My Take | Syracusefan.com

My Take

sutomcat

No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Weird having a 5 pm game on a Sunday. Weirder still that our next 2 games will also start at 5 pm. Colgate on Saturday and VCU in Atlantis the following Wednesday. I guess this one was driven by the SU women’s game that was played at the dome at noon.

Some quick thoughts….

We didn’t look super focused, especially on defense, in the first half. I will give Drexel some credit for that. They were patent and did a nice job attacking the zone.

A couple of times I caught myself thinking, well JB is going to go strong with defensive players to stop all this scoring by Drexel. But for maybe the first time ever, he doesn’t have much on the bench to address this. JGIII seemed to be struggling on D a lot in the first half and JB took him out and yelled at him pretty good. And played Symir for extended minutes. That was surely driven by a desire for better defense.

Cole continues to show a much more well rounded game that many of us were expecting. Last game, he rebounded like a demon. This game, he made some really nice rotations and defensive plays, some really nice passes and even made a few nice moves to the basket.

I keep waiting for JB3 to be exposed for being too slow, too unathletic, too dorky to play at this level. No signs of that so far. He can score in a lot of ways (including both hands) and seems to be a step ahead of the opposition a lot.

Buddy keeps bringing it. To me, it looks like he is getting his shot off a hair quicker this year. The confidence is there for sure. He struggled driving and scoring in the first half but did a much better job there in the second. It was almost like his evolution at this from last season, except in one game instead of a whole season.

I like when JG3 plays a lot of minutes and only takes a few shots. This team needs a pass first PG I think. That said, I think Joe has made at least 8 3s in a row and has to be shooting a crazy percent from 3 so far. I think the key is that he isn’t getting a lot of attention from the defense and this year, so far anyway, he is taking good 3s, just outside the 3 point circle that are part of the normal offensive flow. If he can limit his 3 point shots to quality shots like he has so far, I think he can shoot 40% from 3.

Jesse still does some things that you don’t expect from a sophomore in college (that moving pick after the handoff on the inbounds play was not good; once he was out of position, boxed out, but jumped up from behind and did a ridiculous reach around grab of his guy’s rib cage). But he is playing really aggressively on defense and intimidating the well out of opponents. It is great to have someone in the paint people are scared off. It is also great to have someone top notch providing weak side help down low in the 2-3, which is what we are getting from Benny. That kid has nice timing and can jump. Gonna get a lot of weak side blocks.

Thought Frankie looks better on the boards. He and Jesse are going to score a lot when they get the ball in the right spot. Both are going to be in foul trouble a lot. Especially Frank. But the days of teams scoring 30 or 40 points in the paint are gone. And that is a very good thing.

Benny continues to struggle a bit early in the season. He is maybe getting the ball a little too far from the basket. Doesn’t look like he has any go to moves to get a good shot off right now and to his credit, he is not forcing shots, I like his patience. Maybe he should focus more on getting offensive rebounds. Or some lob alley oops. He looks uncomfortable with the ball right now. Gets rid of it really quickly. Gotta hit the boards harder. No rebs or assists is not like him. I think he will be fine, Might be good to have the PG run a play or two for him to get him off the schneid early next game.

Symir is another guy who doesn’t even look at the basket when he has the ball. He helped stabilize the defense when Drexel was shredding us early and that might be one of his biggest contributions to this team. I doubt he scores more than 6 or 8 in any game all season long. Hope he can develop a nice floater to get off when he gets into the lane and has no one open.

There are going to be games this year when we are going to struggle on defense most of the game. There are going to be games where we are going to have to outscore the opponent to win. While our defense was improved in the second half, I thought some stellar offense really gave us separation and won us the game. I look for more of that in the future. When this team is on, it can score points as fast and as well as anyone in the country. We saw a little of that early in the second half.

Hope to see more of it soon. Real soon. The over/under on the SU/Colgate game might be close to 180. I think that is where it belongs anyway…..
 
JGIII is going to get multiple open looks every night from 3 this year from near the top of the key because Buddy and Cole will require help defense most nights. He can average 10ppg just making those and a couple fts.

Limit his turnovers, run then offense and hit those open shots. That’s all we need.
 
Symir is a poor man's Jason Hart, right down to the low shooting percentage (until Hart was an upperclassman).

I think Edwards could be a double figure scorer if we looked for him a little more. It might not happen this season, but I'd love to see if we could get him the ball when he gets a good seal and see what he can do in the post. We could really use that when things get slow and the offensive execution gets lazy. It's nice having Jimmy present that kind of option.
 
The team is making good zone rotations. Like they are anticipating where the passes are going. Usually it takes a decent chunk of time for me to notice that.

The truly great passing and moving teams will beat this zone but I'm pleasantly surprised so far.
 
That was a very solid 2nd half and a strong win.

That’s a game that in the past handful of seasons and probably the 1st half of ‘20-‘21, that we either grind out until the very end or get upset.

Cole Swider is a much better basketball player than I was anticipating. He can do a lot of things.

Tough to defend four players at the 3 point line. Especially as Jesse continues to improve. And the 2nd line has more potential than it has in a bit.

We’re going to go as shooting teams go. Big wins, occasionally big clunkers. But, I think we shoot well enough to have a lot of big wins.

When this squad really hits their stride and finds their groove, watch out, because weee going to be a very tough out.
 
This team will go as far as its defense will take it. I say that because the offensive options are always going to be there in some combination. Granted there will be some nights where it doesn't happen but most it will.
For early in the year, the defense looks better than normal. It should with the experience on the floor. Jimmy and Cole are smart players and will pick up the rotations quickly.

We do have a very good team. The old adage of being able to beat any team on a given night applies to these guys. After watching the Zags last night, I might hedge on that. Temme--Ugh.
 
The team is making good zone rotations. Like they are anticipating where the passes are going. Usually it takes a decent chunk of time for me to notice that.

The truly great passing and moving teams will beat this zone but I'm pleasantly surprised so far.
the steals are good. everyone was getting in on the act. its very beneficial to the team and I think that part of the defense will get better.

But sometimes they are over-rotating and a lot of over collapsing...the help man moving wrong when he doesnt even need to help opens the floodgates and leads to an open shot...all it takes is a step or two in the wrong direction at the wrong time...it can be tweaked. drexel recognized that every time and made them pay.

I think once the help defenders know how to play instinctively, it will get a lot better and challenge even great passing teams...but as of now, its far from what it needs to be.

I think the focus from the coaches needs to be on what the defenders who arent covering the ball do. that and just making sure they are there when they rotate to the ball...the recognition is a beat off a lot for now.
 
Symir is a poor man's Jason Hart, right down to the low shooting percentage (until Hart was an upperclassman).

I think Edwards could be a double figure scorer if we looked for him a little more. It might not happen this season, but I'd love to see if we could get him the ball when he gets a good seal and see what he can do in the post. We could really use that when things get slow and the offensive execution gets lazy. It's nice having Jimmy present that kind of option.
it needs to happen this season - the big men can score down there if they get the ball in good position - jesse has great touch.

It will really open the 3 ball up too.

post up benny/jesse/etc and let him pass to the open man for 3. it will work well and open the offense up even more.
 
I thought Jessie and Frank were terrific tonight. Drexel didn’t get much inside and they both finished well around the basket. Frank showed patience and dunked the ball. They ran the floor and shut down the middle of the zone. Jessie has really quick hands and pokes balls away for turnovers. They are both going to get better and better. Cole is a complete player. He can do many things. He relieved pressure by bringing the ball up court and he’s pretty good with the ball in the open court. He also makes foul shots. Big upgrade from last year. JB III is a glue guy and brings something we haven’t had in a long time. He’s just makes the right play.
 
The team is making good zone rotations. Like they are anticipating where the passes are going. Usually it takes a decent chunk of time for me to notice that.

The truly great passing and moving teams will beat this zone but I'm pleasantly surprised so far.
I thought the same. We were rarely out of position defensively, but just a step on the slower end. But that’s fine - in order to beat us teams will have to play very sound offensively and make the right passes. But as the game goes on and you get more fatigued, those longer possessions with a lot of passes end up leading to more turnovers.

We are going to allow open 3s this year, but I think defensively we will be as mistake free as we’ve seen in a while. The problem is the lack of athletes could just lead us getting destroyed down low and on the boards
 
This team will go as far as its defense will take it. I say that because the offensive options are always going to be there in some combination. Granted there will be some nights where it doesn't happen but most it will.
For early in the year, the defense looks better than normal. It should with the experience on the floor. Jimmy and Cole are smart players and will pick up the rotations quickly.

We do have a very good team. The old adage of being able to beat any team on a given night applies to these guys. After watching the Zags last night, I might hedge on that. Temme--Ugh.
Jimmy is like Marty Byrnes with a better outside shot!!!
 
great post! - wanted to respond to some of your points:
We didn’t look super focused, especially on defense, in the first half. I will give Drexel some credit for that. They were patent and did a nice job attacking the zone.
I think they were coming off a cloud from the last win and once they realized they were in actual fight - the reality kinda shocked them somehow - I dont think they were ready for a real battle in the first half- but its good that it happened...and that they woke up and could turn it on when they had to.
A couple of times I caught myself thinking, well JB is going to go strong with defensive players to stop all this scoring by Drexel. But for maybe the first time ever, he doesn’t have much on the bench to address this. JGIII seemed to be struggling on D a lot in the first half and JB took him out and yelled at him pretty good. And played Symir for extended minutes. That was surely driven by a desire for better defense.
Benny, Symir and Frank are the defensive upgrades imo...he could even play Frank at the power forward slot with jesse...especially if sidibe comes back ...for extra d.
I keep waiting for JB3 to be exposed for being too slow, too unathletic, too dorky to play at this level. No signs of that so far. He can score in a lot of ways (including both hands) and seems to be a step ahead of the opposition a lot.
He would be that leading scoring main player on a dangerous mid-major that pops up at tournament time...that I often wonder how come syracuse cant get a player like that?? lol ...he's not going anywhere. The forwards are stacked imo.
Buddy keeps bringing it. To me, it looks like he is getting his shot off a hair quicker this year. The confidence is there for sure. He struggled driving and scoring in the first half but did a much better job there in the second. It was almost like his evolution at this from last season, except in one game instead of a whole season.
Buddy's really turned into a special player. Its incredble. Reminding me a bit of steph curry at davidson today...just the way he was just able to do what he wanted out there. Hes too good for the drexels and lafayettes of the world to stop.

I like when JG3 plays a lot of minutes and only takes a few shots. This team needs a pass first PG I think.
thats exactly what i was thinking when symir was in. what role does the PG need to play on this team?
solid defender, facilitator of the offense, able to score when open, able to drive the ball/attack the rim.
Joe is much closer to that than Symir is but neither are all the way all of those things, imo
the team really doesn't need a great scoring/flashy shooting PG with all of the other weapons. the weapons on the team need a PG that passes first. I like this swagged out version of Joe...he's playing really well. his defense (or lack thereof at times) is very key, imo.
Jesse still does some things that you don’t expect from a sophomore in college (that moving pick after the handoff on the inbounds play was not good; once he was out of position, boxed out, but jumped up from behind and did a ridiculous reach around grab of his guy’s rib cage). But he is playing really aggressively on defense and intimidating the well out of opponents. It is great to have someone in the paint people are scared off. It is also great to have someone top notch providing weak side help down low in the 2-3, which is what we are getting from Benny. That kid has nice timing and can jump. Gonna get a lot of weak side blocks.

Thought Frankie looks better on the boards. He and Jesse are going to score a lot when they get the ball in the right spot. Both are going to be in foul trouble a lot. Especially Frank. But the days of teams scoring 30 or 40 points in the paint are gone. And that is a very good thing.
Im not worried about the centers at all. they are good. the team needs to use them more on offense, imo
Benny continues to struggle a bit early in the season. He is maybe getting the ball a little too far from the basket. Doesn’t look like he has any go to moves to get a good shot off right now and to his credit, he is not forcing shots, I like his patience. Maybe he should focus more on getting offensive rebounds. Or some lob alley oops. He looks uncomfortable with the ball right now. Gets rid of it really quickly. Gotta hit the boards harder. No rebs or assists is not like him. I think he will be fine, Might be good to have the PG run a play or two for him to get him off the schneid early next game.
Need to find way to incorporate him into the offense. his passing is really good. maybe get him the ball in the high post/low block and let him find the next pass...he can pass like Marek too, imo. I think he will be scoring a lot by the end of the season.

overall, im more optimistic about the defense...i think by the end of the year it will be a well-oiled machine. for now there are gonna be games where outscoring is the only way to win though, i agree.
 
I know it's a weird comparison, but I would be happy if Edwards+Frank shared Guerrier's numbers. Let Jim mirror Griff/Brasswells with more inside play. Obviously, Jim is going to be a force with his body inside.
 
I agree with what everyone is saying. A lot of positives (other than the defense in the first half tonight) against mediocre competition. Swider has looked real sharp thus far. What I love about this team is they play SMART. Few bad shots. Few turnovers (until the last 2 minutes tonight). Good ball movement. One more warm-up game until the real season begins.
 
great post! - wanted to respond to some of your points:

I think they were coming off a cloud from the last win and once they realized they were in actual fight - the reality kinda shocked them somehow - I dont think they were ready for a real battle in the first half- but its good that it happened...and that they woke up and could turn it on when they had to.

Benny, Symir and Frank are the defensive upgrades imo...he could even play Frank at the power forward slot with jesse...especially if sidibe comes back ...for extra d.

He would be that leading scoring main player on a dangerous mid-major that pops up at tournament time...that I often wonder how come syracuse cant get a player like that?? lol ...he's not going anywhere. The forwards are stacked imo.

Buddy's really turned into a special player. Its incredble. Reminding me a bit of steph curry at davidson today...just the way he was just able to do what he wanted out there. Hes too good for the drexels and lafayettes of the world to stop.


thats exactly what i was thinking when symir was in. what role does the PG need to play on this team?
solid defender, facilitator of the offense, able to score when open, able to drive the ball/attack the rim.
Joe is much closer to that than Symir is but neither are all the way all of those things, imo
the team really doesn't need a great scoring/flashy shooting PG with all of the other weapons. the weapons on the team need a PG that passes first. I like this swagged out version of Joe...he's playing really well. his defense (or lack thereof at times) is very key, imo.

Im not worried about the centers at all. they are good. the team needs to use them more on offense, imo

Need to find way to incorporate him into the offense. his passing is really good. maybe get him the ball in the high post/low block and let him find the next pass...he can pass like Marek too, imo. I think he will be scoring a lot by the end of the season.

overall, im more optimistic about the defense...i think by the end of the year it will be a well-oiled machine. for now there are gonna be games where outscoring is the only way to win though, i agree.
Really good post, great points.
 

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