Agree with this and while most of the discussion has been around the offense, I think this team could be very good defensively if they all buy in. Outside of TJD's rim protection, we were an average defensive team last year, especially guarding the perimeter. Woody has always said defense first, I expect good things.
Defense will end up being the main determining factor in how good we can be, in my opinion.
X and Trey need to be very good out top. We do switch a lot of screening action, so obviously others need to be able to guard the ball as well. But if those 2 guys are getting beat early in possessions, we're going to be relying on Mack and Malik to rotate a lot and help effectively. A freshman, and a guy that struggled in that regard last year, could be a problem. I think Ware could erase some stuff, but he's only 1 guy.
Before X got hurt last year, our defense was either dominant, or it stunk. After he got hurt, outside a couple games, it largely just stunk. Most lamented our lack of shooting (despite us being a very good outside shooting team). But it was our defense that held us back. Any team that had 3-4 good, fast, perimeter oriented guys, with multiple guys that could shoot, usually hurt us. How different does the season look if we're better defensively and either split with or Sweep Penn State and Iowa? We were actually pretty close to being a B10/Final Four contender, and our inability to guard the perimeter consistently well was the difference.
X is a lot better defender than JHS, so that'll help.
Trey not having to start possessions guarding PGs, will help him play longer periods of time off the ball, which is more his strength defensively, so that'll help.
When comparing the front court...I don't think you can effectively do a Kopp vs Mack, Thompson vs Ware or Malik...TJD vs...etc... We switch pretty much any action that happens, so I think you just compare the overall capabilities, as much as anything.
Kopp was very slow, but very solid in his positioning. We got virtually nothing out of him on the boards. But he rotated well, was nearly always in the right spot.
Thompson showed versatility in being able to guard all over the floor. He rebounded very well, overall. But he had stretches of play where he "lost his damned mind", for whatever reason. He got beat badly at key moments, he spaced and totally lost players, didn't get back at times, etc... All in all, he was a good, versatile defender. But his struggles impacted some of our losses.
TJD...hard to find a critique. He was awesome. He protected the rim well, he rebounded well, he switched out and guarded perimeter players well.
Mack...no clue? The size and athleticism is a great starting point though. He has mixed reviews on his defense, coming in to college. But I suspect he'll be more active than Kopp was on the boards, probably will get lost like Thompson did from time to time, he'll be more capable of guarding faster wing players, at times, but won't be in the right spots nearly as often as Kopp was.
Ware...should be a high level defender. He's taller/longer than anyone we've had in recent memory. He's fluid, he attacks blocked shot opportunities well, and he rebounds well out of his own space. I doubt he'll be as good a defender, overall, as TJD was, but it won't be a huge dropoff. I suspect he'll be better, overall, than Thompson was though.
Malik...interesting one. He showed some promise for stretches last year, in being able to guard bigs and wings. His main problem was guarding without fouling. We're so deep at the bigs positions, that I'm not as worried about that as some are. But if he improves that, I think he could be a similar type and level defender to what Thompson was. Solid, very good and active rebounder. Where I think he could become very valuable for us is his ability to start the transition offense off rebounds. He's got a pretty good handle, but showed a knack for being good outlet passer.
Bench...Bates and Geronimo mainly versus, Walker, Sparks, Banks, and maybe Cupps. I think this year's bench is A LOT better defensively...
All in all...I'll be surprised if we're not better defensively than last year. If Mack buys in on that end of the floor, and if a guy like Banks earns big minutes, we could be elite...and if that happens, our ceiling becomes very lofty, in my opinion.
