Pons had great game

#51
#51
gainesvol82 said:
Should be one of 3 go to guys with Fulk and Bowden. The rest of the team are role players.

I honestly would love to see us run some triangle offense with our big 3 and put Vescovi in the opposite corner for 3's and teach JJJ to slash to the basket on the back side of the play.
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That would be nice but this bunch has a hard time running the Barnes motion offense.
 
#52
#52
gainesvol82 said:
Another season of consistency will help him go higher, possibly late first round instead of maybe late second. Would also give him another year to develop and improve his chances of sticking in the league.

At worst, he will end up a pro overseas and I'm sure he will be fine with that.
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He's nowhere near where Grant Williams was as a junior. He must improve greatly to even get drafted in the second round. His ball handling skills are where he needs the most improvement. In the NBA he's a 2 or a 3.
 
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#53
#53
USAFgolferVol said:
You said something about him being more than a role player because he had 24 yesterday. Role players step up all the time. That's what he is though. A role player. Most players are role players
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Pons is not a "role player" for this team. He is a starter, our best defensive player, we run plays for him and he is one of our top scorers.

He is one of our 3 go to guys.
 
#54
#54
USAFgolferVol said:
That would be nice but this bunch has a hard time running the Barnes motion offense.
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I don't understand why we aren't running curls for Bowden to come off a screen and get the ball near the top of the elbow.

That is by far his most consistent shot. Have Fulk set the screen and run to the rim. You either get a good shot for Bowden with Fulk in position to rebound or be open for a pass and layup.
 
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#55
#55
gainesvol82 said:
Pons is not a "role player" for this team. He is a starter, our best defensive player, we run plays for him and he is one of our top scorers.

He is one of our 3 go to guys.
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Being a starter doesn't mean he's not a role player. Yes, on this team which was decimated by players leaving, he's expected to contribute more frequently in the box score. He won't be on next year's team
 
#56
#56
USAFgolferVol said:
Being a starter doesn't mean he's not a role player. Yes, on this team which was decimated by players leaving, he's expected to contribute more frequently in the box score. He won't be on next year's team
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I kinda agree with your last statement but I think you are selling Pons potential and development short. He has all the tools to be a high level player in college.

A guy averaging double digit points, rebounding well and one of the best shot blockers in the game is a key piece of any team.
 
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#57
#57
gainesvol82 said:
I kinda agree with your last statement but I think you are selling Pons potential and development short. He has all the tools to be a high level player in college.

A guy averaging double digit points, rebounding well and one of the best shot blockers in the game is a key piece of any team.
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I agree but the game is still relatively new to him. His ceiling probably won't come until he's well into the next level
 
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#60
#60
BruinVol said:
Very true as a skilled basketball player BUT an argument could be made that Pons athleticism would allow him to effect an NBA every bit as much next year as Williams has this year.[/QUOTE
Pons will keep getting better and better under RB just like all the the others before him.Barnes is a teacher and developer first and foremost.
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#61
#61
BruinVol said:
Very true as a skilled basketball player BUT an argument could be made that Pons athleticism would allow him to effect an NBA every bit as much next year as Williams has this year.
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Not so sure about that. Williams is unique in today's NBA. Pons would be a perimeter defender where his impact would be limited....he would just be another athletic guy among many. Grant's basketball IQ is also much higher.
 
#62
#62
gainesvol82 said:
Not so sure about that. Williams is unique in today's NBA. Pons would be a perimeter defender where his impact would be limited....he would just be another athletic guy among many. Grant's basketball IQ is also much higher.
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One thing we know as a fact about what my op said is williams is having very minimal impact right now as a rookie.
 
#63
#63
BruinVol said:
One thing we know as a fact about what my op said is williams is having very minimal impact right now as a rookie.
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I'm betting his impact in practice and the locker room is bigger tan on the court.
 
#64
#64
TennesseeFan07 said:
Why is it a slam dunk that Pons needs to stay? He will be drafted based off of his athleticism. Will staying another year make him more athletic? The roster should be way more talented next season. Will he even start? How does staying help him improve his stock? He will be sharing minutes and probably getting less perimeter shots next season.

Personally, I feel like he is way too short to play at the next level, and lacks the talent to play on the perimeter. The last few picks of the second round are always reaches of athletic freaks. I don't see that changing whether it is this season or next season, other than another year of wear and tear and opportunity for a devastating injury to make teams more hesitant.
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Should Bone have left when he was a sophomore? Pons could improve dribbling and shooting and start at the 3. If he is good enough to be drafted as a SF, he could be playing there for us. Corey Walker should provide enough of a boost.
 
#65
#65
Lankykong said:
Should Bone have left when he was a sophomore? Pons could improve dribbling and shooting and start at the 3. If he is good enough to be drafted as a SF, he could be playing there for us. Corey Walker should provide enough of a boost.
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He is going to be sharing spots with three or four stars next year. How many seniors get drafted in the first round on average? Not many.
 
#66
#66
TennesseeFan07 said:
He is going to be sharing spots with three or four stars next year. How many seniors get drafted in the first round on average? Not many.
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I mainly feel like he’s an NBA washout if he doesn’t work on these skills (6’5” post players don’t work in the NBA and he needs to develop ball skills), but I understand if he wants to go back overseas.

My point is if he’s good enough to make the NBA (aka improves his ball skills/driving and shoots 35% from 3), he’s going to get his time, regardless of who’s here. Bone seriously improved both in one year, Pons may be able to as well.
 
#67
#67
OrangeVolMan said:
I will not call people out by name but they have been on Pons about how bad he is. He had a great game today and competed for the entire game. Anyone that does not realize how far he has come and how good of a player he has become is an idiot.
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I've been very high on Pons all year. In a November post, I predicted that Pons would be the star of the team this season. It looks like he flipped the switch @KU. Pons looked more comfortable in the Kansas game than at any point in his college career. If he continues to improve, he'll be one of the top 5 players in the SEC. I started to say "improve at the rate he has so far this season", but I don't think that's possible. If he did, he would be Michael Jordan by the time March rolls around. He was as good as I expected him to be this season @KU. If he comes back his Senior year, he'll be unstoppable, maybe SEC player of the year.
 
#68
#68
Vols All Day said:
Pons has a lot more upside and versatility than Admiral.
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Agree to disagree. Admiral is a comparable athlete who has both an inside and perimeter game. Also, I’ve never seen Pons takeover a game and will the team to victory like Admiral did several times either.

If Pons can’t develop some perimeter skills (and I don’t see any reason he can’t) and learn how to effectively dribble / slash to the basket then I don’t see a place for him in the NBA. If he doesn’t, then he probably can enjoy a successful overseas career which might be more desirable to him anyway being from Europe.
 
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#71
#71
Pons can most certainly play in the NBA right now. He is one of the best and more versatile defenders in college right now. He'll need to continue to improve his 3 point shot to be able to stick, but his defense will give him some looks. Just look at Andre Roberson and Mo Harkless (throw in Matisse Thybulle in there are well), both of those guys are fantastic defenders, but terrible offensive players by NBA standards. Neither one are as athletic as Pons is either. Pons can legitimately guard 1-4 in the NBA right now.

Being a good athlete isn't always enough, but I think Pons is a good enough defender to certainly warrant a 2nd round pick. If he improves offensively over the summer again, he'd be at least in consideration for a late first round pick.
 
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#73
#73
DonDiego said:
So name them names dude. I regularly ---daily--- check out VN and I've seen little if any severe criticism of Pons. Give some examples --and please more than one or two strays.
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Lately, it has quieted down but the hate on him was thick until the season got going and it was clear he was the most consistent player on the team.
 
#74
#74
pimo1 said:
Lately, it has quieted down but the hate on him was thick until the season got going and it was clear he was the most consistent player on the team.
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No one hated Pons, but what had Pons done the first 2c years on campus that deserved any praise? Be a good athlete? He had scored like 58 points in two years, there just wasn't much to praise.
 
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#75
#75
NBA loves potential and Pons has that in spades. He arguably has more potential than Grant Williams but certainly has more risk as well. IF the NBA, and more importantly Pons and his advisers/coaches feel Pons has a shot at the NBA, if could be argued that a year in the G league would be more beneficial than another year in college. I hope he stays because he could be an all SEC player next year if he continues to improve at his current rate. Put 15 lbs of muscle on Fulk, Pember and Gaines, along with improvement from Vescovi, JJJ and Nkamhoua along with any contributions from next years Freshman class and we might be damn good. Anything Plavsic can contribute will just be gravy. We could look to play a "long small ball" meaning no true bigs but many fast, long players. We should all be stoked for next year.
 
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