College basketball and 2017 draft - One more poll after last game

[starbosa10]

can any of you local peeps give me a quick strengths and weaknesses run down of U of A? Liked what I've seen from them but haven't caught many game of theirs, being over here on the east coast

[bwgood77]

can any of you local peeps give me a quick strengths and weaknesses run down of U of A? Liked what I've seen from them but haven't caught many game of theirs, being over here on the east coast

Well, Markkanen is the big, and probably one of the best freshman 7 footers from 3 ever. Then you have the vet leader and heart in Kadeem Allen. Rawle Alkins has been coming on as another great energy guy, but the difference maker after being ineligible half the season has been Alonzo Trier. Kobi Simmons another good freshman, and then you have our soldier big in Chance Comanche. We do have a small PG in Parker-Jackson Cartwright who has gotten better and contributes. Dusan Ristic is also solid, and has actually shot 50% from 3..one of the main guys. Just a solid team. Should be tough to beat.

[Frank Lee]

I disagree


So erase this post

[Frank Lee]

Ok



I'm done



Good night

[Zelaznyrules]

and then there is this..... clearly giving Jackson the edge
1= Fultz
2= Ball
3 = Jackson
4= Tatum
5 = Isaac

2 looks a little like Wilford Brimley. 5 though, looks like a girl on her back.

Number 1 looks like a girl standing on her head, benching 20 pounds while pinning her shirt to the bar to avoid full nudity. I think she's a redhead.

[bwgood77]

Ball is one of the most efficient scorers in the college game. His top-line analytics are staggering: Ball has a 66.7 true shooting percentage and scores 108 points per 100 plays; 56.3 percent of his field goal attempts are threes (he hits 41 percent of those). The overall efficiency is propped up a little because 31 percent of his plays (a massive chunk) have come in transition, where he scores 112 points per 100. Getting out and running is an effective strategy, and a big reason why the Bruins lead the NCAA with 90.4 points per game, but it’s not quite as telling for what Ball will be able to do in the NBA. For that, catch him spotting up for that broken-looking jumper of his — he scores 125 points per 100 plays on spot-ups, which is just as impressive as it sounds.

Where Ball isn’t as polished is on the pick-and-roll — a play type that fellow top prospect Markelle Fultz of Washington excels at. Ball scores a more mediocre 78 points per 100 pick-and-roll plays. He’s also just a so-so rebounder for his size, with a 9.4 total rebound rate and 14.4 defensive rebound rate, neither of which is overly impressive for a 6-foot-6 superathlete.

But those are all just individual stats. What makes Ball so special is that he can do all those things while also operating as a true point guard. Combine Ball’s individual stats with his passing numbers and the numbers begin to get silly. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he has an absurd 156 points per 100 plays on all plays he finishes — so when he shoots or draws a foul or commits a turnover — plus plays on which he records an assist. A little reference, since this isn’t the most common stat around: These plays + assist numbers tend to look a little inflated compared to what you usually see for players, because adding assists includes only made shots. This isn’t ideal, but it does give a good sense of the total contribution of a player, since adding more assists will nudge the number upward. Here are the numbers for some other top players: Fultz and Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox are at 127p+a/100; Malik Monk of Kentucky is at 119; Josh Jackson of Kansas is at 116. Those are very good numbers, but Ball’s still stand out when compared apples-to-apples.

Jackson is a defensive standout and one of the best point-forward prospects in the class. While his defensive numbers (via Synergy) are good but not great (he’s holding his marks to 81 points per 100 plays overall), he can straight-up stick his man and chase him off of shots he’d otherwise take. In fact, his overall numbers are pulled down a bit by his role: Despite spending most of his time as a stretch-4, almost 60 percent of his defensive plays come against spot-up shooters and in isolation, which are play types where the offense believes it has an advantage. Yet Jackson is still holding his own.

Jackson is a natural and willing passer who finds runners on the break and in semi-transition, often on clever back-door cuts, and sucks defenders in on drives before dishing to a teammate for an easy dumpoff and dunk. Kansas also puts Jackson in a lot of 4-5 pick-and-rolls, where he can throw lobs to center Landen Lucas. A lot of times, prospects can put up impressive passing numbers simply by using a lot of possessions (Jackson’s assist percentage is 18.9 — very good for a non-point guard), but in this case, the eye test matches the numbers. Jackson is the truth.

The one question with Jackson’s game is whether his jump shot is real. Jackson began the season shooting miserably from long range, going 23.7 percent on 2.1 3-point attempts per game in his first 18 games. But since late January, he’s been on a tear. In 13 games since Jan. 21, Jackson is shooting 51.3 percent on three 3-point attempts per game. That evens out to 38 percent on the season, but that kind of extreme swing is worth keeping in mind. As with any one-and-done prospect, we’re dealing in small sample sizes. But for Jackson, there’s at least some explanation for the inconsistency: His coaches aren’t touching his jump shot this season.

“Now can he tighten it up and do some things differently? Absolutely,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in December. “But that will probably be on somebody else’s watch. That won’t be on our watch as much. I don’t see a reason why when you have a young man for a very brief period of time why you want to totally cloud his brain with something other than very, very few, simple things.”

So the state of Jackson’s jumper over the next few weeks may not be the most important thing to focus on. But how able he is to adjust once he’s in the NBA will be crucial, as the difference between a wing prospect who can do it all and one who can do it all minus a jumper is the difference between an All-NBA-level talent and a useful role player.

JAYSON TATUM
FRESHMAN F, 6-FOOT-8, DUKE

Tatum is a down-the-middle wing prospect. He’s a good defender (allowing 73 points per 100 plays), a pretty good defensive rebounder (19.7 percent defensive rebound rate), a pretty good spot-up jump shooter (89 points per 100 plays, according to Synergy, although 12 of his 37 made threes for the year came during a three-game stretch in February), and a pretty good passer. But his underlying metrics don’t match up with his more obvious talents, such as when he broke out and averaged 22 points per game through the ACC tournament. The natural comparison for Tatum is Justise Winslow, another Duke swingman/small-ball 4 with obvious talents that can go unrecognized by college stats.

More on Fultz, Fox, Monk and Markkanen...

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/6-nba-lottery-prospects-to-watch-in-the-ncaa-tournament/

[RaisingArizona]

About to see that 2/15 upset tonight

[Mulhollanddrive]

I wonder if McDonough heard about the latest reports about Josh Jackson (very Markieff Morris like) and figured his remaining top 3 might all be PGs (Fultz, Ball, Fox) so needed to save Bledsoe for a potential trade.

[bwgood77]

I wonder if McDonough heard about the latest reports about Josh Jackson (very Markieff Morris like) and figured his remaining top 3 might all be PGs (Fultz, Ball, Fox) so needed to save Bledsoe for a potential trade.

Very Markieff Morris like? What reports? What is it with Kansas?

Isaac with 17, 10, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Also hit a 3.

That's pretty much a monster all around game in college when stakes are high.

[RaisingArizona]

I wonder if McDonough heard about the latest reports about Josh Jackson (very Markieff Morris like) and figured his remaining top 3 might all be PGs (Fultz, Ball, Fox) so needed to save Bledsoe for a potential trade.

He hit a car and confessed about it. Much different than hitting someone. We have many good options in the draft. I think we take BPA.

[AtheJ415]

I wonder if McDonough heard about the latest reports about Josh Jackson (very Markieff Morris like) and figured his remaining top 3 might all be PGs (Fultz, Ball, Fox) so needed to save Bledsoe for a potential trade.

He hit a car and confessed about it. Much different than hitting someone. We have many good options in the draft. I think we take BPA.

More than that. He not only ran into a car and failed to leave his info (very **** thing to do), but he also kicked out a girl's light from her car after an argument at a party. Those are very much red flags to me. I'm not saying don't draft him because of them, but it's more than just the fender bender.

[Zelaznyrules]

I wonder if McDonough heard about the latest reports about Josh Jackson (very Markieff Morris like) and figured his remaining top 3 might all be PGs (Fultz, Ball, Fox) so needed to save Bledsoe for a potential trade.

He hit a car and confessed about it. Much different than hitting someone. We have many good options in the draft. I think we take BPA.

More than that. He not only ran into a car and failed to leave his info (very **** thing to do), but he also kicked out a girl's light from her car after an argument at a party. Those are very much red flags to me. I'm not saying don't draft him because of them, but it's more than just the fender bender.

Plus he reportedly verbally abused her and threatened her physically too. This isn't looking good for him even though it might be blown out of proportion right now (or not, I really don't know).

[Mulhollanddrive]

Isaac has been underwhelming lately but turned up when it mattered, his block + steal rate is the best out of any prospect but doesn't get the defensive reputation that some others do.

Still only 12 FGA (including fouls) that's probably his biggest limitation, when he's not efficient he scores < 12 points.

[bwgood77]

Isaac has been underwhelming lately but turned up when it mattered, his block + steal rate is the best out of any prospect but doesn't get the defensive reputation that some others do.

Still only 12 FGA (including fouls) that's probably his biggest limitation, when he's not efficient he scores < 12 points.

He's more raw but under the radar. Most scouting reports say he can defend any position. I think if he falls outside of the top 7 or 8 he will end up being a steal.

[DirtyDez]

St Mary's has a great big man in Jock Landale and three other guys shooting 40+% from 3. This is more of a 2/3 matchup than 2/7.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Big guns play tomorrow - Tatum, Ball, Jackson, Fox, Monk.

Thought Isaac and Markkanen played to their abilities in their opening games.

[carey]

Ugh, that poll question. We need an option that is PG if it's Fultz or Smith and SF it's Jackson or Tatum.

[carey]

St Mary's has a great big man in Jock Landale and three other guys shooting 40+% from 3. This is more of a 2/3 matchup than 2/7.

Yeah, this is the only hiccup in the draw until we play Gonzaga in my opinion. It's not going to be easy and if we defend the 3 like we did against Oregon we're going home before the weekend is even over. However, if we defend to our capabilities and Lauri goes off then Gael Force One is going to crash and burn.

Btw, do we have a UofA alma mater thread or group here? '94-'99 myself.

[carey]

More than that. He not only ran into a car and failed to leave his info (very **** thing to do), but he also kicked out a girl's light from her car after an argument at a party. Those are very much red flags to me. I'm not saying don't draft him because of them, but it's more than just the fender bender.

Jackson is not a very active twitter user but he did recently tweet out some stuff about "not believing everything you read on the internet" and "allegedly." Sounds like he thinks there is more to the story that isn't being reported.

[MrMiyagi]

Anyone watching this Oklahoma St.-Michigan game? These two point guards, Jawun Evans and Derrick Walton Jr., have been pretty darn good. While I think we should take BPA, I do feel that after Fultz and Ball, forwards are the BPAs (Jackson, Tatum, Markannen, Isaac) or they're even with the guards. Given that, and the fact that Evans is projected as an early second and Walton isn't even projected on Draft Express, maybe we should wait on a point guard. I mean, we have Bledsoe for the time being, getting one of these guys late would be insurance in case of injury. While they're not likely to be elite physically, they seem to have been solid all around this season.