Definitely a down year talent wise, but there are still a lot of 5 stars on the roster. Ugly shooting/offensive team, but potentially elite at defense/rebounding with all that size.
speaking from experience, rebounding goes a long way. we had multiple games in be tourney where only one guy made a 3 but we rebounded the hell outta the ball not gonna be a normal unc team so gonna be weird to see us not rebound everything
There's obviously a lot of time between now and the draft, but Draft express has Diallo at 22 next year and doesn't have Knox in the mock (this seems off but he's definitely not a guaranteed lotto prospect). Their write-up on Knox from the April Nike Summit is not flattering (in spoiler below)....basically says he's a good physical prospect with a low bball IQ, poor shooting form, who incorrectly thinks he's a SG, and lacks a motor. UK is going to be super young (in a class that generally lacks superstar talent), big, and full of a bunch of guys that project to be poor outside shooters. And I guess color me surprised if the Baker kid gets more than 10 min a game next year. Spoiler STRENGTHS -Nice physical profile for a combo forward at 6' 9 with a 6' 11.5 wingspan and 8' 10 standing reach - measurements good enough to play the four in the NBA. Wide shoulders that are filling out nicely. Huge feet. Looks like he still may not be completely done growing. -Fluid athlete who can finish above the rim with relative ease both in transition and the half court. Lob target. -Best moving and cutting off the ball. -Multi-positional defender when motivated. Good feet. Uses his solid reach to alter shots. 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per 40 minutes. -Although it hasn't translated to game play Knox's jumper is slightly improved from a mechanical standpoint. Gets great rotation. Can make shots with time and space when he stays consistent and focused with his mechanics. Healthy arc. -Has the fluidity to attack a closeout in space, best when at the four. -Excellent rebounding potential thanks to his quick leaping and tools - lifetime 11.0 boards per 40 minutes. -A bit young for his class at 17.6. WEAKNESSES -Still quite light at 206 pounds. Has gained only three pounds in the last year or so. Nice frame up top but really thin lower body. Limits his ability to hold position vs traditional bigs. -Doesn't think the game at a high level. Feel is very shaky in terms of shot selection and decision making. 3.8 turnovers per 40 minutes in 39 EYBL games. -Still trying to prove that he's a wing by hoisting up jumpers early in the clock or trying to create off the dribble. Much more effective if he'll accept the role as an energetic, athlete/defender while the rest of his game develops organically. -Motor is very up and down. Looks uninterested on the floor. Doesn't always sit down and defend. Floats on the perimeter offensively. Needs to play with a high motor, defend, rebound and fly around to be considered a legitimate first-round caliber NBA prospect. -High handle. Not going to create or play out of ball screens. Best at the four when he can attack via straight line drives in space. -Very loose, inconsistent shooting mechanics. Balance comes and goes. Brings the ball down to his shoulder right before going into his release. Has good wrist action and rotation but is far too loose. Lifetime 25.8 3P% on 89 attempts. -Shows very little positive or negative emotion on the floor. OUTLOOK Knox underwhelmed the majority of the week in Portland as his development has stalled a bit since we first bega evaluating him at the age of 15. While he shows an improved skill set for brief stretches, he's too focused on proving that he can play the three rather than making an impact by using his tools, explosiveness and energy. If he can find a way to buy into defending multiple positions, moving off the ball, crashing the glass, running the floor, and playing as more of a modern four man (which is very much the trend in today's NBA) he's far more interesting as an NBA prospect. He'll have to continue to stick to his strengths while finding a way to make spot-up 3s consistently to validate his current standing as a prospect. Knox's skill-set is undoubtedly best suited at the 4 at the NCAA level (even if he insists on being recruited as a 3), but if he's still concerned with developing into a wing his development and overall intrigue as a prospect will continue to take a hit. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kevin-Knox-90053/ ©DraftExpress
Jackson and Berry were both 37+% high volume 3 point shooters who could keep defenses honest. It's a stretch to think anyone on UK's roster comes close to their 3 point production (maybe they land Cam Johnson from Pitt but I'd imagine he can step into better positions without as much competition elsewhere). Offense gets pretty ugly in college when teams can just sag off and pack the paint. Just strikes me as odd roster construction and generally a team that is going to have major problems scoring.
as far as recruiting goes, bringing joel back was the only "recruit" i was worried about. everything else is a bonus
For good reason. Kid is tough as hell, has been there before, and should be one of the best players/pgs in the country next year. Unc's roster next year is weird too. Lots of guard and wing depth, and assuming Bradley goes pro, pretty poor talent and depth in the post. This gets said quite a bit, but the "top" teams on paper next year are shaping up to be the worst they've been in awhile imo. KU, MSU, and Zona are about the only 3 teams who aren't highly questionable on paper. Wichita St might legitimately be the best team in the country.
if tony comes back i think we're arguably the best team in the country. if he doesn't, it'll be interesting to see us go small with theo at the 4
I'd agree with that. Top 4 or 5 at least with Bradley. As a general nba fan, I also have no clue how he's projected as a first round pick. From what I saw of him, he's a bit slow footed, not really athletic, and definitely not a pick/roll lob guy. He's kind of anti-everything the NBA is currently doing. Also think he probably benefitted by showing flashes behind Meeks/Hicks instead of being the guy all year. Financially, he should probably go pro now.
agree to an extent. after the mcadoo shit, our guys should always capitalize immediately. but i think he's good. it's crazy how even his splits match freshman tim duncan. not saying he'll be that but he's really good. praying he comes back tho. he'll be first this year. but coming back as the guy could get him top 10 honestly
KU has plenty of questions I doubt we lose Frank Mason, Josh Jackson & Landen Lucas and improve from last year. We have some talent in the post, but it is unproven in Azubuike & Preston. Our depth is underwhelming in a couple of transfers. Pg.. 2016 mason > 2017 graham Sg.. 2017 newman > 2016 graham Sf... 2016 Svi =2017 Vick F- 2016 Jackson > 2017 Preston C- 2016 Lucas = 2017 Azubuike
Right. And if you look at Parrish's rankings on cbs today, KU is his preseason #1 team. 2017-18 is looking like a pretty shitty year as far as top teams go. I might like Msu the most
We always start the year near the top, but it will be a down year indeed if we are actually the best team in the country. Last year was most un KU like team in memory. We had one serviceable big man, no bench and our guards did all the scoring.
This is a laughably bad comparison. 2015 UK had 2 sophomore Harrison twins and Booker to space the floor (the 3 made nearly 160 3s with booker and 1 harrison at 38 and 41%), WCS as a jr, and Towns who played at a player of the year level. Bamba hardly moves the needle...he's a huge project on O and will play slightly better D than Richards if I had to guess. In what way would adding Bamba put UK as "virtually the same team" as a team that almost went undefeated? 3 pt shooting? nope not close. Soph and jr experienced talent? nope 2017 is all freshmen. NPOY caliber player? nope. I kinda hope UK fans actually think next year's team is remotely close to their 2015 team.
It's like they think it's them against the world rather than people with objective criticism that is very fair and accurate.
Sounds like Trevon Duval maybe nearing a decision. Is Duke really the only team that seems to stand out here?
UK needs a 2g/shooter. Not sure that Baker will be good enough, but we'll see. Diallo returning wouldn't help shooting, but at least he's a guard. UK has 3 guards on the entire roster currently, 4 if Diallo returns. They have basically 4 guys who are combo forwards (can play 3/4). Weird roster construction, but there is a lot of size and talent. Knox's dad is apparently saying Cal sold him on playing the 2g. I don't see that working, but someone will have to play those minutes. Cam Johnson wanted to commit to UK last week, but Cal had him hold off for the Knox decision. He will probably look elsewhere now, but I think he'd get starter minutes due to his shooting. Fingers crossed.
Saw where y'all picked up Trey Dickerson today. Kid we recruited out of JUCO. He's been to like 13 schools it seems like
Kids like that are perfect. Gives Pat a chance to start recruiting the 18/19 class because he wasn't jumping in on any quality high school 17. Guess that means Waters is not happening.
I think Knox is a college 4 and an NBA 3/4. He obviously could play the 3 spot at UK with the right guy at the 2 (think Monk, Booker, etc.), but UK's roster is not conducive to his skill set, which makes his decision to go there and being sold on the 2 spot even more remarkable.
Tilmon finally signs w Mizzou. Still a question if Jontay Porter reclassifies, but other than that, I think Mizzou is done
I dont think it was that awful There may have been some behind the scenes push and pull, but Tilmon himself stayed quiet and didnt play in games in the media ect. That's all you can really ask for.
Yeah, it wasn't really anything that he did, just that every insider seemingly thought it was happening 20 times before it did and he had so many people pushing him different ways.
Probably has a lot to do with how popular Isaiah Washington is in NYC, especially since he stayed in NYC his whole high school career instead of going to a prep school. Washington is a big deal in Harlem, and he's a bit of a role model to younger Harlem kids. Kind of a long read, but this is a decent article on how it formed and it's impact. I don't know if it's much of a thing outside of New York. I guess I'll learn more next year when Washington gets to Minnesota.
It's taken over pretty much every ballislife video, from the titles to the comment sections, it's basically a meme. Was really confusing me for a little bit there, finally did some top notch investigating yesterday and figured it out though.
Big get for Texas. But LOL at picking Texas over Duke and Kentucky. Sounding like Hamidou Diallo will be making his NBA or college decision this week.
Why? How much do players really learn in one year now a days? They get exposure no matter where they play
Texas has a nice little recruiting class this year. Smart should be able to get to the tourney with that team.
He should've been able to make it this year based on talent alone. Wake me up when we aren't in last place in the Big 12 anymore.