I heard someone say on the could be wrong podcast that people who don't love council are just not BALL knowers. Couldn't agree more. And I know DP is great. Like really really good. But I still just would rather watch Council bring the ball up than DP. The energy he brings to every step he takes on the court is infectious. (I'm not saying Council should play instead of DP just to be clear) Hopefully they will complement each other with one being so calm cool and collected and the other being always ready to be a burst of pure energy. DP is great. Maybe the best freshman we've ever had, but it's watching guys like Council that make it easy for me to be a Jayhawk fan.

@wissox83 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@FarmerJayhawk

Yeah, even when he had an off game yesterday he got 17 points seemingly almost effortlessly.

And more than the 17 points was how he freed up Melvin to go off early and gain the confidence to carry late.

What I see with Council and his shooting is he is not afraid to shoot an open shot when it is presented. Eventually a decent percentage of those will go down. But he has also been the guy for most of this season who is willing to take the difficult ugly shot rather than just get a turnover. And I think it's clear he doesn't really care about his percentages or stat lines, the only number he cares about is the final score.

@TYOHawk But did he get through it? I'm not trying to be a hater, but I just have never seen this level of kid gloves applied by Bill Self before. He couldn't play for UConn because he was only at 90-95%? So he must have been 100% for this one? But later we found out there was a minute restriction? I feel like I saw DP ask to be taken out after in the first half maybe even rejecting a sub. It just feels like Bill Self is working very hard to spin the fact that DP is yet to play a full game of basketball. I understand that is Bill's job and I'm all for him taking as much heat off of the 18 year old as he can, I've just never seen him do it to this level before and it makes me feel weird. Lol.

Really hoping this is all somewhat Remy coded and come March we will see this team actually peak and make some noise. I'd just love to beat a few of the really good teams in the big 12 along the way.

@BShark This is where the focus on athleticism is really showing. Yes, the switching is nice thanks to Flory and Tiller being able to move their feet really well, but the real work is happening with guys like McDowell and Council helping and recovering with speed and aggressiveness. They are really challenging those three point shots and forcing the overall offense to start a few steps further from the line than the opposing team would like.

I might get hate for this but it does cause me a little concern with DP coming back. His individual defense was... meh and his cohesion with the whole group was certainly lacking. It's to be expected somewhat with so few reps together. I've now seen him leave his man to try to get a steal multiple times. It worked pre hiatus, but that's the kind of stuff that will get exploited by opposing coaches in conference.

Now he did score 17 in limited minutes seemingly fairly easily. But anyone else notice the difference in pace when he is on the floor? Don't get me wrong, he is yet to step on the floor and have a bad offensive performance, but as I'm sure most people are thinking, I definitely still want more from him. (and yeah, if he plays 15 minutes against UCONN we would have won that game...)

@BeddieKU23 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@approxinfinity

Certainly, took them not guarding him to heart and made them pay.

I love Juan but this mentality is certainly an upgrade for our lead guard to have.

Definitely expecting some clunkiness if DP plays. He just has to have the ball so much I expect to see some ball watching until others figure out how to play around him.

I think council sets the tone and is a big part of why this team feels tougher than the last few. Dude always has the right energy.

I'm sure Vaughn helps and this may be beating a dead horse, but I think Hunter moving on has done wonders for the mentality of the team. The game looks so much more fun without a monster just standing in the paint waiting for the ball to be passed to him. And while he got his numbers it just never felt like he really cared. I'd trade his 18 and 10 for whatever numbers council was putting up BEFORE NC State any day.

@crimsonblu22 Yep. And first game back from injury. Understandable, but after being told he was day to day for 3 weeks, at some point the expectations do have to set in. He was good yesterday. He wasn't the best player in the country which fair or not, is the level he is being judged at. He wasn't even the best player on the floor. I'm hopeful we will see him at full strength at some point.

I'm sure Vaughn helps and this may be beating a dead horse, but I think Hunter moving on has done wonders for the mentality of the team. The game looks so much more fun without a monster just standing in the paint waiting for the ball to be passed to him. And while he got his numbers it just never felt like he really cared. I'd trade his 18 and 10 for whatever numbers council was putting up BEFORE NC State any day.

Has DP played the last minute of ANY game this year? If so, I can't remember it. I'd be curious to know if there's ever been a player to avg 17 a game and NEVER be on the court at the final buzzer. Lol

@wissox83 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

It's hard to keep track of past Jayhawks let alone players from other teams. But when I realized Darrion Williams was TTech's stud who we thought we might get in the portal who chose a corrupt coach instead of Bill Self I was gobsmacked. I mean what fool is gonna pick someone like Wade over Self? Wade blew that game Saturday night. Never leaving the plan to let Council be open was a colossal blunder and cost them the game.

You could hear the fans screaming every time they purposefully left him open in the second half. Lol.

I think I’ve come to terms with the idea that DP might just play 25 minutes a game and score 15-25 points in that time but not really be the team leader. If that ends up being the case he won’t end up as my favorite jayhawk of all time or anything but can still help win a bunch of games.

@wissox83 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@FarmerJayhawk

Yeah, even when he had an off game yesterday he got 17 points seemingly almost effortlessly.

And more than the 17 points was how he freed up Melvin to go off early and gain the confidence to carry late.

@BeddieKU23 said in Kansas Jayhawks @ NC State Wolfpack Game Chat Sat. 12/13 4:30 CT:

@approxinfinity

Certainly, took them not guarding him to heart and made them pay.

I love Juan but this mentality is certainly an upgrade for our lead guard to have.

What I see with Council and his shooting is he is not afraid to shoot an open shot when it is presented. Eventually a decent percentage of those will go down. But he has also been the guy for most of this season who is willing to take the difficult ugly shot rather than just get a turnover. And I think it's clear he doesn't really care about his percentages or stat lines, the only number he cares about is the final score.

I heard someone say on the could be wrong podcast that people who don't love council are just not BALL knowers. Couldn't agree more. And I know DP is great. Like really really good. But I still just would rather watch Council bring the ball up than DP. The energy he brings to every step he takes on the court is infectious. (I'm not saying Council should play instead of DP just to be clear) Hopefully they will complement each other with one being so calm cool and collected and the other being always ready to be a burst of pure energy. DP is great. Maybe the best freshman we've ever had, but it's watching guys like Council that make it easy for me to be a Jayhawk fan.

I think council sets the tone and is a big part of why this team feels tougher than the last few. Dude always has the right energy.

@TYOHawk But did he get through it? I'm not trying to be a hater, but I just have never seen this level of kid gloves applied by Bill Self before. He couldn't play for UConn because he was only at 90-95%? So he must have been 100% for this one? But later we found out there was a minute restriction? I feel like I saw DP ask to be taken out after in the first half maybe even rejecting a sub. It just feels like Bill Self is working very hard to spin the fact that DP is yet to play a full game of basketball. I understand that is Bill's job and I'm all for him taking as much heat off of the 18 year old as he can, I've just never seen him do it to this level before and it makes me feel weird. Lol.

Really hoping this is all somewhat Remy coded and come March we will see this team actually peak and make some noise. I'd just love to beat a few of the really good teams in the big 12 along the way.