Summer Workouts

[Niastri]

Sy, Judah, and Joe will be 3 of our 5 best players. If we played MTM they would all start. I wonder if JB will attempt to play Sy on the back line.

Against smaller teams it could work, but against the ACC it's a losing strategy... Possibly if they press first and only go into the zone if they can't force a turnover or shot in transition, but even teams with three guard lineups will just fire away and let their forward dominate Torrence in that side of the zone.

I think when Edwards rests, we could conceivably play Hima, Williams, Torrence, Mintz and Girard and press to offset the difficulty that lineup might have scoring in the half court.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

This was in response to a Bees post, maybe you should ask him that question.

Also, why would you post this when I did not offer an opinion on a starting lineup ??

However, since you asked, a possible starting lineup might be:

Jesse, Benny, Taylor, and Mintz before you get to the Sy v Joe issue.

That lineup would have Taylor and Mintz as shooters. I would also expect Benny to be able to make some shots from inside the arc even if he isnt much of a three point threat.

Now getting to the Sy v Joe issue, there is really little doubt that Joe will start, but hypothetically, if it were to really be a fair and open competition, the only way Sy would have a shot to beat out Joe was if he improved his shooting. Maybe not so much from three range, but to be able to hit those 10 to 15 foot pullups off his dribble penetration.

Bees had Sy at PG, not over JGIII

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Nice video

JT looks more thick burger than Beyond meat

 

[orange79]

Bees had Sy at PG, not over JGIII

TBF, he said he wouldn't be surprised if Sy is there, not that he would be.

 

[kcsu]

Completely agree -- a full time commitment to the zone isn't conducive to a three-guard lineup for all the reasons you list.

Zone is at its best when we have size up top, plus two long, athletic wings with plus lateral mobility, who can cover ground.

Problem is, Symir is the best lead guard on the team [Mintz is more of a combo]. And our three guards are 3 of the best 5. So the dilemma is: how do we get our best lineup on the floor, without getting exposed on the glass / on defense?

No easy answer. But imagine a lineup with Symir, Mintz, Benny, Brown, and Jesse [for example]. THAT'S a unit that would be better suited to compete on the glass.

Hopefully JB uses his players based on match ups. If so expect to see lots of combinations.

 

[OrangeDW]

Against smaller teams it could work, but against the ACC it's a losing strategy... Possibly if they press first and only go into the zone if they can't force a turnover or shot in transition, but even teams with three guard lineups will just fire away and let their forward dominate Torrence in that side of the zone.

I think when Edwards rests, we could conceivably play Hima, Williams, Torrence, Mintz and Girard and press to offset the difficulty that lineup might have scoring in the half court.

Villanova, to me, is the blueprint for playing 3 true guards. I just can’t picture us getting after it on defense like that, and in that manner. But that’s what we’d have to do, IMO.

 

[Giants1973]

Villanova, to me, is the blueprint for playing 3 true guards. I just can’t picture us getting after it on defense like that, and in that manner. But that’s what we’d have to do, IMO.

Time for a change. Teams getting used to the Zone.

 

[OrangeDW]

Time for a change. Teams getting used to the Zone.

I think it’s more that we don’t have an NBA level team in terms of height and athleticism, anymore.

MCW, Grant, Fab Melo, etc….zone would still be a tough nut to crack if we had guys like that.

This 3 guard talk is making me remember how good guys like Gbinije and Hughes ended up being too. If we had one guy big enough to play inside on defense, with ALL the guard skills (shoot, pass, handle) on offense….I’d be pretty high on this team.

 

[Tony DeFranco]

I think it’s more that we don’t have an NBA level team in terms of height and athleticism, anymore.

MCW, Grant, Fab Melo, etc….zone would still be a tough nut to crack if we had guys like that.

This 3 guard talk is making me remember how good guys like Gbinije and Hughes ended up being too. If we had one guy big enough to play inside on defense, with ALL the guard skills (shoot, pass, handle) on offense….I’d be pretty high on this team.

Um, Jessie is a stud

 

[sufandu]

Um, Jessie is a stud

Nobody said he isn't, but being flanked by forwards that are much less athletic that guys we had in the past leads to a less effective zone that what we've had.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Um, Jessie is a stud

Jesse

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[CuseMan4]

I’d be pretty surprised if Taylor was not getting some big time PT right from the start. I think Taylor and Mintz are pretty much locks to get major PT the second they have stepped foot on campus. The rest of the freshman will sort themselves out. But of the 6 we need 3 of them to be good contributors in the rotation to be good next year. All 3 don’t have to be studs but they have to be good. Gonna need Mintz or Taylor to be pretty damn good though

 

[RF2044]

I’d be pretty surprised if Taylor was not getting some big time PT right from the start. I think Taylor and Mintz are pretty much locks to get major PT the second they have stepped foot on campus. The rest of the freshman will sort themselves out. But of the 6 we need 3 of them to be good contributors in the rotation to be good next year. All 3 don’t have to be studs but they have to be good. Gonna need Mintz or Taylor to be pretty damn good though

Agreed.

In my mind, a lot hinges upon Benny's development. If he is more like a 4 with inconsistent shooting, then Taylor seems like the most likely incoming frosh forward to play alongside him. If Benny proves that he can shoot the ball, then maybe Brown fits better alongside him, giving us a more "traditional" lineup with a true 4. But if I had to guess [and this is preliminary, before they've even had summer workouts and begun formal practices], those are the two frosh forwards I'd expect to play a lot this year.

Of course, that's just an on-paper opinion, I could be wrong. Maybe Carey / Bunch end up having something to say about that.

I'd also expect Mintz to start, locking in a backcourt trio of Joe, Mintz, and Symir.

 

[Sbucketball]

I’d be pretty surprised if Taylor was not getting some big time PT right from the start. I think Taylor and Mintz are pretty much locks to get major PT the second they have stepped foot on campus. The rest of the freshman will sort themselves out. But of the 6 we need 3 of them to be good contributors in the rotation to be good next year. All 3 don’t have to be studs but they have to be good. Gonna need Mintz or Taylor to be pretty damn good though

I agree, and I've always thought JT was the most likely candidate to start at the 3 next year. However, while discussing how underrated his 2022 class is, JB mentioned there's a first rounder ranked in the 50s (obviously referring to Mintz) and another ranked in the 80s (I think he said 80s; probably referring to Bunch). So, going into the season, JB might have the preconceived notion that Mintz and Bunch will be the freshmen starters. JB always says he doesn't select starters until the season starts, but he's human (I think) so he's prone to bias based on his preconceived notion. Bunch might get more PT than people suspect. He's also a natural 3, whereas JT will likely end up at the 2 once Joe leaves. I personally think both Bunch and JT will be good, and I could see JT becoming one of Coach's favorite, while I could see Bunch residing in the dog house.

 

[Sbucketball]

Agreed.

In my mind, a lot hinges upon Benny's development. If he is more like a 4 with inconsistent shooting, then Taylor seems like the most likely incoming frosh forward to play alongside him. If Benny proves that he can shoot the ball, then maybe Brown fits better alongside him, giving us a more "traditional" lineup with a true 4. But if I had to guess [and this is preliminary, before they've even had summer workouts and begun formal practices], those are the two frosh forwards I'd expect to play a lot this year.

Of course, that's just an on-paper opinion, I could be wrong. Maybe Carey / Bunch end up having something to say about that.

I'd also expect Mintz to start, locking in a backcourt trio of Joe, Mintz, and Symir.

I would bet Brown's chance at getting minutes more likely depends on Bunch or Taylor being able to shoot at a high clip (and I think Taylor and Bunch will get the most run out of the freshmen forwards, and Brown and Carey will need developmental time). Brown would probably look better next to one of them instead of next to Benny. They would have different and complimentary skill sets.

I'm excited about what Brown can bring to the table eventually, but he'll need to embrace his role and be patient. From what I've read, Brown is a great and humble teammate who doesn't need the spotlight and doesn't mind setting screens etc. instead of scoring, so he should do well.

He transitioned from being a football player not too long ago, and he's developing really well. Apparently he's adding shooting to his game, which will really elevate his game. He's drawn comparisons to Hakim Warrick with his length and athleticism--a comparison he appears to welcome as he even chose to be #1.

 

[orangefog]

Agreed.

In my mind, a lot hinges upon Benny's development. If he is more like a 4 with inconsistent shooting, then Taylor seems like the most likely incoming frosh forward to play alongside him. If Benny proves that he can shoot the ball, then maybe Brown fits better alongside him, giving us a more "traditional" lineup with a true 4. But if I had to guess [and this is preliminary, before they've even had summer workouts and begun formal practices], those are the two frosh forwards I'd expect to play a lot this year.

Of course, that's just an on-paper opinion, I could be wrong. Maybe Carey / Bunch end up having something to say about that.

I'd also expect Mintz to start, locking in a backcourt trio of Joe, Mintz, and Symir.

I have been high in Benny, even through his struggles. I think he gets his mojo back and he will be a solid starter. I still don’t think he will be a knock down shooter from three, though. I think he can be a good shooter, but not a go to three point shooter. I think Taylor starts at the other forward, but Benny will slide to the SF spot when we go big.

 

[RF2044]

I have been high in Benny, even through his struggles. I think he gets his mojo back and he will be a solid starter. I still don’t think he will be a knock down shooter from three, though. I think he can be a good shooter, but not a go to three point shooter. I think Taylor starts at the other forward, but Benny will slide to the SF spot when we go big.

Could very well be. The reality is that we have negligible experience at forward. Benny played very little last year, and struggled most of the time when he did. And he's the most experienced guy we have.

He'll be given every chance to succeed, but there's no telling what he'll be capable of delivering. If it plays out like you suggest with the shooting, then we probably need another shooter on the floor. But if he shoots it at an acceptable clip, then maybe Brown fits better alongside him [I still have nightmares about Benny boxing out against Indiana, UNC, etc. so not sold on him as a full-time 4].

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[jdubs30]

Agreed.

In my mind, a lot hinges upon Benny's development. If he is more like a 4 with inconsistent shooting, then Taylor seems like the most likely incoming frosh forward to play alongside him. If Benny proves that he can shoot the ball, then maybe Brown fits better alongside him, giving us a more "traditional" lineup with a true 4. But if I had to guess [and this is preliminary, before they've even had summer workouts and begun formal practices], those are the two frosh forwards I'd expect to play a lot this year.

Of course, that's just an on-paper opinion, I could be wrong. Maybe Carey / Bunch end up having something to say about that.

I'd also expect Mintz to start, locking in a backcourt trio of Joe, Mintz, and Symir.

Even if Benny shoots, I don’t think he has the ball handling to play the 3 too often. My assumption is Taylor could also function as the 3rd ball handler if he starts. A backline of Brown/Benny/Edwards could be our best defense/rebounding option but could be rough offensively.

We won’t be too great handling the ball
As it is (just like the last few years). Judah is an improvement and Joe should be better (especially since he won’t be the primary ball handler). But Taylor seems to be our only real option at the 3 if we want an offensive threat there

 

[RF2044]

Even if Benny shoots, I don’t think he has the ball handling to play the 3 too often. My assumption is Taylor could also function as the 3rd ball handler if he starts. A backline of Brown/Benny/Edwards could be our best defense/rebounding option but could be rough offensively.

We won’t be too great handling the ball
As it is (just like the last few years). Judah is an improvement and Joe should be better (especially since he won’t be the primary ball handler). But Taylor seems to be our only real option at the 3 if we want an offensive threat there

Agree across the board.

 

[littlereg]

As dumb as it sounds considering we may very well be looking at our worst team/season in a long time, it is exciting and nice to talk about the mystery, intrigued, etc of this team. It’s seem like the past 6 years or so within the mediocrity that our teams were always predictable, we knew what we had coming in, nothing was going to be different, etc. this team isn’t the same, we have lots of questions lots of unknowns, which is bad in some ways but good in others with the potential it brings. We’ll still be more or less same ole cuse until JB is gone but there is a little bit of a different afresh with this team.

 

[DoctorBombay]

As dumb as it sounds considering we may very well be looking at our worst team/season in a long time, it is exciting and nice to talk about the mystery, intrigued, etc of this team. It’s seem like the past 6 years or so within the mediocrity that our teams were always predictable, we knew what we had coming in, nothing was going to be different, etc. this team isn’t the same, we have lots of questions lots of unknowns, which is bad in some ways but good in others with the potential it brings. We’ll still be more or less same ole cuse until JB is gone but there is a little bit of a different afresh with this team.

 

[Niastri]

I agree, and I've always thought JT was the most likely candidate to start at the 3 next year. However, while discussing how underrated his 2022 class is, JB mentioned there's a first rounder ranked in the 50s (obviously referring to Mintz) and another ranked in the 80s (I think he said 80s; probably referring to Bunch). So, going into the season, JB might have the preconceived notion that Mintz and Bunch will be the freshmen starters. JB always says he doesn't select starters until the season starts, but he's human (I think) so he's prone to bias based on his preconceived notion. Bunch might get more PT than people suspect. He's also a natural 3, whereas JT will likely end up at the 2 once Joe leaves. I personally think both Bunch and JT will be good, and I could see JT becoming one of Coach's favorite, while I could see Bunch residing in the dog house.

The end result of the forwards battle is going to define the season, for sure.

One thing that intrigues me it's the video in the Brown recruiting thread where he hits a bunch of threes from the corner. Even if he can't do anything but hit wide open corner threes, Brown will be more viable as a starter at for because of that ability.

We have so much uncertainty, but also so much depth of possibly with this group!

 

[Niastri]

Even if Benny shoots, I don’t think he has the ball handling to play the 3 too often. My assumption is Taylor could also function as the 3rd ball handler if he starts. A backline of Brown/Benny/Edwards could be our best defense/rebounding option but could be rough offensively.

We won’t be too great handling the ball
As it is (just like the last few years). Judah is an improvement and Joe should be better (especially since he won’t be the primary ball handler). But Taylor seems to be our only real option at the 3 if we want an offensive threat there

If Girard is struggling with the ball, we can put Mintz and Torrence out there together to shore up the weakness. Taylor might be the best forward ball handler, since he's billed as a guard/forward, but don't sleep on Williams. He is one of those guys who outgrew being a guard only a few years ago. He should be much better than he demonstrated last year. For me he's more of a tall SF than a combo forward at this point.

 

[Orangezoo]

If Girard is struggling with the ball, we can put Mintz and Torrence out there together to shore up the weakness. Taylor might be the best forward ball handler, since he's billed as a guard/forward, but don't sleep on Williams. He is one of those guys who outgrew being a guard only a few years ago. He should be much better than he demonstrated last year. For me he's more of a tall SF than a combo forward at this point.

Benny's game needs to start being better off the ball and a two or three dribble mid range guy. While bigger, he has the Alan Griffin tendency of over showing the ball going into traffic. Also he has to go up much much stronger in the paint.

With Mintz on the floor I don't see Joe struggling on the ball. Open looks will be his challenge. It's all a paper analysis battle right now anyways.