Duke Thoughts...

[OHIORANGES]

He may be the worst forward we’ve ever started.

We all see that.
Why doesn’t Red?
Does he think he suddenly will learn to play defense, rebound, dribble, pass or do anything positive?

 

[Fly Rodder]

Bell has been who he is since high school. Oodles of natural athletic ability and a great shooting stroke, but lack of awareness and hustle on defense.

 

[tbonezone]

We are not going to beat top 20 teams on the road. We just don't have enough talent to match up with those teams especially at the forward spots. Our best chance to get a meaningful resume enhancing win will be UNC and Clemson in the Dome. If we can get a couple of guys having a hot game and maybe the opposition doesn't shoot it great that night we can pull off a win. Meanwhile just beat the middle of the pack and lower teams to pile up enough wins to be in consideration and avoid any bad loses.

yes for god's sake stop trying to ring the dang bell ! we ain't gonna win no teddy bears so just take yer bag of goldfish and move on. sit in the back and keep yer dang heads down and don't raise yer hands ever and maybe just maybe the teacher will grade us on a generous curve and slip us into the big dance.

 

[djcon57]

more I think about it, Bell might have an all timer Box +/- tonight. He was hideous on defense, had numerous turnovers leading to points. The one where we gave them the 3 point play was special

ive always been out on him, but man, if he isn’t hitting 3s, he simply can’t play. Like even 11 mins. Needs to be 0

Syracuse vs. Duke Box Score (Men), January 2, 2024 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Syracuse vs. Duke Box Score (Men), January 2, 2024

www.sports-reference.com

-15.1 for Bell.

..and this has been a repeated talking point as well...35 mins for JJ with his production just doesnt make sense

 

[DoctahLexus]

We all see that.
Why doesn’t Red?
Does he think he suddenly will learn to play defense, rebound, dribble, pass or do anything positive?

Only thing you can say in his defense is that he was pulling his weight more before the last 5 games. Stepped up on O at a time when almost nobody else was. Not the most statistically sound stat ever, but I am sure if you added up our "3 MVPs" voting for the season he would still be second in total votes or close to it. We needed him earlier in the season when Benny Cope and JJ were not producing much. But this skid is really unacceptable for a starter and not only has his shooting suffered, but his defense and decision making have also gotten much worse. No problem taking his minutes down a peg after the horrible game last night, but he was helping us out earlier in the season and I think he will again down the road if he can get his shot back. He will still play some because our other forward options have their own long list of problems.

 

[OrangeCrush22]

You're looking at the president of the Maliq Brown Fan Club, here. He's my favorite player. He reminds me of the CJ Fairs, Josh Paces, etc.

His bball IQ is the highest on the team and I don't think it's particularly close. If he were two inches taller, I am positive he'd be a first round pick.

Good example even last night: he had trouble finishing at the rim... then he dunked the ball about four times after that. Why? Because he knew he had to go up strong (and I'm sure the coaches told him to).

He's also the second-best passer on the team, easily.

Dude is good for like 5 pick pockets a game too.

 

[capeorange]

If he moves to the 2, who plays point? This team has no true point guard on the roster.

Good question. Give JJ more time at the point but he may not share much more than Judah.
If Q could ever settle down, he's a very creative passer. His problem is that he gets too creative and doesn't take care of the ball. Red needs to figure something out or we'll get blown out by teams that keep Judah out of the paint.
To Judah's credit, he did make some cuts to the basket without the ball several times but no one passed to him.


Put Justin at the point, we all know he's not a shoot first guard...jk

 

[shandeezy7]

Understand where you are coming from and agree he is having a good year on a team where he is an excellent fit. However there was no way he would have started on this squad with Red's plans going forward. Yes, we are missing Westerly and possibly he could get some play after Judah and JJ but I see Copeland as a better fit on this years team. He did a good job for SU over his 4 years here.

I think the easy answer is that if Autry kept Joe, then JJ would not have transferred here. For this year, that appears to be a tradeoff that I think most would take (even some of Joe's biggest detractors over the years). Hindsight is 20/20 though, I suppose, and perhaps JJ can eventually become the player everyone thought we were getting, if not this year then next.

 

[Red Holzman]

To Judah's credit, he did make some cuts to the basket without the ball several times but no one passed to him.

give and you shall receive may apply here...

 

[Newhouser]

Syracuse vs. Duke Box Score (Men), January 2, 2024 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Syracuse vs. Duke Box Score (Men), January 2, 2024

www.sports-reference.com

-15.1 for Bell.

..and this has been a repeated talking point as well...35 mins for JJ with his production just doesnt make sense

JJ is flying under the radar a bit because you are right his minutes don't match up to his impact. Benny, Taylor, Bell, Q etc get flamed, but JJ was brought here to be more, and thus far he is not.

 

[capeorange]

give and you shall receive may apply here...

Very possible

 

[hoopsupstate]

Good question. Give JJ more time at the point but he may not share much more than Judah.
If Q could ever settle down, he's a very creative passer. His problem is that he gets too creative and doesn't take care of the ball. Red needs to figure something out or we'll get blown out by teams that keep Judah out of the paint.
To Judah's credit, he did make some cuts to the basket without the ball several times but no one passed to him.


Put Justin at the point, we all know he's not a shoot first guard...jk

The problem with this team is there is no one to make the pass that leads to the pass that scores. Copeland loves to pass, but it doesn’t need to be a home run every time. He takes way too many chances with his passes. He has to know who he’s passing it to and can they catch and score in traffic.

 

[Cstate]

I had higher expectations for Taylor, but man, over a year and a half into his Syracuse career, he really is starting to look like a guy who may not be a P6 player. Certainly not one who should be playing nearly 30 minutes a night. He's scored in double figures in 5 games this year, all against mid-majors/D2 programs: New Hampshire, Canisius, Chaminade, Cornell and Niagara.

In the other nine games this year (8 of which were against P6 programs) he is averaging 25 minutes per game and 2.7 (!!!!) points per game. Just absolutely abysmal offensive production for a guy playing that amount of minutes.

I remember after last years game against Bryant people were saying “that’s our 2G for the next 3 seasons!” And folks were upset when JAB didn’t play him again really…..guess he did know a thing or two about his personnel after all.

 

[CardiacCuse]

JJ is flying under the radar a bit because you are right his minutes don't match up to his impact. Benny, Taylor, Bell, Q etc get flamed, but JJ was brought here to be more, and thus far he is not.

starling's volume is too low

he needs way more shots

too passive ? teammates not looking for him?

not sure...but he needs to force the issue.

much rather have him jacking shots than quadir

there's no scenario where quadir and jj should take the same amount of shots per game...especially jump shots

 

[phil77]

People rag too much on Taylor there are 3-4 others that have been way worse for this team when compared to Taylor. Maybe he isn't flashy enough for people on the board but he gets way to much hate when that hate should be directed at others way before Taylor.

 

[shandeezy7]

People rag too much on Taylor there are 3-4 others that have been way worse for this team when compared to Taylor. Maybe he isn't flashy enough for people on the board but he gets way to much hate when that hate should be directed at others way before Taylor.

I think Taylor and Bell get the appropriate amount of criticism. In the past 5 games they have played a combined 191 minutes and scored a combined 39 points with 28 rebounds. Our two starting forwards.

 

[phil77]

I think Taylor and Bell get the appropriate amount of criticism. In the past 5 games they have played a combined 191 minutes and scored a combined 39 points with 28 rebounds. Our two starting forwards.

In the last 5 games, Bell has a plus/minus of -44.2 and Taylor has a plus/minus of -6.5 They have not been the same recently Taylor does a bunch of other things on the floor that impact the game positively. And that plus/minus for Taylor is dragged down because he has to start the game with Bell.

 

[CardiacCuse]

In the last 5 games, Bell has a plus/minus of -44.2 and Taylor has a plus/minus of -6.5 They are not the same. Taylor does a bunch of other things on the floor that impact the game positively. And that plus/minus for Taylor is dragged down because he has to start the game with Bell.

taylor has 6 total points in 120 minutes vs Gonzaga, Tenn, UVA, Pitt and Duke

 

[phil77]

taylor has 6 total points in 120 minutes vs Gonzaga, Tenn, UVA, Pitt and Duke

He was really bad in Hawaii on both sides of the court and I am not saying Taylor isn't an issue but there are bigger issues with the team as constructed that people should be complaining about. Taylor is on the list but not top 5.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Yes and any team that allows that to happen is not playing good individual or team defense. If we can’t consistently shoot we really need to lock down on defense and that’s not happening against quality opponents.

Cuse!

It most certainly happened for the first 25 minutes against Duke. We were playing great defense. They lost some of their energy when Duke started nailing 3's.

 

[Hopkins16]

taylor has 6 total points in 120 minutes vs Gonzaga, Tenn, UVA, Pitt and Duke

I've heard analysts and announcers say we stole one from under Bennett's nose, from his backyard... when in actuality, Bennett rightfully avoided him.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I think Taylor and Bell get the appropriate amount of criticism. In the past 5 games they have played a combined 191 minutes and scored a combined 39 points with 28 rebounds. Our two starting forwards.

Ehhhh.….JJ seems to weirdly get a pass and Benny remains a favorite despite his behavior and tepid production. If those two had the production that matched their reputation we wouldn’t need the other two as much.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I tend to agree with you but I am just not sure that was a travel or not. I just do not understand the rules well enough to know whether or not that is a travel. Fegardless, it was a back breaker ...(as well as a ball breaker!!).

If sliding across the floor holding the ball isn't a travel, I don't know what is.

 

[shandeezy7]

In the last 5 games, Bell has a plus/minus of -44.2 and Taylor has a plus/minus of -6.5 They have not been the same recently Taylor does a bunch of other things on the floor that impact the game positively. And that plus/minus for Taylor is dragged down because he has to start the game with Bell.

It's not like Taylor is a lockdown defender out there. He holds his own, more or less. His rebounding is ok, too, but nothing special. He's not a good passer either. He doesn't really do anything to justify playing 25 to 30 minutes per game. I mean, like I said before, 2.7 ppg against P6 competition (in a large enough sample size) is absolutely atrocious for a starter playing the minutes he does.

 

[shandeezy7]

Ehhhh.….JJ seems to weirdly get a pass and Benny remains a favorite despite his behavior and tepid production. If those two had the production that matched their reputation we wouldn’t need the other two as much.

Idk I said earlier in this thread that I'd easily take perennial board whipping boy Joe Girard over him this year. He's nowhere near the player that we thought we were getting.