Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll
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Agree. Generally, it’s tough relying on a freshman to carry such a role but this team probably can’t reach its ceiling without him playing a lot. Shooting looks like a major concern for this team and we know Gradey can really shoot it. Shooting is my #1 concern for this team currently
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@BeddieKU23 We also really need willing shot takers. Och/CB/Dave/Remy accounted for 60% of our total shots last season.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 I don’t believe you and I will agree on anything. I didn’t mean to respond to one of your posts. My bad.
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What is your optimism for Kentucky besides Tshiebwe? Wheeler is solid besides his limitations size wise & as a shooter. Not that high on the other pieces but I think they are in the same boat as KU, they need freshman & development to bridge the gap of what they lost.
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Crazy high number.
Specifically, shooting efficiency is my biggest concern for this team. Will be interesting to see where the usage goes with so many shots up for grabs
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I just think Tshiebwe will be a huge team motivational factor. It’s a factor UK rarely has!
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@BeddieKU23 said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
Specifically, shooting efficiency is my biggest concern for this team.
I agree. Overall offensive efficiency will have to be proven with a new lineup. Hopefully Dajuan and Jalen will step into higher leadership roles… I think they will! Hopefully we develop a good offensive rhythm that will help lift our efficiency.
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@drgnslayr said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
I just think Tshiebwe will be a huge team motivational factor. It’s a factor UK rarely has!
Yeah he has the ability to impact a lot that happens on the court & we have to face him again (ugh). It’s really rare when the POY returns to such a big school. You might be right about being a motivational factor.
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@BeddieKU23 said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
Crazy high number.
Specifically, shooting efficiency is my biggest concern for this team. Will be interesting to see where the usage goes with so many shots up for grabs
I think Zach and Gradey are going to have to take a pretty decent volume of shots. Neither should be afraid to do so. We know Zach isn’t and Bill’s comments on Gradey are more in line with those about guys he let rock right away but we will see. Hopefully now Zach has calmed down a bit.
I’d prefer to see Jalen stay around 9-10 shots a game, and mostly from 2 unless he has vastly improved from behind the arc. McCullar is a guy you want around 7 shots a game most will be looks where he is set up either on a cut or a spot up 3 I imagine. Dajuan just isn’t a guy that is going to shot hunt at all of course. Bobby will do w/e is asked of him and I don’t think that will be putting up a lot of shots. Ernest will really just be lobs and clean up duty which leaves most likely MJ Rice as the main guy coming off the bench that will actually put up shots.
Should be a fun ride but a lot of new faces means it will likely be rocky early on.
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I’m calling for a Joe breakout of sorts. We know he’s better than what he showed most of last year. We did see glimpses when Remy was out last year. I think he ends up with a Remy type role off the bench.
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I think magic formulas are hard to call before the season. So much has to do with Self… his sets, plays, and where he puts his players and for how many minutes. This is such a big part of his job. We don’t always agree with his judgment with out backseat comments but we don’t know what he knows… especially at practices.
Dajuan has made statements (more than once) about him getting his shot more. I’m expecting to see some of that. Some. At least to the point where teams take him as a threat.
Let’s all hope Dajuan and Jalen put up good numbers… without at least one of those guys doing that, I have a hard time imagining a deep March run.
I’m really curious how Self will use McCullar on offense. He’s a player that should have NBA dreams but hard to imagine without more offense… a lot more offense.
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Yeah Zach never saw a shot he didn’t like last year. I’m not worried about him in the least bit. Hopefully his efficiency improves a bunch with the freshman year behind him. He scored at a crazy rate for the minutes he got. He’s wired to put the ball in the net.
2nd half of the year Jalen was much better shooting the ball. His FT% improved a ton which I think will translate to other areas. I fully expect he put in the work this offseason to have a career year shooting the ball from all 3 levels. It’s just can he sustain that when he’s the now the guy scouting reports are keying on. I’m optimistic he came back to prove he’s the guy.
Joe can score & I would expect year 2 here will lead to more comfort & efficiency from him.
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@Jethro said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
I’m calling for a Joe breakout of sorts. We know he’s better than what he showed most of last year. We did see glimpses when Remy was out last year. I think he ends up with a Remy type role off the bench.
Joe is not very good just fyi
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@drgnslayr Dajuan can say that but it isn’t in his hoop dna.
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@BShark said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
@Jethro said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
I’m calling for a Joe breakout of sorts. We know he’s better than what he showed most of last year. We did see glimpses when Remy was out last year. I think he ends up with a Remy type role off the bench.
Joe is not very good just fyi
He’s a good player in a bad spot imo. Poor player/coach fit. I’d love to watch Yes play PG at like Miami, Bama or Arkansas and see what he does.
Bill is just totally in the guys head. He shot .384 on 125 threes and shot .813 on 112 FTs. He is a MUCH better shooter than he showed last season. He’s going to go score 15ppg in another uniform next season.
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@BShark I think Juan will take more shots, more confidence, more pts. Wanna bet? Did we bet on gradey starting, huh?
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@Crimsonorblue22 No starting bets until practices start. Word on Gradey is positive and it won’t surprise me if he starts. We’ve had a lot of guys that Self made “earn” it.
@Kcmatt7 Yeah maybe not very good is a bit harsh but certainly a bad fit for Self. He is almost budget Remy (except Joe is more interested in defense typically*) in the sense that he is at his best when you “let him cook”.
*Complete credit to Remy for cranking up the effort on that end in the post season.
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I don’t expect him to become a volume scorer. But we saw him sometimes take it to the hole in the FF. Any help he gives helps us not only with points, but helps keep defenses honest. I don’t think that’s a high bar of expectations. Most starting players lift their point totals as they progress through their college years.
What do you think would be a fair expectation for Dajuan? Just go along with the idea he averages more points this coming year than last year. 2 points more? 3? 4?
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I’m still high on Joe making it here. It was clear he was in his own head last year trying to adjust to this level of play. 5 years ago he sits a year and probably benefits from that tremendously. He played through adversity and had some good moments here last year. I hope he’s a consistent rotation piece in the backcourt. He’s a better player on offense then he got the chance to show. Perhaps as others have said he’s not a great fit here style wise but Self has made roles for guys like him stick in the past. Here’s to Joe stepping up!
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I expect Harris to score more & wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the 7-10 range this season. I think he gained confidence down the stretch last season & wouldn’t be surprised if the coaching staff pushed him a bit to expand his aggressiveness. Just a hunch though. A big step forward for him on offense would be learning how to draw fouls and just get to the line.
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@BShark said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
@Jethro said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
I’m calling for a Joe breakout of sorts. We know he’s better than what he showed most of last year. We did see glimpses when Remy was out last year. I think he ends up with a Remy type role off the bench.
Joe is not very good just fyi
He just has to shoot like he did two years ago to have value. The beauty of it is if he’s not making shots, then he won’t play.
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How does coach find minutes for KJ? He should get 10 minutes backing up JW, does he get additional minutes at the 5? Does he have the ability to play minutes at the 3, or is this Perry Ellis at the 3 talk? The talk over summer was they couldn’t keep him off the court- how does he get more than 10 minutes a game- or is that the ceiling?
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@drgnslayr 7 points a game seems reasonable.
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@Jethro KJ needs to develop some guard/wing skills if he wants to see the floor. Otherwise he is a specialist that won’t get big minutes.
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I’m thinking Dajuan should be able to put up 7+ this season. So many of us agree!
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@BShark said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
@Jethro KJ needs to develop some guard/wing skills if he wants to see the floor. Otherwise he is a specialist that won’t get big minutes.
Relly like KJ - but yet I hear ya - -for sure is a kid that can really help in spot minutes , I’m afraid though frustration sits in and in the end he tansfers out
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UNC should probably be #1. They are the team that went the furthest that returns more or less intact. They should be ready to roll day one.
Gonzaga and Houston lost some talent, but both have very strong returning groups. I agree with them being top 10, but maybe not top 5. Kentucky had a terrible end to the season, but they have a ton of talent as well (cooked KU last year).
Is Baylor better than KU? Hard to say. Depends on how KU’s newcomers look. But Baylor will probably be good if they are healthy.
Duke is overranked, but I think people are seeing the name, and not all of the changes coming. Will Duke still be Duke after Coach K? We have no way of knowing the answer to that.
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@BShark said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
@Jethro KJ needs to develop some guard/wing skills if he wants to see the floor. Otherwise he is a specialist that won’t get big minutes.
That’s what I was thinking. Didn’t ever see him play on the perimeter, so wasn’t sure what to make of the off-season fluff of “can’t keep him off the court”.
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I think KJ is a guy Bill Self is going to play a LOT. Probably more than some of us would like. He already trusted him when the game was on the line last year, and he’s the only physical defender on the inside with any experience. If he can set a high screen, rebound like a beast, and throw down a lob from Harris once in a while, he’s the big man.
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We’re one week away from Late Night. It will be a blast finally watching them play.
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I do see KJ playing a role for his defensive versatility & athleticism. I’m very interested to see if he improved in the offseason. He was a bit behind in other areas of his game
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Baylor’s backcourt will probably be one of the best in the country. We already know what Flagler & Cryer bring to the table. Keyonte George comes in as a Top 10 player & possible first round pick next year. The wildcard is Langston Love who missed all last year with the knee injury. He was a huge loss for them & if he’s healthy he gives them another dude on the perimeter. I’m not sure they have a pure point guard on the roster but its probably not going to matter all that much in the end.
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Seen some of the things that Coach Self said about their practices so far - - Said that Grady - -AND Jalen were both shooting extremely well - - lights out , but he also mentioned that had to get consistency from the outside
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@DanR said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
I think KJ is a guy Bill Self is going to play a LOT. Probably more than some of us would like. He already trusted him when the game was on the line last year, and he’s the only physical defender on the inside with any experience. If he can set a high screen, rebound like a beast, and throw down a lob from Harris once in a while, he’s the big man.
KJ is more of a 3/4 than a 4/5. We used him last year as a 4/5, but he came out of HS as a 3/4. I imagine with the size we brought in, he shifts back into that 3/4 role, where he can use his quickness against 4s, or his strength against 3s.
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Agree I think both KJ and the staff want him at the 3/4 positions. Here’s the kicker though, if he doesn’t improve his shooting skills playing him at the 3/4 will not be effective & Self will have to get creative again on how he’s used (small ball 5, backup to Jalen).
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@BeddieKU23 said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
Agree I think both KJ and the staff want him at the 3/4 positions. Here’s the kicker though, if he doesn’t improve his shooting skills playing him at the 3/4 will not be effective & Self will have to get creative again on how he’s used (small ball 5, backup to Jalen).
Yeah this is what I was getting at. His shooting and handling have to improve for this level.
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Yupp & just looking at the fit in this offense having a non-shooting 3 or 4 is not ideal at all. This O is literally made for Wings and Bigs to feast
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Last year, KJ played when Bill needed a big who could guard on the perimeter. That was his role. Nothing to do with offense, and there were better options for interior defense. But the way the game has evolved, with more bigs playing on the perimeter, that need will still be there. Unless the new guys can do that better, I think he will still have a role, regardless of how the rest of his game develops. I doubt he will start, but he should get some minutes because he’s an athletic, mobile big. But that is a bit of a specialty role. He’s a bit undersized to be the starting 5, and has a lot of work to do on offensive skills to be a regular contributor at the 3 or 4.
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KJ just screams “Bill Self Guy” to me. He finds 10 mpg.
Type of guy that could become something by the time he’s a senior. Elite athlete.
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After this year KJ could be starting at the 3 or 4 depending on Rice & Zuby’s development. At the base level he’s already a trusted defender and we know that screams Bill’s guy.
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@Kcmatt7 said in Initial Impressions of Top 25 and 1 Preseason Poll:
KJ just screams “Bill Self Guy” to me. He finds 10 mpg.
Type of guy that could become something by the time he’s a senior. Elite athlete.
Yeah Bill loves him that’s why he said the comments he did to sell him on staying. Sounds like he’s been relatively happy but another year with the same kind of minutes and idk if that would hold up.
There was definitely a real effort to get him in games last year even if the minutes were not big though. I can only think of 2-3 games he didn’t get in at all.
