jacobkdoyle
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This has been a topic of conversation that has popped up in various threads, so I figured we may want a thread specifically for it.
I'm not nearly as concerned as many. But I also like Scott and Brooks. I think people have been too hard on them. They are both underclassmen bench big men. It isn't necessary for them to go out and have monster lines. Last year was the very base level of just getting them in the game to see if they can hold their own. This year both have been in the flow of the team more on the offensive end. I don't know if there's a stat, or a variation of it, where you can see how many passes guys receive over 40 minutes but I'd bet both of them have increased. Scott just isn't a high usage guy aka play finisher. I don't have any issue with that. And that's even talking with Clark and Washington gone. Brooks has a decent hook and should continue to progress. When he can position deeper in the paint and keep the ball high, that's a pretty high % play for us. He is shooting 62% at the rim...which actually should continue to improve as he gets older, stronger, and has more of a role as a post presence. If we go to athletic lineups 1-4 (which all of them are) Brooks could be a play finisher as our main post option. But other guys will have a chance to be high usage players as well bc our bigs will have so much mobility. All of them can get up and down the floor and all of them can get out to screen without much of a problem. That will help Broome and Williams a lot. Scott won't be a lane clogger. He'll be in the high post working handoffs and popping back behind the 3 pt line to hopefully give the open look a try or keep the ball moving with his length and vision to see over the defense. Or he can even slip a screen and dunk right on someone. Evans, Moore, and anyone else who is going to be shooting 3s will also benefit from having a more open lane with drivers. Our offense may look a little different. Might be more of a screen heavy drive and kick sort of look, but you can have a lot of success against college defenses by putting them in quick decision situations. We'll obviously dearly miss Clark and Washington at times, and probably more early in the season next year, but the beat will move on. Other guys will fill in to new roles. Brooks and Scott will have a chance to put up better stat lines with more regular time. Right now they're just kind of wildcards...like most college bench players. If you can get something extra out of them, it's a bonus. I just look at Kansas, since I live out here, and they have Mitch Lightfoot as their only backup big. 3* SO PF who is very inconsistent. They have Malik Newman, 5* transfer from Mississippi State...he's falling out of the rotation almost bc he's just not producing. But that means Marcus Garrett starts for them. Sometimes he just puts up nothing. BC he's a FR. Even at Kansas. Point is, these "problems" aren't unique to us. Most schools don't just have 6'8" and taller grown ass men they can bring in off the bench. As far as that goes, Scott and Brooks and Nsoseme aren't that bad. I mean, those guys are never just getting totally abused in the paint. So it's just kind of how our program works. Guys in their 3rd and 4th years know the ropes and there's a pretty high floor there. If anyone is so concerned that they want to bet me on whether we make the tournament or not regardless of whether we add any more bigs or not, you know where to find me. We'll be just fine. We are a well-oiled machine of a program at this point. The pride of the C Paw runs strong in our locker room.
Also, Diarra has the highest usage on the team. He can put the ball in the hoop. If he plays 15 minutes a game next year, he could average 7 ppg.
I'm not nearly as concerned as many. But I also like Scott and Brooks. I think people have been too hard on them. They are both underclassmen bench big men. It isn't necessary for them to go out and have monster lines. Last year was the very base level of just getting them in the game to see if they can hold their own. This year both have been in the flow of the team more on the offensive end. I don't know if there's a stat, or a variation of it, where you can see how many passes guys receive over 40 minutes but I'd bet both of them have increased. Scott just isn't a high usage guy aka play finisher. I don't have any issue with that. And that's even talking with Clark and Washington gone. Brooks has a decent hook and should continue to progress. When he can position deeper in the paint and keep the ball high, that's a pretty high % play for us. He is shooting 62% at the rim...which actually should continue to improve as he gets older, stronger, and has more of a role as a post presence. If we go to athletic lineups 1-4 (which all of them are) Brooks could be a play finisher as our main post option. But other guys will have a chance to be high usage players as well bc our bigs will have so much mobility. All of them can get up and down the floor and all of them can get out to screen without much of a problem. That will help Broome and Williams a lot. Scott won't be a lane clogger. He'll be in the high post working handoffs and popping back behind the 3 pt line to hopefully give the open look a try or keep the ball moving with his length and vision to see over the defense. Or he can even slip a screen and dunk right on someone. Evans, Moore, and anyone else who is going to be shooting 3s will also benefit from having a more open lane with drivers. Our offense may look a little different. Might be more of a screen heavy drive and kick sort of look, but you can have a lot of success against college defenses by putting them in quick decision situations. We'll obviously dearly miss Clark and Washington at times, and probably more early in the season next year, but the beat will move on. Other guys will fill in to new roles. Brooks and Scott will have a chance to put up better stat lines with more regular time. Right now they're just kind of wildcards...like most college bench players. If you can get something extra out of them, it's a bonus. I just look at Kansas, since I live out here, and they have Mitch Lightfoot as their only backup big. 3* SO PF who is very inconsistent. They have Malik Newman, 5* transfer from Mississippi State...he's falling out of the rotation almost bc he's just not producing. But that means Marcus Garrett starts for them. Sometimes he just puts up nothing. BC he's a FR. Even at Kansas. Point is, these "problems" aren't unique to us. Most schools don't just have 6'8" and taller grown ass men they can bring in off the bench. As far as that goes, Scott and Brooks and Nsoseme aren't that bad. I mean, those guys are never just getting totally abused in the paint. So it's just kind of how our program works. Guys in their 3rd and 4th years know the ropes and there's a pretty high floor there. If anyone is so concerned that they want to bet me on whether we make the tournament or not regardless of whether we add any more bigs or not, you know where to find me. We'll be just fine. We are a well-oiled machine of a program at this point. The pride of the C Paw runs strong in our locker room.
Also, Diarra has the highest usage on the team. He can put the ball in the hoop. If he plays 15 minutes a game next year, he could average 7 ppg.