I figured going in that the team had a chance to be a tournament team. Kind of thought that getting to 7-11 in conference would get us there. But Williams' injury made me a little doubtful that they could do it. Well, they have vastly outperformed expectations. I figured that TJ has had good results from the portal, so they were probably getting some good players, but I still thought that they lacked outside shooting and you couldn't count on Osun and Jones to be much more than garbage men inside.
Gabe: I was hoping that he'd gain some consistency. He was already a great defender, but he would disappear offensively for stretches of games. He's not going to be on every single game, but at this point, he's looking like he can be on 4 out of 5 games instead of 1 out of 5. Really good at the floater and his 3's coming off of screens has been almost unbelievable. Last year, you didn't know if he was going to hit a shot or miss it by 2 feet. We don't see those horrible misses this year...whether it is taking better shots or squaring up better. He's definitely improved his handle.
Holmes: Just a bulldog. He is so thick that he can get into the lane and his floater is almost automatic. Can play PG in stretches when Lipsey is in foul trouble (too often). It just seems like when we are in a drought, he's the one who gets into the lane and gets a bucket. That's super valuable.
Grill: Obviously he's hurt right now and hopefully it doesn't linger all season. But just like Gabe, his shot is just so much more consistent this year. He's turned himself into an elite perimeter defender. And he's really good at jumping up for rebounds.
Osun: His ability to post up and convert has changed the team. I didn't see that coming. That's what last year's team was missing. Last year, if Brockington wasn't hitting from mid range and couldn't drive left, we were in trouble. That was our only real scoring threat, because you couldn't count on Gabe or Grill shooting and I could count the number of post up baskets from Conditt and Jones on one hand.
Lipsey: He's been super solid. Struggled with Nowell last night for sure, but a lot of people struggle with him and he hit a bunch of tough/deep shots. I still think if Lipsey can develop a floater and a set 3 so teams can't sag off, he's going to be an all-timer here.
King: Doing what he's supposed to do. I like that he doesn't need to take a bunch of shots. Tough on the boards and won't get pushed around. He really gives us some versatility when the 4 guard lineup isn't working.
Watson: You can see the potential, but he does have a long ways to go to be a decent offensive player. I love how he gets after rebounds and his length can be a help on defense, but he does get lost at times.
Jones: Woof. Sometimes he will convert, but he's overmatched at this level. Obviously, Osun doesn't have the stamina to play 30+. And he can get into foul trouble, so Jones is needed. Can't really depend on Ward to know where he's supposed to be on defense. What I'd like to see happen is when Kunc is back, bring him off the bench for Osun. The B12 just doesn't have many bigs that are going to make us pay for playing Jaz at the 5. Plus he adds a pick and pop option. I think that they need to mix in Jaz and Ward at the 5 and reduce Jones' minutes to more like 8. Jones is just a black hole inside and shoots way too much for his skill level.
Gabe: I was hoping that he'd gain some consistency. He was already a great defender, but he would disappear offensively for stretches of games. He's not going to be on every single game, but at this point, he's looking like he can be on 4 out of 5 games instead of 1 out of 5. Really good at the floater and his 3's coming off of screens has been almost unbelievable. Last year, you didn't know if he was going to hit a shot or miss it by 2 feet. We don't see those horrible misses this year...whether it is taking better shots or squaring up better. He's definitely improved his handle.
Holmes: Just a bulldog. He is so thick that he can get into the lane and his floater is almost automatic. Can play PG in stretches when Lipsey is in foul trouble (too often). It just seems like when we are in a drought, he's the one who gets into the lane and gets a bucket. That's super valuable.
Grill: Obviously he's hurt right now and hopefully it doesn't linger all season. But just like Gabe, his shot is just so much more consistent this year. He's turned himself into an elite perimeter defender. And he's really good at jumping up for rebounds.
Osun: His ability to post up and convert has changed the team. I didn't see that coming. That's what last year's team was missing. Last year, if Brockington wasn't hitting from mid range and couldn't drive left, we were in trouble. That was our only real scoring threat, because you couldn't count on Gabe or Grill shooting and I could count the number of post up baskets from Conditt and Jones on one hand.
Lipsey: He's been super solid. Struggled with Nowell last night for sure, but a lot of people struggle with him and he hit a bunch of tough/deep shots. I still think if Lipsey can develop a floater and a set 3 so teams can't sag off, he's going to be an all-timer here.
King: Doing what he's supposed to do. I like that he doesn't need to take a bunch of shots. Tough on the boards and won't get pushed around. He really gives us some versatility when the 4 guard lineup isn't working.
Watson: You can see the potential, but he does have a long ways to go to be a decent offensive player. I love how he gets after rebounds and his length can be a help on defense, but he does get lost at times.
Jones: Woof. Sometimes he will convert, but he's overmatched at this level. Obviously, Osun doesn't have the stamina to play 30+. And he can get into foul trouble, so Jones is needed. Can't really depend on Ward to know where he's supposed to be on defense. What I'd like to see happen is when Kunc is back, bring him off the bench for Osun. The B12 just doesn't have many bigs that are going to make us pay for playing Jaz at the 5. Plus he adds a pick and pop option. I think that they need to mix in Jaz and Ward at the 5 and reduce Jones' minutes to more like 8. Jones is just a black hole inside and shoots way too much for his skill level.
