Just for fun and information

[cardiac]

How would you feel about our team next season if this was our team. Now, this
is just for fun. No inside info here.
PG Claude from USC
SG JJ
Center Ballard from WSU
SF Jam Watkins from FSU
PF Freeman

Bench
Pg- Luke Fennell
Sg-Nate Kingz
Sf- Kiyan Anthony
Pf- Sadiq White
C- William Kyle

Yep count me in

 

[dasher]

Bench
Pg- Luke Fennell
Sg-Nate Kingz
Sf- Kiyan Anthony
Pf- Sadiq White
C- William Kyle

Yep count me in

I don't know that we could get nate to come here as a backup. Real nice player that would give us something we need though.

 

[orangefog]

Bench
Pg- Luke Fennell
Sg-Nate Kingz
Sf- Kiyan Anthony
Pf- Sadiq White
C- William Kyle

Yep count me in

There's some shooting on that bench and size and athleticism, too. Judging by this year's ACC, that looks like a top 4 ACC team to me.

 

[orangefog]

I don't know that we could get nate to come here as a backup. Real nice player that would give us something we need though.

Kingz was a JUCO kid, right? Does that mean he is going to be a sophomore with regard to eligibility? If so, we could try to sell him on plenty of minutes off the bench this year and starter in his second year here. Still not as good as selling him on a starting spot, but worth a shot. Have Melo talk to him. Maybe have Melo bring Waiters to talk to him about coming off the SU bench.

 

[dasher]

Isn't Watkins a senior?

yes. Just looking for a certain type of guy that would polarize the board.

 

[PhatOrange]

If we could fill the SG hole with a SG that would be great.

 

[orangefog]

If we could fill the SG hole with a SG that would be great.

Red wants positionless basketball, right? So, we can lose the label of Shooting Guard. Or maybe rebrand it as Drive Left From the Top of the Key and Try to Finish with a Weird Right Handed Contorted Release Guard.

 

[pwong]

Isn't Watkins a senior?

Watkins started in 20-21 (got Covid year) then RS 21-22. Played 4 years but one of the last few players left eligible for 5. St Johns has also been looking at him heavily.

 

[orangefog]

Watkins started in 20-21 (got Covid year) then RS 21-22. Played 4 years but one of the last few players left eligible for 5.

So he DOES have another year? If we got him, I could certainly flip my hatred of him to love. I'm pretty wishy washy. I could also go back to hating him if he sucks here...if we were to get him.

 

[pwong]

So he DOES have another year? If we got him, I could certainly flip my hatred of him to love. I'm pretty wishy washy. I could also go back to hating him if he sucks here...if we were to get him.

Technically he has one more year if he wants to use it.

 

[orangefog]

Technically he has one more year if he wants to use it.

Interesting...

 

[hoopsupstate]

My point in doing this exercise is that you give up something to get something. A better shooting 1 or 3 would be great. They also might not (probably wouldn't) provide other things that Claude and Watkins do.

Claude can flat out handle the ball and maneuvers with ease getting to the hoop. Great size too. His mid range jumper is really smooth. He very seldom settles for a three. He gets wherever he wants off the dribble.

 

[orangefog]

Claude can flat out handle the ball and maneuvers with ease getting to the hoop. Great size too. His mid range jumper is really smooth. He very seldom settles for a three. He gets wherever he wants off the dribble.

Sounds nice, I need to watch some games of his. Can he draw and dish? Because, if we lack shooters, having a guy that can beat his man, draw help and kick it to the open man, will be crucial. Especially if guys understand how to move when their man helps to give the passer a good angle.

 

[jdubs30]

Honestly Claude and Watkins would be great ….I just wish we had a Sg who was a threat from 3

 

[orangefog]

Honestly Claude and Watkins would be great ….I just wish we had a Sg who was a threat from 3

I still think JJ’s shot is fixable. I also thought that a year ago.

 

[cuseguy]

Kiyan, Petar, Fennel.

Decent start.

White is definitely going to be in the rotation.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Honestly Claude and Watkins would be great ….I just wish we had a Sg who was a threat from 3

Everyone needs to understand we will have a shooting “guard” in Fennell. He can play three positions. Claude does find open teammates.

 

[RF2044]

I still think JJ’s shot is fixable. I also thought that a year ago.

JJ off the ball, playing alongside another guard [or SF] that can create off of the dribble -- like he did while playing with Mintz -- can catch and shoot effectively.

JJ being the only guy on the team who can create a shot = plummeting shooting percentages.

 

[RF2044]

White is definitely going to be in the rotation.

Agreed. Can't believe I didn't include him in the list.

 

[cardiac]

Isn't Watkins a senior?

He was one more year of eligibility

 

[007]

Claude can flat out handle the ball and maneuvers with ease getting to the hoop. Great size too. His mid range jumper is really smooth. He very seldom settles for a three. He gets wherever he wants off the dribble.

I think this type of analysis is more in line with the staff's thinking.

 

[Cappy3]

Okay. I did make it clear that this was just for fun. I don't know for sure who we are going to get. I like our chances for Claude a lot. But things happen in life and they can change. Sometimes for the better. But that wasn't the question I asked here. I asked, what would you guys think if that was our team? It doesn't make much sense to me to actually comment on the question by refusing to answer it. Just ignore it would make more sense.

Claude is the one who concerns me. Not only does he struggle from 3, but only had a 4.3/3.5 assist to turnover ratio. Would prefer someone with at least a 2/1 ratio, and more like a 37-38 % rate from 3, even if he isn’t as much of a scorer as Claude.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Claude and JJ are the same player. I get liking what he can do, but it's awfully similar to what we did with Mintz and JJ together. He's not a good defender either.

Watkins is great. If he was the SF I could live with it if the other 2 weren't the guards. He can't shoot either. He does everything else average to good.

It appears Red is making a lot of the same mistakes Hop did at UW. After his first year Hop thought he needed more athleticism. His offenses were always terrible. I see the same thing happening here. The pieces are too similar

Between JJ, Claude and Watkins that would be 3 guys who combined for 40 shot attempts, shot 30% from 3 and combined for 9 turnovers last year. Watkins is the only one of the 3 that can defend.

Love Ballard though. I'd be really happy with that pickup.

That said it screams of a team that looks better on paper than real life. It would be the equivalent of playing Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, and Paul George together in the NBA. All of them need the ball to be effective.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I wanted my Milwaukee Bucks to draft Jamir Watkins last year so getting him to be our SF would make me thrilled; thought he had run out of eligibility but frankly I have no idea how all the exceptions work at this point. Ballard feels like a near best case scenario for us at C at this point too. Claude's lack of shooting worries me next to JJ but we'll see I guess (or we won't see).

Watkins played 2 years at VCU (2020-2021, 2022-2023) - he also sat out 2021-2022 with a torn ACL, so I'm guessing he received a medical redshirt.
Then he played the last 2 years at FSU.
So he should have the bonus COVID year option to play a 5th year, since he played in 2020-2021.

He's not a great 3pt shooter, but not awful, at ~33%. His physicality and playmaking helps to offset that too. I think he'd be a great pairing for Donnie, bringing the toughness, defense and all-around game that Donnie may not possess next year. I think Donnie will also be a pretty good 3pt shooter based on how he was progressing, and together they'd be a formidable duo athletically, offensively and size-wise.

 

[CusefanATL]

Kiyan, Petar, Fennel.

Decent start.

*sadiq