So who's ready for another rambling post from me pretending I'm a basketball expert despite getting cut from my high school team as a sophomore?!?!?! Don't all answer at once. Anyway, thought it might be interesting to just take a little stock individually (since we all know the aggregate sum of what's gone on suggests this team is at least good, perhaps very good. Time will tell).
Anyway, here's my player-by-player breakdown of what we know, and what we are still waiting on at this point.
Dajuan Coleman
What we know: He's logged more minutes against good competition this year than he did at any point in the second half last year. That's a good thing and speaks to some improvements in conditioning and confidence. He is easily our most (potentially) productive post player. He has one double-double to his credit (in just 19 mins) and another 14 pt/9 reb outing to his credit. Keita struggles to even dream of those numbers and Rak has moments but generally struggles to come close as well. DC is also, unfortunately, the most inconsistent of the bigs, putting up essentially no statistics (4 pts., 5 rebs combined in the past three games) for long stretches. He also remains a 'work in progress' (in quotes b/c I think that's being generous) defensively.
What we don't know: Can DC get to a point this season (I think he will next year) where we can consistently get him four or five touches in the post and get points or FTs on most of those possessions? I can't imagine teams will be doubling or even really sliding to him in the post very often with Cooney and Ennis outside and Grant and Fair roaming the floor. For me this is one of the biggest questions for this group b/c the occasional productive post feed would add another dimension offensively.
Bottom line: Improvement but no 'leap' from DC ... yet. Needs to relax when he gets the ball, something that tends to come with experience and a longer leash. Needs to improve his conditioning and quickness so he can handle the FT line and the baseline in the same defensive possession. He's not close to being able to do this right now.
Rak
What we know: He's been a bit more active or at least a little more consistent (anecdotally of course) with his effort this season. HE's also essentially the same Rak. Never seen a guy with his combination of size and athletic gifts get stuck under the backboard or in inopportune spots more often. Desperately needs to develop more feel for getting himself into good spots and taking good aggressive angles to the hoop. Which leads us to ...
What we know: This development is unlikely. I like Rak -- seems like a good enough kid and obviously works hard physically to keep himself in that shape. I'm just not convinced he'll be more than a defensive presence at the 5 with decent rebounding and shot-blocking. That's OK, and he's a contributor.
Bottom line: Rak is what he is and I don't really see that changing. I could be wrong. It's certainly happened before and I'd love for it to happen again here.
Baye Keita
What we know: Still the best communicator and defender of the group. Has worse hands than I do.
What we don't: Umm, nothing. We know Keita at this point.
Bottom line: My money is still on Keita to get the minutes that matter the most. Struggling a little now and simply cannot catch the ball cleanly but I'd be surprised if he's not the go-to guy when we get to Jan/Feb.
Jeremi Grant
What we know: We love to overrate guys but Grant's abilities are tough to overrate. Hasn't made many jumpers and has an ugly looking shot, but the dude can truly play at this level and beyond. He can make mid-range jumpers with that form and even when he isn't he's a factor every team has to account for b/c he's simply dynamic. Shown more off the bounce this year as well. Got off to a weird start to the season with the suspension and some defensive lapses, but he got better every game in Maui.
What we don't: Just how good can he be? Has taken just 3 threes and has yet to make one, but he was 6 of 15 last year in limited time so it's not like he can't shoot from there. If he's back next year, this will be a question for him. But as for this year, I still think there's a chance he becomes the go-to guy, which allows CJ to do a ton of damage as an extremely dangerous secondary option. If we get to this point, it's a very, very good thing.
Bottom line: Kid is fun to watch and still seems to be scratching the surface (or close to the surface) of his game. Even if he doesn't become the go-to guy we all envision, he can still have a huge year and a major impact if he is simply more consistent, especially defensively.
CJ Fair
What we know: One of the most consistent players I can ever remember wearing Orange. Hasn't quite knocked down the 3 at the same rate this year but the release is noticeably quicker and, if he has the type of running mates he's had the past few games (Cooney and Grant with Ennis adding more each game), he's a really dangerous player. If we're stuck with CJ and lots of inconsistency around him, we're in trouble.
What we don't: Can he consistently knock down the three. He needs that as the go-to guy and it hasn't quite been there yet. Can he find ways to score against quicker defenders -- needs to be able to play a bit with his back to the basket. Probably the biggest 'if' for his game right now.
Bottom line: Love the guy and think -- regardless of what Grant/McCullough/Roberson bring -- he will be missed dearly next season. Enjoy him while we have him.
Michael Gbinije
What we know: I can't spell or pronounce his name and he doesn't do enough for it to be called enough for it to stick in my memory. I'm perplexed with him b/c I like his skill. I don't even really think his handle is as bad as it's looked at times (yes, I realize that statement makes no sense). Not aggressive enough on either end to maximize his abilities.
What we don't: Can he be more aggressive and attack offensively while disrupting defensively. At this point he has a niche as the third guard but with Cooney and Ennis playing well, that PT will dwindle as the season progresses.
Bottom line: Needs to prove he can do at least one thing well to keep logging minutes. My guess is that it's defensively where he at least gives us a different look. Hope that happens because our bench is short enough as it is.
Trevor Cooney
What we know: It turns out he really can shoot. Also has a passable handle, good athleticism and and good anticipation defensively. Overall thrilled with his game thus far even if the 47% from three is unsustainable.
What we don't know: Can Cooney contribute inside the 3-point line? He seems to have this ability and I don't think we'll see much of it b/c his hanging around outside is a huge factor in spreading defenses and letting Grant/Fair go to work. But it's an interesting thing to watch b/c with his athleticism and quick release a few pump fakes could make him an even more complete player.
Bottom line: Great use of a redshirt by JB and he's developed enough to contribute even when he inevitably hits a bit of a shooting slump at some point. Only downside is that he's not super long or super quick at the top which leaves us more vulnerable up there than we've been in a long time.
Tyler Ennis
What we know: He's been far better than anyone has the right to expect as a frosh. So composed and creative that I don't even think his impressive stats (12 ppg, 5 apg, 40% from 3) tell the story of what he's given to this club. A bit of a liability defensively but I'd imagine that will improve with more time in the zone. Just a really good all-around player regardless of class, which is a high praise for a freshman.
What we don't: He's going to log a TON of minutes and you'd have to think there's a wall at some point. How much he has left late in the year is something of a concern, albeit a relatively minor one in the grand scheme of things.
Roberson/Patterson/Johnson
What we know: Talented and promising.
What we don't: When we'll ever see them again.
Bottom line: Hopefully we see some good minutes in the next couple weeks, but ultimately these guys are prepping for 2014/2015.
Anyway, here's my player-by-player breakdown of what we know, and what we are still waiting on at this point.
Dajuan Coleman
What we know: He's logged more minutes against good competition this year than he did at any point in the second half last year. That's a good thing and speaks to some improvements in conditioning and confidence. He is easily our most (potentially) productive post player. He has one double-double to his credit (in just 19 mins) and another 14 pt/9 reb outing to his credit. Keita struggles to even dream of those numbers and Rak has moments but generally struggles to come close as well. DC is also, unfortunately, the most inconsistent of the bigs, putting up essentially no statistics (4 pts., 5 rebs combined in the past three games) for long stretches. He also remains a 'work in progress' (in quotes b/c I think that's being generous) defensively.
What we don't know: Can DC get to a point this season (I think he will next year) where we can consistently get him four or five touches in the post and get points or FTs on most of those possessions? I can't imagine teams will be doubling or even really sliding to him in the post very often with Cooney and Ennis outside and Grant and Fair roaming the floor. For me this is one of the biggest questions for this group b/c the occasional productive post feed would add another dimension offensively.
Bottom line: Improvement but no 'leap' from DC ... yet. Needs to relax when he gets the ball, something that tends to come with experience and a longer leash. Needs to improve his conditioning and quickness so he can handle the FT line and the baseline in the same defensive possession. He's not close to being able to do this right now.
Rak
What we know: He's been a bit more active or at least a little more consistent (anecdotally of course) with his effort this season. HE's also essentially the same Rak. Never seen a guy with his combination of size and athletic gifts get stuck under the backboard or in inopportune spots more often. Desperately needs to develop more feel for getting himself into good spots and taking good aggressive angles to the hoop. Which leads us to ...
What we know: This development is unlikely. I like Rak -- seems like a good enough kid and obviously works hard physically to keep himself in that shape. I'm just not convinced he'll be more than a defensive presence at the 5 with decent rebounding and shot-blocking. That's OK, and he's a contributor.
Bottom line: Rak is what he is and I don't really see that changing. I could be wrong. It's certainly happened before and I'd love for it to happen again here.
Baye Keita
What we know: Still the best communicator and defender of the group. Has worse hands than I do.
What we don't: Umm, nothing. We know Keita at this point.
Bottom line: My money is still on Keita to get the minutes that matter the most. Struggling a little now and simply cannot catch the ball cleanly but I'd be surprised if he's not the go-to guy when we get to Jan/Feb.
Jeremi Grant
What we know: We love to overrate guys but Grant's abilities are tough to overrate. Hasn't made many jumpers and has an ugly looking shot, but the dude can truly play at this level and beyond. He can make mid-range jumpers with that form and even when he isn't he's a factor every team has to account for b/c he's simply dynamic. Shown more off the bounce this year as well. Got off to a weird start to the season with the suspension and some defensive lapses, but he got better every game in Maui.
What we don't: Just how good can he be? Has taken just 3 threes and has yet to make one, but he was 6 of 15 last year in limited time so it's not like he can't shoot from there. If he's back next year, this will be a question for him. But as for this year, I still think there's a chance he becomes the go-to guy, which allows CJ to do a ton of damage as an extremely dangerous secondary option. If we get to this point, it's a very, very good thing.
Bottom line: Kid is fun to watch and still seems to be scratching the surface (or close to the surface) of his game. Even if he doesn't become the go-to guy we all envision, he can still have a huge year and a major impact if he is simply more consistent, especially defensively.
CJ Fair
What we know: One of the most consistent players I can ever remember wearing Orange. Hasn't quite knocked down the 3 at the same rate this year but the release is noticeably quicker and, if he has the type of running mates he's had the past few games (Cooney and Grant with Ennis adding more each game), he's a really dangerous player. If we're stuck with CJ and lots of inconsistency around him, we're in trouble.
What we don't: Can he consistently knock down the three. He needs that as the go-to guy and it hasn't quite been there yet. Can he find ways to score against quicker defenders -- needs to be able to play a bit with his back to the basket. Probably the biggest 'if' for his game right now.
Bottom line: Love the guy and think -- regardless of what Grant/McCullough/Roberson bring -- he will be missed dearly next season. Enjoy him while we have him.
Michael Gbinije
What we know: I can't spell or pronounce his name and he doesn't do enough for it to be called enough for it to stick in my memory. I'm perplexed with him b/c I like his skill. I don't even really think his handle is as bad as it's looked at times (yes, I realize that statement makes no sense). Not aggressive enough on either end to maximize his abilities.
What we don't: Can he be more aggressive and attack offensively while disrupting defensively. At this point he has a niche as the third guard but with Cooney and Ennis playing well, that PT will dwindle as the season progresses.
Bottom line: Needs to prove he can do at least one thing well to keep logging minutes. My guess is that it's defensively where he at least gives us a different look. Hope that happens because our bench is short enough as it is.
Trevor Cooney
What we know: It turns out he really can shoot. Also has a passable handle, good athleticism and and good anticipation defensively. Overall thrilled with his game thus far even if the 47% from three is unsustainable.
What we don't know: Can Cooney contribute inside the 3-point line? He seems to have this ability and I don't think we'll see much of it b/c his hanging around outside is a huge factor in spreading defenses and letting Grant/Fair go to work. But it's an interesting thing to watch b/c with his athleticism and quick release a few pump fakes could make him an even more complete player.
Bottom line: Great use of a redshirt by JB and he's developed enough to contribute even when he inevitably hits a bit of a shooting slump at some point. Only downside is that he's not super long or super quick at the top which leaves us more vulnerable up there than we've been in a long time.
Tyler Ennis
What we know: He's been far better than anyone has the right to expect as a frosh. So composed and creative that I don't even think his impressive stats (12 ppg, 5 apg, 40% from 3) tell the story of what he's given to this club. A bit of a liability defensively but I'd imagine that will improve with more time in the zone. Just a really good all-around player regardless of class, which is a high praise for a freshman.
What we don't: He's going to log a TON of minutes and you'd have to think there's a wall at some point. How much he has left late in the year is something of a concern, albeit a relatively minor one in the grand scheme of things.
Roberson/Patterson/Johnson
What we know: Talented and promising.
What we don't: When we'll ever see them again.
Bottom line: Hopefully we see some good minutes in the next couple weeks, but ultimately these guys are prepping for 2014/2015.
