Possible reliable 3 point shooters: Ennis, Johnson, Patterson, Fair.
Possible players who can knock it down if left open: Gbnijie, Roberson and Grant.
It's important that JB allows Grant to further develop a 3 point shot. Hopefully if Fair gets stronger and more aggressive, Grant can learn from CJ's first three years and take advantage of those corner 3s, baseline jumpers and being active down low (which he's already shown flashes of).
I have no idea how well Gbnijie shoots.
Agreed on most of this, except Patterson is not a likely 3pt threat. Also, while Grant should be able to develop an outside game in time, his area is the paint -- with that incredible wingspan, athleticism and knack for the ball. For outside shooting, I think Gbinije is the X-factor for this team. TC is probably the presumptive starter at the 2, but if Gbinije has an outside shot, he will take minutes from TC or conceivably turn him into a backup. A talented, if spindly, BJ could also be in the mix if Trevor's confidence problem continues. If Gbinije doesn't have range, TC will start and Gbinije will back up the 2 and probably also spell TE at the point. Gbinije ran point against MCW in practice, so backing up TE is plausible.
Up top, I think TE will emerge as a better transition guard than MCW. Defensively, he's not as long, but he's sneaky quick and will feast on the passing lanes in our zone as MCW did. No he won't block shots and dunk on the opposing team like MCW. But he's surprisingly court-savvy ... we'll see how he learns the offense and adjusts to playing zone at the elite level.
Roberson will be an interesting addition. Some project him to start. I'm reserving judgment until I see him play in the ACC. Either way, with our depth at forward, JB will have lots of options. From my seat, with the talent and length that Grant/Roberson bring, CJ will have more opportunities to roam around and play his natural (3) position and inflict damage. Against smaller teams, CJ or Grant could rotate at the 4 and Roberson could come in and do his Rudy Gay imitation. I'm literally getting dizzy/giddy over the stable of forwards we have, since CJ announced his return.
Our 5 rotation is also deep and talented. We have 14 fouls to give and still have someone decent in the middle. Defensively, Keita has grown leaps and bounds and is a defensive force, and Rak emerged as a solid defender towards the end of the season. Coleman has struggled with zone defense, and he'll need a good summer of weights and high fiber food to reach his potential (10-15 pounds lighter). On the offensive end, if just one of our 3 centers explodes (it could be two), we will have more balance than last year's team. Along with outside shooting, this is another "must" for a FF type season.
No, I'm not saying we'll be FF material yet ... have to see how this young and untested backcourt develops. But that's precisely the reason why JB has put "ITALIAN" on the 'Cuse's summer menu.
