something for a title to be possible. This year will be fun to watch and we can make a final four, I just don’t see a title from such a one dimensional team.
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@BigBad that’s why getting Dok game experience is so important. He has the talent to be a consistent low post scorer that can put KU in the title conversation. Would be nice if Landon and Carlton came around sometime…
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Jesse had this nice little breakdown of KU’s first plays of the last six game (we scored first in all six). Josh is a big part of it…
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article117621668.html
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That’s a quality break down. One other item of note in that piece that Jesse didn’t point out (probably due to a word count issue). Each play other than the first game was scored on the first action. If you look at the shot clock, KU is scoring within 9 or 10 seconds. That means they are exploiting the action very efficiently.
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Two 6-7 210 pounders with lousy treys making it in the L in the age of the trey. Amazing!!
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So you think Josh could be the hub of an NCAA ring team and have as long of an NBA career as Rush has had with the same injuries that Rush has had at the same points of his career? That’s what it would take to argue that Josh is even comparable to Rush, right?
Man, I just don’t know if I can go there with you.
I’m not even sure Josh is good enough to carry this team to a ring fully healthy yet.
I know Josh is a few seasons younger than Rush, was as a senior. But going back to Rush’s freshman year, Self by about this time just put the team on Rush’s back and said carry us. Chalmers wasn’t ready for the full load yet. Do you really think Josh is ready to be the man that carries this team as a freshman?
I don’t know. That feels like a bit of a stretch right now.
I think Josh is good, but better than Rush?
Whew!
I’ll have to think about that for awhile.
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@jaybate-1.0 Rush was never a senior. He did have a very important role as a freshman and was an iron man, but that wasn’t a ring team or close to it. His problem was the accident as a kid that shortened one of his arms and kept him from driving with either hand. Also not a terrific passer.
Even so, a truly great college player.
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I’m not picking on you here. You said Rush was a great player. I’m still trying to get my head around the idea others think Josh IS better!
Him not being a senior brings them a season closer.
But the crucial point of comparison remains: could Josh EVER be remotely as good as Rush WAS with the multiple knee injuries Rush incurred, if Josh incurred them at the same stages?
Rush was soooooo much stronger and every bit as athletic before injury, and he could jump shoot circles around Josh all over the floor. Heck, Rush seemed as athletic as Josh AFTER Rush’s first knee injury that brought him back for the junior season. Josh SEEMS a better ball handler but not at all the lock down defender Rush was. Rush guarded everyone from 1-4 positions over the years. Hell, Rush didn’t do a half bad job even on flipping Kevin Durant tho Durant did keep scoring! Josh hasn’t even stepped on the shellac with someone like Durant. Good lord, I like Josh, but doesn’t he have to do something better than dribble better than Rush to actually be better?
I’m having trouble calling Josh better, when the only thing he can do is dribble better.
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@justanotherfan If you want to talk about deadly mid-range shooters try Anthony Davis. He is lethal within 20 feet but almost never takes a 3.
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Best part of tonight’s game for me was Lagerald Vick’s steals. Real legitimate steals, one being a run-out. Do we finally have a full set of perimeter players who can create steals?
