July predictions for the upcoming season results
-
@justanotherfan my biggest question, how much improved is, Big Dave?
-
@justanotherfan very reasonable take. I think Bill’s coaching always elevates the team in the regular season. I think there are coaches with last years roster that fail to make the tournament.
We are all very excited for Remy and rightfully so but he has warts or h wouldn’t be back in college. His advanced stat profile is somewhat worrisome but still he will be great for us. The question is in tough games against elite comp how does KU do.
I’m expecting big gains from Jalen again, he is working his ass off. Look for a better three ball and more rebounding from what has been reported.
Yesufu to me is the ultimate wild card. We know about the end of his season but much of that was against sub par comp. His stats against better teams were due to volume, not efficiency. I imagine the truth will be somewhere in the middle. Overall I like his game and the fit for Bill. He is the kind of guard that Bill “turns into” a pg.
I would like to believe we get the Dave from the second half of the season because early Dave was nigh unplayable.
Och and CB I don’t expect big leaps but both will end up shooting better with better guard play.
-
I’m not sure we need a superstar for the team to be elite next season, but I think we have some candidates. Jalen, or the point guard who averaged 19 per game last season.
My concerns for next season are: One, how well this team will defend; and two, how well Dave will hold down the center position.
-
I’m confident this is a Top 5 team. Lots of shooting. Lots of depth. Plenty of offensive playmaking to avoid the stagnant periods of a year ago.
Athleticism is still an issue, but I think we more than make up for it.
-
@justanotherfan said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
KU will be very solid, but likely not great. I look at the roster and see tons of good (even very good) players, but no superstars.
That probably means 20 something wins, finishing top three in the conference (lots of rebuilding going on in the Big 12) with a real shot at winning the conference, a top 4 NCAA tournament seed and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. I don’t see Final Four on this team right now, but the season I just described would have 95% of fan bases absolutely salivating for the start of the season (seriously, if you are a fan of Cal, or Mississippi State, or Purdue, or Boston College, or Iowa State, and you knew right now that the next basketball season held that as the likely outcome, those fanbases would be beyond excited for November to get here). We are spoiled as KU fans, because that’s a great season most places, but just a kind of okay season in Lawrence.
Still, that’s what I am anticipating. If things break right, I could see KU winning the Big 12 going away, getting a top 2 seed and being in the hunt for a Final Four, but that will require some guys to step forward on both ends of the floor.
KU may not have any future NBA superstars this year, but Remy Martin is absolutely a college superstar. You don’t become a multiple time first team all conference in a P5 league without being a great college player. Martin is what elevates KU from Big 12 contender to national title contender. As long as Dave can be the same Dave from the last 2/3 of last season, there won’t be many, if any, better 1-2 punches in the country.
-
I’m curious to see how mentally tough this team is. I feel like the past few seasons we’ve been a bit fragile when punched in the mouth. Athleticism seems to trump everything, but I want to see what kind of fire and mental fortitude these guys possess when the dogfight is in full swing. I don’t know as much about these guys as @BShark and others, but I sense we have a few tough hombres on this team.
-
@tis4tim Well said. The last couple of teams have been soft and individual players have disappeared when the going got tough (Braun, Wilson, even Agbaji at times, and Big Dave when he was up against big and athletic power forwards).
This year’s team should have plenty of suitable backups. I think an earlier post said that if anybody gets an attitude (or goes soft) they will be sitting on the bench. If that doesn’t motivate some of these incumbent players with NBA aspirations, nothing will.
I can’t wait to see this team play. And I’ll be disappointed if the roster is the same as last year with just a replacement for Garrett. Let’s see these new guys earn and take some minutes!
-
@Crimsonorblue22 said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
@justanotherfan my biggest question, how much improved is, Big Dave?
With the roster that we have for this year , the players in place I don’t think Dave has to improve that much at all. He I believe it was at 13.3 ppg and about 8 rebounds per game . many many times he saved our butts. If we can get reasonably balanced scoring I think will be fine right about where he is at. I think Dave was an easy target for people to beat up last year and get down on. There was plenty of fault to go around for ALL on the roster last year.
Ochi had more the his share of turning the ball over and just flat disappearing in games. There were times last year made you wonder if he even suited up, many times seemed like he was in a flat ass hurry to get rid of the ball out of his hands. - - - Jalen went through slumps shooting wasn’t the best . Christian was another that disappeared lost all confidence in his shot , got to the point he was turning down wide open shots not even looking at the basket.
I think if Dave can put up the same kind of numbers he did last year, possibly a little better rebound average he gonna be fine - - stay out of foul trouble -he/we going to be fine. - We have the Scoreeres this year don’t need huge numbers
-
I’m really high on the Yesufu/Remy additions. Both can just turn into a microwave. Both can get to the basket. Both should be massive improvements in the transition game (the amount of points left on the floor during a 2 on 1 break last year was embarrassing).
These are things that this team really lacked a year ago.
-
I don’t remember the specifics but Otis Livingston committed an all time blunder when he got kicked off the 1988 KU team during the conference tournament. He and Brown argued about something.
He has been very successful as a sports reporter in NYC winning multiple Emmies! Good for him.
I hope the same thing happens this year.
-
@Crimsonorblue22 asks a fair question of how much Big Dave improves. I think he will be improved because he is a hard worker. The question is not if he improves, or even how much, but where.
If Dave improves as a scorer, that helps some, because Self will always want to be able to throw the ball into the post, but because Dave isn’t a superstar scorer, unless he improves to that level, too much improvement here could be a detriment because it may lead KU to trying to run its offense through Big Dave rather than keeping things on the perimeter, where there are better scorers. So if Dave isn’t a superstar scorer, KU is better off with him more or less being the same, because him getting more touches may not improve the team long term.
Now, if Big Dave has improved as a passer, we are talking about some major team improvement here because now we are talking about him kicking the ball out from the post to a bevy of capable shooters. While a modest improvement in scoring doesn’t necessarily help KU next year, a modest improvement as a passer does because that unlocks parts of the offense that currently are not open.
In the same vein, a modest improvement as a rebounder helps KU because it means Big Dave can more ably be relied on as the sole big man in the lineup without KU getting smashed on the boards. This is also an area where Dave has a chance to really improve, so improvements here would be noticeable from him to even the most casual fan, and it would make a big difference for the team as well.
If Big Dave improves defensively, particularly with rim protection, this is where KU probably improves the most. He isn’t bad defensively now, but if he improves into a true deterrent around the rim, that helps KU’s otherwise pedestrian perimeter defense move closer to a championship quality group. KU has a chance to be improved on the perimeter defensively next year as a unit (having one or two top notch defenders doesn’t help if other guys are below average). If that happens and Dave can anchor the defense in the middle, again, that allows for a noticeable improvement, raising both the floor and the ceiling for this team.
-
@justanotherfan really outstanding post. Nailed it.
-
@justanotherfan To add to the Big Dave factor. We know Big Dave works hard and is is going to be better, more comfortable, and a more efficient (if not a spectacular physical) presence than last year. I think a big part of Self’s offense will be with a big smart Dave and a totally unleashed Ochai… if those two can figure out how to work together, we’re good. Really good.
-
I agree… it would be great to see Dave improve on defense.
More than anything else… I’d like to see Dave just focus on his feet. Developing a bit better foot coordination and quickness would vastly help his defensive positioning. I do think he has improved his foot coordination over the past year and just hope he continues to work on it more. I always suggest dance lessons.
-
@DanR said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
@justanotherfan To add to the Big Dave factor. We know Big Dave works hard and is is going to be better, more comfortable, and a more efficient (if not a spectacular physical) presence than last year. I think a big part of Self’s offense will be with a big smart Dave and a totally unleashed Ochai… if those two can figure out how to work together, we’re good. Really good.
Ochai will not be the focus of the offense. He’ll either be the second or more likely the third option this year. Remy Martin is going to be option one because he is Frank Mason levels of aggressive driving to the basket and having a much better supporting cast here than in Tempe should also boost his 3 point % because he doesn’t have to be a volume shooter like he was there. Dave may very well be the #2 scorer on this team as a lot of the offense will involve him and Remy. Ochai should still be a double digit scorer, but his role will likely change more into a 3 point shooter/lob receiver so hopefully Ochai is working on the corner 3 this off season.
-
Dave’s coming off foot surgery too!
-
The new way to early espn top 25 has KU at #2 behind Gonzaga. Bill tells Dickie V we’re gonna be real good!! Can’t wait to get this started!
-
@Oldmanhawk ditto.
-
@Oldmanhawk should be a very fun year. Not a ton of super elite talent, but a lot of really damn good college players.
-
Any word on who will RS?
-
@rockchalkwyo said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
Any word on who will RS?
Way too early to say for sure, but what I can say is take Cuffe to the bank. Beyond that I really don’t know. And won’t for awhile.
-
Thanks farmer! I figured he would considering he’s lacking HS experience. Looking at the pictures from the KU Basketball Facebook page today, KJ looks buff! He’s the one I’m really interested in on RS.
Side note, a few of them look to be in great shape, especially Ochia
-
-
@FarmerJayhawk said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
@rockchalkwyo said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
Any word on who will RS?
Way too early to say for sure, but what I can say is take Cuffe to the bank. Beyond that I really don’t know. And won’t for awhile.
Cuffe was a 4-star right? His game is that undeveloped? Serious question, not trying to be a smartass. I realize though that we are bigtime deep.
-
@Marco He is for sure a project and I believe his family understands this.
-
@Marco said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
@FarmerJayhawk said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
@rockchalkwyo said in July predictions for the upcoming season results:
Any word on who will RS?
Way too early to say for sure, but what I can say is take Cuffe to the bank. Beyond that I really don’t know. And won’t for awhile.
Cuffe was a 4-star right? His game is that undeveloped? Serious question, not trying to be a smartass. I realize though that we are bigtime deep.
Yeah, he only played two real years of HS ball. Reclassified and 20-21 was basically canceled in NJ. Needs time.
