Judah Mintz Summer Update

[Col. Bleep]

... Can Judah bring us back to the promise land?

Could the bar be set any higher?


I'm always dubious pre-season.
Judah Mintz seems like a great player.
So good that defenses may focus on him, which could open room for others.
Good looks for Joe Girard...inside opportunities for Jesse Edwards and who knows what for Benny Williams.

The Orange could be on to something if Jesse can take his game up even further.
My sense is he could be a real star.

And Benny Williams could become an explosive talent.
He showed flashes of it last year.
If he's ready for the speed and flow of the college game...look out.

I keep having this vision of Judah and Benny running a break...
Does anyone remember an Orange fast break?

Now...from my keyboard to God's ears.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Just imagining a summer league Cole out there with Jesse, Judah, Joe and a much improved Benny.

Yeah we could have been top 25, I think.

 

[dasher]

I assume Joe and Judah will share ballhandling responsibilities and really hope that's the case. I worry about Joe chucking and not giving up the ball if he's the primary ballhandler.

Joe is going to take a lot of shots this season.

 

[Seng85]

I believe jb didn't want to risk a frosh forward transferring after not playing behind Cole. Crazy.
College hoop is a year to year thing now. With Cole, Mintz, Joe and Jesse, all we need is one forward to be pretty good. Now we need 2.

Does Mintz come here if Benny is leaving? I seem to remember comments about them being close. A lot riding on Benny.

 

[dasher]

Does Mintz come here if Benny is leaving? I seem to remember comments about them being close. A lot riding on Benny.

Mintz does not come here if Benny isn't. But Cole and Benny could have played together.

 

[CuseTG2003]

Joe is going to take a lot of shots this season.

Yes he will. Not sure that's a good thing.

 

[orangefog]

Yes he will. Not sure that's a good thing.

Me either, but I am also not sure it's a bad thing.

 

[CuseTG2003]

Me either, but I am also not sure it's a bad thing.

He's a great shooter when he takes good shots.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Joe is going to take a lot of shots this season.

And play all the minutes.

 

[orangefog]

He's a great shooter when he takes good shots.

Best case scenario is that each player on the team understands their role. Judah is a scorer and setup man. He needs to feed all the guys. Jesse at the post. Drive and dish to a cutting Benny for a jam or to Joe or Taylor for an open three or finish himself. Judah really sets the tone. Symir will have to do that when Judah sits. I think they are both capable. Once Judah gets the defense shifting, the other guys have to know what to do. I am not sure who will teach them, considering our coaches can't even teach guys to inbound, but we'll see.

 

[Orangezoo]

Joe is going to take a lot of shots this season.

Since Melos 17.5 per game, no one took more shots per game (16.4) than Buddy did last year. Before Melo it was Shump also at 16.4, Moten one year at 16.3 and then Billy Owens at 17.3.

Let's hope Joe doesn't beat any of those. If anyone does I would hope it's Jesse or even Judah for that matter.

 

[AZOrange]

Great to hear.

Not remotely surprised -- I think this kid is the best recruit we've landed in quite some time. His unorthodox style is going to be fun to watch. He's got a great "feel" for the game -- his up-fakes, jukes, etc. are something to see. Not sure that we've ever had a similar player like this in program history.

Yep. A baller

 

[dasher]

Since Melos 17.5 per game, no one took more shots per game (16.4) than Buddy did last year. Before Melo it was Shump also at 16.4, Moten one year at 16.3 and then Billy Owens at 17.3.

Let's hope Joe doesn't beat any of those. If anyone does I would hope it's Jesse or even Judah for that matter.

I would be very surprised if Joe isn't the shot leader when this season is done.

 

[RF2044]

Yep. A baller

On potential "concern" -- I don't see Mintz as a true lead guard. His handle is tight, he's going to be IMMENSELY helpful against pressure defense. But he is better at creating for himself off the bounce than others. And being a point [in the traditional sense] takes more than just being a nifty ball handler.

But I'm not sure that it "matters." Paired with Joe, another combo, I think we'll be just fine with the combined playmaking of that duo. With Symir, it's even less of a problem.

Now, I fully expect Mintz to start. Whether you call Joe or Mintz a "point guard," I think is less important about what you label either player than whether combined they can get the job done. And I think with both of them complimenting each other, we should be fine.

 

[dasher]

On potential "concern" -- I don't see Mintz as a true lead guard. His handle is tight, he's going to be IMMENSELY helpful against pressure defense. But he is better at creating for himself off the bounce than others.

But I'm not sure that it "matters." Paired with Joe, another combo, I think we'll be just fine with the combined playmaking of that duo. With Symir, it's even less of a problem.

Now, I fully expect Mintz to start. Whether you call Joe or Mintz a "point guard," I think is less important than whether combined they can get the job done. And I think with both of them complimenting each other, we should be fine.

I'm not at all worried about our back court.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Since Melos 17.5 per game, no one took more shots per game (16.4) than Buddy did last year. Before Melo it was Shump also at 16.4, Moten one year at 16.3 and then Billy Owens at 17.3.

Let's hope Joe doesn't beat any of those. If anyone does I would hope it's Jesse or even Judah for that matter.

I’d love if it were jesse but no way he gets to 17 attempts. That would mean he basically makes 10 per and he’d average like 24.

 

[Orangezoo]

I’d love if it were jesse but no way he gets to 17 attempts. That would mean he basically makes 10 per and he’d average like 24.

Oh trust me I know. One can dream.

 

[GooseMutt]

Joe is finally going to be playing the position he is designed for and successful at. He’s gonna kill it.

 

[RF2044]

I’d love if it were jesse but no way he gets to 17 attempts. That would mean he basically makes 10 per and he’d average like 24.

I think it's far more likely that Jesse's shot attempts / scoring numbers are very similar to last year.

I expect the offense to be structured around Joe -- which... we'll have to see how it works out. Joe showed massive efficiency gains last year by being the 3rd or 4th guy, and showing better shot selection. Remains to be seen how he'll perform if he faces the same defensive attention that, say, Buddy got last year. Can he produce at a similar level when he's the guy that opposing defenses plan to focus on stopping? Stay tuned...

 

[jdubs30]

I would be very surprised if Joe isn't the shot leader when this season is done.

It’s gonna be by a very large amount too. I think he averages 20+ but his percentages might be ugly. We lost 2 of our 3 FGA leaders and they are being replaced by freshman . Jesse is great but he needs someone to get him the ball. That leaves Mintz, Benny, Buncg and Taylor. Joe is gonna take a large amount of shots

 

[RF2044]

It’s gonna be by a very large amount too. I think he averages 20+ but his percentages might be ugly. We lost 2 of our 3 FGA leaders and they are being replaced by freshman . Jesse is great but he needs someone to get him the ball. That leaves Mintz, Benny, Buncg and Taylor. Joe is gonna take a large amount of shots

My fear as well.

Joe is streaky. Streaks work both ways. Example -- in our final game against Duke, he was practically unstoppable in the first half, almost invisible in the second half. Was that because of a Duke halftime adjustment? Him tiring out? The shots just not dropping? Hard to say, but on paper it is a concern to structure the offense around a perimeter player who is on the small / slow side. When the shots are dropping -- he'll score in bunches. If not, then him having the indiscriminate green light could be an issue.

Especially given the unproven commodities in the supporting cast, especially at forward.

 

[AZOrange]

My fear as well.

Joe is streaky. Streaks work both ways. Example -- in our final game against Duke, he was practically unstoppable in the first half, almost invisible in the second half. Was that because of a Duke halftime adjustment? Him tiring out? The shots just not dropping? Hard to say, but on paper it is a concern to structure the offense around a perimeter player who is on the small / slow side. When the shots are dropping -- he'll score in bunches. If not, then him having the indiscriminate green light could be an issue.

Especially given the unproven commodities in the supporting cast, especially at forward.

Regression to the mean…

 

[hoopsupstate]

Since Melos 17.5 per game, no one took more shots per game (16.4) than Buddy did last year. Before Melo it was Shump also at 16.4, Moten one year at 16.3 and then Billy Owens at 17.3.

Let's hope Joe doesn't beat any of those. If anyone does I would hope it's Jesse or even Judah for that matter.

Joe might reach 17 shots in the first half!

 

[jdubs30]

My fear as well.

Joe is streaky. Streaks work both ways. Example -- in our final game against Duke, he was practically unstoppable in the first half, almost invisible in the second half. Was that because of a Duke halftime adjustment? Him tiring out? The shots just not dropping? Hard to say, but on paper it is a concern to structure the offense around a perimeter player who is on the small / slow side. When the shots are dropping -- he'll score in bunches. If not, then him having the indiscriminate green light could be an issue.

Especially given the unproven commodities in the supporting cast, especially at forward.

Agreed. One could argue having Mintz will help Joe tremendously. Someone to handle the on ball duties and initiate the offense, albeit he’s a true freshman. But Joe will be the sole perimeter focus for every opponent. No Buddy. No Cole.

He’s going to have bigger guys guarding him than he’s used to. The other teams best defender most likely

Can the freshman make open shots? Can Mintz be who we think he is?

Honestly I’m not worried about Joe. We know who he is, i can’t really see him taking a MASSIVE step forward. He’s going to have monster games and duds. But our season hinges way more than the freshman than it does on Joe IMO

 

[Wrinkle]

On potential "concern" -- I don't see Mintz as a true lead guard. His handle is tight, he's going to be IMMENSELY helpful against pressure defense. But he is better at creating for himself off the bounce than others. And being a point [in the traditional sense] takes more than just being a nifty ball handler.

But I'm not sure that it "matters." Paired with Joe, another combo, I think we'll be just fine with the combined playmaking of that duo. With Symir, it's even less of a problem.

Now, I fully expect Mintz to start. Whether you call Joe or Mintz a "point guard," I think is less important about what you label either player than whether combined they can get the job done. And I think with both of them complimenting each other, we should be fine.

It's just as much of a concern as it's been for the last 5+ years, outside of when Kadary was on the court.

We just need guards who can consistently penetrate -- if Mintz can do that he's already a valuable piece