X, speed, and ball control.

[Cavanagh.13]

Rewatching the film (that’s fun to say, I’m already better than Crean at this) Xavier is very very skilled with the ball in his hands. He is lightning quick, and got around his defenders with ease. Yogi was the last guard with his speed, and I think Xavier might be able to have more one on one success with the ball in his hands. He is a great dribbler and care taker of the ball.

His passing isn’t world class, but he is smart. Doesn’t turn it over. His best skill IMO is for sure ball control. Being that fast and not turning it over is a major talent.

His shot is his biggest weakness, but he shouldn’t have to do much of that on this team. If he can focus on runners and mid range stop and pops he will be amazing. He is going to constantly have those opportunities.

 

[kkott]

Rewatching the film (that’s fun to say, I’m already better than Crean at this) Xavier is very very skilled with the ball in his hands. He is lightning quick, and got around his defenders with ease. Yogi was the last guard with his speed, and I think Xavier might be able to have more one on one success with the ball in his hands. He is a great dribbler and care taker of the ball.

His passing isn’t world class, but he is smart. Doesn’t turn it over. His best skill IMO is for sure ball control. Being that fast and not turning it over is a major talent.

His shot is his biggest weakness, but he shouldn’t have to do much of that on this team. If he can focus on runners and mid range stop and pops he will be amazing. He is going to constantly have those opportunities.

Yeah, I think you're overreaching based on 2 summer games, but I see the bones of what you are saying and hope it holds. He impressed me with his quickness and he has the ingredient Yogi lacked in size, heft and strength (although Yogi was very strong for his size... but he was 170 strong, XJ is 205 strong!). Yogi was really good and became a much better shooter than XJ is going to be (after seeing his shot, I hope he works to take advantage of and setup the shooters we have, and not try and overdo it... take note young Kristian!). Not a bad recipe for all of our point guards... like the Sundance Kid, they shoot better on the move! Be an interesting 3 pt shooting contest with our PGs. I suspect Rob would win, but that only emphasizes that they need to worry about running the O, not turning it over, ball pressure and setting up others where/when they need the ball and can score.

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Yeah, I think you're overreaching based on 2 summer games, but I see the bones of what you are saying and hope it holds. He impressed me with his quickness and he has the ingredient Yogi lacked in size, heft and strength (although Yogi was very strong for his size... but he was 170 strong, XJ is 205 strong!). Yogi was really good and became a much better shooter than XJ is going to be (after seeing his shot, I hope he works to take advantage of and setup the shooters we have, and not try and overdo it... take note young Kristian!). Not a bad recipe for all of our point guards... like the Sundance Kid, they shoot better on the move! Be an interesting 3 pt shooting contest with our PGs. I suspect Rob would win, but that only emphasizes that they need to worry about running the O, not turning it over, ball pressure and setting up others where/when they need the ball and can score.

I don't wanna see a 3 point shooting contest between our PGs. I think distributing and taking shots at the rim is the way to go with all of them. Rob is the best defender, X is the best on O. Lander is # 3 right now, and needs to work work work.

 

[Jssanto]

Why do so many guards seem to have shot mechanic issues?
With the video we have today ( instructional and then video yourself to critique) cant this be taught at early ages?

 

[Coach Geez]

Why do so many guards seem to have shot mechanic issues?
With the video we have today ( instructional and then video yourself to critique) cant this be taught at early ages?

I've offered this theory before, but the three point line has revolutionized the game of basketball. Kids at an early age, 8,9, 10 years old all want to emulate Steph Curry. You have kids jacking up 3's at an early age who aren't physically strong enough to get it to the rim with proper shooting mechanics. So naturally they have to either heave it from the from the waist and/or develop unorthodox mechanics and it's a natural born habit. A good coach or instructor should be able to correct this once players start developing and maturing but not everyone has access to private instructors or quality coaching.

 

[Brewskie]

Why do so many guards seem to have shot mechanic issues?
With the video we have today ( instructional and then video yourself to critique) cant this be taught at early ages?

Not the ones that go to Wisconsin. They always seem to have a point guard that is lights out. When Yogi came in, his shot was his weakness but by his junior year, he could stroke it. It does seem like over the last few years, we've gotten guards that are not good shooters. Even Damezi who was supposed to be the shooter of that group couldn't throw it in the ocean. I think Geez is on to something above.

 

[kkott]

Why do so many guards seem to have shot mechanic issues?
With the video we have today ( instructional and then video yourself to critique) cant this be taught at early ages?

Folks think this all the time, but imo, the reality is: shooters are born and not made. Now, you can certainly improve your shooting a ton with practice and better mechanics, but you're not going to become a Steph, or Klay, or Steve or Jay Edwards, those guys were born shooters! But, just from what I've seen, someone like Galloway or XJ weren't born shooters, so they might have limitations on where they can get to. You can rest assured that all these guys at this point, have been shown and taught proper mechanics, but if they weren't born shooters, they may have just decided a more comfortable flawed motion is better than trying to learn "proper" mechanics that never felt right to them. It's like a golf swing, the club just has to hit the ball squarely on the sweet spot, how you manage that is up to you. If you're Louis Ousthazen, it looks pretty, if you're Jim Furyk, it looks less so.

PS, I'm hoping Kopp, Stewart and Bates were born shooters!

 

[MG80]

I've offered this theory before, but the three point line has revolutionized the game of basketball. Kids at an early age, 8,9, 10 years old all want to emulate Steph Curry. You have kids jacking up 3's at an early age who aren't physically strong enough to get it to the rim with proper shooting mechanics. So naturally they have to either heave it from the from the waist and/or develop unorthodox mechanics and it's a natural born habit. A good coach or instructor should be able to correct this once players start developing and maturing but not everyone has access to private instructors or quality coaching.

I get missing threes. But a real weakness has been missing opportunities at the rim. KL and Rob and Galloway need to be much better there, especially since they’ve either been poor or inconsistent from outside. In a close game, those kind of misses are killers. I’m hoping that an off-season of getting stronger and developing better focus and maturity will really help Lander and Galloway finish better.

 

[ORG]

Why do so many guards seem to have shot mechanic issues?
With the video we have today ( instructional and then video yourself to critique) cant this be taught at early ages?

PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT: PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Sometimes less is more.

 

[kkott]

I get missing threes. But a real weakness has been missing opportunities at the rim. KL and Rob and Galloway need to be much better there, especially since they’ve either been poor or inconsistent from outside. In a close game, those kind of misses are killers. I’m hoping that an off-season of getting stronger and developing better focus and maturity will really help Lander and Galloway finish better.

Agreed. That's been a recurring problem, and is also one that imo can be improved on. I think TJD has been guilty too. Too often it seems we're just happy drawing the foul and a lot of times it seems to me guys aren't intent on really maintaining focus on making the basket. Strange for such a poor FT shooting team.

 

[iubirdman]

Rewatching the film (that’s fun to say, I’m already better than Crean at this) Xavier is very very skilled with the ball in his hands. He is lightning quick, and got around his defenders with ease. Yogi was the last guard with his speed, and I think Xavier might be able to have more one on one success with the ball in his hands. He is a great dribbler and care taker of the ball.

His passing isn’t world class, but he is smart. Doesn’t turn it over. His best skill IMO is for sure ball control. Being that fast and not turning it over is a major talent.

His shot is his biggest weakness, but he shouldn’t have to do much of that on this team. If he can focus on runners and mid range stop and pops he will be amazing. He is going to constantly have those opportunities.

Not to rain on your parade, but his freshman year at Pitt he lead the conference in TO's with 132 (most in the conference since at least 2007-8), his sophomore year he lead the conference in turnovers with 111, and this past year he was still at 3.3 per game. If they played the full 32-33 game season last year he would potentially have the most career turnovers in the conference for any player in the last 13-14 years.

While some of that is driven by the lack of talent around him, he has a history of being VERY turnover prone. While he potentially could be very effective for us this year, the decision making and turnovers is the biggest concern I have regarding X.

 

[Cavanagh.13]

Not to rain on your parade, but his freshman year at Pitt he lead the conference in TO's with 132 (most in the conference since at least 2007-8), his sophomore year he lead the conference in turnovers with 111, and this past year he was still at 3.3 per game. If they played the full 32-33 game season last year he would potentially have the most career turnovers in the conference for any player in the last 13-14 years.

While some of that is driven by the lack of talent around him, he has a history of being VERY turnover prone. While he potentially could be very effective for us this year, the decision making and turnovers is the biggest concern I have regarding X.

You are for sure right, he did turn it over at a big clip in the past. Looked really solid in the Bahamas. Obviously his assist #s have been phenomenal. He seems to put others in a position to score a lot. I think a lot by breaking down the initial defense. Ill take high TOs as long as he has crazy high asisst #s to go with it. Gonna play a much more free flowing fast as hell pace this year, will have some TOs.

 

[kkott]

You are for sure right, he did turn it over at a big clip in the past. Looked really solid in the Bahamas. Obviously his assist #s have been phenomenal. He seems to put others in a position to score a lot. I think a lot by breaking down the initial defense. Ill take high TOs as long as he has crazy high asisst #s to go with it. Gonna play a much more free flowing fast as hell pace this year, will have some TOs.

What did we have in the 2 games, like 8 and 11? That's pretty stout, especially for a "sloppy" summer game. Maybe Mega just wasn't pressuring at all, but regardless for a team with a lot of new faces, that was impressive. Watching XJ and as quick as he is and how he penetrates, I'm sure he'll have turnovers but as you point out, if he can score at a decent clip and get others baskets, some turnovers should be expected and shouldn't be a big problem. 3 TOs and 5-6 assists a game with him scoring in double digits would be fine and I think CMW would live with that. Does that seem reasonable?

 

[Cavanagh.13]

What did we have in the 2 games, like 8 and 11? That's pretty stout, especially for a "sloppy" summer game. Maybe Mega just wasn't pressuring at all, but regardless for a team with a lot of new faces, that was impressive. Watching XJ and as quick as he is and how he penetrates, I'm sure he'll have turnovers but as you point out, if he can score at a decent clip and get others baskets, some turnovers should be expected and shouldn't be a big problem. 3 TOs and 5-6 assists a game with him scoring in double digits would be fine and I think CMW would live with that. Does that seem reasonable?

I don't think a lot of games we will need even 10 from him. Some for sure, but we have a lot of burst scorers this year. Devonte was a burst scorer, he legit won us a few games. Now you cant just have him as your main option and only one burst scorer on the team. But if you have Miller, X, Parker, Bates? Each could score a bunch of points in a fury.

 

[kkott]

I don't think a lot of games we will need even 10 from him. Some for sure, but we have a lot of burst scorers this year. Devonte was a burst scorer, he legit won us a few games. Now you cant just have him as your main option and only one burst scorer on the team. But if you have Miller, X, Parker, Bates? Each could score a bunch of points in a fury.

I hope there's some disparity between "need" and "get" this year. We've lived without a scoring PG for a long time and I don't think XJ came here to distribute only. I'm guessing he's going to average 12-14 and will be an awesome compliment to TJD and our shooters. Last year we didn't have a scoring PG or legit 3 pt threats. This year we have both I believe!

 

[GeorgeStrait IU]

Rewatching the film (that’s fun to say, I’m already better than Crean at this) Xavier is very very skilled with the ball in his hands. He is lightning quick, and got around his defenders with ease. Yogi was the last guard with his speed, and I think Xavier might be able to have more one on one success with the ball in his hands. He is a great dribbler and care taker of the ball.

His passing isn’t world class, but he is smart. Doesn’t turn it over. His best skill IMO is for sure ball control. Being that fast and not turning it over is a major talent.

His shot is his biggest weakness, but he shouldn’t have to do much of that on this team. If he can focus on runners and mid range stop and pops he will be amazing. He is going to constantly have those opportunities.

I agree with everything as X showed certain juice not seen since Yogi, but he will turn it over this season. Enough for people to spot out. But thats okay as long as his assistisisistisis stay equal or pinch better from Pitt.

 

[MG80]

I hope there's some disparity between "need" and "get" this year. We've lived without a scoring PG for a long time and I don't think XJ came here to distribute only. I'm guessing he's going to average 12-14 and will be an awesome compliment to TJD and our shooters. Last year we didn't have a scoring PG or legit 3 pt threats. This year we have both I believe!

X is going to need to score. I expect teams will gang up on TJD in the post and also try to crowd Kopp on the perimeter. Other guys are going to need to score so they play them, especially, Trace, honestly.

 

[SoccerSammy]

Not the ones that go to Wisconsin. They always seem to have a point guard that is lights out. When Yogi came in, his shot was his weakness but by his junior year, he could stroke it. It does seem like over the last few years, we've gotten guards that are not good shooters. Even Damezi who was supposed to be the shooter of that group couldn't throw it in the ocean. I think Geez is on to something above.

so Yogi's shot got BETTER under Crean? Hmmmm.....

 

[UncleMark]

I've offered this theory before, but the three point line has revolutionized the game of basketball. Kids at an early age, 8,9, 10 years old all want to emulate Steph Curry. You have kids jacking up 3's at an early age who aren't physically strong enough to get it to the rim with proper shooting mechanics. So naturally they have to either heave it from the from the waist and/or develop unorthodox mechanics

Long before the three point shot, I had a gym teacher claim this was the reason native Hoosier players all had such bad mechanics. Said that Indiana born and bred kids started playing at a much younger age than most.

 

[Harry Hondo]

X is going to need to score. I expect teams will gang up on TJD in the post and also try to crowd Kopp on the perimeter. Other guys are going to need to score so they play them, especially, Trace, honestly.

He has a quick first step and can finish at the rim. He'll need to knock down his FT's if he drives to the rim a lot, though. Bates and Stewart should provide scoring.

 

[Cavanagh.13]

He has a quick first step and can finish at the rim. He'll need to knock down his FT's if he drives to the rim a lot, though. Bates and Stewart should provide scoring.

If you let Parker shoot, he is gonna shoot. He has a scorers mentality 100%. Same with Bates. Those 2 are each going to have games over 25 points this year. I would be shocked if Parker didn't have a game or two when he went off from three. Again, both of those two especially will be burst scorers. They will also have games that they are cold, I think we have a deep bench for those games tho.

 

[Coachlosekamp]

I've offered this theory before, but the three point line has revolutionized the game of basketball. Kids at an early age, 8,9, 10 years old all want to emulate Steph Curry. You have kids jacking up 3's at an early age who aren't physically strong enough to get it to the rim with proper shooting mechanics. So naturally they have to either heave it from the from the waist and/or develop unorthodox mechanics and it's a natural born habit. A good coach or instructor should be able to correct this once players start developing and maturing but not everyone has access to private instructors or quality coaching.

I teach those 8,9,10 & 11 year old kids, they are not strong enough to shoot that far out.
Get the proper shooting technique first in a closer range, then as they grow stronger, they can shoot out there with the proper technique.
Teach fundamentals at the young age. Winning is good, but learning to play correctly is more important. JMO!

 

[T.M.P.]

X is going to need to score. I expect teams will gang up on TJD in the post and also try to crowd Kopp on the perimeter. Other guys are going to need to score so they play them, especially, Trace, honestly.

TJD wont be "in the post" unless from a weak to strong side cut, or off a roll.

Watch Cav's vids ..

fwiw - we want opposing teams to double him.

 

[rocketo]

Rewatching the film (that’s fun to say, I’m already better than Crean at this) Xavier is very very skilled with the ball in his hands. He is lightning quick, and got around his defenders with ease. Yogi was the last guard with his speed, and I think Xavier might be able to have more one on one success with the ball in his hands. He is a great dribbler and care taker of the ball.

His passing isn’t world class, but he is smart. Doesn’t turn it over. His best skill IMO is for sure ball control. Being that fast and not turning it over is a major talent.

His shot is his biggest weakness, but he shouldn’t have to do much of that on this team. If he can focus on runners and mid range stop and pops he will be amazing. He is going to constantly have those opportunities.

If he can’t get consistent shooting the 3, he may not last long. He needs to be a threat.

 

[hatchetdad]

Folks think this all the time, but imo, the reality is: shooters are born and not made. Now, you can certainly improve your shooting a ton with practice and better mechanics, but you're not going to become a Steph, or Klay, or Steve or Jay Edwards, those guys were born shooters! But, just from what I've seen, someone like Galloway or XJ weren't born shooters, so they might have limitations on where they can get to. You can rest assured that all these guys at this point, have been shown and taught proper mechanics, but if they weren't born shooters, they may have just decided a more comfortable flawed motion is better than trying to learn "proper" mechanics that never felt right to them. It's like a golf swing, the club just has to hit the ball squarely on the sweet spot, how you manage that is up to you. If you're Louis Ousthazen, it looks pretty, if you're Jim Furyk, it looks less so.

PS, I'm hoping Kopp, Stewart and Bates were born shooters!

Repetition and proper mechanics makes a shooter. Larry Bird

 

[jsig]

TJD wont be "in the post" unless from a weak to strong side cut, or off a roll.

Watch Cav's vids ..

fwiw - we want opposing teams to double him.

I think CMW is committed to develop TJD skills outside of the paint offensively but based on how good TJD has been posting in the paint, do you think they will totally abandon posting him. The NBA is based on matchups and finding those that help you win. I'd like to expect CMW to bring that versatility with his coaching. The previous 2 coaches seemed to stick with their system no matter what.