Hammons the best player in BIG this season

[SnowLeopard]

So says Hummel.

Do you agree? Who are the other key candidates?



Big Ten Network

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AJ Hammons his size is unmatchable, he defends, and he has a nice skillset -RH https://twitter.com/KyleLansky16/status/614237763114811392 …

3:11 AM - 26 Jun 2015

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[Boiler Buck]

Could be - once you look @ both sides of the ball.....but have to prove it on the court.

 

[njm8845]

Could be - once you look @ both sides of the ball.....but have to prove it on the court.

I would say that he has the best odds to win POTY. I've thought that ever since the season ended.

 

[Cevol03]

i think it will be lavert if he is healthy. also koening will get consideration

 

[MDS3]

Hammons, Yogi, Trimble, and Lavert would be my top 4

 

[woggy718]

If Hammons can be consistent and play at the level he did at the end of last year from that first pre-season game and continue through the season, he would be the best all around player in the conference. I think he knows that is the single biggest factor affecting his draft position after the year so I wouldn't expect anything less.

 

[boiler800]

If Hammons can be consistent and play at the level he did at the end of last year from that first pre-season game and continue through the season, he would be the best all around player in the conference. I think he knows that is the single biggest factor affecting his draft position after the year so I wouldn't expect anything less.

You nailed it on this! Hammons came back to be the POY, win B1G and win the NCAA tournament.

 

[blockm2]

If Hammons can be consistent and play at the level he did at the end of last year from that first pre-season game and continue through the season, he would be the best all around player in the conference.

It's hard for a low post player to be thought of as the best all around player in the conference since they don't really shoot or pass terribly well or often. I tend to think of wing players that can hit 3s, defend, rebound, and pass as the best all around basketball players.

 

[proudopete]

It's hard for a low post player to be thought of as the best all around player in the conference since they don't really shoot or pass terribly well or often. I tend to think of wing players that can hit 3s, defend, rebound, and pass as the best all around basketball players.

Kaminsky says HI!

 

[boiler800]

Didn't JJ win POY? And Scheffler? And Rowinski?

 

[purdue4sure]

Didn't JJ win POY? And Scheffler? And Rowinski?

Yes, yes, and yes.

 

[CRBoiler]

Is it possible Hammons and Swanigan will be both be 1st team all conf? What a season this could be with those two along with everyone else on the roster. I hope our guards (& bigs too of course) are doing everything they possibly can to be the best they can be.

 

[proudopete]

I think what helped AJ the most this year was having Haas come in and helping remove some of the load AJ was expected to carry in the post. I would imagine with Swanigan added to the mix, that load will be even lighter and allow AJ to focus on his game at both ends of the floor. I see great things coming from AJ this season. It could be very special indeed.

 

[Schnelk]

Pete, "that load will be even lighter" strikes me as funny considering those 3 guys go over 800 lbs combined
Completely out of context Ikr?

 

[PU pit bull]

I think everyone is getting excited about this upcoming season............

 

[boilerzz]

I think Hammons could prove to be the best player in the B1G this year and still not win B1GPOY. The reality is that Purdue won't need Hammons to put up 15 shots nor grab 10 rebounds a night. With the other options we have on the front line (Haas, Swanigan, Edwards), he could even see some of his numbers decline.

 

[Statey]

I think Hammons could prove to be the best player in the B1G this year and still not win B1GPOY. The reality is that Purdue won't need Hammons to put up 15 shots nor grab 10 rebounds a night. With the other options we have on the front line (Haas, Swanigan, Edwards), he could even see some of his numbers decline.

Maybe I'm not following, but if your best player is a center, has a decided advantage over other B1G players at this position, and has the ability to score 15-20 a night... why would this not be an extreme focus? I can appreciate that Purdue might not "need" him to score 15-20 every night to be successful, but one would have to think this would be the number 1 option on offense, right?

 

[boilerzz]

Maybe I'm not following, but if your best player is a center, has a decided advantage over other B1G players at this position, and has the ability to score 15-20 a night... why would this not be an extreme focus? I can appreciate that Purdue might not "need" him to score 15-20 every night to be successful, but one would have to think this would be the number 1 option on offense, right?

A few things:

• The best players on other teams (Yogi, Tremble, Levert) are going to play 33-36 minutes per game. With a backup like Haas, it may be in Purdue's best interest to limit AJ's minutes to 25-28 to keep him fresher and out of foul trouble
• The above mentioned guys are going to have the ball in their hands a lot by virtue of the position they play. Purdue will feed the post a lot but those post feeds could go to Hammons (of course), Haas (when AJ gets a breather), Swanigan (McD AA) or Edwards (should have some mismatches at the 3 he can exploit).
• In the past, Purdue's offense has bogged down when they tried to hard to feed Hammons in the low post each time down the court. Motion offense works best when there is constant movement and you are hunting for a good shot, not when guys stand around and try post feed after post feed.

 

[Statey]

• The best players on other teams (Yogi, Tremble, Levert) are going to play 33-36 minutes per game. With a backup like Haas, it may be in Purdue's best interest to limit AJ's minutes to 25-28 to keep him fresher and out of foul trouble.

• That may be true, but I don't see what difference slightly less minutes than a PG means for the discussion. I was stating that if he's decidedly better than the competition like we think he is, he should be the focal point of the offense (when he's in the game).

  The above mentioned guys are going to have the ball in their hands a lot by virtue of the position they play. Purdue will feed the post a lot but those post feeds could go to Hammons (of course), Haas (when AJ gets a breather), Swanigan (McD AA) or Edwards (should have some mismatches at the 3 he can exploit).

• True, but my point is that play and/or style shouldn't necessarily be dictated based on much else besides trying to take advantage of your strengths while minimizing your opponent's strengths over your weakness. Because AJ is good on both ends of the floor, you wanted that guy out there as much as possible and play through him were you can. He's not like the big goons some teams have; he's actually a really good passer and decision maker for his size and position.

  In the past, Purdue's offense has bogged down when they tried to hard to feed Hammons in the low post each time down the court. Motion offense works best when there is constant movement and you are hunting for a good shot, not when guys stand around and try post feed after post feed.

• Not trying to take away from your comment here as I don't disagree. Didn't mean to imply they should force it to him when it's not opportunistic to do so. That said, the motion can be ran in such a way to get him in good situations.

 

[feulner]

So says Hummel.

Do you agree? Who are the other key candidates?

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AJ Hammons his size is unmatchable, he defends, and he has a nice skillset -RH https://twitter.com/KyleLansky16/status/614237763114811392 …

3:11 AM - 26 Jun 2015

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BTPOY often goes hand in hand with the conference championship. If Purdue wins the championship, he will have had a great season and will be in the top 2 or 3 in the discussion.

 

[SNU0821]

Hammons, Yogi, Trimble, and Lavert would be my top 4

I'd add Valentine to this list as well. He's gonna be a tough, tough player this year.

 

[Purdue Grad in Texas]

I'd add Valentine to this list as well. He's gonna be a tough, tough player this year.

Agree with adding Valentine.

Don't forget about Hayes (Wisconsin) and Uthoff (Iowa) either.

 

[SNU0821]

Agree with adding Valentine.

Don't forget about Hayes (Wisconsin) and Uthoff (Iowa) either.

Hayes is a player, but I want to see him as the main focus first before I lump him in that category. I don't know if I agree with Uthoff.

 

[blockm2]

Kaminsky says HI!

Hi.

You might notice nowhere in the thread did it say Big Ten POY, it said best all around player. But last season I might agree that Kaminsky was the best all around player because unlike most big men he was quite skilled with the dribble and at passing and at outside shooting. Hammons is unlikely to do much with the dribble or knocking down 3s or racking up assists next year. That doesn't mean he can't be a dominant player, it's just not a well rounded dominant player.

For my money Valentine and LeVert are probably most likely to rack up impressive stats across the board next year. Either (or both) could average 17+ PPG with 6-7 RPG and 4+ APG along with good shooting numbers.

 

[West James]

So says Hummel.

Do you agree? Who are the other key candidates?

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Big Ten Network

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AJ Hammons his size is unmatchable, he defends, and he has a nice skillset -RH https://twitter.com/KyleLansky16/status/614237763114811392 …

3:11 AM - 26 Jun 2015

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I definitely think [as a group] our guards/guard play will be considerably better this season. If AJH has the right/capable guards around him, he could be the B1G MVP. That's why it's so important to get the right guards/guard combo/guard rotation in there as soon as possible. The more comfortable our guards are, & the sooner they are comfortable, the more relaxed, aggressive & able they can be, & that translates to the other players on the floor/team. The head of the snake/team is the/it's PG. Chop off the head, & the rest is elementary. Our guards will have to do a considerably better job of feeding the low post this season, if this team is to achieve it's true potential. We know AJH is only going to get better, his rate of progress may have a lot to do with/be tied to our guards ability to handle opposition guard pressure, limit turnovers & assist to the low post. I'll be watching our guard play extra close this season, especially early. If all is well there, early, the sky is the limit.

 

[West James]

Maybe I'm not following, but if your best player is a center, has a decided advantage over other B1G players at this position, and has the ability to score 15-20 a night... why would this not be an extreme focus? I can appreciate that Purdue might not "need" him to score 15-20 every night to be successful, but one would have to think this would be the number 1 option on offense, right?

Absolutely, people/players/basketball players shoot higher percentages from closer in [gee the math on this stuff certinally is tough!] I'd rather have our bigs shooting from 5-7', than someone launching from 15' or/& out. I seriously doubt Coach Painter will stand for too many players launching from 15' & out, if we're having an easy time getting our post players the ball down low. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. AJH worked well in the low post last season, he should/could do even better down there this season, & other post/low post players as well.

Why risk it from 15', when you have [an almost] sure thing from 5'? It's not a complicated game.

 

[West James]

You nailed it on this! Hammons came back to be the POY, win B1G and win the NCAA tournament.

... & be a top 7 [or higher?] lottery pick. If our guards get him the ball when he's open, [& there were problems there last season] he's going to do a lot of damage/more damage. And when the big man/men scores, he's happier, runs the floor with a little more ease, comfort, speed & desire. That happiness often translates to defense as well. The thing spreads like a wild fire, the team wins more, coach happier, bench happier, team happier, wins more, ect., ect...

Get our post players the ball early, & let the fun/wins begin!


Go Boilers!!!