I got to watch the game in bits and pieces so missed some, I'll make it up tomorrow on replay. However from what I did see Sam started off a little out of sync but later appeared to be playing much better. A couple of times on D I noticed he was solid. Over all what are your takes on him? Solid reliever, more of a spot guy, or decent rotation player in a couple of weeks?
He looked pretty good tonight. Very active running the floor. Weirdly, I can't think of any past Jayhawk to compare him to or really what his role can be on the team*... definitely brings energy. Should be a good defender. Three point shot looked pure. Could probably slide in for Vick for minutes if he figures out how to pass the ball.
*This Team desperately needs a slasher, so if he can do that, he'll be a good option in the toolbox.
Better than I expected, but no savior. He’s extremely athletic and it shows. He needs lots of work, but he offers more on offense than Garrett.
dylans said:
Better than I expected, but no savior. He’s extremely athletic and it shows. He needs lots of work, but he offers more on offense than Garrett.
Pretty much sums it up!
Really liked what I saw from him. He's as advertised, a great athlete with some quickness and moves without the ball well.
@BeddieKU23 And the three stroke looked pure.
Fightsongwriter said:
@BeddieKU23 And the three stroke looked pure.
That first shot looked real good. Hope he doesn't get lost when the competition gets better. It seems Self isn't keen or ready to just throw him in there. I think we need him
Monster throw down. A Luke Skywalker at the rim. Pure 3 point shot. Has the ability to be really good on both ends, but has a ways to go. After making a sweet 3, he then fires off a contested 3 a few plays later, and hit the bench, so he has to earn his trust from coach. All in all, a much more athletic player than practically everybody on the team - if they can get this guy into the rotation, and get him playing team basketball, the sky is the limit. Might take a year or two.
Think he is pretty damn athletic. - -Seems pretty solid to me on the defensive end. -Think he is going to be a nice piece to the team, be able to give several guys a blow players such as Devonte - -Malik - -LaGerald - -hell maybe even SVI in some spots - I think he could spell for a few -well wait let me take that back - he couldn't fill in for Devonte probably - -but Newman - -Vick - -SVi I could see him filling in for them when needed -pretty athletic. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
I particularly noticed that he was always on the attack.
Recently I read that Townsend was working with Sam a lot in terms of his defense. Sam said that Townsend's advice to him involves not allowing his man even to catch the ball. I saw him working to prevent that. Sam declared that he had come to the program with fairly good offense, but was looking to improve his defense. That determination will go a long way into Bill Self's decision to play him.
The kid looks to be quite athletic, with a nose for the basket.
@justanotherfan I was initially going to disagree with you on Greene -- but I get your "useable athleticism" . Greene was stiff, couldn't dribble much laterally, he was slow laterally, and he was not the least bit explosive. He didn't have a quick first step either. However, he did have a couple cool dunks. He was of course a good athlete by the simple fact he was a D-I player. But relatively speaking, he didn't have high on-court athleticism.
Cunliffe did seem a bit stiff, maybe that was hesitancy. He did seem athletic though.
@HighEliteMajor Your closing sentences stir my curiosity to trigger the DVR, esp. to watch Cunliffe's first dunk when he snagged his mitt on the rim and momentum flung him to the court, landing on all 4 likes a monkey. I think we are in for some future treats, watching the play of Sam, once he gels in the lineup. I sense that he and Garrott will provide very stable and sometimes exciting sub minutes in league play.
HighEliteMajor said:
@justanotherfan I was initially going to disagree with you on Greene -- but I get your "useable athleticism" . Greene was stiff, couldn't dribble much laterally, he was slow laterally, and he was not the least bit explosive. He didn't have a quick first step either. However, he did have a couple cool dunks. He was of course a good athlete by the simple fact he was a D-I player. But relatively speaking, he didn't have high on-court athleticism.
Cunliffe did seem a bit stiff, maybe that was hesitancy. He did seem athletic though.
Yeah, it's definitely all relative. Greene is way more athletic than me but like you say he couldn't do much on the court especially against more athletic D1 teams.
If we are only talking about the trey ball, give me Greene all day. Greene's stroke was pure. He came to KU too early, I can hardly imagine if he had been allowed to shoot as freely as the last two teams.
I loved the way Greene shot free throws. Zero hesitation. He couldn’t hardly wait for the ref to give him the ball and a free point.