Igor Milicic

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

I'll start with saying I really like the guy, and I think he is an upgrade from Awaka. He is getting a ton of rebounds and seems to have really bought into what we've come to expect from a Tennessee defensive player.

Having said that, what's up with missing all the 3 point shots?

When I watched his highlights I was excited to have another 3- point threat. Last night he was just atrocious from beyond the arc.
Hopefully he's just in a shooters slump and dials it in by the time we get into SEC play. Definitely needs to be putting in some extra time in the gym in regards.
Any thoughts as to what could be going on with him? Playing hard on D making him tired? Is it a confidence thing?
Is he the type of guy that needs to see his first one or two go in?

 

[ThatVolGuy]

Did anyone shoot well last night outside of Gainey?

 

[Bigorangefan 98]

I'll start with saying I really like the guy, and I think he is an upgrade from Awaka. He is getting a ton of rebounds and seems to have really bought into what we've come to expect from a Tennessee defensive player.

Having said that, what's up with missing all the 3 point shots?

When I watched his highlights I was excited to have another 3- point threat. Last night he was just atrocious from beyond the arc.
Hopefully he's just in a shooters slump and dials it in by the time we get into SEC play. Definitely needs to be putting in some extra time in the gym in regards.
Any thoughts as to what could be going on with him? Playing hard on D making him tired? Is it a confidence thing?
Is he the type of guy that needs to see his first one or two go in?

It was frustrating see him struggle from the 3 line . Most those looks were pretty good looks also….he hits just couple them we would won with much less drama .

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Did anyone shoot well last night outside of Gainey?

I hear ya, but there is shooting bad and then there is shooting BAD. He was just 2-13 last night and an abysmal 0-8 from 3 point land.
If he is going to shoot that bad from 3, we probably need him taking less of them.

 

[VolArmy74]

It was one of those games that we have, no matter who is on the roster or what year it is, where the whole team seems to lose the ability to shoot at the same time. Dubar was the only one who shot above 50 percent and that was only 2-3. Gainey was "hot" and he was 6-14. Chaz managed big points in the first half but was shooting horribly from the field and ft line.

Igor was 6-11 overall and shot 40 percent from 3 the game before this vs Miami.

 

[ThatVolGuy]

I hear ya, but there is shooting bad and then there is shooting BAD. He was just 2-13 last night and an abysmal 0-8 from 3 point land.
If he is going to shoot that bad from 3, we probably need him taking less of them.

I think it's a mistake to look at one game where both teams shot uncharacteristically poorly and try to interpret Igor's performance as some kind of trend. No, he didn't light the world on fire, but his performance leading up to this game had been better, and I have to imagine the circumstances and environment were stressful as all get out last night.

Dude still contributed to the win in a big way, and I'm positive he'll bounce back.

 

[rdk4121]

He looks like he has great form, but man he was not making them. He's a great rebounder though. Need him to go up stronger when he goes to the rim. Good defender as well, but prone to fouling. If he starts making those shots, we're more or less unbeatable.

 

[Namorto1]

All of Igor's 3's were good shots. He has to keep taking them. This team is # 1 in the country and still have alot of upside on the table. More consistent perimeter shooting across the board, a bit more offense from Mashack, more consistency from Okpara, getting Dubar more comfortable in the rotation along with getting Carr back and we can improve quite a bit. Gainey's game against Illinois should give him a ton of confidence and us another scoring threat alongside Lanier that teams are going to have to pay attention too. We still need a post presence of some sort. Milicic is strong enough to post so would be nice to give me more looks in the paint.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Igor was 6-11 overall and shot 40 percent from 3 the game before this vs Miami

Yeah, he did that Miami game and Virginia.
Looking at his 3 point numbers the rest of the year, if I'm being honest, it just isn't what I expected of him.

GWEB 0-1 0.0%
LOU 1-1 100%
MONT 2-6 33%
APSU 0-1 0%
UVA. 2-3 66%
BAY 0-1 0%
UTM 1-5 20%
SYR 1-4 25%
MIA 2-5 40%
ILL 0-8 0%

 

[Golfprovol]

He shoots 25% on the year from 3 and 51% from the field. He doesn't turn the ball over with only 12 on the year along with 22 assists. He plays good D. I think judging him on 1 game where the whole gym shot bad is a little unfair.

 

[TrapVol]

Last night was definitely an anomaly for Igor. Before last night, he was shooting 33% from beyond the arc, which is pretty respectable. I think the physicality of Illinois probably forced us out of a shooting rhythm. Thank goodness for Gainey!

 

[tn4elvis]

I hear ya, but there is shooting bad and then there is shooting BAD. He was just 2-13 last night and an abysmal 0-8 from 3 point land.
If he is going to shoot that bad from 3, we probably need him taking less of them.

Let him shoot them he’s 35% career three point shooter. It will even out.

 

[DC_Vol]

He just had a cold shooting night. I do like he had the confidence to keep taking shots when he had good looks.

 

[WillisWG]

Rhythm felt off all night, all the foul calls was maddening. Ruined the flow of the game. IM wasn't the only Vol struggling but what a great night for JG.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Last night was definitely an anomaly for Igor. Before last night, he was shooting 33% from beyond the arc, which is pretty respectable. I think the physicality of Illinois probably forced us out f a shooting rhythm. Thank goodness for Gainey!

He shoots 25% on the year from 3 and 51% from the field. He doesn't turn the ball over with only 12 on the year along with 22 assists. He plays good D. I think judging him on 1 game where the whole gym shot bad is a little unfair.

Maybe I am being a little hard on the guy considering we just have a 10 game sample size to judge him. An 0-8 night can really scew things I guess. I just had real had expectations for him as a 3 point shooter. Especially when he is left all alone on like he was last night.
Definitely don't need any more games like that going forward. Like rdk4121 said, if he is hitting his 3's I truly believe we are unbeatable.

 

[KTrain]

Last night was definitely an anomaly for Igor. Before last night, he was shooting 33% from beyond the arc, which is pretty respectable. I think the physicality of Illinois probably forced us out of a shooting rhythm. Thank goodness for Gainey!

Also coming from Charlotte, he has not played in front of a raucous road crowd like last night. Good to get this one road environment under his belt before the SEC road gauntlet. Also, his inbound take away for a runaway score near the end was a big part in us getting it tied up before Gainey's heroics.

 

[OrangeCola]

Knecht once shot 1-7 on 3pt, a 1-6 and a couple 1-5. Even an 0-5 this year in the NBA

 

[UT97Vol]

Let him shoot them he’s 35% career three point shooter. It will even out.

I’m good with that but the point I was making in the other thread is have some self awareness on a night you clearly don’t have it.

He was great otherwise. Huge rebounds. The steal on the out of bounds play and dunk pretty much was the difference in the game. And kudos to him for not letting a bad shooting night affect his game. That was a mammoth play he made at that moment. That said, had he drove and got fouled or drove and dished on some of those 3-pt attempts it might not have been close in the last minute. So that’s the thing I see. A 35% shooter shouldn’t have an unlimited green light. When you’re struggling on any given night, mix it up and find another way to score or get others who a hotter the touch.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Igor was 6-11 overall and shot 40 percent from 3 the game before this vs MiMiami

Just for sake up keeping up with it going forward he is 9 for 35 on the year - 25.72 %
Before last night he was 9 for 27 -33%.

So even tho he hadn't taken a ton of shots from beyond the arc, he was at least average before last night.
Again, we need him to shoot at least at average in big games to give us a good chance of winning. I truly feel he's going to have to shoot above average ( over 40%) for us to win it all this year. We have to have his 3 point threat.
I think that's why I'm just a little concerned.

 

[VolArmy74]

I’m good with that but the point I was making in the other thread is have some self awareness on a night you clearly don’t have it.

He was great otherwise. Huge rebounds. The steal on the out of bounds play and dunk pretty much was the difference in the game. And kudos to him for not letting a bad shooting night affect his game. That was a mammoth play he made at that moment. That said, had he drove and got fouled or drove and dished on some of those 3-pt attempts it might not have been close in the last minute. So that’s the thing I see. A 35% shooter shouldn’t have an unlimited green light. When you’re struggling on any given night, mix it up and find another way to score or get others who a hotter the touch.

Coach Barnes makes one thing clear as a rule, on offense. If you're open, you shoot it. He's stated he's pulled guys before for not shooting open shots and over passing into turnovers. I'd guess Igor will stabilize around 33-35 percent from three, and he probably won't be in a situation where he's taking 8 in a game too often. Last night was a perfect storm of open looks, and Chaz/ZZ being out a significant portion of the game in foul trouble.

 

[DC_Vol]

Maybe I am being a little hard on the guy considering we just have a 10 game sample size to judge him. An 0-8 night can really scew things I guess. I just had real had expectations for him as a 3 point shooter. Especially when he is left all alone on like he was last night.
Definitely don't need any more games like that going forward. Like rdk4121 said, if he is hitting his 3's I truly believe we are unbeatable.

The more perplexing thing to me is why wasn’t Mashack taking shots last night. He passed up a lot of good looks.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

I'd guess Igor will stabilize around 33-35 percent from three, and he probably won't be in a situation where he's taking 8 in a game too often.

Agree. I don't think we need him to be taking 8 + a game. Probably 6 is tops, and he HAS to hit 2 of them. Three if we are going to make a a serious run this year.
Sometimes it not so much how many you make as it is when you make them. My hope his is able to make the clutch shot when it is needed.

We know Chaz can make that clutch shot, and I think after seeing the way Gainey is playing this year we all have confidence in him in the clutch.

ZZ is capable of hitting the big shot, but I don't want to count on it. Need that 3rd clutch shooter, and my hope is Igor can be that guy.
We could still get lucky and Dubar could end up being a dude we can look to in clutch situations, too.

 

[sami]

I hear ya, but there is shooting bad and then there is shooting BAD. He was just 2-13 last night and an abysmal 0-8 from 3 point land.
If he is going to shoot that bad from 3, we probably need him taking less of them.

Have you ever played basketball at any level, or even golf, for that matter? Cold streaks happen, where you just lose your stroke and it feels like you'll never get it back. Igor has a great shooting stroke and will get it back at some point. The kid has always shot well, and the old refrain is for shooters to just keep shooting. He works hard, and he'll get his stroke back.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Also coming from Charlotte, he has not played in front of a raucous road crowd like last night. Good to get this one road environment under his belt before the SEC road gauntlet. Also, his inbound take away for a runaway score near the end was a big part in us getting it tied up before Gainey's heroics.

Well he did play at UVA before that

 

[Orangeblooded615]

I've been impressed with his athleticism and size. Want him to continue to cut to the basket cause he gets fouled every time but keep shooting. The pick and pop is there, it'll eventually go down.