Layout our future backcourt for me
- Thread starter kkott
- Start date
So last year's roster was, per you, one of the most talented in the country but this year's roster is a two to three win conference team and a disaster.
Wow who knew Romeo and Morgan were as good as Duncan and Robinson.
You need to pick which hill you want to die on in your arguments. You can't have both and be taken seriously. Well, that happened a while ago.
Not sure I agree. Unless he has a healthy, and productive Hunter available to play 20 minutes a game, then this figures to be a defensive and rebounding team first that on offense will score from the inside via the bigs, including Justin,
and with drives and some outside scoring provided by Rob, Al and DeVonte.
Knight used to say that you play with what you got. If they can further build on the improved defense they showed part of the time last year, then Smith will be a big part of that since it’s his strength. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t start and play 20+ minutes a game for us unless Hunter miraculously was in tip top shape and producing.
If we act like adults and not worry about #27 vs. #40, we can also just say that guys in the same ballpark, such as Rob Johnson and Troy Williams, both started as freshmen, and in the case of Davis, he started every game as a sophomore until his injury, and as was alluded to, he had some problems when he arrived as a freshman, or else it is likely he would have started more than he did.
(Sorry for the run on sentence).
What makes it a bit of a question though is whether IU can afford to have only 2 guys on the floor with even a speck of a chance of knocking down an outside shot. Defenses will stay home and double in the post and guys like Smith become very ineffective offensively.
There is also the question of Thompson, who could possibly outplay Smith if he can show some outside shooting.
Smith was out of position a lot on defense, if that was his main strength, if anyone with a pulse on offense is available to play I could see Smith's minutes getting cut. The team will need to put more than 1 or 2 players who are threat to score on the floor. Smith had trouble guarding the 4 or 5, and could not score on the wing as a 3, even when teams did not guard Smith on the perimeter. Opposing coaches showed a complete lack of respect of Smith's shooting on the perimeter, along his defensive man to double team or drop down in the lane to prevent drives by IU. Defense, blocked shots, transition, and rebound put backs without dribbling are his main areas of contribution.
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Race has shown more offensive skills than Smith and also flashes of better defense also, and is bigger and does not mind to bang on the boards in the B1G.
Right, but he may not be as good guarding outside the paint. I think that is where Smith has some advantage possibly.
Yes, the roster, with RL and JM gone, is very limited offensively. There has to be a surprise player or two that has grown offensively to help out or we will have trouble scoring much more than 60 a game.
that's probably best case, especially if it were Love and not Leal. That would be a solid class I believe and touch on a lot of areas. Maybe still not the shooters you'd hope for.
Davis is a very efficient scorer. I think if he could be healthy and fit for a full season, he could really surprise and give us a very legit low post scorer. That would help Green from the outside. Hunter and or Smith to me are the question marks.
What in the world do you think you watched last year when Race showed these offensive skills? The kid NEVER scored more than TWO points in a game. Not once. He averaged 0.7 per game. This is just pure delusion and wishful thinking.
Smith is a pretty good Big Ten player. Thompson hasn’t even shown he deserves minutes in the Missouri Valley. Some of you need to get a clue.
Thompson was a better post defender than Morgan last year. When he is in the game he makes an immediate impact on defense and rebounding. Plus, he has a better shot than Smith, which is not difficult to do.
This is absurd. He averaged 2.1 RPG. Better post defender than Morgan???
Better shot than Smith? He didn’t make a 3 ALL SEASON. He never scored more than 2 points in a game.
This is just 100% pure fiction invented in your mind. Thompson hasn’t even shown he deserves minutes in the Big Ten.
You are not watching. See video for Race shooting.
https://www.insidethehall.com/2018/09/29/video-2018-hoosier-hysteria-scrimmage-highlights/
The Wisconsin game at home is an example of better post defense than Morgan. Also the Minnesota road game.
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From what I saw, HS, Hoosier Hysteria, games he was healthy enough to play. Race has much better shooting mechanics and a better perimeter shot than Smith, better post defense, better rebounding, bigger and stronger. If Race was healthy all of last season he would have gotten more PT. I just can not see how as woeful as IU last season shooting the ball that you would start Smith when better options are available. If Hunter is healthy then Smith would be behind both Hunter and Race at the 3.
You’re out there, do you know that, you should stick with soccer!
You’re bringing out scrimmage highlights??? Are you serious? The guy played in 9 games and you can’t even find one game? He never scored more than TWO points last year.
Conversely Smith scored double digits 13 times including 24 against MSU.
Just stop this ignorance already.
I was only thinking of the scrimmage because that was when he was in top form and playing with confidence. I think that player could emerge again. Yes, I am serious.
When Race locks down on the block he is much tougher than Morgan to back down. Morgan was a really good player for IU and all-around the best player they had, but in the area of holding strong in the post, Race was really solid, and I think that will be the first thing we see from him as standing out this season.
Smith shot 20% from 3pt range and 50% FT.
He is a dunker and rebound put back guy at the rim. The problem is that the 1/2 court offense stalls when the opposing team does not guard Smith on the perimeter.
Career game against MSU. If Smith played like this every game he would be a good player. I wish he would it would solve a lot of IU's offensive woes without having to sit a player with a 48" vertical because he is a non-threat on offense.
I wish Thompson would score more than 2 points in a game. They’re not even in the same category.
One injured and one not injured.
Nope.
Not in the same catagory attempting to compare stats.
Thompson was concussed for a big part of the season but we get you are a Flat Earther when it comes to head injuries...
But it's also fair to say in Race's situation, he's pretty much a blank slate and we really have no idea what kind of player he will be or if he can, or will, be a good 3 pt shooter. I agree he brought some energy and looked solid on D and rebounding at the end of the year, but it was extremely limited. And then we have Hunter who is a total question mark. There's not much evidence to suggest we can count on either for a whole lot this year.
I'm impressed with Luke Goode. He can shoot it, flat out shoot it. He can shoot mid range. He can shoot long range even from the bleachers. He even makes layups. That is a basketball skill.
I could not care less what his vertical is. Putting the ball in the basket is the only way to score points. I prefer highly skilled basketball players than great athletes that happen to play basketball, but have low skill level.
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I agree completely. Bird couldn't jump, but had basketball skills ie shooting, passing, and playing good team defense.
So he was playing all those games while concussed? What are you saying about our trainers?
It’s always the new guys, the unknown, that’s going to be better than everyone we have. Next year you’ll be criticizing Thompson but bragging about the shiny new toy freshman coming in. The cycle of delusion never ends.
I am not a doctor and have not stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in a long time. However, I do have to think that if a concussed player is not able to play at the same level they were at before a concussion then they should not be playing.
No dipshit. He was out 2+ months in concussion protocol, meaning he didn’t do anything basketball related while he was out. It’s not easy to jump back into action after sitting that long. The fact that he ended up getting more minutes than Forrester and Moore while only playing 9 games speaks volumes as to what the coaching staff thinks of his abilities.
Forrester and Moore probably aren’t great benchmarks for success given that they’ve both transferred.
And I understand someone having rust to shake off after sitting, but that wasn’t rust. I saw a kid more fit to play in a mid major conference than IU. That’s nothing personal, just reality.
I’m sure you do. Just like everyone thought about Moore and Forrester last year. Remember the NBA talk?
Next year it will be another shiny new toy. Rinse, repeat with more 3 and 4 stars.
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