This team is simply better without XJ at this point
- Thread starter SIhoosier26
- Start date
The ball sticks with X when he’s in the game.
Difference between a true freshman and a 24 year old 6th year senior.
Cupps definitely needs to shoot the basketball when he's open but the offense plays noticeably better when he's in the game.
This. This has always been the issue with X. Even when he's playing well, the ball movement defintely slows down when he's in the game. He's a ball-dominant lead guard, so when he's off, the team is absolutely dead.
When he's on, it's ok, because he's making plays. But if you notice how long it often takes him to get the ball up and get into position to get the offense started, he's much slower about it than the other guards. He pounds the heck out of the ball. I've never understood why the coaches don't speed him up a little bit...
So what I heard on TV was true? Mark it down as a watershed moment 🤣
Cupps has been way above average for a freshman guard playing the minutes he has.
Wut????? You think he is better than either of the PU guards last year? Above average???? That is about as good as Ware isn't ready for the NBA!
What is his role?
I agree , at this point, he isn’t an above average guard .
But we need to know what his role is on the team to know whether he has been doing his job
I'd like to see Cupps be ready to shoot when he's wide open rather than dribble to another spot. Also, i've seen him break a defense down and i'm waiting for a short floater or take all the way only to see him dribble past the rim and kick it back out. I see him continuing to get better as he builds up confidence and size.
I’m just curious why you would have such a hard time believing this would happen? Are you in some kind of fantasy land where you think the majority of Indiana fans are enamored with Xavier Johnson right now?
I agree. There was a time he took the ball right into the lane and had a wide-open shot, but did not take it. He has to take shots, even if he misses them, to keep the defense honest. I believe that in the past, as a highschooler, he has hit the shots that he’s taking….I would love to see a few fall for him to boost his confidence.
There are 23 freshmen guards in the Big Ten. 2 of them have played more than Cupps, (Cam Christie and DeShawn Harris-Smith).
Among all conference guards who have played 300+ minutes, only 8 have fewer turnovers, and nearly all of them are upper classes.
His numbers aren't flashy, but in extended minutes as a freshman, he takes care of the ball and plays good defense. Only 6 freshmen have more steals.
Jalen Hood-Shifino sits the bench just like Romeo did. Noah Vonleh has had a career NBA scoring average of less than 5ppg.
The NBA is not for kids. Too many young prospects fizzle out and end up with no accomplishments. The NBA will take guys on potential, but that doesn't mean they will reach it. Stay and improve in college and get a better chance. Best possible example = TJD. The Warriors have been floored to see he is actually a capable strong and savvy ball player as a rookie, ready for minutes.
Just to state the obvious. He doesn’t shoot well. Doesn’t score. Doesn’t penetrate. Has a meager assist rate on a team that has the best big guy duo in the conference.
So yes, he isn’t turning it over a lot - but he also doesn’t make any impact plays. He is a placeholder pg.
Not his fault - ideally he would be playing 10 mins per game at most. We have to hit the portal. He was a 3 star and he is playing like a 3 star.
X is damaged. It looked like he was about to cry when he came out of the game after a turnover. A coach put his arm around him. We are better with the good X, but it didn't look like he czme to the game with a determination to make up for his stupid action. Instead, he played scared of making a mistake. That isn't his game.
I'm not a fan of X's reckless turnovers, but I am a fan when the aggressive play works in our favor. We might as well play Cupps if X is not going to be himself. X needs to get his mind right. We need him.
I'm not a fan of X's reckless turnovers, but I am a fan when the aggressive play works in our favor. We might as well play Cupps if X is not going to be himself. X needs to get his mind right. We need him.
The fans also booed some poor free throw shooting & not just at X.
Despite what the doubting poster above says, I was at the game, and yes, it did happen…as in the big cheer when Cupps came in for X.
Am I huge fan of Cupps? No, but in 3 of 4 games since his return, X has been not good. At least Cupps seems to be running an O, getting it to who should have the ball in scoring position, and not turning it over foolishly, like X at end of 1st half at Rutgers. And when X is not playing well, the whole team looks not good. If he could bring it like he did vs OSU, keeping the ball moving amongst his teammates, we’d all be happy.
Am I huge fan of Cupps? No, but in 3 of 4 games since his return, X has been not good. At least Cupps seems to be running an O, getting it to who should have the ball in scoring position, and not turning it over foolishly, like X at end of 1st half at Rutgers. And when X is not playing well, the whole team looks not good. If he could bring it like he did vs OSU, keeping the ball moving amongst his teammates, we’d all be happy.
Last edited:
This is spot on. Cupps is not a better basketball player at this point. However X plays at a snails pace 75% of the time and Cupps plays at a fast pace (or puts it in Galloways hands - lightening pace) 75% of the time. When we are running up and down the court our young guys just play and it looks way better. When we slow it down you can see the gears turning in the young players and we mess things up.
Reneau hit the front end of a one and one and the student section erupted with a sarcastic cheer. It made Reneau pause and look around to see what they were reacting to.
Yet they are both playing on the same team and splitting minutes... so you have to compare them.
Ranked by Fatjohns and crew. Stars in HS are so meaningless. What were Leal Banks and Gunn?
That's what Coach C says, and he may be right. Our posters live and die by the rankings and when they want to make a negative point, they take a star or two off.
We've been lit up by many players that weren't on our recruiting radar because they were ranked too low. Imagine what these boards would do if we brought in a 3 star recruit. I'll take a smart quick kid that can shoot regardless of his ranking.That's what Coach C says, and he may be right. Our posters live and die by the rankings and when they want to make a negative point, they take a star or two off.
This times a thousand. We don't get anything on the offensive end of court at the point guard position when Cupps is in. That is a real problem. Literally all he does is dribble the ball up the court and occasionally pass off to someone else.
He doesn't really penetrate.
He's not creative with the ball
He doesn't shoot when open, and if he does, almost never makes it.
Last game, I remember one moment when he penetrated into the middle of the lane and was absolutely wide open. He didn't shoot. Didn't pass. He literally turned around and either dribbled or passed out, I can't remember. I was absolutely dumbfounded.
We're essentially playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end when Cupps is in the game. It's a problem.
Our defacto point guard when X is out is Trey. He's much more creative with the ball than Cupps.
While I stated above I’m not all that big on Cupps, no one can deny X has played with his head up his ass 3 of his 4 games back. If he’d play like he did against OSU, or did in Feb and March of ‘22, then we wouldn’t be having this discussion. It’s about time Woody started sitting guys who don’t value the ball and aren’t helping the team. Cupps just happens to be the recipient of that opportunity. This is on X with his own poor play. He and Woody need to figure out how to get him playing better and helping the team.
Cupps defends, rebounds, gets steals and doesn't foul or turn the ball over a lot.
I think his offensive game will improve, a lot, as he gains confidence at this level.
Fans are fed up about a lot of things. Right now it’s easy to take it out on X. Woodson is fortunate the fans haven’t started booing him loudly when starts his mass substitution. I’ve certainly heard mumbling when he does it.
I don't disagree with you here. Nothing that you listed referred to the offensive end except hope for the future.
I'd argue, though, that he doesn't do anything amazing on the defensive end either. He plays fairly good position defense, which is great. But he's not immune to the problem that is often endemic on this team - getting beaten off the dribble and giving up uncontested 3s.
To me, it’s not just about any abilities he has as a basketball player-it’s not about basketball at all.
We know from Woodson’s comments and our own eyes that he gets distracted with other things. Some may worry that he’ll have 5 tos. I worry that he’ll get thrown out of a game for fighting. Someone on here the other day defended him by saying that in the past they have seen other players do dirtier things than him. Think about that.
In his first season Woodson said he had to work hard to get x to knock off the things that he was doing. Coming into the second season he mentioned the 180 degree change in attitude that x had shown coming into the season (which obviously infers the previous season he came in with an attitude problem).
I fear that his mood is souring. I worry that he equates being tough with trying to instigate things.
We know from Woodson’s comments and our own eyes that he gets distracted with other things. Some may worry that he’ll have 5 tos. I worry that he’ll get thrown out of a game for fighting. Someone on here the other day defended him by saying that in the past they have seen other players do dirtier things than him. Think about that.
In his first season Woodson said he had to work hard to get x to knock off the things that he was doing. Coming into the second season he mentioned the 180 degree change in attitude that x had shown coming into the season (which obviously infers the previous season he came in with an attitude problem).
I fear that his mood is souring. I worry that he equates being tough with trying to instigate things.
X seems like the classic player who has difficulty controlling his emotions on the court. Anybody who has played any level of basketball from middle school to CYO to High School to rec league ball has seen that player.
Unfortunately, X is doing it while playing for IU and doing it in front of TV cameras.
This seems like an obvious point, but I wonder if X has received any therapy while at IU? We'll obviously never know, nor should we ever know due to HIPPA laws. I hope this was encouraged by the coaching staff, though.
Gabe's +- against Minnesota was +19.
XJ's was a team worst -13.
He has a long way to go but the team fares far better with Cupps in the game than any of our other point guards.
Oh, I would never claim that when X is having a bad game, it's better to have him on the court than Cupps. Since X is ball dominant, when he is bad, it has a huge negative effect on the team.
The difference, I think, is that this team with Cupps on the floor has a much lower ceiling, but a higher floor, than it does with X.
The difference, I think, is that this team with Cupps on the floor has a much lower ceiling, but a higher floor, than it does with X.
I'm guessing the same analysis for Ohio State and other games would give a different conclusion. Do you know their season +/-?
I know +- isn't the end all be all every game but if you watched the game you know that it mattered in this one.
Also funny that you bring up the one game X was decent in, when he's been horrible in every other game since the injury.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
Is anyone else excited about portal possibilities?
- Latest: LoneStarHoosier56
-
-
-
