🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Wow...high praise for Dedric from Coach Self. This is going to be a GREAT year:

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/oct/05/self-ku-forward-dedric-lawson-hes-best-passer-weve/ ↗ ↗

I've been beating this drum. He's an all around special player. Haven't had a forward as good as him in a hot minute. He is Simien/Marcus good.

@BShark haha, we haven’t even had a power forward the last two years!

@BShark Put him in the lineup with Grimes, Dotson, KJ, or Vick, and we'll see some of the best passing we've seen since Roy was coach. My favorite element of Roy's run and gun was the way they passed the ball. When Dedric goes out to the 3 point line, teams are not going to be able to defend us.

BShark said:

I've been beating this drum. He's an all around special player. Haven't had a forward as good as him in a hot minute. He is Simien/Marcus good.

just don't beat it to hard , we need the drum to last for the entire year lol - -- it's like only 18 days till the start -- we begin on the 25th of October right? - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@jayballer73 Exhibition game is then. Doesn't count though of course. Open with Michigan State Nov 6th. You best believe I am watching every second of the exhibition games though. :D

BShark said:

@jayballer73 Exhibition game is then. Doesn't count though of course. Open with Michigan State Nov 6th. You best believe I am watching every second of the exhibition games though. :D

you and me both buddy -- -you and me both - -can't wait. - - so ready - - - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

[

@KUSTEVE Imagine being so wrong about the starting PG.

@KUSTEVE - -- loaded - --- -LOADED - - - - L o A d- E- d- - - LOAded - - - -loaded - -- LOADED ! ! ! ! - there I think I've expressed how I feel and oh ya of course - - -- ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

BShark said:

@KUSTEVE Imagine being so wrong about the starting PG.
Hey everyone is entitled to ONE mistake - - -happened to me once -- -when I thought I was wrong lol. - - - ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

@BShark Dotson is definitely being sleighted by a whole bunch of folks in the media. 30 days from now, that won't be the case. I don't think they realize he is a 5 star recruit, and is a Frank clone. They seem to talk about everybody except him.

@KUSTEVE wondering when that video was cut, at end mentioned Cunliffe still there

@KUSTEVE

I think Dotson is being "slighted" because a lot of people know that Self likely starts Moore at the beginning of the season. I tend to agree with that.

However, I think Dotson takes over as the starting PG sometime in December and the team takes off from there. Dotson is just so good, and I think the has a chance to take the team to a different level on both ends, particularly defensively with his size and ability to switch on the perimeter to guard bigger guys.

Once that happens, Self unleashes this team and they leave a path of destruction through the Big 12 a mile wide.

I believe Dotson should and will start. Team ceiling is higher with Dotson than with Moore. Need to go through the growing pains as early as possible. Waiting to start Dotson could be the difference between a sweet sixteen and a final four.

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

I believe Dotson should and will start. Team ceiling is higher with Dotson than with Moore. Need to go through the growing pains as early as possible. Waiting to start Dotson could be the difference between a sweet sixteen and a final four.

YES.

Hopefully Bill has learned. :fingers_crossed:

@BShark Bill is saying they're going to play Charlie and Dotson at the same time.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/oct/08/dude-can-score-kus-charlie-moore-more-just-point-g/ ↗ ↗

@KUSTEVE I still think Charlie is going to give Bill palpitations and he will revert to old habits.

I can almost guarantee you will see them play together against Zones and probably both WVU games. But I wouldn't expect to see it every game.

Kcmatt7 said:

I can almost guarantee you will see them play together against Zones and probably both WVU games. But I wouldn't expect to see it every game.

Interesting topic.

I'm not saying to sit Dotson against Baylor but his shot does need to improve. I think the go to line-up for zone busting would be...

Moore

Grimes

Vick

KJ

Dedric

Against Michigan St I expect Self will start his freshman. It's on National TV, its a recruiting thing. Everyone is watching.

Unlike past years we don't have a warm-up game before Sparty. Winston is a tough,tough matchup for a freshman off the bat but its exactly the situation you want to see how Devon responds.

If Moore is in the game it sounds like another ball handler will be in as well. Expect either Devon or Q to be playing primarily with Charlie at all times

I think Dotson needs to play zone because he will attack the middle of it instead of trying to shoot over it. Someone in your zone busting lineup has to get the defense collapsing.

I keep seeing the header and thinking it’s an overreaction to Mahomes. Then I realize @KUSteve posted it and is a Texans fan...and it’s about KU basketball.

@BShark If Silvio isn't able to play, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Lawsons playing the front line almost every game for portions of the game.. I thot it was telling they used KJ as a big in late night, and he played exceptionally well. He has really bulked up, and looks almost as big as MM.

The Lawson bros definitely have that Morrii synergy thing going on. Any line-up with them as the two post players is a hell of a "small" line-up w/ a lot of length and rebounding.

BShark said:

The Lawson bros definitely have that Morrii synergy thing going on. Any line-up with them as the two post players is a hell of a "small" line-up w/ a lot of length and rebounding.

Also, tons of athleticism with that as a small lineup. Potentially unguardable.

At this point, Bill could put all 12 scholarship players names in a hat, draw out 5 names, and it would be a capable lineup lol.

@justanotherfan Agree. I hope we see it a fair bit.

@Kcmatt7 REAL TALK: would bill win the B12 with Moore, Garrett, Agbaji, Mitch, Dave? And some kind of bench presumably.

@BShark haha I wouldn't bet against it happening, that's for sure. Ridiculously loaded right now.

BShark said:

@justanotherfan Agree. I hope we see it a fair bit.

@Kcmatt7 REAL TALK: would bill win the B12 with Moore, Garrett, Agbaji, Mitch, Dave? And some kind of bench presumably.

I don't know that he could win it with that group, but I bet he could finish top 3. You would have to hope Big Dave could average 12 and 8 because I don't know where the scoring would come from on that team. Moore would be in double figures, but efficiency would probably suffer. Garrett would have to score more. I guess Agbaji could be a scorer, but that seems a year too soon.

They would have to be tough defensively because they would struggle on the offensive end.

But I still think they would finish third in the League because Self would figure it out.

The only thing that sucks is I know Bill will never have someone besides Dotson or Moore at PG. Which really ruins several of my fantasy lineups where we don't have a player on the floor under 6'4 lol

@Kcmatt7 grimes played pt a lot for him

I once saw Danny M throw a full length bounce pass that basically was thrown diagonally from the right side of the lane, where I was sitting, to a fast breaker who caught the ball on the left side of the opposite lane. From my unique vantage point I could see the precision needed for such a pass to work as it split two defenders. Glad my brain has hung onto the video of that play. If Mr. Lawson can throw passes like that I'll call him the best passer ever too!

Funny to me to hear people here, (not on this discussion today) but in general to be not very high on Charlie Moore. This kid is really very good and I think will be a key performer, probably off the bench.

KUSTEVE said:

@BShark If Silvio isn't able to play, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Lawsons playing the front line almost every game for portions of the game.. I thot it was telling they used KJ as a big in late night, and he played exceptionally well. He has really bulked up, and looks almost as big as MM.

MM as in Mark Mangino? Boy, that is really BIG!!! :smiley:

Kcmatt7 said:

The only thing that sucks is I know Bill will never have someone besides Dotson or Moore at PG. Which really ruins several of my fantasy lineups where we don't have a player on the floor under 6'4 lol

Grimes played PG for the USA team coached by Bil Self at the Under 18 Tournament and he did great, MVP of the Tournament.

wissox said:

Funny to me to hear people here, (not on this discussion today) but in general to be not very high on Charlie Moore. This kid is really very good and I think will be a key performer, probably off the bench.

Did you see him play at Cal at all?

@wissox

In General, I've seen the KU fanbase on both ends of the spectrum regarding Charlie.

You have those that think he'll start the season because of his experience both at Cal and his 1 year with the KU program. He has seniority over Devon, something that we've seen play out in his favor in the past.

I've seen those who think he won't amount to much here based on anything from his size, his HS ranking, his shooting metrics at Cal etc.

In his favor at the minimum, Self took him into the program without hesitation. Everything we've heard about his character and work ethic has been A++. The Lawson's might be here only a year but Charlie most likely ends his career a Hawk 3 years from now. Will be exciting to watch his development here

BeddieKU23 said:

Did you see him play at Cal at all?

I think I watched a little once. However, I did see him in person once as well. It was at a holiday tournament in Chicago and while I had no knowledge of anyone on the floor at the time, immediately as the game began his skill became very clear. He stood out and was playing in a game on a team that would win state in Illinois that year.

@BeddieKU23

I am pretty high on Moore. He will be the starting PG but Dotson will likely take over somewhere in the season but no doubt Moore will see substantial playing time. Nice to have a PG that can step in at any time with little or no drop in team performance.

@BShark We said the same thing about Frank after his freshman year. If Charlie starts to play ME-BALL, he'll get pulled real quick.

wissox said:

BeddieKU23 said:

Did you see him play at Cal at all?

I think I watched a little once. However, I did see him in person once as well. It was at a holiday tournament in Chicago and while I had no knowledge of anyone on the floor at the time, immediately as the game began his skill became very clear. He stood out and was playing in a game on a team that would win state in Illinois that year.

Must have been cool to reflect now on him now that he's a Hawk.

I watched a handful of Cal games his freshman year. A few of them Charlie was very good, on a bad team. His role at KU will be completely different then what he had at Cal so it will be interesting to see how he's adjusted to life under Bill Self. I expect we'll see some good flashes from him.

@JayHawkFanToo

Did you see Self's comments yesterday about Charlie?

“The thing about Charlie that people might not understand is people equate him to being a point guard just because he’s not very tall,” KU coach Bill Self recently told the Journal-World. “But the bottom line is this dude can score. He’ll play some point for us, but he’ll probably play every bit as much off the ball. He can play point guard, but I still think he’d be better if he had a point guard in the game with him.”

@BeddieKU23

Frank Mason was a SG in HS and a volume scorer but his role changed at KU and worked out great for him.

BeddieKU23 said:

He can play point guard, but I still think he’d be better if he had a point guard in the game with him.”

That is why I don't think he will get much time. Are we better with Charlie on the court wtih Dotson. Or Dotson with Garrett/Vick/KJ/Grimes combo? That group is just so long and talented that I can't see Moore playing much.

BeddieKU23 said:

@wissox

In General, I've seen the KU fanbase on both ends of the spectrum regarding Charlie.

You have those that think he'll start the season because of his experience both at Cal and his 1 year with the KU program. He has seniority over Devon, something that we've seen play out in his favor in the past.

I've seen those who think he won't amount to much here based on anything from his size, his HS ranking, his shooting metrics at Cal etc.

In his favor at the minimum, Self took him into the program without hesitation. Everything we've heard about his character and work ethic has been A++. The Lawson's might be here only a year but Charlie most likely ends his career a Hawk 3 years from now. Will be exciting to watch his development here

I'm actually worried Moore ends up transferring again. Might be completely unfounded though. Can't wait for the season to get here and see how Self goes with minutes.

@BeddieKU23 That same tournament is when I saw future and now former Hawk Markese Jacobs play and met Jerrance Howard. It's a great tournament which has so many future college and pro stars play.

JayHawkFanToo said:

@BeddieKU23

Frank Mason was a SG in HS and a volume scorer but his role changed at KU and worked out great for him.

If Charlie is on a similar career arc to Mason then I find it unlikely that he's KU's starting PG this year. Self's comments all but said he's not focused on him as the primary PG on this team.

Let's not forget Frank took years to transition his role into the scoring/facilitating machine he was as a Sr.

Whoever wins the gig is a win/win for KU and its fans. We have depth at the position and the competition for the spot should benefit everyone

Kcmatt7 said:

BeddieKU23 said:

He can play point guard, but I still think he’d be better if he had a point guard in the game with him.”

That is why I don't think he will get much time. Are we better with Charlie on the court wtih Dotson. Or Dotson with Garrett/Vick/KJ/Grimes combo? That group is just so long and talented that I can't see Moore playing much.

I agree although I do think Charlie plays somewhere in the 12-18 minute range. His scoring ability should get him on the court, I view his role similar to Vick's two seasons ago when Self used him off the bench.

I don't see any Frank in Moore. Frank was a lot more athletic.

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

@wissox

In General, I've seen the KU fanbase on both ends of the spectrum regarding Charlie.

You have those that think he'll start the season because of his experience both at Cal and his 1 year with the KU program. He has seniority over Devon, something that we've seen play out in his favor in the past.

I've seen those who think he won't amount to much here based on anything from his size, his HS ranking, his shooting metrics at Cal etc.

In his favor at the minimum, Self took him into the program without hesitation. Everything we've heard about his character and work ethic has been A++. The Lawson's might be here only a year but Charlie most likely ends his career a Hawk 3 years from now. Will be exciting to watch his development here

I'm actually worried Moore ends up transferring again. Might be completely unfounded though. Can't wait for the season to get here and see how Self goes with minutes.

I have that worry as well with how the rules are for grad-transfers. I hope he sticks it out as I think he'll make a big impact on this team as a Jr & Sr. Have stated that many times

BShark said:

I don't see any Frank in Moore. Frank was a lot more athletic.

I get the scoring guard comparison but it stops there. Frank has developed into a legitimate PG now, his play for the Kings already in the pre-season shows that

BeddieKU23 said:

BShark said:

I don't see any Frank in Moore. Frank was a lot more athletic.

I get the scoring guard comparison but it stops there. Frank has developed into a legitimate PG now, his play for the Kings already in the pre-season shows that

I think Moore could grow into a good player for sure but their games are a lot different.

I do hope he toughs it out too though. I think he's much closer to Andrew White than Cunliffe, Whitman, Maxwell.*

*This is just from a good at basketball stand point and not player type of course.

Charlie was thrust into a tough situation at Cal, where 4 starters were hurt from the git-go, and he was relied on for the bulk of the scoring on a P-5 team as a freshman for a good portion of the season. I think with a much better supporting cast, with less pg responsibilities, he will be a great offensive weapon off the bench. The shothog moniker is a bit unfair in lieu of the circumstances at Cal. After watching Dotson, i just don't see how they could start Charlie over him, even in the beginning. And that's not a knock on Charlie- I just think Dotson is way more advanced than I had originally speculated.

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

BShark said:

I don't see any Frank in Moore. Frank was a lot more athletic.

I get the scoring guard comparison but it stops there. Frank has developed into a legitimate PG now, his play for the Kings already in the pre-season shows that

I think Moore could grow into a good player for sure but their games are a lot different.

I do hope he toughs it out too though. I think he's much closer to Andrew White than Cunliffe, Whitman, Maxwell.*

*This is just from a good at basketball stand point and not player type of course.

Agree, Charlie is a good basketball player. It was evident at Cal he was good enough to play almost anywhere despite his size. He has skill and I think his ability to score, make perimeter shots has a role on this team this season. At Cal he was fearless getting into the lane and either taking the shot or setting up teammates despite his size (a Frank comp in a way). We've seen some footage of him at KU setting up the bigs already which is the start of the transition I wanted to see out of him.

I highly suggest anyone who's high on Charlie to find some actual game footage of him at Cal. He's not a traditional PG, Self has pointed this out for anyone who will listen. It's a role I do think he can develop into as we've seen Frank & Devonte do recently. Be patient.

Several KU players interviewed over the Summer indicated Moore is the best 3 point shooter in the team, the area where KU is not loaded like previous years. He might be the right player for situations when a 3 point shooter is needed.

@KUSTEVE

Good stuff. Agree

@JayHawkFanToo

It also looks like KJ has improved his perimeter shooting as well. His shot looked smooth and natural in the Late Night scrimmage. He could be another pleasant surprise there.

BShark said:

I don't see any Frank in Moore. Frank was a lot more athletic.

Mason was really fast, stronger, had a better handle (which has gotten ever better if you've watched him lately), and was a better passer (which has also improved lately: 26-3 assist to turnover ratio in the preseason). He was also one of the best finishers at the rim I've ever seen at Kansas, and I see none of that in Moore. Not trying to kill Charlie here, but Frank was a NPOY and if life was fair, would start for the Kings this season. It's not really a fair comparison for Moore.

@JayHawkFanToo I am remaining hopeful that we can get enough from Charlie, Vick and KJ.

HawkChamp said:

@JayHawkFanToo I am remaining hopeful that we can get enough from Charlie, Vick and KJ.

Grimes & Dedric as well. Those 5 should make up the bulk of the volume and makes for this team. Devon & Marcus will have their share of attempts as well but its a wait and see how much they have improved in that area

@HawkChamp

Me too. We are going from teams with good 3 point shooters to a question mark and the only apparent weakness for the team. Success from the 3 makes the team unstoppable.

JayHawkFanToo said:

Several KU players interviewed over the Summer indicated Moore is the best 3 point shooter in the team, the area where KU is not loaded like previous years. He might be the right player for situations when a 3 point shooter is needed.

I was thinking this as well. Then I thought about defense. I just don’t see big minutes in Charlie’s future unless he’s better at D than advertised.

@KUSTEVE

Oh yah, Im super psyched about this! We may not have Frank and DG anymore but with Dedric, we have a guy that is, according to Self, the best passer KU has had since Miles. That's sick! Devon, Charlie seem to be very capable of filling shoes there too. Can't wait for the games!

@KUSTEVE Deeeeeeeep! I wonder if Self will extend his bench to 9-10 guys late into the season. Kinda seems like he'll have to with all those guys.

History indicates about 8 guys will separate themselves and Self will favor playing those guys especially in big/tight games.

@BShark [

BShark said:

History indicates about 8 guys will separate themselves and Self will favor playing those guys especially in big/tight games.

That would be disappointing given the depth.

If the Starting Lineup is say - Dotson, Grimes, Vick, Dedric, Doke.

Who's the next 3? An eligible Silvio (6), KJ, (7), Marcus (8).

I know sustaining 12 guys playing every game is not happening. But I think Self is going to have to find a way to play at least 9, 10.

@BeddieKU23 I'd love to see Self become more aggressive defensively and play a full 11 man rotation, but he is so damn stubborn. I expect to see 11 guys until B12 play. At that point, hopefully we are playing so well that he can't sit anyone.

I just don't know where you sit guys. Usually it is easy to see the 8. Or hell, really the top 7. But not this year. We have a top 25 team sitting on the bench.

Truth be told, I expect to see Big Dave get almost no run come conference play. Unless Mitch becomes a great trail 3 point shooter and lob passer, he won't play. So that puts us at 9 pretty quickly. I think KJ might end up eating any minutes at the 4 not picked up by Doke, Dedric and DeSousa.

Depth ALWAYS works itself out. There will be 2 or 3 guys that either: 1. are careless with the ball and make stupid turnovers 2. get blown by on defense or miss box outs 3. take bad shots. This will mean a short leash and a seat next to coach Self. I dont care how "deep" we seem to be, there always seem to be short leash guys with Coach Self.

Silvio ends up sitting because of eligibility. Agbaji and Mitch don't play. Very clean 9 imo.

BShark said:

Silvio ends up sitting because of eligibility. Agbaji and Mitch don't play. Very clean 9 imo.

Could happen. Mitch would play if Silvio is out though. I can't imagine Self only roles with 3 bigs but that's where KJ's versatility comes into play.

Mitch is going to play. He is just one of those guys that does everything right and Self can trust. I have been pretty hard on Mitch, but he is gonna play.

@Woodrow

He bulked up to 225 which helps him. But if Silvio actually can play there's probably only end of half minutes for him.

@BigBad The short leash will be acute this year. He has the depth to not have to put up with poor play at all this year.

Woodrow said:

Mitch is going to play. He is just one of those guys that does everything right and Self can trust. I have been pretty hard on Mitch, but he is gonna play.

But, he barely played towards the end of last year except for the B12 tournament when Doke was out. And KU adds multiple quality post players. I'll believe it when I see it. If Silvio is out, that helps Mitch greatly of course.

Charlie is a good player. Going to be a canned offense kind of guy if we’re on a brutal offensive stretch.

The rotation is going to be Dotson, Garrett, Grimes, K.J., Vick, Dedric, Doke, Silvio, and probably Mitch. Could see Dave against select opponents though.

I just want to remind you all that if Coach Self thinks all 12 guys can play this season and contribute then that's what will happen. Bill has a blue print for
how to play 12 guys and how that works right now. He did it this summer with USA Bball. Don't count on it to happen but don't be surprised if it does. This
KU team is loaded! And, Self has already said very good things about Ochai and David and Charlie.

The thing about those team USA games is the USA team was a massive favorite in each game. Self is going to have ride or die guys, he always does.

In big games, the rotation will trim because in those games D. Lawson is playing 30 minutes, Grimes is playing 30 minutes, K. Lawson and Vick probably get 25 each. That's 110 minutes right there. There just won't be a lot of other minutes to go around because the "Big 4" will eat up so many minutes between them. That will cost someone in the Garrett/Dotson/Moore/McCormack group their minutes in big games (figuring that if Silvio is eligible he will play, and Doke will get minutes no matter what). There's just no way around cutting someone's minutes in that group, probably two of those guys.

@justanotherfan

True. Some of the playing time will also depend on who the opponent is and what the match ups are. A team with no size inside will see a lot of Doke, Silvio and even Big Dave, but a team with size might see more of Mitch who is capable of stepping outside and hitting the 3.
Same thing with the back court. a team with lack of back court size will see more of Moore, particularly if a 3 point shooter is needed but a team with tall guards will see more of Garret.

Nice to have all these option that just were not available the past few seasons.

JayHawkFanToo said:

@justanotherfan

True. Some of the playing time will also depend on who the opponent is and what the match ups are. A team with no size inside will see a lot of Doke, Silvio and even Big Dave, but a team with size might see more of Mitch who is capable of stepping outside and hitting the 3.
Same thing with the back court. a team with lack of back court size will see more of Moore, particularly if a 3 point shooter is needed but a team with tall guards will see more of Garret.

Nice to have all these option that just were not available the past few seasons.

Yeah, it's fun to even be able to have these rotation and minutes discussions. I still don't think Mitch sees the floor if Silvio is eligible but we will find out soon enough.

I have yet to see Mitch prove he can hit a 3 in a real game against D1 opponents.

Kcmatt7 said:

I have yet to see Mitch prove he can hit a 3 in a real game against D1 opponents.

He hit one against TCU and A&M last yea.... POINT TAKEN.

Kcmatt7 said:

I have yet to see Mitch prove he can hit a 3 in a real game against D1 opponents.

Nice progress. I believe he hit 60%+ in one of the Summer games.

!0_1539371962883_upload-5b6487f6-83b3-4543-aae7-c64d17dcc320 ↗

Mitch was a disaster his FR year offensively, admittedly with very few opportunities. He didn't generally kill the team last year, but he also wasn't great. Self has a ton of options and I just can't see Mitch getting much tick.

@JayHawkFanToo I would love to see Mitch prove me wrong. But the more I think about it, unless he able to take 2-3 a game and is connecting on them near 40%, he should probably not be playing. It would make a lot of sense to me if he did redshirt this season. He might as well get a free masters degree.

@BShark

His overall number are very good particularly blocks.

!0_1539373063787_upload-bf51a25c-1be8-48f5-89c3-f31cbac9e463 ↗

Only 6 less blocks than Doke playing considerably less minutes and his FT% is pretty good as well.

!0_1539373288296_upload-c5e4bc50-13a6-4d28-8be3-d64b9fd2dc83 ↗

@JayHawkFanToo Look at his rebound numbers though. And he was the only big in the game usually... With the way this offense is already going to struggle, I just think his rebounding is quite the liability. Again, unless he can shoot the ball well enough to help space the floor for everyone else.

@JayHawkFanToo I said disaster offensively. His defense has definitely been adequate. Doke is actually a fairly bad shot blocker and rebounder for his size. Though Udoka's size in general deters shots in the paint. Where Doke is much better, despite being limited with no jumper is offensively. You get Doke the ball near the rim, and it's getting dunked.

Edit: @Kcmatt7 Great point on the lack of rebounding as well. KU got dumpstered last year on the boards in general which was mainly a product of only playing one big and having two shorter guards (Frank was a warrior and an anomaly the year before that) but Mitch didn't help. His TRB% was 12.4, which is quite bad. Rebounding would absolutely suffer with Mitch in the game instead of any other player KU would realistically play at the 4 this season (Dedric, KJ, Silvio).

@Kcmatt7 @BShark

Keep in mind that the last 2 seasons Mitch was playing as an undersized 5 matching up against much bigger opponents. He has now bulked up quite a bit and will be playing a more fitting 4 or even 3 so he will not have the size disadvantage he had before.

JayHawkFanToo said:

@Kcmatt7 @BShark

Keep in mind that the last 2 seasons Mitch was playing as an undersized 5 matching up against much bigger opponents. He has now bulked up quite a bit and will be playing a more fitting 4 or even 3 so he will not have the size disadvantage he had before.

His skill set is that of a 5. Which I think he knows, given how much he did bulk up.

@JayHawkFanToo But he should have been pulling in more boards if he was the only big. If anything his per 40 should be inflated because he was the only big in the game. That is a REALLY bad rebounding number. I'm happy to see him all bulked up. I just think he is probably the worst rebounder out of the 6 people looking for PT at the two post spots.

I do think he brings a great energy and makes some statement plays from time to time. But he really needs to be a well rounded player on both ends of the floor to make up for his lack of size and athleticism.

Mitch is the player Bill Self uses to make examples out of guys this season. Guys not hustling, Mitch goes in. Don't rotate correctly, Mitch goes in. But that's really like 5 mpg. Maybe 10 if that group gets on a good run.

@Kcmatt7

Not when he is matched and competing for rebounds against much bigger players. This season he will be matched up against comparable sized players so I expect his numbers to go up.

We will find out pretty soon. :smile:

Mitch as a 10-15 mpg energy guy isn't a bad option. In lineups with another big man, Mitch should be okay. When he has to be the only big, that's where he could run into matchup trouble. With Doke, Silvio and Big Dave all on the squad, Mitch will never be the lone big man on the floor, so he could be more productive this year than he has ever been, albeit in less minutes per game.

@justanotherfan

Agreed. This is how I see it.

@JayHawkFanToo Doubtful Self lets him play the three. We have too many guards.

He is noticeably bigger though! Might we see more "Mitch Slap" moments this year?

@BShark I believe Silvio plays. Although Im not 100% certain about that. Probly in the high 80s low 90s. lol

@BeddieKU23 100% will have to find a way to extend his bench out to 10 - 12.

I think Garrett will end up playing point guard. I thot it was going to be Charlie, but I think Garrett makes more sense. He's an obvious mismatch against most point guards. He has an extensive background running teams from high school. He looks to pass first, which would be perfect for a team with as much firepower as we have. He can play behind Dotson, or even in front of Dotson if Devon needs ramp up time. He has an explosive first step, and he is excellent driving to the basket. His defense is elite, and I think the progress he's made with his shot make him less of a liability on the court. Talk about a guy that was playing out of position last year... he was a point guard playing the 3 and 4 at times last year. I think they're going to want to get that skill set on the court. I'm speculating here, with what Bill said about Charlie not being a true point guard, I'm thinking Charlie could back up Grimes, and Garrett backs up Dotson. If that happens, I will be very excited, because I love what Garrett brings to our team.Can you imagine how much better our perimeter defense would be with Marcus on the court?

@Lulufulu

Not necessarily. If Silvio ends up not playing and Agbaji red shirts then you are looking at a more manageable and still very deep 10 players.

At this point, the only player that would heavily impact if he were not to play is Dedric...and maybe Grimes, but all the rest can be replaced.