Michael Carter-Williams

[Cusefan03]

On the topic of Cuse I like Triche to be a pro player. He has a good 1st step, a solid IQ and 3pt range

Yeah Triche could be a second round pick and possibly stick somewhere. Starting to think the best NBA prospect on this team is Grant

[ManualRam]

On the topic of Cuse I like Triche to be a pro player. He has a good 1st step, a solid IQ and 3pt range

Yeah Triche could be a second round pick and possibly stick somewhere. Starting to think the best NBA prospect on this team is Grant

that's possible, but i'd still have mcw slightly ahead of him as a prospect. grant could be a better version of a.aminu. i'm really liking what i see, especially the way he moves without the ball. he really knows how to make himself available. if he gets a jumper down (and he does have solid form), we could be talking future lotto pick.

i think mcw's fearlessness is a double edged sword, but mostly a positive. you can even see it in this thread. one post he single handedly brings the team back or wins the game. the next post he single handedly loses a game. i still think it's a good thing that he's not afraid of big moments and remains unflappable despite early struggles.

[Cusefan03]

On the topic of Cuse I like Triche to be a pro player. He has a good 1st step, a solid IQ and 3pt range

Yeah Triche could be a second round pick and possibly stick somewhere. Starting to think the best NBA prospect on this team is Grant

that's possible, but i'd still have mcw slightly ahead of him as a prospect. grant could be a better version of a.aminu. i'm really liking what i see, especially the way he moves without the ball. he really knows how to make himself available. if he gets a jumper down (and he does have solid form), we could be talking future lotto pick.

i think mcw's fearlessness is a double edged sword, but mostly a positive. you can even see it in this thread. one post he single handedly brings the team back or wins the game. the next post he single handedly loses a game. i still think it's a good thing that he's not afraid of big moments and remains unflappable despite early struggles.

Yeah but it almost seems like hes doing it to improve his NBA stock. He gets extremely selfish at times especially at the end of games. I think its a mix of his competitiveness, fearlessness, and wanting to be the hero. I wouldn't have a problem with this but hes shooting 37% from the field. I remember hearing Boeheim make a comment in a press conference "I cant cook but if I had as much confidence in my cooking as mike does in his shooting I'd be an iron chef".

Grant is quickly becoming my favorite player on this team. He plays with outstanding poise for a freshman. Hes an amazing athlete with a long wingspan and hes got good skills to go along. Most freshman like him come in very raw but he's skilled and has a great basketball IQ. Hes also 13-15 from the line in his last 4 games which is a good sign his stroke is developing. Also has a pretty good handle but needs to develop his left hand.

[Dr Positivity]

I'm not that blown away by MCW's feel for the game, the more I see of him, despite his assist numbers. Good yes, but not truly special - I think Marshall and Machado last year were a level up from him in feel/pace/vision/etc. and Burke is this year

[[RCG]]

I think MCWs stock has definitely dropped since the start of the season.
Another clunker against Pitt:

13 points on 3-12, 4 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls, 0 blks, 3 TOs, 5 PFs.

[jman3134]

See this is why I said to wait until Big East play before we annoint this guy as the next Magic Johnson. He's good, but there are some serious flaws in his game. He's not a great shooter, and he is not a visionary facilitator as many assumed by his assist totals. He has an excellent first step and some creativity going to the hoop to find people. But, he is going to have turnover problems early on in the NBA, and I'm not sure about his finishing ability at the rim. Still, a good prospect.

[Dr Positivity]

This guy could end up falling to the 20s IMO

[[RCG]]

I just worry that a guy who can't get it done against these college teams, and has had some really bad nights, is going to be way over his head coming into the NBA where everyone is bigger, faster, stronger. Point Guard is one of the deepest positions in the league as well as the most demanding, he won't be getting any nights off.

[Cusefan03]

I see him as a high risk high reward type player. Hes gonna need at least a year before being ready for big time minutes imo but it could pay off huge for whoever drafts him. How many 6'6" pg's are in the NBA? Very few, if he puts in the work and tightens up his handle while adding 20 pounds of muscle(which should fix some of the shooting woes) he could be a star. If he doesn't put in the time he'll most likely be a bust. I still see him as a lottery pick based on his rare skill set for his size.

[[RCG]]

I see him as a high risk high reward type player. Hes gonna need at least a year before being ready for big time minutes imo but it could pay off huge for whoever drafts him. How many 6'6" pg's are in the NBA? Very few, if he puts in the work and tightens up his handle while adding 20 pounds of muscle(which should fix some of the shooting woes) he could be a star. If he doesn't put in the time he'll most likely be a bust. I still see him as a lottery pick based on his rare skill set for his size.

Hasheem Thabeet has a couple inches on most centers. Height doesn't mean anything unless you have the skills to exploit it.

[Cusefan03]

I see him as a high risk high reward type player. Hes gonna need at least a year before being ready for big time minutes imo but it could pay off huge for whoever drafts him. How many 6'6" pg's are in the NBA? Very few, if he puts in the work and tightens up his handle while adding 20 pounds of muscle(which should fix some of the shooting woes) he could be a star. If he doesn't put in the time he'll most likely be a bust. I still see him as a lottery pick based on his rare skill set for his size.

Hasheem Thabeet has a couple inches on most centers. Height doesn't mean anything unless you have the skills to exploit it.

Thats why hes high risk, its whether or not he develops these skills that determines how good he will be. Its not like theres nothing to work with. He has pretty good form on his jumper and while his touch isn't good right now occasionally he hits a very difficult shot in the lane that gives some hope it can develop. Also, cuse is without James Southerland who is there only big time three point threat and he made a huge difference in opening up the paint for the guards. If they get him back it will be interesting to see if mcw's play improves.

[JN]

He has not been good. He made plays down the stretch against the Vllle and Cincy... but really his BE season has been fairly bad.

[machu46]

His last 6 games:

12.2 points per game
6.2 assists per game
2.2 turnovers per game
5 rebounds per game
3 steals per game
and is shooting 47% from the field, 33.3% from 3, and 85% from the FT line.

Those are very good numbers, and in my opinion, they capture how well he's been playing since that game. He's been much more under control, much better with his shot selection (and as a result, is only shooting it about 8 times a game now), and I've even noticed him trying to pick his teammates up when they miss a few shots in a row, trying to pump them up when the team is slumping but finally make a big play, smiling on the court, etc.

As a Bucks fan, I'm praying he slips to us. I've been in love with him since he was a freshman. I think he's going to easily be the best player to come out of Syracuse since Carmelo.

[Johnlac1]

His last 6 games:

12.2 points per game
6.2 assists per game
2.2 turnovers per game
5 rebounds per game
3 steals per game
and is shooting 47% from the field, 33.3% from 3, and 85% from the FT line.

Those are very good numbers, and in my opinion, they capture how well he's been playing since that game. He's been much more under control, much better with his shot selection (and as a result, is only shooting it about 8 times a game now), and I've even noticed him trying to pick his teammates up when they miss a few shots in a row, trying to pump them up when the team is slumping but finally make a big play, smiling on the court, etc.

As a Bucks fan, I'm praying he slips to us. I've been in love with him since he was a freshman. I think he's going to easily be the best player to come out of Syracuse since Carmelo.

I'm a Bucks fan as well and hope he's around. But I doubt it unless we have a pick from some other team. I haven't seen a guard with his ability to see the floor and pass the ball since Kidd was in college. In the game against St. Johns, he had four or five passes that reminded me of Rubio. But he's a longer, better athlete than Rubio. Actually looks better shooting the ball as well. Plus he has excellent defensive instincts. He'll have to tighten his ballhandling more than anything else, but if he does that, he should be an outstanding pro. Goodbye Jennings.

[Ruzious]

This guy could end up falling to the 20s IMO

I think so. Maybe I just see him on his off-days, but I'm just not impressed by him. He gets a lot of assists, but he turns the ball over a lot, too. He's tall, but he's not particularly strong. He gets a lot of steals, but didn't impress me as athletic enough to defend the quicker and stronger NBA PGs. And at his age, a very bad shooter isn't likely going to become okay or better at the NBA level.

[mid-post]

I don't see a point guard out there when he's playing. He looks more like a lead guard with some size and passable guard skills, and he seems pretty limited off the bounce. Watching him initiate and run offense, he sort of reminds me of a big OJ Mayo. Maybe he'd be better as a pure shooting guard.

[machu46]

I don't see a point guard out there when he's playing. He looks more like a lead guard with some size and passable guard skills, and he seems pretty limited off the bounce. Watching him initiate and run offense, he sort of reminds me of a big OJ Mayo. Maybe he'd be better as a pure shooting guard.

He doesn't have the same scoring skillset as these guys at all, but he kinda reminds me of a Manu Ginobli/James Harden in the sense that I could see him being a SG at the next level with great playmaking abilities.

Having said that, I still think he'll get a chance to play PG at the next level, like Greivis Vasquez/Shaun Livingston.

I think playing for this year's Syracuse team makes him look a lot worse than he is. He's one of the best passers in the country and I still believe that he has a feel for the game that doesn't come around very often. But he has no big men to pass the ball to, so that severely limits him when he drives. He has no shooters to pass to, so that severely limits him as well. And since nobody else can create for anyone and nobody else can shoot, teams can easily take away his driving lanes.

I look at someone like Kendall Marshall last year, who was a lottery pick...I think MCW is a far better player in just about every aspect of the game. But Marshall had Barnes, Zeller, McAdoo, Bullock, Strickland, etc. to pass to. MCW has Southerland if he's hot, and that's about it. You see someone this year like Trey Burke, who admittedly is a far better shooter at this stage than MCW is, but he's surrounded with far more talent to work with, not to mention a flat out better offensive system as well.

MCW has basically everything going against him from an environment stand point, but his talent as a player allows him to still put up possible 3rd Team All-American numbers. Without him, Syracuse would likely be a below .500 team, and they'd probably be one of the worst offensive teams in the entire country. Instead, they're one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

Sadly, the majority of Syracuse fans will see his missed shots and his turnovers and say "There's no way our new freshman PG can be this bad" without realizing why he's forced to take shots sometimes, and why he has to force passes sometimes. His supporting cast doesn't really support him.

[mattg]

Still think he's an Iman Shumpert type, a big guard who can handle the ball but isn't great at running an offense.

[Johnlac1]

I don't see a point guard out there when he's playing. He looks more like a lead guard with some size and passable guard skills, and he seems pretty limited off the bounce. Watching him initiate and run offense, he sort of reminds me of a big OJ Mayo. Maybe he'd be better as a pure shooting guard.

He doesn't have the same scoring skillset as these guys at all, but he kinda reminds me of a Manu Ginobli/James Harden in the sense that I could see him being a SG at the next level with great playmaking abilities.

Having said that, I still think he'll get a chance to play PG at the next level, like Greivis Vasquez/Shaun Livingston.

I think playing for this year's Syracuse team makes him look a lot worse than he is. He's one of the best passers in the country and I still believe that he has a feel for the game that doesn't come around very often. But he has no big men to pass the ball to, so that severely limits him when he drives. He has no shooters to pass to, so that severely limits him as well. And since nobody else can create for anyone and nobody else can shoot, teams can easily take away his driving lanes.

I look at someone like Kendall Marshall last year, who was a lottery pick...I think MCW is a far better player in just about every aspect of the game. But Marshall had Barnes, Zeller, McAdoo, Bullock, Strickland, etc. to pass to. MCW has Southerland if he's hot, and that's about it. You see someone this year like Trey Burke, who admittedly is a far better shooter at this stage than MCW is, but he's surrounded with far more talent to work with, not to mention a flat out better offensive system as well.

MCW has basically everything going against him from an environment stand point, but his talent as a player allows him to still put up possible 3rd Team All-American numbers. Without him, Syracuse would likely be a below .500 team, and they'd probably be one of the worst offensive teams in the entire country. Instead, they're one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

Sadly, the majority of Syracuse fans will see his missed shots and his turnovers and say "There's no way our new freshman PG can be this bad" without realizing why he's forced to take shots sometimes, and why he has to force passes sometimes. His supporting cast doesn't really support him.

MCW will look better in a pro-type situation. If he played for Indiana, he'd have a situation to fully exploit his talents. At the present glacial pace of college ball and omnipresent zone defenses, MCW simply cannot fully display what he can do. He's does have flaws, but his gifts are enormous. No one in college can make passes like he can or see the floor as well as he does. Like Ricky Rubio, he'll look better at the next level of competition.

[ManualRam]

I don't see a point guard out there when he's playing. He looks more like a lead guard with some size and passable guard skills, and he seems pretty limited off the bounce. Watching him initiate and run offense, he sort of reminds me of a big OJ Mayo. Maybe he'd be better as a pure shooting guard.

He doesn't have the same scoring skillset as these guys at all, but he kinda reminds me of a Manu Ginobli/James Harden in the sense that I could see him being a SG at the next level with great playmaking abilities.

Having said that, I still think he'll get a chance to play PG at the next level, like Greivis Vasquez/Shaun Livingston.

I think playing for this year's Syracuse team makes him look a lot worse than he is. He's one of the best passers in the country and I still believe that he has a feel for the game that doesn't come around very often. But he has no big men to pass the ball to, so that severely limits him when he drives. He has no shooters to pass to, so that severely limits him as well. And since nobody else can create for anyone and nobody else can shoot, teams can easily take away his driving lanes.

I look at someone like Kendall Marshall last year, who was a lottery pick...I think MCW is a far better player in just about every aspect of the game. But Marshall had Barnes, Zeller, McAdoo, Bullock, Strickland, etc. to pass to. MCW has Southerland if he's hot, and that's about it. You see someone this year like Trey Burke, who admittedly is a far better shooter at this stage than MCW is, but he's surrounded with far more talent to work with, not to mention a flat out better offensive system as well.

MCW has basically everything going against him from an environment stand point, but his talent as a player allows him to still put up possible 3rd Team All-American numbers. Without him, Syracuse would likely be a below .500 team, and they'd probably be one of the worst offensive teams in the entire country. Instead, they're one of the most efficient offenses in the country.

Sadly, the majority of Syracuse fans will see his missed shots and his turnovers and say "There's no way our new freshman PG can be this bad" without realizing why he's forced to take shots sometimes, and why he has to force passes sometimes. His supporting cast doesn't really support him.

sounds like a bunch of excuses