Curious about ZZ minutes.

[gainesvol82]

I'm not talking about his prospects as a pro. I'm not calling out a weakness. Saying he doesn't command a double team is not a weakness. It's just a limitation. The large majority of players cannot command a double team. Our lives would be a lot easier if we had a 2 or combo guard to do that. Z would be good off ball and as a secondary ballhandler in crunch time, saving more energy for point of attack defense.

"Point god" is wild to say. I wouldn't even classify Zeke or KJ as a point god type. Those guys never shot 3's. 2/3 of ZZ's shots are from 3p. Those dudes went to the basket all the time and ZZ does not, so IDK how you can say they're the same. Chris Paul is THE point god because he's not just a QB, he's Peyton Manning. He's directing and micro-managing everything, and beating you by being smarter. Zeke was a guy who played more off instinct and KJ just was nowhere near CP3's level.

I can't remember many non-bigs or non- 6'6+ wings in college that command a double team on a regular basis. Team defense breaks down if you try to double the wrong guy/team.

I'm still surprised at how much Knecht was doubled....he was an elite level guy that UT basketball has typically only had once in a generation. ZZ is about as good as he can possibly be for his size and could start for most any college program. He would be a top tier portal prospect with tons of offers if he was the type of guy that jumped in the portal.....glad he isn't. That dedication is part of why a non prototype frame doesn't limit him.

 

[gainesvol82]

the term point god was coined long before point guards were chucking threes in fact most point gods were not huge scorers at all that's the point. point god if you put the word into a singular guy would be Chris Paul a pure point guard. A points role, especially in college is not to draw a double team it to set his teammates up for success and ZZ does that very well. Look at this offense anytime it has not had him the last 2 years for evidence.

At no point in his career here has ZZ been a point of weakness on this team period. When was there a game where we lost and came out thinking dang if ZZ was a bit bigger or if someone else could bring the ball up the court instead of him... never happened or will happen. We have though wow could we find someone to give him a breather. Yes, the team would be better if we had another guy that could be a true point at times.... the same is true for EVERYTEAM that only has one true point guard no matter his size. If there is a bad matchup for ZZ we have others to switch.. but how often does that happen? When Has ZZ ever been a defensive liability? When has he been a liability running the offense?

ZZ is the one sure thing on this team. Period.

He had times last year where I thought he looked gassed and should come out. I think that was lingering from the injury. It really seem to affect his shooting percentage in our loss in the tournament.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Yeah Freddie FAD Dilione was a class of 2023 recruit and committed to us as a 2023 recruit... Then he was in a highly committed league in OTE after his successful high school play with Word of God HS in North Carolina... He was schooling players like Rob Dillingham who is now going to be a top 10 NBA pick while in OTE... So after his incredible time at Overtime Elite (OTE) he decided to come halfway through the season a year early just to redshirt, get acclimated to the demands of being a student-athlete, sit and learn, get his body ready and the like... So he ended up playing his true freshman year along with the guys he committed to TN originally with in Cam Carr, JP Estrella, Cade Phillips & Freddie Dilione... He's a baller though for sure and will be successful going forward, he's not a true PG... in his own words he puts it this way to me "I'm a big guard"

Freddie’s plantar fasciitis derailed his UT career. He could have been a good one. A case where NIL possibly ended his opportunity at UT as he might not have been agreeable to a pay cut after his ability had diminished. Without NIL, back in the day, he might have been able to stick around longer to get back to his potential. Instead, since his pay (reported) was second to only Knecht UT pretty much had to go in a different direction. Especially with Carr looking like he’ll be a scorer.

 

[walkenvol]

Yeah Freddie FAD Dilione was a class of 2023 recruit and committed to us as a 2023 recruit... Then he was in a highly committed league in OTE after his successful high school play with Word of God HS in North Carolina... He was schooling players like Rob Dillingham who is now going to be a top 10 NBA pick while in OTE... So after his incredible time at Overtime Elite (OTE) he decided to come halfway through the season a year early just to redshirt, get acclimated to the demands of being a student-athlete, sit and learn, get his body ready and the like... So he ended up playing his true freshman year along with the guys he committed to TN originally with in Cam Carr, JP Estrella, Cade Phillips & Freddie Dilione... He's a baller though for sure and will be successful going forward, he's not a true PG... in his own words he puts it this way to me "I'm a big guard"

Not that it really matters but If a guy enters college for the spring semester and red shirts then plays the next season, he’s considered a redshirt freshman and has burnt his opportunity for a future red shirt.

 

[n_huffhines]

I can't remember many non-bigs or non- 6'6+ wings in college that command a double team on a regular basis. Team defense breaks down if you try to double the wrong guy/team.

I'm still surprised at how much Knecht was doubled....he was an elite level guy that UT basketball has typically only had once in a generation. ZZ is about as good as he can possibly be for his size and could start for most any college program. He would be a top tier portal prospect with tons of offers if he was the type of guy that jumped in the portal.....glad he isn't. That dedication is part of why a non prototype frame doesn't limit him.

You are right it doesn't happen a lot with pre-emptive doubles, like you would do with a Jayson Tatum type in the NBA. They just send the double when he catches...but as soon as a college kid gets a step on his defender, somebody has to help and that's the same thing. You now have two on the ball.

 

[gainesvol82]

You are right it doesn't happen a lot with pre-emptive doubles, like you would do with a Jayson Tatum type in the NBA. They just send the double when he catches...but as soon as a college kid gets a step on his defender, somebody has to help and that's the same thing. You now have two on the ball.

I agree and it seemed to be the most effective way to limit DK when he was really on and unstoppable. It's exceedingly rare in today's world to see such high level talent appear so late in a college wing's career. Most guys with the possibility of ending up with DK-level ability as a finished product get snatched up early. It was probably the greatest joy in my UT basketball fandom up there with the first time I saw UT ranked #1 under Pearl.

I am an early 80's baby so didn't get to see anything other than clips of Bernard King or really follow Dale Ellis as a fan. Allan Houston and Chris Lofton were my previous favorite players prior to the Barnes era. So glad he decided to retire here and finish the job previous coaches did of showing UT basketball's potential. Every kid if this generation knows UT as a contender, never thought that would be the case in basketball. It's made me a little more patient with football being in the weeds for so many years.

 

[onfocusgovols]

Yeah I agree about his injury setting him back as a freshman... I was just responding regarding the question/comments regarding him being a late addition / reclass. I'm a big Fad fan, he's got a good future ahead of him in basketball

Freddie’s plantar fasciitis derailed his UT career. He could have been a good one. A case where NIL possibly ended his opportunity at UT as he might not have been agreeable to a pay cut after his ability had diminished. Without NIL, back in the day, he might have been able to stick around longer to get back to his potential. Instead, since his pay (reported) was second to only Knecht UT pretty much had to go in a different direction. Especially with Carr looking like he’ll be a scorer.

 

[CAVPUT]

Gainey is going to get 10 minutes per game at zz’s position, I think. For one thing, the staff thought zz was overworked last year, I believe. For another, there is a logjam at wing and there’s not going to be a ton of minutes for gainey there.

Ain't no way Gainey gets 10 min at point every game. Barring injury, ZZ will be the iron man again this year.