Maliq Brown: Starter?

[Sherman20]

It’s not like Williams and JBA have outside shooting. Maybe you’re right and Brown’s not progressing enough with playing zone.

And it’s not that Brown is the answer to all of our problems. It’s simply that he does a number of things well that Williams and JBA do not (i.e. rebounding and inside scoring). At the very least he should be getting some run.

I’ve been one of JB’s biggest defenders in the past. My belief was that the Buddy years proved to be too much of a distraction for JB to coach effectively and that he would return to normal this year. Before yesterday, it didn’t look like it was going to happen. Some of the other games, though, it was as if JB wasn’t coaching at all. I’m not only talking about the losses. He just stood there in the second half against Richmond.

Speaking of fantasies, JB’s interviews on Thursday were a complete joke. He wasn’t just embellishing or playing loose with the facts. He was flat out lying.

Point is, I’m not as confident in JB seeing what he needs to see as I have been in the past. Yesterday was a good sign. I hope it continues and that JB has the energy and desire for it.

And I hope we get an explanation for Brown.

I get what you’re saying. I thought Brown would be getting more run and I’m shocked that Boeheim is playing freakin JBA as the sub for Benny. I’d never thought we’d see that. It’s disturbing and says a lot about our talent level. But I do think it’s simply about defense and JBA being able to plug holes in the zone. I also wonder if Brown had been sick and/or injured and that set him back a bit. And yes, JB’s contradictory interviews on Thursday were a joke. I’m just saying I don’t see a silver bullet on the roster. We just have to hope these guys steadily improve (and faster than their opponents do).

In Benny’s defense, I think he’s gotten better at being able to knock down the mid-range pull-up jumper. His confidence, though, is really up and down from game to game. I really like the kid and want to see him succeed. We were all thrilled when Marek started to be able to knock down the mid range J the end of his freshman year and sophomore year (of course Marek never made the boneheaded plays that Benny makes), so I’m happy that part of his game seems to be progressing. My hope is that Benny listens to JB and focuses on trying to score closer to the basket with the occasional mid range jumper. And I agree that Taylor may be separating himself from Bell in terms of who should get the majority of small forward minutes.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Here is the issue.
We dont have a forward who is very good. Not one. Taylor is a 2. The other kids all have bits and pieces but none of them are close to being complete players. They are all average. We have 2 good players and a kid who if he gets hot is good if not hes a liability. Benny teases but hes a spaz who seems like a new born giraffe more then a 4 star. Bell does nothing other than shoot 2 hand 1950s set shots.
Personally i think Brown has potential not sure if hes the new whipping boy and jba plays hard and is our best forward defensive player.
We have projects not ACC caliber forwards

I don’t know how anyone could consider Bell a forward and Taylor a 2. Taylor has 25 pounds on him and seeing them in person they are the same height. I think Bell can be a good player, but this year Taylor is the guy who I think eventually can get us 10-15 points per game with solid defense and rebounding no worse than Malachi Richardson or Andrew White did. He looks by far the most sure thing in this class outside of Mintz and just because he and Buddy share a resemblance does not make him a 2. No offense to Buddy, but Taylor has much higher upside as a player.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

We are not destined to get rebounding from Bell. Just isn’t in his makeup.

There was one very notable illustration of that yesterday, when a rebound opportunity came out toward the free throw line. Bell was at the top of the key, and moved toward it, but backed down as soon as he saw the opponent on the other side of the ball. It was weak sauce by the gallon. JB pulled him pretty quickly.

It was startling to me, and while I hate JB’s consistent fury and punitive substitutions at plays that don’t go his way, I found him completely justified there. Can’t play a guy who shows no commitment to doing the little physical things that get you possessions. Of course Buddy showed no interest in mixing it up or getting on the floor either, so just ignore the above unless you can explain the exception.

 

[PhatOrange]

It all comes down to whether JB trusts the player.

If he trusts you, then you play. If he doesn't trust you, then you either don't play, or get a quick hook.

I'm a little puzzled by jba getting so many minutes, but he hasn't performed badly. I just hate to see it at the expense of Brown, I think has way more upside.

But ultimately, I think it's really interesting that jba might be getting minutes over benny, a former five star. Crazy.

Benny played 22 minutes and his stat line was 1-4 and 1 assist. Insert dead guy reference.

Ajak imo is out there for his wing defense and really isn’t much different than BW in all other areas. BW is more athletic but doesn’t add anything.

Hard to believe neither player had a rebound in 40 minutes.

Brown should be getting some run, though I think Ajak stepping up defensively is keeping Brown on the bench.

 

[CousCuse]

Benny played 22 minutes and his stat line was 1-4 and 1 assist. Insert dead guy reference.

Ajak imo is out there for his wing defense and really isn’t much different than BW in all other areas. BW is more athletic but doesn’t add anything.

Hard to believe neither player had a rebound in 40 minutes.

Brown should be getting some run, though I think Ajak stepping up defensively is keeping Brown on the bench.

Hard for anybody to get any rebounds with Jesse in the game.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Hard for anybody to get any rebounds with Jesse in the game.

Is that the reason our 5'10 guard got 5? Interesting.

 

[CousCuse]

Is that the reason our 5'10 guard got 5? Interesting.

Notre Dame is mostly a perimeter shooting team and their missed shots fly out far from the basket, if they don't come towards you,your not going to get them. Especially when in the zone your running out towards the shooters. Under the basket you have Jesse and the Notre Dame bigs to contend with.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Benny played 22 minutes and his stat line was 1-4 and 1 assist. Insert dead guy reference.

Ajak imo is out there for his wing defense and really isn’t much different than BW in all other areas. BW is more athletic but doesn’t add anything.

Hard to believe neither player had a rebound in 40 minutes.

Brown should be getting some run, though I think Ajak stepping up defensively is keeping Brown on the bench.

Not that scoring is everything, but do you envision JBA ever putting double figures up in a game?

 

[Adamshatch]

Not that scoring is everything, but do you envision JBA ever putting double figures up in a game?

I can barely envision JBA putting up 2 points, let alone 10+ in a game!

 

[kcsu]

I don’t know how anyone could consider Bell a forward and Taylor a 2. Taylor has 25 pounds on him and seeing them in person they are the same height. I think Bell can be a good player, but this year Taylor is the guy who I think eventually can get us 10-15 points per game with solid defense and rebounding no worse than Malachi Richardson or Andrew White did. He looks by far the most sure thing in this class outside of Mintz and just because he and Buddy share a resemblance does not make him a 2. No offense to Buddy, but Taylor has much higher upside as a player.

Taylor can play the 3 but his natural position is the 2

 

[djcon57]

I’d love Brown to play some because I think he knows how to actually play the game the best out of out forward options from what I’ve seen from him. That said...this isn’t close to the situation from the 2 years ago. I don’t believe him in the lineup is the difference between a tourney team and a non tourney team, for example

 

[Cusefan0307]

Taylor can play the 3 but his natural position is the 2

We flat out disagree.

 

[PhatOrange]

Not that scoring is everything, but do you envision JBA ever putting double figures up in a game?

No. But I don’t envision Brown doing much of that either.

Shoot, the guy getting all the minutes, Bennies only done it twice averaging 29mpg. His scoring average is 6.4.

 

[Adamshatch]

Taylor can play the 3 but his natural position is the 2

I see him as a good fit in either position, but I think he works best in our system as a 3. His athleticism and shooting ability allow him to score from the three while also collecting backside rebounds, which is something we sorely need.

 

[721Comstock]

No. But I don’t envision Brown doing much of that either.

Shoot, the guy getting all the minutes, Bennies only done it twice averaging 29mpg. His scoring average is 6.4.

Brown just hasn't ever gotten sufficient minutes to score 10+ points.

2022-23 Syracuse Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

His per-40 minute numbers are amongst the best on the team:

Rebounding: Jesse 15.6, Hima 12.5, Brown 10.2.
By FAR the best of the Forwards.

The next guys: Quadir 7.2, JT 6.5, Benny 6.3.
Bell is DFL at 1.9

Scoring: Naturally, it's Jesse, Judah, and Joe leading the way in per-40.
Then it's JT 13.3, Bell 12.3, Maliq 10.2, and Benny 8.9.

The D rating per 100 possessions is also very telling:
(lower # is better)
Jesse 89.7, Brown 93.2, Hima 93.7.

NOBODY ELSE is under 100. JT next at 101.3
Bell is DFL at 111.3

FG percentage: Jesse leads at 62%, Brown and Quadir tied for 2nd at 60%.

We have no idea what Bell's FT % is, since he hasn't shot a single FT this season.

TL/DR - Maliq Brown is our best defending Forward, best rebounding Forward,
and actually a decent scorer for a guy who gets ZERO run for him, and get his on putbacks and other scrappy effort plays.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Brown just hasn't ever gotten sufficient minutes to score 10+ points.

2022-23 Syracuse Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

His per-40 minute numbers are amongst the best on the team:

Rebounding: Jesse 15.6, Hima 12.5, Brown 10.2.
By FAR the best of the Forwards.

The next guys: Quadir 7.2, JT 6.5, Benny 6.3.
Bell is DFL at 1.9

Scoring: Naturally, it's Jesse, Judah, and Joe leading the way in per-40.
Then it's JT 13.3, Bell 12.3, Maliq 10.2, and Benny 8.9.

The D rating per 100 possessions is also very telling:
(lower # is better)
Jesse 89.7, Brown 93.2, Hima 93.7.

NOBODY ELSE is under 100. JT next at 101.3
Bell is DFL at 111.3

FG percentage: Jesse leads at 62%, Brown and Quadir tied for 2nd at 60%.

We have no idea what Bell's FT % is, since he hasn't shot a single FT this season.

TL/DR - Maliq Brown is our best defending Forward, best rebounding Forward,
and actually a decent scorer for a guy who gets ZERO run for him, and get his on putbacks and other scrappy effort plays.

This is good analysis.

And I think reiterates the point - nobody's saying JB needs to anoint him and play him 35 minutes a game.

But it is puzzling that he's not getting court time at all, given the production he's shown in limited minutes.

Honestly... feels a little similar to Jesse's early career.

 

[Sherman20]

Is that the reason our 5'10 guard got 5? Interesting.

People trash Joe and he deserves it some of the time. But he really rebounds well for a short guard. He goes after it. I used to get so angry at Tyus Battle for his lack of rebounding for a big athletic guard. I remember so many times he would just stand there frozen in the lane and watch the ball and not even jump. Joe is half a foot shorter than Tyus and he’s averaged more rebounds in his career, including a 3 rebound average this year.

 

[rrlbees]

Brown just hasn't ever gotten sufficient minutes to score 10+ points.

2022-23 Syracuse Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

His per-40 minute numbers are amongst the best on the team:

Rebounding: Jesse 15.6, Hima 12.5, Brown 10.2.
By FAR the best of the Forwards.

The next guys: Quadir 7.2, JT 6.5, Benny 6.3.
Bell is DFL at 1.9

Scoring: Naturally, it's Jesse, Judah, and Joe leading the way in per-40.
Then it's JT 13.3, Bell 12.3, Maliq 10.2, and Benny 8.9.

The D rating per 100 possessions is also very telling:
(lower # is better)
Jesse 89.7, Brown 93.2, Hima 93.7.

NOBODY ELSE is under 100. JT next at 101.3
Bell is DFL at 111.3

FG percentage: Jesse leads at 62%, Brown and Quadir tied for 2nd at 60%.

We have no idea what Bell's FT % is, since he hasn't shot a single FT this season.

TL/DR - Maliq Brown is our best defending Forward, best rebounding Forward,
and actually a decent scorer for a guy who gets ZERO run for him, and get his on putbacks and other scrappy effort plays.

That’s a good analysis. But the only negative I have with it is that it’s far too small of a sample size for Brown right now and who did he play against. BTW, like others I love Brown. When he plays he’s playing exactly like I thought he would when I wrote a breakdown of his game many months ago after watching some of his games. I believe I also said at that time that he could be a surprise starter.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

People trash Joe and he deserves it some of the time. But he really rebounds well for a short guard. He goes after it. I used to get so angry at Tyus Battle for his lack of rebounding for a big athletic guard. I remember so many times he would just stand there frozen in the lane and watch the ball and not even jump. Joe is half a foot shorter than Tyus and he’s averaged more rebounds in his career, including a 3 rebound average this year.

He’s got a decent knack for the ball on rebound. Have to give him that.

 

[OrangeinDC]

I didn’t say he would never play but his current passing is to the wrong team . I’m not going to lose games because he may have potential.

No argument if that’s how you see it or that’s your approach. Depends on what’s important to a coach.. But…I believe you gotta not focus so much on winning the battle but lose the war….

 

[xc84]

People trash Joe and he deserves it some of the time. But he really rebounds well for a short guard. He goes after it. I used to get so angry at Tyus Battle for his lack of rebounding for a big athletic guard. I remember so many times he would just stand there frozen in the lane and watch the ball and not even jump. Joe is half a foot shorter than Tyus and he’s averaged more rebounds in his career, including a 3 rebound average this year.

Well, he actually goes for rebounds unlike some others on the team who stand and watch. That's why he gets some. Same for Taylor.

 

[xc84]

I was talking to a nephew a few days ago. He made his school's modified team. He was lamenting that in his first scrimmage he didn't score any points. I asked him if he got rebounds. He said yes and I told him to focus on that right now. Coaches love rebounders especially now when it seems to be a lost skill. Just get the boards, work on your shot and scoring will come too.

 

[Newhouser]

I’m trying to find where Benny’s “athletic ability” actually translates to anything on the court?

Brown is the only one I remember playing the passing lanes and stealing a pass and taking it down for a dunk.

Benny jumps higher on missed jump shots, I guess.

Taylor didn’t even play until Judah got thrown out.

And Joe started over Kadary. Jesse didn’t even play as a soph while 165 pound Marek was at center. I’m no longer trusting that JB knows who should be out there.

I think Benny's athleticism is a bit overhyped. It is sort of like Symir looking fast and quick last year compared to the rest of our Clydesdales. I think Benny is a good athlete especially for our team, but some talk here like he's David Thompson or Jeremi and I don't see that level at all.

 

[newmexicuse]

I think the forward rotation is going to be an ongoing experiment for the first 10-12 games of the season. That said, if Benny is right (and as you have posted), he and Brown may well start and get the lion's share of forward minutes until either Taylor or Bunch shoots his way onto the floor.

One reason Brown is intriguing, besides shot-blocking and rebounding, is that he has an offensive IQ. If he can adjust quickly enough at the ACC level to see the court and distribute, he could work into a Merek role - like the high-low with Jesse. That could make this a dangerous team.

I really like Brown, but the problem is if you start Williams and him you have zero outside shooting across the front line. Brown seems to do the things that Williams should be doing in terms of cuts to the hoop and putbacks. He absolutely deserves a shot for a bigger role.

One thing that really impressed me about Brown is that when he was playing in garbage time, he has a couple of stat padding opportunities, but instead he passed to the walk-ons to allow them some glory opportunites. Shows his character and unselfishness.

 

[OrangeDW]

I think Benny's athleticism is a bit overhyped. It is sort of like Symir looking fast and quick last year compared to the rest of our Clydesdales. I think Benny is a good athlete especially for our team, but some talk here like he's David Thompson or Jeremi and I don't see that level at all.

Agreed. I haven’t seen him run faster than everybkdy and catch the ball and take it in for a fastbreak dunk like Kris Joseph. He’s never dunked on people or made the smooth plays like CJ Fair. Our typical starting forwards 10 years ago were all more athletic.