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http://www2.kusports.com/news/2017/dec/12/tom-keegan-sam-cunliffe-realizes-year-long-wait-ma/ ↗

What do we take from it?

Next to Vick he's the best athlete on the team that much is clear. Sounds confident in himself in his defense playing on the scout team for the past year. We'll see how that translates to games. His rebounding from ASU should translate, over 4 a game I believe. Can he be a 40% 3pt shooter in what will likely be limited attempts or is he volume type guy? Will he be someone who can get to the basket utilizing his athletic ability?

Given what we know about him I'm optimistic until proven otherwise he can help. Another guard/wing to take some of the burden off our starters who are playing way too many minutes. Looks like he's going to be needed right away this weekend with Newman's status unknown..

Season outlook? 5 pts 2 boards, 40% 3's.. Seems like level expectations right? We need bench production and if he can make some plays its going to help this team in the long run. Outside of a big man Sam could actually be the most important addition to the team

@BeddieKU23 Was surprised to see he actually started all 10 games last year before deciding to transfer.

Some of his quotes that caught my attention was that he naturally believes the ball should be in his hand, but he has realized that isn't necessarily the case at Kansas. We will see. Old habits die hard. He seems to say the right things as far as keeping the ball moving, so hopefully he responds he same way on the court.

His comments about it 'clicking' just these last few weeks after having been here for 1 year also surprised me. What has he been paying attention to the last year that is just now realizing Bill's defensive approach and Offensive philosophy of ball movement.

At the very least, He will be a fresh body off of the bench who I imagine will play about as well as Garrett.

As an aside, I watched the 08 Semi and Final the last couple of days. Those kids played so fast with and without the ball. Their passes were so crisp and immediate. I actually had to check and make sure the remote wasn't in like a fast-forward mode because they were moving so fast compared to what I have grown accustomed too. That was a great team though. Can't really expect that from this group.

@Blown

I actually would like to see the ball in his hands some. We have to get Devonte some rest. With Newman on the shelf for however long until the concussion clears, I wouldn't mind seeing Cunliffe run some point to take the pressure off Graham. We need to get his minutes down from 38 to about 31 or 32. If Cunliffe can run the show for four to five minutes each half, that could change the season.

@Blown

Yeah ASU was a completely different team last season when he played for them. He was the highest rated recruit to land at ASU since James Harden. His exit from ASU reportedly was good for both sides so take that for what its worth and that was after 10 games. A year later we'll see what Sam can provide to KU. Would be a heck of an intro if he made a good impression Saturday

@justanotherfan I got a concussion (and six stitches in my forehead) the first game of old man's league this year. It's taken me about a month to recover. Hopefully Malik will come along more quickly than that.

This team needs some athleticism on the floor. I'm hoping that he can be active on D, give us the ability to have two guards who can rebound on the floor at once and just make open 3's at a 40% clip.

He could help potentially help a ton on D. But I'm not sure he solves any of our problems offensively unless he grows 3 inches and puts on 40lbs by Saturday.

@Blown

I had one back in HS, before people knew how serious they were. I didn't miss any games, but it basically ended my season from an effectiveness standpoint. I didn't shoot over 50% from the field in a single game after that.

@justanotherfan It really messed my shot up. I started shooting the ball about a foot off to the right of the rim every time. Before the injury, I was just a foot off to the left every time :)

Blown said:

His comments about it 'clicking' just these last few weeks after having been here for 1 year also surprised me. What has he been paying attention to the last year that is just now realizing Bill's defensive approach and Offensive philosophy of ball movement.

Not that surprising to me. For whatever reason it does seem to take kids awhile to get used to Self. We seem to hear this a lot.

@BeddieKU23 I am ecstatic over him coming into the rotation. If Newman and Svi aren't playing defense, put Cunliffe and Garrett in. At least he will hedge drivers on the perimeter. I'm tired of the jailbreaks to the basket from the perimeter. He instantly becomes the tallest player we have on the perimeter ( other than Svi ), and will be able to shoot over the zone as well.

@KUSTEVE

:boom:

He definitely gives us an athletic element that has become apparent we are missing outside of Vick. Whatever he can do to help this team we'll take it. He's another guy that could be forced into the 4 spot as we continue to wait on the Billy & Silvio show

@BeddieKU23 He is so much more athletic than Svi, it's ridiculous. I'm not saying he is a better bb player, but when Svi's shot isn't falling, then I think he becomes a liability, at least on the defensive end.

KUSTEVE said:

@BeddieKU23 He is so much more athletic than Svi, it's ridiculous. I'm not saying he is a better bb player, but when Svi's shot isn't falling, then I think he becomes a liability, at least on the defensive end.

Definitely, I think we could say the same thing about most of the team the past 2 games. If they are not making shots they have struggled to find other ways to help out. That seems to be part of the mentality that Self is trying to drive into his guys. They have to enjoy the dirty part of the game instead of being so focused on the finese, making 3's, having shots fuel momentum. This team has to find a common ground in stopping guys from what they want to do.

@Blown didn't you have another major bb incident, teeth I believe? You better take up a less violent sport or your kids will be pushing you to their events and wiping your drool. Hope that's the only end!🤣

@Crimsonorblue22 ya, something about being the shortest guy on the court and still believing every rebound should be mine has caused me problems over the years. I'll give it up when my knees and ankles give it up. Until then, the rest of the body will have to deal.

Cunliffe had a 10.8 PER over his 10 games. Let that sink in. Small sample, a year ago.

Always exciting to see a new player in game action. Looking forward to it.

@justanotherfan Why do you think that Cunliffe can handle the ball adequately to play point? Just that you think he's better than alternatives?

@HighEliteMajor

Cunliffe has played on the ball before, and has a good shot.

Svi has always played off the ball, so he has a hard time shifting to the point. Vick's role on this team makes it difficult for him to play point. Malik has handled the ball before, but he's more of a scorer, and his availability is questionable for at least the next couple of weeks anyway. Garrett can play point, but his lack of shot makes it difficult to fit him in up top.

That leaves Cunliffe, a guy that is comfortable with the ball, and won't upset the spacing that is so critical for KU's offense.

Again, we aren't (or shouldn't be) asking him to be Frank Mason, or even Tyshawn Taylor. We are asking him to run the offense for a few minutes each half while Devonte rests. Basically, we are asking him to be Ryan Robertson or Calvin Rayford for five minutes each half. Keep the offense steady while the starter rests.

Hopefully Self trusts Cunliffe enough to let Graham sit and rest.

@Blown ok! Wear a helmet then!

@justanotherfan

I actually like this idea. I wonder if its even a realistic option given we don't have another ball handler at this point. I thought Garrett would get some run at PG given his shooting struggles but he seems to be the wing sub right now. If Cunliffe can find a way into any role we need it badly

HighEliteMajor said:

Cunliffe had a 10.8 PER over his 10 games. Let that sink in. Small sample, a year ago.

Always exciting to see a new player in game action. Looking forward to it.

Think any of it was a product of being on a bad team? He had a lot of hype pressure coming in- being the highest rated recruit to sign with ASU since of all people James Harden. His numbers were not good, just looking for reason to be optimistic with the year off.

@justanotherfan

I would prefer Garret handling the ball. He played PG in HS and was the Texas Gatorade POY playing that position.

Someone told me a unique description of Sam...

"He's Klay without the trey!" (meaning Klay Thompson)

But I've heard he has improved his trey shot in a big way since coming to Kansas. It also sounds like his defense is much better. He is definitely very athletic!

@drgnslayr

I thought the 3 was his strong point since he shot 40% at ASU from there; not bad although a small sample of 10 games.

drgnslayr said:

Someone told me a unique description of Sam...

"He's Klay without the trey!" (meaning Klay Thompson)

But I've heard he has improved his trey shot in a big way since coming to Kansas. It also sounds like his defense is much better. He is definitely very athletic!

He is super athletic, that's definitely not an issue.

@JayHawkFanToo

I like Garrett, but his inability to shoot from distance really stifles our offense with him up top since he doesn't have gravity at the top of the key.

Without a strong post presence to draw double teams, a nonshooting PG clogs things up because the PG's man can float on defense, cutting off driving and passing angles.

@drgnslayr he shot 40% from three at ASU. Hopefully that will translate to KU.

@justanotherfan Yes, he was setup twice on Sunday for wide open threes, I mean super wide open and was off bye 3 feet one way and a foot the other. Not very often do I think I could take a KU player even in HORSE but him and Doke without dunks I’d like my odds. @BeddieKU23 Its kinda what you would expect him to say. He’s not gonna say he sucks and does understand what Self wants.

@justanotherfan @kjayhawks You both realize that Garrett is shooting over 47%, right? Our issues aren't scoring related. No one disputes that Garrett is our best rebounder and best stealer of the basketball, correct? And no one disputes that he's at least our 2nd best perimeter defender (Graham likely best), correct? That sort of stuff makes teams better. Further, if the player that is replaced is not a focused team player, then inserting a team player with significant attributes can make the team better. Agreed?

Interested in why I may be looking at this incorrectly.

@HighEliteMajor I am a fan of Garrett. He is progressing quite well as a rookie in the Bill Self System. Thanks for your stats on this player. Like any newbie in top level Div. 1 hoops, he sis bound for some ups and downs. Looks to me as though he is riding high on the learning curve. His pre-conference playing time should give him a decent boost, going into league play soon. I predict that he will play like a sophomore by late February. What with Newman's recovery time, Garrett and Cunliff should get considerable playing time vs. Nebraska.

@HighEliteMajor I think you are seeing Garrett as an individual piece and not a piece of the team.

Individually, he has been solid. But being the best defender when the other 4 are porous really has no value. So essentially, this team has to outscore the other team. Garrett providing no offense hurts this team more than his good defense helps it.