Silvio De Diallo



  • He still seems completely lost on both ends.



  • @BShark I can’t figure that out. He looked so good his first year. I think with the other two big guys available Self won’t let him play through mistakes. Of course Dave makes plenty of his own…



  • @Hawk8086 Dave makes mistakes that are acceptable to Bill, that’s the big difference. Old habits die hard.

    Either second big is a pretty big step down offensively from Doke that’s for sure.



  • We’ll see if Doke makes it through the season. Silvio is a great insurance policy.



  • I have been wrong on this before, but seems to me Silvio will be around next year. Which is a good thing. He has the athletic ability, so he just needs to figure out how and when to use it. He has a pretty good coach, and pretty good assistant coaches as well, so you know they will be working hard with him. And I have to say, I was skeptical on Biggus Davus last year… but there is clearly marked improvement from last year. Another good/great thing.



  • Hawk8086 said:

    @BShark I can’t figure that out. He looked so good his first year. I think with the other two big guys available Self won’t let him play through mistakes. Of course Dave makes plenty of his own…

    He really wasn’t that good his freshman year. He played 175 minutes total his first year. We misjudge his freshman year because of his B12 tournament, the West Virginia game specifically, the same way a lot of people misjudge Cole’s freshman year because of his appearance against UNC and stopping Hansbrough.

    Silvio has never been a good scorer, he only hit double figures twice his freshman year and only played 20+ minutes twice that year as well. Silvio is a very good rebounder, but that’s about it at this point. Silvio is the most athletic of the bigs, but he’s also the least skilled.

    We also forget that Silvio spent his suspension year on the scout team so he was never running KU stuff, he was running other team’s sets so he didn’t develop his own game as much as if he was running KU’s sets last season.



  • McCormack looked good. He needs to start. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!



  • @Texas-Hawk-10 You are probably right…maybe we say he showed good potential his freshmen year.



  • Theory - Self wants to have Dave next year much more than Silvio. Does not want to provoke a transfer. With Doke likely gone, he needs Dave in the middle. Without Dave, we don’t have that big presence in the middle.

    @Marco What say you, though, about his compatibility on the floor at the same time with Doke?



  • Marco said:

    McCormack looked good. He needs to start. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

    McCormack has started every game but the Monmouth game. He just doesn’t have consistent enough range to play the high post spot in the high-low with Doke.



  • Texas Hawk 10 said:

    Marco said:

    McCormack looked good. He needs to start. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

    McCormack has started every game but the Monmouth game. He just doesn’t have consistent enough range to play the high post spot in the high-low with Doke.

    Exactly right. More to it than range though, I think.

    Three points of paralysis with our offense all related to playing Dave and Doke together -

    1) Garrett’s inability/refusal to shoot outside. This leaves us woefully undermanned from the three point line.

    2) Dave’s inability to effectively feed, compliment and make Doke better. Bilas said they “don’t mesh” – perfect assessment.

    3) Doke being clogged up and inhibited with Dave out there. Dave drifts low. His defender slacks off of him. Doke operates so much better when he has space. The late game and OT were great examples.

    Dayton was pretty incompetent defending inside. Other teams won’t be. Dayton worked pretty hard on the three point line. But they pretty much had no way to stop Doke. Again, other teams can jam up Doke.

    We saw early in the season, in exhibitions, how inferior teams clogged up Doke. With Dave on the floor, it’s much easier to do that. Dave CAN’T feed the post. That’s paralyzing to this offense.

    By the way, Dave should never shoot that silly 17 footer. It’s the worst shot in the game in this three point shooting age, particularly when he isn’t going to make 50% of them.

    This can’t continue with Doke and Dave. Self knows it.

    Assuming Garrett is a locked in as a starter and that Silvio is banished to the bench, for the long term success of this team, this year, I’d just start Enaruna now. Why wait?

    Moss was the choice late game. And that’s fine. Moss has experience. He’s hot and cold. Perfect off the bench. Vinnie Johnson-esq. Again, if Self is fixed on starting Garrett.

    But I haven’t given up on Silvio.



  • HighEliteMajor said:

    Theory - Self wants to have Dave next year much more than Silvio. Does not want to provoke a transfer. With Doke likely gone, he needs Dave in the middle. Without Dave, we don’t have that big presence in the middle.

    @Marco What say you, though, about his compatibility on the floor at the same time with Doke?

    Doke is a SR, so he is 100% gone.



  • I think the Dayton game really showed where Silvio is right now and why he isn’t getting more minutes. We played that game at a higher level, and part of that was our “frequency” has turned up. Notice how quick the game moved. This isn’t a frequency Silvio is ready to contribute at. That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to speed up and execute this year. I’m willing to bet he will get “up to speed” eventually. Texas Hawk 10 has been right on when mentioning the lack of experience on this team.

    Silvio is gifted and he is gifted in a different way than our other bigs, but it isn’t going to show until he can come in and execute at this frequency.



  • Silvio came in the game, sagged off mikesell but there was a foul call so the guard didnt kick it out to him for a wide open 3. I believe it was the next play he let Mikesell right by him for a left handed drive that resulted in a 2 pt bucket. Self had enough of the defense from him at that point. He also took an ill advised 2 that missed badly. I think his leash is short which either is a sign of how far away he still is or something Self is trying to teach into him



  • @drgnslayr @BeddieKU23 I was really high on Silvio. Energy, intensity, athleticism, and skill. But you both make good points. I was not noting poor defense earlier, but I wasn’t really looking for it I guess.

    But it should be noted that his rebound rate is slightly better than Doke’s, he’s fourth on the team in scoring per minute, and he has highest block rate (with block master Mitch RSing). Turnovers are high. Couple that with the defensive issues, that’s probably the answer. I agree he’ll get up to speed, but I wonder about our scheme, how he’ll fit, Enaruna, and numbers.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    I’m thinking in the abstract… How do we make room for Silvio? Once he gets up to speed and can contribute significantly… how do we use him?

    I think of it like how we used the zone last night. That zone is what saved us from probably losing the game. It allowed us to get back in the game and it set Dayton back on their heels until they beat it with the long ball in the corners. It’s great to see Self is willing to use some zone.

    Sometimes we run something that won’t be the ultimate answer but will throw teams off for awhile. I think Silvio will give us that option when he speeds up. He also offers us depth in the post. Teams are going to attack Doke all year, trying to get him in foul trouble.

    Doke impressed me in this game in several ways. He executed his best game as a Jayhawk. And except for when he wagged his finger at the Flyer and his 5th foul, he showed solid poise in this game. His effectiveness is all about him maintaining emotional control. And after his early foul trouble, he settled down. Even hit FTs. What we saw from him on the line should be more common in the future because his FT shooting is the product of where he is concerning emotional control.



  • @BShark

    I don’t get it. Silvio has waited a long time and it’s one mistake and yanked. I don’t think he deserves time because he waited for eligibility but give him the time that Braun is getting. Let him work through an error or two before being yanked.



  • @drgnslayr I didn’t know he was on the court until he committed a silly foul and was yanked. He played less than one minute against Dayton.



  • @jhawk7782 the big issue is yesterday outside of the first 2-3 minutes we were only playing one big. That means 46 total big minutes. I think we can all agree Udoka is far and away our best big offensively. So it comes down to Dave or Silvio for back-up minutes which had to be sparing because that is a game where Self was riding the best guys.



  • @BShark Self has proven that he is a great game coach so I rarely question his decisions or his ability to make in-game adjustments but as a player knowing you will be yanked the moment you make a mistake doesn’t help.

    I also think Triston should get more minutes. He can play at least three positions and is frankly better than those who play ahead of him. I’m a huge Garrett fan but his inability to play without so many fouls and lack of offense is becoming a liability.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    I’m still high on him as well and I think he is a bit pissed about being the last big in the rotation and seeing how Self is realizing 2 bigs isnt working. I can imagine he is thinking that he sat for a whole year and now is sitting when he can play and is pressing in short minutes. If he got an opportunity to play 15 20 minutes a game I think you would see him more comfortable but now it’s in his head to press to please and it’s just not working. He is a great rebounder and has good energy but he is definitely rough around the edges still. Theres grumblings he doesnt know how to run the offense too. I hope he gets it together



  • jhawk7782 said:

    @BShark Self has proven that he is a great game coach so I rarely question his decisions or his ability to make in-game adjustments but as a player knowing you will be yanked the moment you make a mistake doesn’t help.

    It’s really only Silvio now. Agbaji and others get to play through mistakes.

    The big reason why is he just has no idea where he is supposed to be offensively or defensively. That’s a big no no with Self.

    jhawk7782 said:

    I also think Triston should get more minutes. He can play at least three positions and is frankly better than those who play ahead of him. I’m a huge Garrett fan but his inability to play without so many fouls and lack of offense is becoming a liability.

    Tristan is 6th in minutes played which I feel is about right. He has some good tools and the length to defend but drifts at times and his shooting is an adventure. It might go in, or it might not even hit the rim. Overall I do like him and defensively he is clearly in our top 3 impactful guys (with Doke and Garrett).

    So who does he get minutes over is the question.

    There is a good reason Moss played 36 minutes yesterday. Despite him only taking one shot he was crucial to the win. He was engaged completely on the defensive end (very proud of his effort), moved the ball and most importantly forced Dayton to respect him from the 3 line. I like getting Moss starter type minutes going forward as we depart from the 3-2.

    Garrett is our third best player right now and it’s not particularly close. He just keeps improving every year. He has his limitations but if he stays healthy he should be very respectable at that end. He was really coming along last year before the ankle injury took away his greatest strength - driving. We’ve seen it now multiple times in the clutch where Garrett makes a great play to get to the basket.

    Whatever we think of Ochai, he played all 45 minutes yesterday so it’s clear what Self thinks. To me he is the biggest concern at this point and we really have to hope he improves because he will play.



  • jhawk7782 said:

    @BShark Self has proven that he is a great game coach so I rarely question his decisions or his ability to make in-game adjustments but as a player knowing you will be yanked the moment you make a mistake doesn’t help.

    I also think Triston should get more minutes. He can play at least three positions and is frankly better than those who play ahead of him. I’m a huge Garrett fan but his inability to play without so many fouls and lack of offense is becoming a liability.

    Tristan is still terrible on defense. Garrett plays a physical brand of defense and the refs called him for some ticky tack calls last night. And Garrett is also not the offensive liability that Ochai is right now. Garrett is also shooting better from 3 than Dotson is at this point.

    Marcus Garrett is a player that makes everyone better around him, but he also shouldn’t be KU’s 3rd leading scorer either. He should be 4th or 5th on this group.



  • Agree Moss was excellent, better than he played last year at Iowa, scoring or not, his play is vet+

    Dave has shown way more offensive potential and defensive activity than Silvio so far. I am HUGE Silvio fan and if he, Dave and Mitch are Manning the post next year, I am happy as a clam-

    Don’t discount the 17 footer- not making comparison- but Kawhi lives in the mid-range, Westbrook is learning that making 50+ inside the 3 is better than missing 77.5% outside the 3.



  • I mentioned weeks ago that all three of our massive bigs were like locomotion engines. Slow to start, but eventually will pick up speed. Doke and DMac are starting to pickup momentum. Silvio is behind, but he has the least experience.

    I know we all think the 4 guard offense is the inevitable. But I’m not so sure Self thinks it is over (running two bigs). I think he just thinks it will take some time to build something that works. And Silvio has to bring his game along to speed up. I’m like everyone else and am skeptical if these guys will learn how to guard the perimeter. But then… all our bigs are improving at a fast clip. Maybe we shouldn’t be so skeptical and should just let Self do his thing!



  • @BeddieKU23 This is the one thing I hate how Self does it. Same thing happened to Hunter Mickelson. If you live in fear of making a mistake, guess what you are going to do. Silvio saved our season as a frosh, he deserves better. You can really get into the flow of the game when you play 34 seconds. The cryo-ice may be forming on Silvio and that is just not right.



  • Fightsongwriter said:

    @BeddieKU23 This is the one thing I hate how Self does it. Same thing happened to Hunter Mickelson. If you live in fear of making a mistake, guess what you are going to do. Silvio saved our season as a frosh, he deserves better. You can really get into the flow of the game when you play 34 seconds. The cryo-ice may be forming on Silvio and that is just not right.

    Unfortunately this is where Silvio is at, there always seems to be one player every year like this. Doke is the centerpiece and if he stays out of foul trouble he’s going to play. It just seems like the way the roster is constructed that playing 2 bigs is going to be situational, opponent based because of how stagnant things look without 4 guards on the court.

    No doubt Silvio was important his freshman year and we know what he’s capable of. I’m hopeful he’ll get some opportunities in games coming up, its a long season and we’ll have games he will be needed



  • JayhawksandChill said:

    Don’t discount the 17 footer- not making comparison- but Kawhi lives in the mid-range, Westbrook is learning that making 50+ inside the 3 is better than missing 77.5% outside the 3.

    @JayhawksandChill Thanks for posting. Feel free to jump in here more often.

    I’ll have to trust your NBA reference.

    As for KU, this season, we are shooting 49.8% on shots at the rim and 32.8% on three point shots. So effectively the same points result on a shot. Shooting 50% from 2 and 33.3% from 3 on 100 shots = 100 points each.

    But as with most teams, our percentage on two point jumpers (those away from the rim) renders a much worse percentage — 35.6%.

    That equals just 71.2 points on 100 shots. That’s a huge differential.

    My 17 footer reference was to suggest that a two point jumper that far away is a really bad option, given other options.

    That said Dave is actually over 50% on two point jumpers — I just don’t like those deep attempts.

    And I know this can’t totally work out, but we should ONLY either shoot a three or take a shot at the rim until we get late in the shot clock.

    I’ve heard commentators talk about “settling” for a three. That’s not settling in my opinion. “Settling” is a two point jumper.

    Doke at the rim is of course the overwhelmingly best option.



  • If we had Kawhi or Lamarcus on the roster I’d be okay with some two point jumpers. Clearly, we do not.



  • Simien lived in the midrange. That’s what made the 15 footer he missed in the tournament hurt so bad. That shot was normally money. But yeah, it’s a poor shot to pick - at the rim or an open three is what you want.



  • @dylans when it is wiiide open and a player like Simien I am okay with it. That is a painful memory.



  • We don’t need Dave to exclusively take that top of the key jumper, but he has to be good enough from that range to make defenses guard out there to open up the high low for Doke.

    I’d love to see McCormack extend his range out to three point range, it just won’t happen this year.



  • Dave could shoot 80% on 2 point jumpers and it wouldn’t matter, why? That’s because nobody respects his shot so those open made jumpers do nothing to how he will be guarded since he isnt a threat a few feet deeper. If he had 3 point range defenses would guard him closer



  • BeddieKU23 said:

    Fightsongwriter said:

    @BeddieKU23 This is the one thing I hate how Self does it. Same thing happened to Hunter Mickelson. If you live in fear of making a mistake, guess what you are going to do. Silvio saved our season as a frosh, he deserves better. You can really get into the flow of the game when you play 34 seconds. The cryo-ice may be forming on Silvio and that is just not right.

    Unfortunately this is where Silvio is at, there always seems to be one player every year like this. Doke is the centerpiece and if he stays out of foul trouble he’s going to play. It just seems like the way the roster is constructed that playing 2 bigs is going to be situational, opponent based because of how stagnant things look without 4 guards on the court.

    No doubt Silvio was important his freshman year and we know what he’s capable of. I’m hopeful he’ll get some opportunities in games coming up, its a long season and we’ll have games he will be needed

    Hey, could be me but just curious. - -Does Doke look more athletic this year to you? - - A little more fluid, seems like he moves a little better ? - yes still puts the ball down on the floor , big mistake for any big man but just seems like he is moving better am I crazy? - -did I see things that aren’t there? - made a couple of really nice moves the other night just curious



  • @jayballer73

    The weight loss I’m sure has had a positive impact on him. He is in the best shape of his life and you can see it. I think Dayton defensively made a big mistake not doubling the post. Other teams are going to take that away from him but if they don’t then its feast time for him. I’m hopeful we get a bunch more games of him showing off his dominance



  • BeddieKU23 said:

    Dave could shoot 80% on 2 point jumpers and it wouldn’t matter, why? That’s because nobody respects his shot so those open made jumpers do nothing to how he will be guarded since he isnt a threat a few feet deeper. If he had 3 point range defenses would guard him closer

    If Dave hit that shot at that rate, I’d tell Dave to shoot every time he has the ball in that position.



  • HEM has his math down. He’s right in logic. I just don’t believe we face teams coached up well enough to stay totally disciplined to a logical strategy. If Big Mac pops 2 or 3 mid range shots with ease, I’m pretty sure some (or most) of his defenders will start guarding him tighter out there.

    The game of basketball is largely a game of superstition. We all know teams get hot and they get cold. Why? I think it is largely because teams play into their own superstitions. When they come out in a blaze, they tend to think they will stay hot. Confidence tends to help them play better. When cold… usually, deep down, they will question their ability to warm up and we all know players tend to continue to play bad if they are down in the dumps.

    That “superstition” translates on the defensive end, too. Defenders start buying in that a guy is hot when he nails a couple or three shots.

    Part of my intrigue with this game is the superstition. Guys ‘believing’ and then playing to their very immediate beliefs. I can’t think of any other sport with so much superstition. And it is superstition.

    Coaches totally buy in to superstitions, too. We can all recall coaches who watch a guy nail a shot or two that he shouldn’t have taken, then the coach will sometimes even encourage him to keep taking the same shot.



  • @drgnslayr And in the opposite direction, some of the coach superstitions include a deep and abiding faith in their own infallibilty so they fail to do anything to adjust to an opponent being hot. @HighEliteMajor can no doubt expound on this at greater length!



  • @mayjay

    I hear you.

    I didn’t mention the fans’ superstitions. Then we talk politics. If a coach doesn’t adjust to “hotness” the fans will bark. I can poke fun at all this… including myself and my lucky KU t-shirt I save only for Final Fours…


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