Self talking about the team
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@Texas-Hawk-10 the biggest question to me is “how good of a 3pt shooting team will we be?” The charity stripe won’t be nearly the adventure it was with Doke on the floor. However, with Marcus on ball, unless he got a lot sharper from 3, the D can sag off and help. Yes, we will be good driving the ball, but good defenses can probably stifle our scoring, and since 3>2, with a bad tourney draw, could still amount to an early exit.
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@BShark said in Self talking about the team:
Interesting to note Bill listed Jalen as one of the three shooters on the team that he “trusts”. Maybe he plays more than we thought.
yikes. I do not like this.
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I love the roster from a depth/athleticism standpoint though.
They should be a top 5 team defensively again. I’d say at least half of the minutes will be played with nobody shorter than 6’5 on the court. They have the length to really be a nuisance.
I think this may be the year Bill brings back the 3-2… Perfect team for it. Put Garrett up top, Thompson and TGF on the wings in the passing lanes. Enaruna and a big in the post.
Clearly going to struggle to score at times this year unless Ochai can bring some stability. But he was streaky last season. It’ll be interesting to see if Bryce can grow in to that roll of the go to scorer though.
I’ll be curious to see who starts. I really like Garrett, Bryce, Braun, Ochai and Big Dave. Harris, Enaruna and TGF the first three off the bench.
We really need to see Silvio take a leap this year. Just mentally. Because if it is Silvio of last year or Mitch as backup C, that is no bueno.
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@approxinfinity said in Self talking about the team:
@Texas-Hawk-10 the biggest question to me is “how good of a 3pt shooting team will we be?” The charity stripe won’t be nearly the adventure it was with Doke on the floor. However, with Marcus on ball, unless he got a lot sharper from 3, the D can sag off and help. Yes, we will be good driving the ball, but good defenses can probably stifle our scoring, and since 3>2, with a bad tourney draw, could still amount to an early exit.
Last year KU was actually an average or even slightly above average shooting team. Of course we would like to see improvement, but I found that interesting looking at the numbers. It wasn’t that bad.
It felt bad though, for sure.
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@approxinfinity Being able to drive the ball will lead to a lot of trips to the FT lime which will offset some of the 3 point shooting though. Also, this team is going to be elite defensively on the perimeter so I don’t see very many teams being able to torch KU from deep next season.
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Jalen down 15 pounds. That was telling there
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http://www2.kusports.com/news/2020/oct/05/new-look-jalen-wilson-one-few-early-standouts-kans/
The Jalen hype train is full steam ahead it seems.
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@BeddieKU23 might’ve been his hair
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@BShark so if we are identifying ourselves as a defensively elite team, which I can buy ( @Texas-Hawk-10 's point) , my gut reaction about Jalen is that he gives us a “different look” but does not fit the core identity of the team. What we gain in 3 pt shooting we lose in foot speed. My assumptions about him may be outdated.
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Jalen isn’t recognizable from last year. He’s changed that much. I’m not even talking about the hair. Though… a big hair change like that usually symbolizes other changes, too.
It will be impossible to keep that kid out of the lineup because of his aggression. We’ve got so many unproven players this year, and if Jalen brings the aggression he was famous for, along with his increased athleticism…
We need someone to spark the offense. With this much youth, and our experienced players aren’t famous for offense… we need several of the young players stepping up and producing.
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Someone is not going get the minutes they want.
TGF, Enaruna or Wilson.
I just don’t see a way you play all of them. Braun played so well last year he’s going to get minutes. Thompson is supposed to be our ringer. Ochai is Ochai. Garrett is Garrett.
So one of those three is likely to have a few DNPs
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@Kcmatt7 said in Self talking about the team:
Someone is not going get the minutes they want.
TGF, Enaruna or Wilson.
I just don’t see a way you play all of them. Braun played so well last year he’s going to get minutes. Thompson is supposed to be our ringer. Ochai is Ochai. Garrett is Garrett.
So one of those three is likely to have a few DNPs
Completely agree. Regardless of what we think Ochai is locked in as a starter with Garrett and Dave.
Thompson and Braun both play.
Harris by virtue of actually being a guard will get some run.
That’s already 6 and we can bank on Mitch playing some and hopefully Silvio depending on the situation.
Absolute best case is 9 are in the regular rotation. Which means one of Mitch and Silvio gets lean minutes (prob Silvio) and one of the trio you mentioned is on the outside looking in. Ngl I thought it was going to be Jalen but it’s not sounding like that anymore. I could easily see the one it ends up being transferring out.
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@BShark my guess is TGF ends up being the odd man out. But that’s just a guess at this point. I thought Enaruna showed some flashes last year of next level talent so I’d hate to see him go.
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Boot Camp complete!
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I’m expecting TGF to be a big part of the rotation. May not start right away but his combination of skills on both ends seems like something the rotation needs. Watching film and some of his games from Indian Hills he’s the one guy in that 6’7-6’8 range that has that gifted athletic ability compared to Enaruna/Wilson/Braun/Lightfoot. He’s a sneaky good rebounder and shot blocker as well defensively. Going to be interesting to see how impactful he can be
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I hope he’s a force. I’m so torn on who I think gets minutes.
My brain says we saw Wilson last year. And unless he made a massive jump, he is going to be the outside looking in. And you really can’t take these comments from Bill at face value.
At the same time I could see Wilson actually putting it together a little bit and carving out a roll.
Good problem to have.
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I feel like we didn’t get to really see wilson. He had virtually no game time and he didn’t have a chance to develop. Sometimes freshman change a lot over a year. I remember oubre jr really struggling until about conference season and then he was great. Wilson started the first exhibition game over the other freshman, meaning he out played them in practice. Braun looked the best thru the first 2 exhibition games but looked bad against duke and tristian looked like the best freshman in that game. Wilson got hurt shortly after that and braun ended up making big strides and enaruna never made a big impact… from what I saw of wilson he had good strength and height to play the 4 spot if we played 4 guards. Had the 3 and D potential for a pro career but his ability to drive the ball was my concern. He may not be good but let’s not rush at dismissing a top 60 recruit after like 3-5 games lol. People assume Harris will play a lot. We haven’t seen him play at all. We could easily go 4 guards and Thompson/braun could play back up pg and tgf, wilson, and Tristian will get quality mins from a 4 guard lineup.
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Yeah Wilson is still a big unknown. He needs to beat out TGF or Enaruna for minutes. Good competition, each has a different skillset they bring. Good problem to have
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The bods look great!
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@jayhawks2010 said in Self talking about the team:
We could easily go 4 guards and Thompson/braun could play back up pg and tgf, wilson, and Tristian will get quality mins from a 4 guard lineup.
That sounds awful from a ball handling perspective.
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If Jalen Wilson’s shooting isn’t significantly improved, he’s going to be the odd man out and I really wouldn’t be surprised if he transfers out after this season.
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I think he’s a 3-4 year guy and hope he is up for that. Seems to me to be similar to Andrew White.
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I was thinking the same as Texas Hawk but the preseason hype has me wondering a little bit. Should probably stick to initial evaluations but sometimes those look foolish.
@approxinfinity I’d take that minus the helicopter parent. White sure got around.
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Wilson being down 15 pounds should help his quickness. Not sure it’ll be enough to get into the conversation about playing the 3, would would definitely be some value added.
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Wilson shot 39% from three in highschool. Shot mechanics looked solid from the little I saw. Too me he has to improve ball handling and driving. His ball handling did not look great last year. I think he will be a pretty good three point shooter by his junior year… Tristian is the opposite. Great explosive driver but his shot mechanics were not good and that will limit his potential.
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@jayhawks2010 39% in HS really isn’t that good for someone who’s supposed to be considered a good shooter. Shooting percentage doesn’t increase when you step up a level and Jalen was terrible shooting in what action he did have in the first couple of exhibitions and games. He also had an injury that didn’t really allow him to be able to do much until he was fully recovered which wasn’t until the end of the season.
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TGF being hurt makes it tough to really assess where things are at. His versatility can solve a lot of problems for KU because he has the ability to do a little bit of everything. He can guard 1-4. He can handle the ball. He can shoot it. He’s a very solid rebounder. But if his injury lingers, we may see something in that skill set compromised (i.e., if he can’t run and jump, his defense and rebounding (and maybe shooting) could suffer.
I see Wilson as a fill in the blanks guy, maybe even a deluxe fill in the blanks guy. He’s basically a guy that can give you whatever you need on a particular night. Of course, this is dependent on him staying healthy as well. I’m not sold on him as a shooter, but if he is shooting it well, that could boost the rest of his game (it’s just easier to play well when shots are going in).
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I’m still waiting for the first “I’ve heard Mitch added the three to his game” of the season. I’m flabbergasted nobody here has said it yet lol.
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I think the “x-factor” for Jalen is his reputation as a scrapper. Self always finds time for a scrapper. Potentially, he is a guy who can uplift the whole team if he brings that kind of attitude and energy into a game. He’s not afraid to drive the ball, in fact, prefers to drive. If he scraps on defense… Self will play him.
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Come on… play nice!
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@Kcmatt7 didn’t he add that last yr?
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Practice starts tomorrow!
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@BeddieKU23 wow man. Is this really happening?
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@approxinfinity said in Self talking about the team:
@BeddieKU23 wow man. Is this really happening?
Right. It certainly doesn’t even feel like its about to start. Still pissed how last season ended…
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@BeddieKU23 said in Self talking about the team:
@approxinfinity said in Self talking about the team:
@BeddieKU23 wow man. Is this really happening?
Right. It certainly doesn’t even feel like its about to start. Still pissed how last season ended…
you and me both my friend - -THAT was are for the taking
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Just a thought but if we expect this years team to be good imagine next year if everyone returned with the free year. I don’t expect Marcus would come back if he has a great season but who knows at this point. Even if he leaves the roster looks good if everyone stayed. I have no idea what to expect from this season but with so many guys eligible to return that are likely too next season really feels like the year that this group could be magical
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@BeddieKU23 said in Self talking about the team:
Just a thought but if we expect this years team to be good imagine next year if everyone returned with the free year. I don’t expect Marcus would come back if he has a great season but who knows at this point. Even if he leaves the roster looks good if everyone stayed. I have no idea what to expect from this season but with so many guys eligible to return that are likely too next season really feels like the year that this group could be magical
There may be some incentive for Marcus to return to KU. He doesn’t have a good fit in the NBA unless he improves his perimeter shooting substantially. He could be a dominant college player with his current skills - potentially an All American type - but a non-shooting wing player just doesn’t have much attraction at the next level. If he is interested in doing some graduate work, it may be to his benefit to stay in Lawrence.
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Good stuff and right on, Garrett needs to show improved shooting to stick at the next level. 5 years could do the trick
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I think Garrett will leave but…if he stays watch out.
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This year won’t be like past years. This COVID stuff is going to bring lots of problems. Outbreaks and cancellations… I don’t expect this to be a great year for most players to show their wares for the next level. I have my doubts if this will be a year where Garrett will want to make the leap. But I imagine he would test the waters and then decide.
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Guys, it sounds like there’s a legit chance Christian Braun is out leading scorer this year. Dude has had a phenomenal preseason.
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Lot’s of CB is a badass baller smoke right now. Definitely seems like he has secured a starting spot.
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like the article was saying that I posted the other day. Coach Self saying Christian , and Tristan , & Jalen all 3 had had really good practices from the beginning of practice. Would love to see Christina and Tristan BOTH have really good Seasons.
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He seemed to understand and play within the system as a freshman last season, so I’m not surprised. But it’s great to hear, still. It seems like Garrett, Braun, Agbaji, and McCormack are likely starters. I thought Thompson was going to start, but that seems a little more shaky now. I wonder who the fifth starter will be.
