Early Season Musings
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Tristan is one of our best players. I’d put him easily in the top 4 and I think there is a debate for third. He has some lapses of course but his overall impact is remarkable for a FR rated in the 50-70 range. Even last night in scoring just 4 points he had his fingerprints all over the game. 4 assists, 4 steals. His length alone makes him very disruptive defensively. He would be a star his JR year, I hope we get to see it.
I really really wish Dave or Silvio was closer to a 4 than a true center. They both bring good things to the table but Doke has to get big minutes. I really liked Silvio closing the game last night, I hope we see more of that as I don’t think we can afford to have Doke in during a close game under 5 minutes or so. Certainly it would have to be heavily managed and once hack a Doke starts you have to remove him.
We need more from Ochai especially if he is going to continue to be in the top 3 for minutes played. He’s had two bad games in a row now. The first two games were okay, but not great.
Garrett is pretty average but he is an absolute rock for this team.
I’d like to see a lot more of Moss as he gets healthy.
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I missed last nights game and haven’t found a place to watch it from, but Tristan has looked good in the other games-
Ochai in previous games looked to me like he was trying WAY too hard, he needs to relax.
Agree on Garrett- you take the good and you take the bad- won’t be a superstar, not suddenly going to be a lights out scorer, but a solid player overall
I am thumbs up on Moss, but I suspect he will continue to be up and down.
I think by Feb, Silvio will be the best pro prospect heading into this NBA draft unless Tristan blows up.
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Getting a little ahead of myself here, but, given that the league drafts so much on potential, it would not shock me if we only have Tristan for one year. I’d say two years max at this point.
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@Hawk8086 That’s kind of where I’m at. I knew that coming in Tristan was a future pro, but thought we’d have him for atleast two and possibly even three years. Now, well, I’m not so sure.
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BShark said:
Tristan is one of our best players. I’d put him easily in the top 4 and I think there is a debate for third. He has some lapses of course but his overall impact is remarkable for a FR rated in the 50-70 range. Even last night in scoring just 4 points he had his fingerprints all over the game. 4 assists, 4 steals. His length alone makes him very disruptive defensively. He would be a star his JR year, I hope we get to see it.
I really really wish Dave or Silvio was closer to a 4 than a true center. They both bring good things to the table but Doke has to get big minutes. I really liked Silvio closing the game last night, I hope we see more of that as I don’t think we can afford to have Doke in during a close game under 5 minutes or so. Certainly it would have to be heavily managed and once hack a Doke starts you have to remove him.
We need more from Ochai especially if he is going to continue to be in the top 3 for minutes played. He’s had two bad games in a row now. The first two games were okay, but not great.
Garrett is pretty average but he is an absolute rock for this team.
I’d like to see a lot more of Moss as he gets healthy.
Enaruna has draft and stash written all over him. I wouldn’t be shocked if this was his only year here now. He’s just been too good.
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Tristan has been terrific. He isn’t asked to do much offensively but defensively he’s a pest and the long arms create turnovers for us that we haven’t seen since the Chalmers days. I think he’s the most natural fit to start next to Doke as we continue to move forward. I think we can play him 20+ minutes a night and get consistent effort from him.
I liked how Silvio played down the stretch Tuesday and thought his previous game against Monmouth was positive. He just needs minutes but if he’s not playing because he’s not running the offense then that’s a problem for him that he needs to correct.
Ochai has been disappointing on several levels in the past two games. Some details I noticed especially on his perimeter shooting is he’s sloppy in his setup and release. A few midrange jumpers you see him fading away from the basket. His handles and BBIQ in fast break situations have been poor. Maybe we’re expecting too much from him but we know he has the tools to be very good, he’s just playing at Freshman/Soph Wayne Selden level right now when we think he can be Jr Wayne.
Moss was very disappointing handling the ball against ETSU. You can’t have those turnovers. His missed shots from deep were right on but ETSU was well aware of him and didn’t leave him open often. KU should do a better job hunting him looks. This team needs him fully healthy.
Perimeter shooting and turnovers are the biggest overall issues for the team. I love the depth and position versatility of this team. Hopefully Self can figure out some sets to get guys good looks on the perimeter. That was a rock solid team we beat Tuesday. The defense has been really good for the most part and Kenpom seems to be missing the boat there.
As far as progression and where I think this team can get they are right where they need to be. Maui should be interesting if they get to play Michigan St next week
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Let me counterpoint this just a bit on Enaruna. There’s only 64 draft spots and only 32 mean something for guy that can be in that group. Enaruna isn’t starting. And while he’s been good, he hasn’t been great. I really don’t think the narrative has changed on him – except that I see it a year advanced. He needs to work on his shot and get more polished offensively. My view is that he’s now a two year player, assuming an upward development track. But I think he’s the best player right next to Dotson, long term.
That all said, he could easily rocket higher this season. Assuming the trajectory, I’d target his first start of the season perhaps the Milwaukee game on Dec. 10.
The 3/2 thing is not going to be reliable if either of these remain true 1) Garrett still can’t shoot and 2) Agbaji can’t hit the broad side of a barn from three. We’re paralyzed at the arc. That’s death. A big, big key to the 3/2 … one that I premised my positivity upon … was the kick out three pointer. Very hard to defend and a great inside out weapon. But we’re not close. In fact, I’d give us a strong “F” in that element so far.
Dynamic lineup? Dotson, Moss, Agbaji, Enaruna, DeSousa or Doke. Garrett and DeSousa/Doke off the bench, with Braun grabbing some time.
Not trying to be too negative here, but I’m struggling with McCormack. He can’t play with Doke from the early returns. He fumbles the ball around and is disjointed. He has no game rhythm. I think that’s important. His “flow” is disruptive on the offensive end. I don’t know if I’m explaining that well, but I think one guy can really be disruptive that way. I’m having a tough time with his game.
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@HighEliteMajor I’m still trying to get my head around what I think works with McCormack and what doesn’t.
I agree completely on Enaruna winning the 4 spot. His intangibles and swag are substantial. He made extra possessions doing little things. He needs to tighten it all up, for sure.
The one point I’d argue is that Enaruna at the 4 might allow Garrett’s 3 pt deficiencies to hide a little better. So I like the crunch time lineup of Dotson, Moss, Garrett, Enaruna, Doke/DeSouza (for the extra trey gun?
maybe? tbd and definitely for the extra mobility)Agbaji could win it back, but this feels a little like Grimes all over again. Why roll Agbaji out in a starting capacity to work through it? Everybody on this team knows that everyone else on the team is good. Let the kid come off the bench and build up his role, don’t hang him out there to dry. </backseat_coaching>
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@approxinfinity Moore?
Agbaji’s minutes are kind of puzzling but we don’t have a ton of options atm. Braun isn’t quite ready, Moss is recovering etc… He’s still the best option to start imo, he just needs to start making threes again.
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@BShark self wants och to play thru it. Moss hasn’t moved much this season, I think he’ll get in a rhythm. Big Dave, hmmmm maybe needs to keep playing?? Going to need him to figure it out for next yr if Silvio leaves. Marcus will play.
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@BShark lol, don’t know where that came from .I meant Garrett. Modified it.
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@approxinfinity Just playing word association with three point percentages.
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@HighEliteMajor haha
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@HighEliteMajor My only argument for Enaruna is that you can draft him at 25-30, and then send him to Europe to develop. Meaning they can have him come back at around age 22 and then have him on a very cheap deal during his peak.
It’s a very smart thing you’ve seen teams take advantage of in the past.
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@Kcmatt7 Is that in Enarunas best interest? Do teams guarantee drafting 25-30 in writing if he’s still on the board as a condition before he enters the draft?
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approxinfinity said:
@Kcmatt7 Is that in Enarunas best interest? Do teams guarantee drafting 25-30 in writing if he’s still on the board as a condition before he enters the draft?
I would imagine this is all worked out from his agent before the draft. I’d have to imagine some sort of guarantee has to be signed, though I don’t actually know how that works.
As far as his best interest, it’s a good question. Takes a lot of risk away for him as far as injury and potentially getting exposed with more minutes next season. In this scenario, he becomes an instant millionaire and then gets to go play pro ball and get paid to develop.
There is potentially more earnings upside if he were to stay and get into the lottery. No doubt.
It’s all about weighing risk. And it is really, really hard to turn down millions of dollars.
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@Crimsonorblue22 it makes sense to have Ochai play through it, we will need him this year. Agree on Moss.
@Kcmatt7 Really depends on what Enaruna wants to do. I hope he really likes Bill, Lawrence etc
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BShark said:
@Crimsonorblue22 it makes sense to have Ochai play through it, we will need him this year. Agree on Moss.
@Kcmatt7 Really depends on what Enaruna wants to do. I hope he really likes Bill, Lawrence etc
I agree.
And I think he has potential to get in the Top 10 as a Sophomore. The NBA has really trended that way. A lot of So. getting drafted now.
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I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves on Tristan. If you don’t watch KU basketball closely you don’t know who he is - doesn’t start, stats are pedestrian. I agree he’s a future pro, but he’s not in the same vein as KUs previous oad talent or even tad. Once the light clicks he’ll be incredible, but he’s not there yet and I hate to project out based on a few games or you get into a situation like Ochai - redshirt to surefire 1st rounder to what’s wrong with him? Let’s try to not put unrealistic expectations on these low ranked kids (enough come just with putting on a KU jersey) it generally only leads to being disappointed in a kid that’s actually pretty damn good, but not the pro we all expected.
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Believe me, I’m as giddy for Tristan as you are. Seeing him finish those drives to his left… wow… they are so fluid you have to hit the slo mo button just to see them! The kid is a phenom, but we also know what happens to freshman phenoms; sometimes the phenom shows up for games, other times it is the freshman. He’s a guy we can almost be sure of him making a major contribution this year, but we will just have to wait and see when it comes to crunch time and I hope we are counting on other players with more experience to carry most of that weight.
I think we all worry a bit too much about this team. It’s still November. Breakthroughs tend to come over the Christmas break when the guys get to put extended practice runs in. And then consider that we don’t have a real powerful conference this year. Our guys should have plenty of time to get their act together before March.
I hope someone on our coaching staff realizes how to deal with Doke and his FT shooting. It’s all in his head. He’s been shown form, and he’s been given reps using better form. Then he goes to the line and it looks like he’s throwing a greasy fish at the goal. It’s all about him maintaining emotional control. On the positive… I think someone is addressing this with him now. I still have hopes he will awaken his soul into the present and become a real monster this year including shooting better at the line! Doke has scary potential if he learns to play and live mindfully.
For this team I just hope they learn to play like their starving. It’s hard for kids to keep a chip going all year. So hard to say what is best for them at this stage… maybe losing! Izzo sure knows how to play that card!
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drgnslayr said:
Believe me, I’m as giddy for Tristan as you are. Seeing him finish those drives to his left… wow… they are so fluid you have to hit the slo mo button just to see them! The kid is a phenom, but we also know what happens to freshman phenoms; sometimes the phenom shows up for games, other times it is the freshman. He’s a guy we can almost be sure of him making a major contribution this year, but we will just have to wait and see when it comes to crunch time and I hope we are counting on other players with more experience to carry most of that weight.
I think we all worry a bit too much about this team. It’s still November. Breakthroughs tend to come over the Christmas break when the guys get to put extended practice runs in. And then consider that we don’t have a real powerful conference this year. Our guys should have plenty of time to get their act together before March.
I hope someone on our coaching staff realizes how to deal with Doke and his FT shooting. It’s all in his head. He’s been shown form, and he’s been given reps using better form. Then he goes to the line and it looks like he’s throwing a greasy fish at the goal. It’s all about him maintaining emotional control. On the positive… I think someone is addressing this with him now. I still have hopes he will awaken his soul into the present and become a real monster this year including shooting better at the line! Doke has scary potential if he learns to play and live mindfully.
For this team I just hope they learn to play like their starving. It’s hard for kids to keep a chip going all year. So hard to say what is best for them at this stage… maybe losing! Izzo sure knows how to play that card!
I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about this one hitting a wall, only up, up, up for him. It would be a shame for him to leave too early, though. Imagine what he will be come his junior year, if we get to see it - him, Braun and Wilson wrecking havoc.
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So we are now 7 games in including a tight game against a really good team that felt like an NCAAT game.
I’d say players are in these groups
Ride or die: Dotson, Ochai, Garrett, Udoka
Bill will play these guys as much as possible in big games. Udoka is limited by his conditioning, even if it is much improved. Foul trouble is the only way we see the others out for much time in big games.
Possibly Ride or Die: Moss
This is something to monitor going forward. He is getting healthier to the point where he seems fully healthy now. He averaged 33 minutes a game in the two real games in Maui (sorry Chaminade).
Firmly in the rotation: Enaruna, McCormack.
Dave is a starter in name only and I am not sure how much longer it will last. That said I still expect him to be the main back-up 5 based on what we have seen so far. He is a step down from Doke but much better than Silvio so far, especially on offense.
Enaruna flashes at times but can disappear for periods. It says a lot that he has had a big defensive impact statistically while not having a great idea of what he is doing. If it fully clicks for him at KU on that end he will be a terror.
Foul trouble/blow out minutes/deeper bench: Braun, Silvio.
Braun just isn’t ready defensively and has been pretty bad on offense albeit in very limited opportunities. He has to get stronger and more confident and he will be fine going forward. His role this year is that of a reserve though and I don’t see that changing barring injury. I would guess no more than 6 minutes in a big game when someone needs a breather.
Silvio is a weirder case that I already went more in depth on in the other thread I made. I don’t think his role is set in stone like many others are.
