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Anyone want to take a stab...

I cant see Race not starting.
Unless he or TJD develop a shot out to 20' (corner 3) .. you can't put both on the floor at the same time. their defender will cheat clogging up the driving lanes and will ruin our spacing just like they did last year. Plus vs a perimeter player, which the majority of fours were last year, Race struggles defensively. The four position has gotten smaller.

Welcome to the 21st century ..

Didn't you watch the four teams in the final four? None of them had a power player at the 4.
 
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Idk ..Still think there's a possible move yet .
All I know is. The portal gave us a chance to change the look of the team..And it's worked out well..
 
Race could hit the 3 in high school. Now that he's had his changed body for a while, maybe he can get his 3 back this offseason.
 
I think in TJD's press conference he alluded to playing faster and opening things up. I assume faster pace and more transition. Hopefully it doesn't lead to the silly turnovers like in Crean's time.

TJD is really good in the post so IMO, it still has to be a big part if not the primary focus of what they do. Hopefully he improves his jumper so he can mix it up with some jumpers. If the team can start nailing some jumpers, TJD can really rack some points from the FT line. So hopefully he will be working on FT's as much as his mid range jumpers.

I don't see how anyone can pick a starting lineup after TJD. Seems a lot of the presumed starters discussed are the xfers but there are a lot of high upside guys that could take their rotation spots if they live up to that potential. I'll still put hunter in the high potential group along with Bates, Lander, Geronimo and maybe Duncomb.
I agree with you regarding Bates, Lander and Geronimo. I would also throw Leal in that group to push for time too.
 
Unless he or TJD develop a shot out to 20' (corner 3) .. you can't put both on the floor at the same time. their defender will cheat clogging up the driving lanes and will ruin our spacing just like they did last year. Plus vs a perimeter player, which the majority of fours were last year, Race struggles defensively. The four position has gotten smaller.

Welcome to the 21st century ..

Didn't you watch the four teams in the final four? None of them had a power player at the 4.
Agree that it will be difficult to have both on the floor at the same time, but I also think having both Race and TJD makes IU a much tougher team to go on long runs against.
 
Unless he or TJD develop a shot out to 20' (corner 3) .. you can't put both on the floor at the same time. their defender will cheat clogging up the driving lanes and will ruin our spacing just like they did last year. Plus vs a perimeter player, which the majority of fours were last year, Race struggles defensively. The four position has gotten smaller.

Welcome to the 21st century ..

Didn't you watch the four teams in the final four? None of them had a power player at the 4.
More than one way to win. Get your best 5 on floor and roll. Key is having the other 3 make shots....
 
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Unless he or TJD develop a shot out to 20' (corner 3) .. you can't put both on the floor at the same time. their defender will cheat clogging up the driving lanes and will ruin our spacing just like they did last year. Plus vs a perimeter player, which the majority of fours were last year, Race struggles defensively. The four position has gotten smaller.

Welcome to the 21st century ..

Didn't you watch the four teams in the final four? None of them had a power player at the 4.
Barring injury I bet they are on the floor at the same time for half of every game at least. Both will be expected to take and make outside shots and Coach Woodson and TJD said as much.

I read somewhere that Race was like a 40% 3 point shooter in high school. His form looks good. Gotta have the confidence and green light to pull the trigger. Something neither seemed to have last year.
 
1 - XJ, KL, RP
2 - TB, PS, RP, KL, TG
3 - PS, TG, AL, JH, MK
4 - MK, JH, JG, RT
5 - TJD, RT, LD
This is the most talented and best shooting lineup. It’s also a lineup with only one returning player. And many thought we were going to field the same team and expect different results.
 
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This is the most talented and best shooting lineup. It’s also a lineup with only one returning player. And many thought we were going to field the same team and expect different results.
I like that lineup. Stretch the floor
 
1 - XJ, KL, RP
2 - TB, PS, RP, KL, TG
3 - PS, TG, AL, JH, MK
4 - MK, JH, JG, RT
5 - TJD, RT, LD
Fife talked like Rob could be a big contributor defensively. Not much chance of that if he's the third or fourth small off the bench.
 
Fife said that after one day on campus and not talking to Rob much if any. Once he realizes Rob doesn’t love basketball fife won’t make any more of those comments.
Could be. I got the impression Fife might take him on as a special, personal project.
 
Fife talked like Rob could be a big contributor defensively. Not much chance of that if he's the third or fourth small off the bench.
It’s a big advantage defensively to have taller guards. PS and TB are both 6’5” and XJ is 6’3”. All are potentially better shooters, too.
 
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Fife talked like Rob could be a big contributor defensively. Not much chance of that if he's the third or fourth small off the bench.
Yea, I watched him play last year, hard to get the bias created by watching him barely do anything out of my head.

Right now, TJD is written in ink, Xavier, and probably Stewart are written in pencil. It could be almost any combination of two players with the exception of Duncomb. One will have to be a ball-handler the other skilled but big or athletic enough to play four.
 
Both will be expected to take and make outside shots and Coach Woodson and TJD said as much.
Possibly ... taking them is easily said ... making them will decide if that lineup gets used. It could easily happen, or not. If it does, it only makes us better, if it doesn't we have multiple options.
 
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I think the more I watch and read about him, Bates is going to be difficult to keep out of the lineup. Same for Johnson. Start or not, I think those two probably become our main back court guys by the end of the year. If Lander could play up to the rankings, and take that 3rd backcourt position...it would take our team to another level. Stewart, or even Rob, is probably a safer bet for the other guard that will play the most minutes.

TJD and Race will both play a lot of minutes. As will Miller and Jerome.

I think we’ll see a very different TJD next year. Likely not a 20 and 10 pure post guy. But more of a 16-9-4 guy. Passing a lot more out of the high post. Setting a lot more ball screens. Quicker trigger on mid range jumpers, etc... He doesn’t need to show a 3pt shot to play outside. Neither does Race. He just needs to show he can make plays off the dribble and/or pass. Someone used a Bam Adebayo reference earlier. I think that could be a good comp for TJD. If he shows he can guard perimeter guys in pick and roll. And that he’s comfortable with the ball in his hands on the perimeter, he’ll be a first round pick.

Race is a decent shooter already. His form is good. His stats coming into college indicate he can shoot it. I could see him really expanding his game this year.
 
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Unless he or TJD develop a shot out to 20' (corner 3) .. you can't put both on the floor at the same time. their defender will cheat clogging up the driving lanes and will ruin our spacing just like they did last year. Plus vs a perimeter player, which the majority of fours were last year, Race struggles defensively. The four position has gotten smaller.

Welcome to the 21st century ..

Didn't you watch the four teams in the final four? None of them had a power player at the 4.
Baylor’s Vital is about as power as you can get. And he often played alongside one of their two true bigs. Race is actually a pretty good comp to Vital. We obviously would t have as good a 1-3 as them, not that our expectation should be natty contenders year 1. Just pointing out that the decided best team in the country played a true center and “power” guy at the 4. We could win a lot of games with Race and TJD at the 4-5...if the other 3 can space, create, and make outside shots. Obviously we have no clue how that’d play out. We’ve seen what a Race and TJD team looks like with inept perimeter play. We haven’t with even solid perimeter play.
 
TJD
Kopp
Parker
Bates
Xavier
I expect the new staff will give everyone a look and pick the 5 players that can score early and defend. There are a number of options. I'm not a fan of a locked in starting lineup. I favor tweaking the lineup to take advantage of a matchup or to take away something the other team does.

It would be a good sign if our transfers start or play a big role early. Besides TJD, I don't see any returning players I would pick without question over the new arrivals. Phinisee played tight and nervous on offense. He has to be a willing contributor on both ends of the court to earn a starting role.
 
Losing Brunk and not adding a post tells me they will probably not play TJD and Race together much. Don't think we'll want our only post depth to be a freshman. I think it will be TJD, Kopp, Stewart, XJ and Phin/Lander.
Disagree. I think Race can improve his 3pt shot to be on the floor with TJD. And we will need Race’s defense. With TJD playing 30+ mins, no way they won’t play together.
 
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Disagree. I think Race can improve his 3pt shot to be on the floor with TJD. And we will need Race’s defense. With TJD playing 30+ mins, no way they won’t play together.
I’m not saying never, but largely I think they’ll split post time. Race hasn’t shown much in the way of an improving jump shot so I don’t look for him to start launching a bunch of 3s, especially in a roster that’s added so
Many new shooters.
 
I really hope someone knows how to handle attitudes because with players pulling out of the portal and new players coming in from the portal, there will be a lot of players decisions based on playing time otherwise they wouldn't of made those decisions. Hopefully it just pushes practices to the point of everyone putting it all on the floor only. We appear to be really deep on the upside.
 
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