Jesse Edwards returning

[syrBossHogg]

A junior year Keita defensive presence might be a more realistic challenge for Jesse.

 

[Orangezoo]

A junior year Keita defensive presence might be a more realistic challenge for Jesse.

If that is the case that doesn't bode that well. I loved BMK but his Jr year he averaged 15 mins a game with 3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.2 bpg.

Unless BS comes back full strength and in top form thus winning the starting spot outright, the above would be a disappointment of sorts in terms of Jesse and not really much of a jump if any from the later part of last year

 

[Goin' Deep]

Edwards is much more talented than BMK. If Sidibe has recovered fully
and plays at full speed and Edwards continues to progress, we will have 40 minutes
of solid "5" play. THAT should be the target/expectation.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Edwards is much more talented than BMK. If Sidibe has recovered fully
and plays at full speed and Edwards continues to progress, we will have 40 minutes
of solid "5" play. THAT should be the target/expectation.

I hope that Sid is a backup role player and Jesse is 30+ minutes a game

 

[orangejunkie]

Let's not forget about Frank. He is a tough one to predict because none of us have seen him play. All I've heard about him is that he's the most athletic big. I assume he is sticking around because he sees playing time opportunities for himself. As some has suggested, maybe he could play the PF position.

 

[syrBossHogg]

If that is the case that doesn't bode that well. I loved BMK but his Jr year he averaged 15 mins a game with 3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.2 bpg.

Unless BS comes back full strength and in top form thus winning the starting spot outright, the above would be a disappointment of sorts in terms of Jesse and not really much of a jump if any from the later part of last year

I was thinking purely in terms of defensive impact. When comparing their Per 40 stats Keita averaged more blocks per game while picking up less fouls than Jesse. I think Jesse can be better than Keita but to me it's a more realistic expectation than expecting Jesse to be Soph year Fab.

I do think Jesse will play more than 15 mins next year but I still have a hard time picturing him getting more than 25 mins/game unless Sidibe is out again.

 

[Orangezoo]

I was thinking purely in terms of defensive impact. When comparing their Per 40 stats Keita averaged more blocks per game while picking up less fouls than Jesse. I think Jesse can be better than Keita but to me it's a more realistic expectation than expecting Jesse to be Soph year Fab.

I do think Jesse will play more than 15 mins next year but I still have a hard time picturing him getting more than 25 mins/game unless Sidibe is out again.

Yeah I mean per 40 I get you- I just think as a 15 mins a game guy it better be because the guys getting the minutes are helping us win games.

 

[RF2044]

I was thinking purely in terms of defensive impact. When comparing their Per 40 stats Keita averaged more blocks per game while picking up less fouls than Jesse. I think Jesse can be better than Keita but to me it's a more realistic expectation than expecting Jesse to be Soph year Fab.

I do think Jesse will play more than 15 mins next year but I still have a hard time picturing him getting more than 25 mins/game unless Sidibe is out again.

It will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Jesse was a project -- sure, a project with a lot of the right tools, but still someone who needed time / seasoning. Step 1 was him getting some legit PT under his belt against top flight competition. That was accomplished last year -- when he showed that he could be a

Step 2 is building upon that. This will be an important off-season for Jesse to refine his skill sets. And also to get stronger [which he might not be able to fully accomplish in one off-season]. But taking his game to another level in terms of his ability to contribute -- which is what I expect to happen when he shows up next year no longer as a novice, but as a guy who's played and performed reasonably well against top flight competition, like against UNC / UVa. Harnessing his offensive capabilities / showing improved decision making. Again, the tools are there -- now he needs to put them to use. Would be great to see him build upon being such an impressive defensive stopper / rebounder, and also begin to show the offensive skills we've seen flashes of.

Will also be interesting to see whether Sidibe can shake the injury bug. Personally speaking, I think it is difficult to count on him being "healthy," given that he's missed significant portions of 3 of the 4 seasons he's played. Maybe he would be better served coming off the bench, and being the 10 - 15 mpg guy to lessen the wear and tear on his knees.

 

[721Comstock]

It will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Jesse was a project -- sure, a project with a lot of the right tools, but still someone who needed time / seasoning. Step 1 was him getting some legit PT under his belt against top flight competition. That was accomplished last year -- when he showed that he could be a

Step 2 is building upon that. This will be an important off-season for Jesse to refine his skill sets. And also to get stronger [which he might not be able to fully accomplish in one off-season]. But taking his game to another level in terms of his ability to contribute -- which is what I expect to happen when he shows up next year no longer as a novice, but as a guy who's played and performed reasonably well against top flight competition, like against UNC / UVa.

Will also be interesting to see whether Sidibe can shake the injury bug. Personally speaking, I think it is difficult to count on him being "healthy," given that he's missed significant portions of 3 of the 4 seasons he's played. Maybe he would be better served coming off the bench, and being the 10 - 15 mpg guy to lessen the wear and tear on his knees.

Agreed - whatever we can do to milk CDB's knees thru an entire season, is worth doing.
The fact that we've got 3 guys who can man the 5 spot (plus Junior &/or Cole is we go small), means that JAB can manage Boo's minutes to (hopefully) keep him healthy and productive.

We've certainly seen flashes of how impactful he can be when healthy.
Let's hope we see more of them this upcoming year.

I'm bullish on Jesse for sure. He's got a nice base to build from now.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Agreed - whatever we can do to milk CDB's knees thru an entire season, is worth doing.
The fact that we've got 3 guys who can man the 5 spot (plus Junior &/or Cole is we go small), means that JAB can manage Boo's minutes to (hopefully) keep him healthy and productive.

We've certainly seen flashes of how impactful he can be when healthy.
Let's hope we see more of them this upcoming year.

I'm bullish on Jesse for sure. He's got a nice base to build from now.

Are you saying that CDB needs some CBD oil for his rusty knees?

 

[shandeezy7]

I was thinking purely in terms of defensive impact. When comparing their Per 40 stats Keita averaged more blocks per game while picking up less fouls than Jesse. I think Jesse can be better than Keita but to me it's a more realistic expectation than expecting Jesse to be Soph year Fab.

I do think Jesse will play more than 15 mins next year but I still have a hard time picturing him getting more than 25 mins/game unless Sidibe is out again.

I honestly thought no one in the history of basketball had more fouls per-40 than Keita. At one point two seasons ago, I'm pretty sure his per-40 foul rate was at least double that of the next closest guy in the entire country.

 

[miamicuse]

How many minutes do you think JBA will get? Mop up minutes only?

 

[syrBossHogg]

I honestly thought no one in the history of basketball had more fouls per-40 than Keita. At one point two seasons ago, I'm pretty sure his per-40 foul rate was at least double that of the next closest guy in the entire country.

Do you mean Sidibe? That was a huge issue for him and can be used as another reason as why Jesse should play more.

 

[syrBossHogg]

It will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Jesse was a project -- sure, a project with a lot of the right tools, but still someone who needed time / seasoning. Step 1 was him getting some legit PT under his belt against top flight competition. That was accomplished last year -- when he showed that he could be a

Step 2 is building upon that. This will be an important off-season for Jesse to refine his skill sets. And also to get stronger [which he might not be able to fully accomplish in one off-season]. But taking his game to another level in terms of his ability to contribute -- which is what I expect to happen when he shows up next year no longer as a novice, but as a guy who's played and performed reasonably well against top flight competition, like against UNC / UVa. Harnessing his offensive capabilities / showing improved decision making. Again, the tools are there -- now he needs to put them to use. Would be great to see him build upon being such an impressive defensive stopper / rebounder, and also begin to show the offensive skills we've seen flashes of.

Will also be interesting to see whether Sidibe can shake the injury bug. Personally speaking, I think it is difficult to count on him being "healthy," given that he's missed significant portions of 3 of the 4 seasons he's played. Maybe he would be better served coming off the bench, and being the 10 - 15 mpg guy to lessen the wear and tear on his knees.

Totally agree, the nice part is we won't need Jesse to be a big offensive piece just yet, but if he can anchor the zone we can be a better team than last year.

 

[shandeezy7]

Do you mean Sidibe? That was a huge issue for him and can be used as another reason as why Jesse should play more.

Oh wow yeah that's who I was thinking of. Guess I need more coffee this morning.

 

[MDCuse]

I hope that Sid is a backup role player and Jesse is 30+ minutes a game

While I like the optimism, expecting 30+ from Jesse is very lofty. There aren't a lot centers that play 30+ a game and Jesse played very sparingly last season. That's a sizable jump.

 

[MDCuse]

How many minutes do you think JBA will get? Mop up minutes only?

If that

 

[Mareiniss]

While I like the optimism, expecting 30+ from Jesse is very lofty. There aren't a lot centers that play 30+ a game and Jesse played very sparingly last season. That's a sizable jump.

Fouls were a problem for Jesse, at times last year, so it's probably not realistic to expect him to average 30 mpg. This was especially true in games late in the season, when his defense and minutes were improving. He fouled out in 24 minutes against North Carolina on 3/1/2021, and picked up 4 in only 7 minutes against West Virginia on 3/21.

That's still better than 2019-20 Sidibe, who fouled out of 10 games and picked up 4 fouls in 15 other games.

Hopefully, the foul situation will improve, but I think we'll see both guys playing significant minutes next season.

 

[MDCuse]

Fouls were a problem for Jesse, at times last year, so it's probably not realistic to expect him to average 30 mpg. This was especially true in games late in the season, when his defense and minutes were improving. He fouled out in 24 minutes against North Carolina on 3/1/2021, and picked up 4 in only 7 minutes against West Virginia on 3/21.

That's still better than 2019-20 Sidibe, who fouled out of 10 games and picked up 4 fouls in 15 other games.

Hopefully, the foul situation will improve, but I think we'll see both guys playing significant minutes next season.

And that's not really a "Jesse issue". Part of that is just learning the position at this high of a level. Plenty of really good players take time to learn the position and how to not foul. He will be fine, I just think the expectation should be closer to the 18-20 minute range (especially early on).

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Fouls were a problem for Jesse, at times last year, so it's probably not realistic to expect him to average 30 mpg. This was especially true in games late in the season, when his defense and minutes were improving. He fouled out in 24 minutes against North Carolina on 3/1/2021, and picked up 4 in only 7 minutes against West Virginia on 3/21.

That's still better than 2019-20 Sidibe, who fouled out of 10 games and picked up 4 fouls in 15 other games.

Hopefully, the foul situation will improve, but I think we'll see both guys playing significant minutes next season.

I see your saying the 2 get significant minutes and raise it to 3.

I think Frank will see more time as the 3rd center than any 3rd center we have seen in the JB era.

My reasoning is the following:
*Frank is good. Tall, coordinated, athletic and now has a year in the system. Arguably our best 3rd center ever.
*Sid and Jesse are fouling machines. Huge fouls per minute types. Just for foul management it may make sense for a lot of 1st half time for Frank.
*Allows JB to put Sid on a pitch count.
*Keeps Frank from even thinking about the portal. He'll see increased minutes and the clear path for more PT (Sid will be going and Jesse after that).
*Allows for aggressive center D throughout games. Quite a change from the "don't foul" days.
*Prepares SU/JB in case Sid does go out to injury, Frank will have substantial time in throughout the year.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

And that's not really a "Jesse issue". Part of that is just learning the position at this high of a level. Plenty of really good players take time to learn the position and how to not foul. He will be fine, I just think the expectation should be closer to the 18-20 minute range (especially early on).

It also can be a system issue. Kind of like how it can be hard to rebound out of the zone, the zone can put a lot of defensive pressure on the center.

Part of learning the position can be learning when to lay off and control aggressiveness. If we have 3 competent centers we may not want Jesse becoming too passive just to avoid potential fouls though.

 

[Orangezoo]

While I like the optimism, expecting 30+ from Jesse is very lofty. There aren't a lot centers that play 30+ a game and Jesse played very sparingly last season. That's a sizable jump.

Yeah 20-25 would be great though.

 

[Orangezoo]

I see your saying the 2 get significant minutes and raise it to 3.

I think Frank will see more time as the 3rd center than any 3rd center we have seen in the JB era.

My reasoning is the following:
*Frank is good. Tall, coordinated, athletic and now has a year in the system. Arguably our best 3rd center ever.
*Sid and Jesse are fouling machines. Huge fouls per minute types. Just for foul management it may make sense for a lot of 1st half time for Frank.
*Allows JB to put Sid on a pitch count.
*Keeps Frank from even thinking about the portal. He'll see increased minutes and the clear path for more PT (Sid will be going and Jesse after that).
*Allows for aggressive center D throughout games. Quite a change from the "don't foul" days.
*Prepares SU/JB in case Sid does go out to injury, Frank will have substantial time in throughout the year.

If Frank is going to get minutes then it's either he is capable at the 4 or he brings a McNeil like ability to the team.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

If Frank is going to get minutes then it's either he is capable at the 4 or he brings a McNeil like ability to the team.

I don't see Frank getting much time at the 4. Having 2 of Sid/Jesse/Frank on the floor at the same time would be too pathetic offensively. JimJr is clearly a better option for 3rd forward.

No, my bold prediction is for Frank is to get his time at center. Sid will get the token start and go out quickly, Jesse will get the bulk of the minutes but will be foul prone. And Frank will get plenty of time.

 

[cusefan88]

I think Jesse plays between 20-25 mins/game. Sidibe will play some games and then be hurt for others so I hope Frank is ready for backup minutes.