Chukwu?

[Dave85]

I hear he is effective dunking it if he gets the ball within a couple of feet of the rim. He is otherwise a work in progress.

Hop is trying to get him to be more aggressive with the ball. Like a lot of big guys, it doesn't come naturally to him. The year off will help but I wouldn't expect a double figure scorer his first year in orange.

Hopefully, during practice FH has been developing good passing rapport with PC. FH pass to TR during the GT game was amazing!

 

[Dave85]

Exactly right. We all remember what a 7 footer with good timing can do for the zone on defense -- devastating. On offense, we don't need him to be Embed. All we need him to be is serviceable. When I saw him at MM, Chukwu was already running alley-oops off the pick and roll. Between now and November, I'm sure they're feeding him steak and working on his baby hook, drop step and up and under moves.

But hopefully he's learning how to roll to the basket well this season. His hand is an extra foot higher so his roll and step to the basket could be devastatingly effective! They should show PC films of Frank Kaminsky's footwork in the paint. He would drop-step to the basket starting from the foul line. It was absolutely amazing to watch.

 

[HoustonCuse]

The image in my mind is basically Thabeet from Yukon...

 

[RF2044]

I hear he is effective dunking it if he gets the ball within a couple of feet of the rim. He is otherwise a work in progress.

Hop is trying to get him to be more aggressive with the ball. Like a lot of big guys, it doesn't come naturally to him. The year off will help but I wouldn't expect a double figure scorer his first year in orange.

I think a pretty fair comparison is to a player we faced earlier this year, amida brimah from uconn.

Luckily, Chukwu is bigger, more athletic / mobile, and potentially stronger than Brimah. I believe he'll be a better rebounder and a better offensive player. But as we saw, even if he never gets fed the ball in the post, just on alley oops alone he should get a scoring look or two per game, as guys rotate over to cut off penetration from Richardson / Battle / Howard. I would expect that lob pass to be a staple of our offense as long as Chukwu is here.

 

[SBU72]

There has been a lot of speculation about him starting next year, but has anyone seen him play? Is he progressing? How is his offensive/defensive game? Etc. Any insight or reports from those who may have gone to a practice or have some connections on this hill would be greatly appreciated.

Surprise nobody has said this but if he doesn't start or at least make a good run at it next year, look for a repeat of this year, maybe worse. Less senior leadership but maybe more natural talent. If Coleman decides to graduate / (retire), then Chukwu better be able to start.

 

[sutomcat]

I think a pretty fair comparison is to a player we faced earlier this year, amida brimah from uconn.

Luckily, Chukwu is bigger, more athletic / mobile, and potentially stronger than Brimah. I believe he'll be a better rebounder and a better offensive player. But as we saw, even if he never gets fed the ball in the post, just on alley oops alone he should get a scoring look or two per game, as guys rotate over to cut off penetration from Richardson / Battle / Howard. I would expect that lob pass to be a staple of our offense as long as Chukwu is here.

He is probably the best comparison out there. Brimah is a circus freak player; really good at blocking shots, really poor rebounding the ball, and just awful at getting steals and making assists. Paschal was more advanced in these areas even as a raw true frosh.

He didn't block as many shots per minute as Brimah but I think playing in the 2-3, he will get a lot more opportunities. There is a reason Syracuse centers have finished in the top 10 in the country in blocks so many seasons...

 

[SoBristol]

As I read this thread, it is all opinions and inferences (in some cases relying on his play at Providence), and not any practice observations about how he actually plays this season against Coleman & Lydon. Except maybe Tom's report (third-hand) that he dunks well. True?

 

[MG44]

The image in my mind is basically Thabeet from Yukon...

I was thinking (or maybe hoping) the exact same thing

 

[Jasoncuse]

He's a taller Keita. But he also has two hands, so he should be a better finisher.

I'd expect DC to start, and I'd also expect Chukwu to be the defensive stopper in 2nd halves. I would also expect to see the return of the press, assuming we have Guard depth.

 

[721Comstock]

He's a taller Keita. But he also has two hands, so he should be a better finisher.

I'd expect DC to start, and I'd also expect Chukwu to be the defensive stopper in 2nd halves. I would also expect to see the return of the press, assuming we have Guard depth.

All of this.
Especially the "taller Keita" part.

He's not going to be Sr. Rak, nor Soph Fab.
Probably something in the realm of Soph or Jr Keita - hopefully minus the oven mitts.

 

[reedny]

Interesting contrast between this year's and next year's teams ... almost an inverse with the back court/front court rotations. Great back court and equally limited front court this season. We knew this going in, as 2 of the 3 front court starters haven't played extended minutes recently ... we have a freshmen SF and our starting center hasn't balled in 2 years. There's also no shot-blocker and the tallest guy is 6-9. Obviously, Roberson's emerged as a force on the glass and his offense is better. Lydon has provided depth and some scoring. But overall, our interior defense has been our achilles heal and (except for Lydon) bench scoring is non-existent. The back court is the bright spot ... with two senior/5th year veterans providing consistent scoring and excellent decision-making, ball-handling and defense.

Next year it switches. Our back court becomes the less experienced unit, with limited depth and only one returning starter. Obviously, Battle and Richardson (and Howard providing depth) may be one of the tallest and most talented back courts we've had since Dion and MCW were here. But the biggest upgrade will be on the front line, which suddenly becomes much deeper and longer. At 7'2, Chukwu brings elite size and shot-blocking. DC (assuming he returns) adds experience and some post offense. We also have very capable returning forwards in Roberson and Lydon, and depth with Moyer and possibly Thompson (who can back up either center or PF). That's a loaded front court that will help on offense but be able to defend anyone in conference, and maybe the country.

All that said, I'm expecting that early on (until late January), we will struggle to score against better teams. On offense, we'll have to replace 30 points we're getting from our back court this year. I'm hoping we can get 10 ppg out of Battle, and that Richardson's 13.4 ppg will go up to 16-17. The rest will have to come from Lydon (going from 8.7 to 10-12) and Roberson (going from 9.7 to 12-15). Our TO's may jump with less experience up top, and we won't have that veteran presence on D. We may see occasional offensive flashes from Chukwu and Battle, but clearly there's going to be an adjustment with MR, Lydon and Roberson having to shoulder the scoring load.

Once we reach mid-late January, I'm expecting a little more offense inside, great defense (especially on the interior) and look for the Battle/Richardson duo to explode. With better interior defense and shot-blocking, I'm anticipating the return of our lethal transition game.

 

[OttoMets]

Interesting contrast between this year's and next year's team ... almost an inverse with the back court/front court rotations. Great back court and equally limited front court this season. We knew this going in, as 2 of the 3 front court starters haven't played extended minutes. Our starting center hasn't balled in 2 years. There's also no shot-blocker and the tallest guy is 6-9. Obviously, Roberson's emerged as a force on the glass and his offense is better. Lydon has provided depth and some scoring. But overall, our interior defense has been our achilles heal and (except for Lydon) bench scoring is non-existent. The back court is the opposite... with two senior/5th year veterans providing consistent scoring and excellent decision-making, ball-handling and defense.

Next year it switches. Our back court becomes the less experienced unit, with limited depth and only one returning starter. Obviously, Battle and Richardson (and Howard providing depth) may be one of the tallest and most talented back courts we've had since Dion and MCW were here. But the biggest upgrade will be on the front line, which suddenly becomes much deeper and longer. At 7'2, Chukwu brings elite size and shot-blocking. DC (assuming he returns) adds experience and some post offense. We also have very capable returning forwards in Roberson and Lydon, and depth with Moyer and possibly Thompson (who can back up either center or PF). That's a loaded front court that will help on offense but be able to defend anyone in conference, and maybe the country.

All that said, I'm expecting that early on (until late January), we will struggle against better teams. On offense, we'll have to replace 30 points we're getting from our back court this year. I'm hoping we can get 10 ppg out of Battle, and that Richardson's 13.4 ppg will go up to 16-7. The rest will have to come from Lydon going from 8.7 to 10-12 and Roberson going from 9.7 to 12-15. I also expect our TO's to jump with less experience up top, and we won't have that veteran presence for a while. That doesn't mean we won't see occasional offensive flashes from Chukwu and Battle, but clearly MR, Lydon and Roberson are going to be shouldering the scoring load.

Once we reach mid-late January, I'm expecting a little more offense inside, great defense (especially on the interior) and the Battle/Richardson will be explosive offensively. With better interior defense and shot-blocking, I'm expecting that transition game we've been famous for to return.

Battle and Richardson may never reach the level of Cooney and Gbinije in terms of defensive aptitude (and this may be a weak point next year), but they'll be an instant upgrade on offense (assuming Battle has the skill-set that the recruiting fans say he does). And Richardson already seems to be the leader of the team, so we could see a fairly smooth transition.

As a bonus, when one of the starting guards has a defensive lapse (which will happen with regularity, as is always the case with young players in the zone), we'll have Frank Howard waiting to come in. He'll temporarily fix our other weakness: no point guard in the starting line-up.

We may not be consistent, we may be careless with the ball at times, and we'll definitely drive Boeheim nuts on defense, but it sounds like we'll finally have the individual dynamic offensive capabilities to make up for those shortcomings.

 

[reedny]

Battle and Richardson may never reach the level of Cooney and Gbinije in terms of defensive aptitude (and this may be a weak point next year), but they'll be an instant upgrade on offense (assuming Battle has the skill-set that the recruiting fans say he does). And Richardson already seems to be the leader of the team, so we could see a fairly smooth transition.

As a bonus, when one of the starting guards has a defensive lapse (which will happen with regularity, as is always the case with young players in the zone), we'll have Frank Howard waiting to come in. He'll temporarily fix our other weakness: no point guard in the starting line-up.

We may not be consistent, we may be careless with the ball at times, and we'll definitely drive Boeheim nuts on defense, but it sounds like we'll finally have the individual dynamic offensive capabilities to make up for those shortcomings.

No doubt there will be some growing pains in the back court at both ends. We're spoiled this season, with 2 guys who are not only scoring 30 ppg, but also defending as well as any back court in recent memory (going back to MCW and triche).

Next year, if opposing guards drive the lane, they'll have to score over a guy who's almost 7-3 and can jump! Size like that can make up for some guard penetration. But there's also perimeter defense to worry about. There I think we may see a dip, at least early. Battle's a frosh and MR's not a great defender ... he's ok m2m. But he often fails to get out on shooters and gets beat consistently on the base line. Some of that is not understanding the zone .. and some of it is trying to play SF at 6'6.

Next year, I'm expecting MR to play mostly SG. That will still be a challenge defensively, as opposing guards may get by him, or make him pay if he doesn't close out. But at least he won't be trying to cover two spots or compete with bigger ACC forwards for rebounds. As far as Battle on D, that's an unknown. From what I've heard (Tee/RF can chime in), his athleticism and defense at the HS level are respectable. On balance, I think you're right ... at least for the first 15 games. Then we'll see.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Are we sure Battle is going to be as good as Gbinije offensively?!?

 

[reedny]

Are we sure Battle is going to be as good as Gbinije offensively?!?

My guess is 10 ppg, no where near G.

 

[jdubs30]

Are we sure Battle is going to be as good as Gbinije offensively?!?

Battle is what, 6 years younger than G? Mali will be the dude next year, and I fully expect him to be ready. Lydon and Robey will be improved. Then Battle and Moyer.

Next year will probably be a more balanced offensive attack. I think we could easily an explosion from Lydon.

Any reason that Mali, Lydon, Roberson, and Battle can't all average double digits points per game?

 

[AlaskaSU]

Malachi is only 6'6" if you count the hair.

 

[iommi]

One thing most of you guys are discounting is Battle's defense. Once Battle masters his assignments in the zone, he will be an absolute terror at the top of the 2-3. I don't expect him to put up G's ppg but I think he will be a nightmare for opposing offenses. I expect a bunch of steals and blocked shots from him. I agree that we will be a very good transition team next year, with Battle leading the charge in converting our defense into instant offense.

Malachi will likely get a lot of minutes at the top of the 2-3 and he will need to bring it on defense. To me, he's been spotty on defense this season and would probably be getting the JB hook over it if not for his much-needed offense.

 

[sutomcat]

My guess is 10 ppg, no where near G.

Battle is a huge talent who does a lot of things well. But more than anything, the guy can score.

I would be really surprised if he only scores 10 ppg.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Battle is a huge talent who does a lot of things well. But more than anything, the guy can score.

I would be really surprised if he only scores 10 ppg.

Sounds like an exciting year in 2016-2017 but most of all I hope these kids mesh well and care most about winning. There will be plenty of accolades for team members more concerned with wins than individual stats.

 

[iommi]

Sounds like an exciting year in 2016-2017 but most of all I hope these kids mesh well and care most about winning. There will be plenty of accolades for team members more concerned with wins than individual stats.

Battle and Moyer are team-first guys. They are both good kids from good stock. I think team chemistry will be outstanding.

 

[721Comstock]

Malachi is only 6'6" if you count the hair.

Everybody knows it's 6'6"... 6'9" with the afro.

 

[orangefan13]

I hear he is an elite shot blocker. Not so elite on offense. He needs to get stronger and is making progress on that front.

Think of a skinnier, slightly more athletic, less angry, more academically oriented Fab Melo.

I haven't heard he was going to be a one and done lottery pick

 

[SarasotaPaul]

I hear he is an elite shot blocker. Not so elite on offense. He needs to get stronger and is making progress on that front.

Think of a skinnier, slightly more athletic, less angry, more academically oriented Fab Melo.

'Think of a skinnier, slightly more athletic, less angry, more academically oriented Fab Melo."

Well then - that is one outstanding analysis and actually lets me know what to expect from the kid and gave me a chuckle as well. Thanks - nice job

 

[orangehomer]

fab melo, for as much of a goofy weirdo he was, actually had some offensive ability and our defense was unreal when he was on the court. if chukwu can give us just the defense part, I don't care if he is billy celuck on offense. Richardson could be a 20 ppg guy next year, and I think lydon could be a star offensively. the key is if chukwu can mask some of these guys defensive liabilities I think we will score just fine. it sounds like battle should be a good defender coming in too. before I thought it was forgone that coleman would leave, but im rooting for him to stay at this point.