Team News (current roster)

#730
#730
Interesting to see how this all plays out. Iā€™m ainā€™t changing my mind on SV not being an elite PG but the vibes seem to suggest I might be proven wrong
 
#732
#732
BruinVol said:
Interesting to see how this all plays out. Iā€™m ainā€™t changing my mind on SV not being an elite PG but the vibes seem to suggest I might be proven wrong
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Elite? No. But was Bone? Was Maze? And those guys took us deep. The depth of guards is where this team surpasses any other UT team. Assuming Bailey and the freshman live up to hype. JJJ being the other factor or having a guy thatā€™s 6ā€™6ā€ 225 who can run the point.
 
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#736
#736
zjcvols said:
No but I saw him play last year
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I am hoping it means that the groin injury and missed time in camp last fall as a result really stunted his growth and development.

He looked really good at times last season. If he can make that happen at a consistent level and take an additional step as it seems he has, then I think it bodes well for us. Perhaps it says more about James and the step forward heā€™s taken, than it does about Springer, who has by all accounts, been as advertised. It could also just simply be a means of evening out the talent on the floor.
 
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#737
#737
cncchris33 said:
I am hoping it means that the groin injury and missed time in camp last fall as a result really stunted his growth and development.

He looked really good at times last season. If he can make that happen at a consistent level and take an additional step as it seems he has, then I think it bodes well for us. Perhaps it says more about James and the step forward heā€™s taken, than it does about Springer, who has by all accounts, been as advertised. It could also just simply be a means of evening out the talent on the floor.
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That is my hope. Hopefully itā€™s more James is that good than Springer hasnā€™t fully adjusted to the college game.
 
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#738
#738
Yeah, I don't think this is an indictment on Springer's development. He could still be a high draft pick, too -- Patrick Williams didn't start a single game for Florida State last year and ended up being the 4th overall pick in the draft the other night (I know this draft had less talent, but that's still pretty impressive).

I''m more interested to see if 1) Barnes experiments with different starting lineups early in the year and 2) who does he trust at the end of a close game.
 
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#739
#739
Seems like SV and/or Bailey might be on the floor all the time. I donā€™t see KJ, JJJ, Pons, Ticket, or JS as spot up perimeter shooters needed to keep defenses honest.
 
#740
#740
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Seems like SV and/or Bailey might be on the floor all the time. I donā€™t see KJ, JJJ, Pons, Ticket, or JS as spot up perimeter shooters needed to keep defenses honest.
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While I don't disagree, it should be noted that JJJ hit 37% of his 3s last year. He's better than advertised at that (and in general), and there's no reason to think he wouldn't have improved in that area, and overall, with another offseason of development and better health
 
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#741
#741
Vol49er said:
While I don't disagree, it should be noted that JJJ hit 37% of his 3s last year. He's better than advertised at that (and in general), and there's no reason to think he wouldn't have improved in that area, and overall, with another offseason of development and better health
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JJJ made about 1 per game while missing a couple, but he just doesnā€™t strike me as a shooter. Pons had similar results. Keon and Springer are capable as well. But Vescovi and Bailey seem like theyā€™re the type that can spot up and fill it up. I bet that a lot of Ponsā€™ and JJJā€™s 3s were knocked down after defenses left them unguarded challenging them to take them. Vescovi had defenders in his face always.
 
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#742
#742
Thunder Good-Oil said:
JJJ made about 1 per game while missing a couple, but he just doesnā€™t strike me as a shooter. Pons had similar results. Keon and Springer are capable as well. But Vescovi and Bailey seem like theyā€™re the type that can spot up and fill it up. I bet that a lot of Ponsā€™ and JJJā€™s 3s were knocked down after defenses left them unguarded challenging them to take them. Vescovi had defenders in his face always.
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All good points, Vescovi is definitely a better shooter than JJJ. I just wanted to emphasize that JJJ wasn't a terrible shooter because it seems like a lot of folks have that impression because some of his worst shooting games came in big moments (Memphis and Kansas come to mind)
 
#743
#743
Pons made 35% of his 3s but less than 64% of his free throws. JJJ is nearly an 80% free throw shooter. But I think JJJ is a bigger threat attacking the basket than spotting up on the perimeter. It would be interesting to see his 3-point results if he was taking 7 or 8 attempts per game. I think that he is sound and may not have a major weakness on offense. I think that Pons is a bit inconsistent although he was far better as a Junior.
 
#744
#744
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Pons made 35% of his 3s but less than 64% of his free throws. JJJ is nearly an 80% free throw shooter. But I think JJJ is a bigger threat attacking the basket than spotting up on the perimeter. It would be interesting to see his 3-point results if he was taking 7 or 8 attempts per game. I think that he is sound and may not have a major weakness on offense. I think that Pons is a bit inconsistent although he was far better as a Junior.
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I think in theory he'd be a bigger threat attacking the basket but I think his biggest weakness last year was that he was really poor at driving to the basket. Just seemed pretty stiff, but that improved a little bit closer to the end of the year
 
#745
#745
Vol49er said:
All good points, Vescovi is definitely a better shooter than JJJ. I just wanted to emphasize that JJJ wasn't a terrible shooter because it seems like a lot of folks have that impression because some of his worst shooting games came in big moments (Memphis and Kansas come to mind)
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I donā€™t think that any of the Pons, JJJ, KJ, JS, or even Ticket that I put in that group is terrible. I think that SV and Bailey can be closer to a Lofton-type of threat that canā€™t be allowed to roam around unchecked. JJJ might have to be given a little room to discourage him from taking the ball into the paint. If he can make opponents pay for giving him space by hitting uncontested 3s consistently then TN will be opening a lot of cans of whoop ass this year.
 
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#746
#746
Vol49er said:
While I don't disagree, it should be noted that JJJ hit 37% of his 3s last year. He's better than advertised at that (and in general), and there's no reason to think he wouldn't have improved in that area, and overall, with another offseason of development and better health
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The numbers were solid and Iā€™m all about stats and results but damn that jump shot is ugly lol
 
#747
#747
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Seems like SV and/or Bailey might be on the floor all the time. I donā€™t see KJ, JJJ, Pons, Ticket, or JS as spot up perimeter shooters needed to keep defenses honest.
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I think you could see some Springer/Johnson/JJJ lineups but Iā€™m willing to bear Barnes doesnā€™t want too many cooks in the kitchen regarding the lead guard spot. Though he did play Bone/Turner/Daniel at PG in 17-18
 
#748
#748
Vol49er said:
I think in theory he'd be a bigger threat attacking the basket but I think his biggest weakness last year was that he was really poor at driving to the basket. Just seemed pretty stiff, but that improved a little bit closer to the end of the year
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He was stiff. Season long groin injuries really limit effectiveness. It makes cutting much more difficult. I want to see how well he handles the ball. His passing was elite, but his teammates often couldnā€™t handle them. Heā€™s now had over a year for them to acclimate to him rather than a couple of months. I also want to see Keonā€™s, Springerā€™s, and Baileyā€™s passing skills. JJJ and Vescovi are elite passers.
 
#749
#749
zjcvols said:
The numbers were solid and Iā€™m all about stats and results but damn that jump shot is ugly lol
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Yeah, can't dispute that. I know there are differing schools of thought on whether ugly shooting forms should be changed or whether players should just be coached to be as accurate as possible with the form they're most comfortable with and practiced with
 
#750
#750
Thunder Good-Oil said:
He was stiff. Season long groin injuries really limit effectiveness. It makes cutting much more difficult. I want to see how well he handles the ball. His passing was elite, but his teammates often couldnā€™t handle them. Heā€™s now had over a year for them to acclimate to him rather than a couple of months. I also want to see Keonā€™s, Springerā€™s, and Baileyā€™s passing skills. JJJ and Vescovi are elite passers.
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I agree, my favorite part of the 2018-19 team was how well they shared the ball and had one of the highest assist percentages as a team in the country. While I don't think this team is going to reach that height because we don't have a point guard as good as Bone or a big as good as a distributor as Grant was, which I think was the most underrated part of his game, I think we'll be very good still in that area
 
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