Any thought on what they saw of Christmas on MM?

[CaliCuse]

How did he look? No Fat and jolly cracks or the too easy Xmas puns. They come later; ad nauseum.:crazy:

 

[EastCoast2]

Hard to tell, it was more of a run and gun, long three pointers and alley-oops showcase. Zero post-ups, zero give and gos. He's sure athletic and can run, however

 

[jordoo]

He can run, he can jump and he can dunk. Hard to make much of it but I do get the impression that he will put the POWER in powerforward for us later in his career here. Big huge long frame.

 

[senorpalmer]

Not based on an impression from Midnight Madness, but what I've seen of him, he seems somewhere between Warrick and Terrence Roberts. The athleticism is there now and very promising, it's all a matter of if his skills can end up in the neighborhood of his physical gifts. And depending on that outcome, he could end up being Warrick, or Terrence Roberts.

 

[arbitragegls]

...believe better than either...saw some great hops and dunks at MM; but more importantly a solid defender and physical...he will be our PF for at least two years...not sure he starts this year but will get plenty of PT and then his soph-junior yr...big time player

 

[DoctorBombay]

Smooth, very athletic, but I expected him to be bigger. He looked about the same size as KJo or CJ. Not quite sure what that'll mean at PF, but we'll see.

 

[orange03]

...believe better than either...saw some great hops and dunks at MM; but more importantly a solid defender and physical...he will be our PF for at least two years...not sure he starts this year but will get plenty of PT and then his soph-junior yr...big time player

If he's anywhere near as good as Hakim Warrick, we'll be in great shape.

 

[fanfanclubclub]

small sample size obviously, but here is what I saw:

On Defense: He showed a "straight up" mentality: hands up. He avoids tangling arms and leaning toward a defender (as Fab often does). He seems like a guy who will be able to avoid fouls, but we might be screaming at him to show a little more fire and proclivity for contact. More Mookie Watkins than Jeremy McNeil, as far as defensive posture (which may be a very good thing).

On Offense: Fairly impressed, actually. He knows how to move and get the ball above the rim. Looks smooth and controlled. If such a thing is even possible- he even showed a cerebral approach to dunking the ball. He looked like a 17 year old who got caught by his friends dunking on an 8' foot rim: he seemed almost embarrassed to throw down a vicious dunk.

All in all, he looked automatic above the rim, he runs very well, and he seems cerebral, talented, and controlled enough to warrant a comparison to Tim Duncan. More down to earth, Xmas reminds me of a shorter Mookie Watkins mixed with Hak.

 

[CaliCuse]

Not based on an impression from Midnight Madness, but what I've seen of him, he seems somewhere between Warrick and Terrence Roberts. The athleticism is there now and very promising, it's all a matter of if his skills can end up in the neighborhood of his physical gifts. And depending on that outcome, he could end up being Warrick, or Terrence Roberts.

Thanks . Let me say either of those previous players would be fine to be compared to Bu I hope he makes his name be remembered beyond it's holiday reference. thanks to all here. Should be a fun season.

 

[Ghost]

Not based on an impression from Midnight Madness, but what I've seen of him, he seems somewhere between Warrick and Terrence Roberts. The athleticism is there now and very promising, it's all a matter of if his skills can end up in the neighborhood of his physical gifts. And depending on that outcome, he could end up being Warrick, or Terrence Roberts.

Noooooooo! Terence Roberts was one of the more frustrating players I recall playing at Syracuse.

 

[Ghost]

On Offense: Fairly impressed, actually. He knows how to move and get the ball above the rim. Looks smooth and controlled. If such a thing is even possible- he even showed a cerebral approach to dunking the ball. He looked like a 17 year old who got caught by his friends dunking on an 8' foot rim: he seemed almost embarrassed to throw down a vicious dunk.

In the all-star games he seemed much more smooth offensively than expected based on what I had heard of his play, although he didn't touch the ball much in the games I saw.

 

[bnoro]

How can you say anything nice offensively about the kid when all he does is dunk? Has anyone seen him take one shot yet? In his highlight tape, all star games, and yesterday I don't think I've seen one non-dunk.

I think he'll be good but total overreaction on this board about his offensive skills.

 

[Dcuse]

...believe better than either...saw some great hops and dunks at MM; but more importantly a solid defender and physical...he will be our PF for at least two years...not sure he starts this year but will get plenty of PT and then his soph-junior yr...big time player

Your saying he's better than Warrick? BE player of the year Hakim Warrick? "The Block", most athletic player we ever had,man against boys Hakim Warrick? Because he had a couple of dunks in the MM scrimmage? Did you want to edit your post?

 

[M2MPrinciples]

How can you say anything nice offensively about the kid when all he does is dunk? Has anyone seen him take one shot yet? In his highlight tape, all star games, and yesterday I don't think I've seen one non-dunk.

I think he'll be good but total overreaction on this board about his offensive skills.

I wouldn't recommend trying to glean anything from highlight videos or scrimmages. Scouts have said his offensive skills get overlooked because he gets so much attention for his shot-blocking. I expect him to immediately be better than Keita on offense. That's not exactly setting the bar high, I know, but I think he'll surprise some people.

 

[bnoro]

I wouldn't recommend trying to glean anything from highlight videos or scrimmages. Scouts have said his offensive skills get overlooked because he gets so much attention for his shot-blocking. I expect him to immediately be better than Keita on offense. That's not exactly setting the bar high, I know, but I think he'll surprise some people.

And what are you basing that on?

I'm basing it on everything I've seen and heard about his game. I'm still waiting for someone to give me proof the kid can shoot even a 5 foot baby hook.

 

[EastCoast2]

And what are you basing that on?

I'm basing it on everything I've seen and heard about his game. I'm still waiting for someone to give me proof the kid can shoot even a 5 foot baby hook.

Nobody is saying he's gonna be Tim Duncan from day 1, but to say all he can do it dunk or to say he's the next Darryl Watkins is a little premature, IMO. I guess we'll all have to wait and see before we make any judgement on Rakeem's offensive game.

 

[Ghost]

How can you say anything nice offensively about the kid when all he does is dunk? Has anyone seen him take one shot yet? In his highlight tape, all star games, and yesterday I don't think I've seen one non-dunk.

I think he'll be good but total overreaction on this board about his offensive skills.

In the McD's game, or whichever game he played in, he took a jumper (10-15 feet) and his form looked very smooth. I was expecting something more akin to the way Ricky shot the ball from that distance as a Frosh. Not saying you can take much away from it, but the form on the shot was WAY better than I expected. It also means less work to be done before it can be part of his arsenal. It could have been an aberration, but I would guess that's his normal motion.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Not based on an impression from Midnight Madness, but what I've seen of him, he seems somewhere between Warrick and Terrence Roberts. The athleticism is there now and very promising, it's all a matter of if his skills can end up in the neighborhood of his physical gifts. And depending on that outcome, he could end up being Warrick, or Terrence Roberts.

Terrence Roberts and Mookie Watkins may not quite have lived up to expectations offensively, but both were very solid defensive players, and if Roberts hadn't had so many knee problems, he might have turned out a bit better.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

How can you say anything nice offensively about the kid when all he does is dunk? Has anyone seen him take one shot yet? In his highlight tape, all star games, and yesterday I don't think I've seen one non-dunk.

I think he'll be good but total overreaction on this board about his offensive skills.

In games last year — he shows nice form on a mid-range jumper. He's coordinated. He's not consistent with it - he shoots 'short' when he misses - but the hands and form are there. So, yeah- there's potential for that aspect of his game. The same way Fab has that kind of stroke. He's not in a position consistency-wise where you want him taking those shots, but he could be Warrick Light-ish in a couple of years.

 

[fanfanclubclub]

How can you say anything nice offensively about the kid when all he does is dunk? Has anyone seen him take one shot yet? In his highlight tape, all star games, and yesterday I don't think I've seen one non-dunk.

I think he'll be good but total overreaction on this board about his offensive skills.

Dunking is a big part of offense for a big man. Xmas has the explosion, hands, and body control to specialize in finishing above the rim, and that might be sufficient for him to be an effective offensive player, as a 4th option type, as a frosh.

His ability to catch and finish already puts him ahead of BMK offensively.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

And what are you basing that on?

I'm basing it on everything I've seen and heard about his game. I'm still waiting for someone to give me proof the kid can shoot even a 5 foot baby hook.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm piling on since a few people have chimed in, but here's a link from April 2010

"Christmas had several nice plays when going across the lane, including a couple of jump hooks and leaners inside. When he go over his left shoulder, he is tough."

His ESPNU scouting report is Insider-only now, but when they didn't have a pay wall, I remember reading that he can score from the high post and also pass very well. I'm not saying he should be anything more than a fourth option (if that), but I'm confident that he's an upgrade from Keita.

 

[bnoro]

I'm glad to hear that. I want to make it clear I like the kid, but I'm waiting to pass judgement until I see him play with my own eyes or get info from my source about his game.

And I'm not bashing the kid either, it's just WAY too early for Warrick comparisons. I'd love to see Rak develop into a monster though. It's wait and see.

 

[sutomcat]

How did he look? No Fat and jolly cracks or the too easy Xmas puns. They come later; ad nauseum.:crazy:

He is going to be really raw on offense in half court sets. In the HS games I watched him play, he struggled to get position inside and had little in the way of moves. When he scored, he either dunked it or shot over his opponent. Remember, he averaged 9.7 ppg as a senior. Part of that was that he had a couple of other D1 players on his team...but he doesn't demand the ball and is not a go to guy on offense right now by any means.

It is a big jump to D1 basketball from HS. He has a lot of potential and does show some promise he will develop into a good offensive player. But he, like many young big guys, is going to give us little in the way of points early in his career. Be patient with him.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

He is going to be really raw on offense in half court sets. In the HS games I watched him play, he struggled to get position inside and had little in the way of moves. When he scored, he either dunked it or shot over his opponent. Remember, he averaged 9.7 ppg as a senior. Part of that was that he had a couple of other D1 players on his team...but he doesn't demand the ball and is not a go to guy on offense right now by any means.

It is a big jump to D1 basketball from HS. He has a lot of potential and does show some promise he will develop into a good offensive player. But he, like many young big guys, is going to give us little in the way of points early in his career. Be patient with him.

I'm thinking a less offensively minded version of Tristan Thompson, maybe?

 

[armory]

Noooooooo! Terence Roberts was one of the more frustrating players I recall playing at Syracuse.

But that awkward 3 at the buzzer against Manhattan (?) was a pretty cool game.