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Morton's Shooting

I think it is truly weird how every year we go through this process of attempting to find the worst starter, the guy we just have to put on the bench. I see it every year. The “Eifert Effect”. Some amateur coach decides that he knows more than coach Painter and starts this stuff. Can we let Morton alone? He must be effective in practice and be contributing exactly what Painter wants from him. Not everybody has to score for us to win.
He busts his butt to win, but wish Matt could add something for him to drive the ball where he (in spite of tonight) might be more effective than shooting behind the arc. Quite simply with the bodies bouncing it seemed physical (even though there were some phantom calls), but give MSU credit specifically Walker for being in a zone. MSU hit some tough shots. Walkers go ahead shot at the end was well defended, just a better shot. I saw some switches that shouldn't have happened adn wonder if the noise was loud enough the players couldn't hear each other well?
 
It's kind of a moot point as we really don't have anyone else. I keep cheering for Newman to do something positive and Jenkins percentages aren't much better than Morton's. He does help us win with his defense, is good from the line, and he doesn't turn the ball over. If Edey weren't on the team, I don't think it would be possible to start Morton. But Edey is on this year's team, so it works.

Just for reference. Morton has the second lowest shooting percentage (27.9%) in the B1G out of guys who have taken 2 shots per game and is currently last in the B1G from 3 (23.5%). We're talking 150+ guys.
 
I’d like to see Newman get a shot at starting. He’s seems to play better when not pressing and looking over his shoulder. Let him work through some mistakes during the game, but he gives us a much better scoring threat.
 
I’d like to see Newman get a shot at starting. He’s seems to play better when not pressing and looking over his shoulder. Let him work through some mistakes during the game, but he gives us a much better scoring threat.
Painter went offense defense with Newman and Morton for quite a long stretch near the end of the game. Newman didn't score either, but Painter must have thought he was getting more respect from the defense.
 
His shot is visually very unappealing.
That and how about the missed layups or maybe they were 5 footers, it’s like he got the ball and quickly shot it like the bad kid in elementary school recess. He’s better than this and hopefully figures it out, playing 5 on 4 on the offensive end eventually won’t work in a game in March.
 
These are the teams Purdue struggle against. Guard orientated teams. Alot of boilers seemed off today. Im not gonna talk trash on Morton. He comes up big in more ways than offense.
If he hold the opposing best offensive player who averages 20ppg to 14 points. And he scores zero, and only has 1 assist and 2 steals that leads to 6 points. He’s negatively impacting the team. No college basketball team can have a guy who is non existent on the offensive end. Hopefully he can find a way to help offensively. He shot 40%+ last year shooting the same shots he’s getting this year.

If he doesn’t painter will make the adjustment.
 
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Last night Morton was -14 this stat keeps climbing up. Jenkins was +8 he is the only viable option. I must say playing intense defense has a way of taking your legs out from under you. For Morton it has to be even more tiring a 6'6" wing guarding smaller guards and having to fight through screen after screen. Couple that with the fact we have two freshmen in the back court with him help isn't coming. IMO Ethan needs help he has battled every second he is on the defensive end of the court. What we are seeing with his shot is you need your legs and his are exhausted. I watched at least 10 of his HS games and even more of his games with the Renns (AAU). He was a big PG who could muscle his way to the rim and a great offensive rebounder. He was a scorer not a shooter. IMO he needs to rest the B10 is a grind and we cannot wear him down to the point of no return. I don't care who it is but Ethan needs someone to come in and take some of his minutes. I would go with Jenkins at the two and move Loyer to the 3. Doesn't really matter who you use but use someone other than Ethan get him down to 20 minutes for a few games. I understand the posters who are frustrated with his shot as am I. Ethan is not who we should direct our frustrations at. Blame Painter he is leaning on one player to be the defensive stopper way too much IMO. It's not going to be his lack of scoring that may cost us but his declining defense from overuse. TKR in HS would guard the other team's best scorer the kid is quick on his feet he could give you a few minutes guarding the 3 also. A fresh TKR vs a spent Ethan?
 
Last night Morton was -14 this stat keeps climbing up. Jenkins was +8 he is the only viable option. I must say playing intense defense has a way of taking your legs out from under you. For Morton it has to be even more tiring a 6'6" wing guarding smaller guards and having to fight through screen after screen. Couple that with the fact we have two freshmen in the back court with him help isn't coming. IMO Ethan needs help he has battled every second he is on the defensive end of the court. What we are seeing with his shot is you need your legs and his are exhausted. I watched at least 10 of his HS games and even more of his games with the Renns (AAU). He was a big PG who could muscle his way to the rim and a great offensive rebounder. He was a scorer not a shooter. IMO he needs to rest the B10 is a grind and we cannot wear him down to the point of no return. I don't care who it is but Ethan needs someone to come in and take some of his minutes. I would go with Jenkins at the two and move Loyer to the 3. Doesn't really matter who you use but use someone other than Ethan get him down to 20 minutes for a few games. I understand the posters who are frustrated with his shot as am I. Ethan is not who we should direct our frustrations at. Blame Painter he is leaning on one player to be the defensive stopper way too much IMO. It's not going to be his lack of scoring that may cost us but his declining defense from overuse. TKR in HS would guard the other team's best scorer the kid is quick on his feet he could give you a few minutes guarding the 3 also. A fresh TKR vs a spent Ethan?
at this stage, i think painter is going with what got us to this point. i dont think he will change the lineup. and yes, i am frustrated with his lack of offense but jenkins hasnt shown me much at either end
 
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Last night Morton was -14 this stat keeps climbing up. Jenkins was +8 he is the only viable option. I must say playing intense defense has a way of taking your legs out from under you. For Morton it has to be even more tiring a 6'6" wing guarding smaller guards and having to fight through screen after screen. Couple that with the fact we have two freshmen in the back court with him help isn't coming. IMO Ethan needs help he has battled every second he is on the defensive end of the court. What we are seeing with his shot is you need your legs and his are exhausted. I watched at least 10 of his HS games and even more of his games with the Renns (AAU). He was a big PG who could muscle his way to the rim and a great offensive rebounder. He was a scorer not a shooter. IMO he needs to rest the B10 is a grind and we cannot wear him down to the point of no return. I don't care who it is but Ethan needs someone to come in and take some of his minutes. I would go with Jenkins at the two and move Loyer to the 3. Doesn't really matter who you use but use someone other than Ethan get him down to 20 minutes for a few games. I understand the posters who are frustrated with his shot as am I. Ethan is not who we should direct our frustrations at. Blame Painter he is leaning on one player to be the defensive stopper way too much IMO. It's not going to be his lack of scoring that may cost us but his declining defense from overuse. TKR in HS would guard the other team's best scorer the kid is quick on his feet he could give you a few minutes guarding the 3 also. A fresh TKR vs a spent Ethan?
I think TKR is best suited to play the 4 also
 
He was also Pennsylvania's Gatorade player of the year and PPG athlete of the year. He was never known as a scorer but elite passer and defender. 2200 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in HS from what I could find
in our state, Butler was in 4A w/ 6A being the large school class
 
I’d like to see Newman get a shot at starting. He’s seems to play better when not pressing and looking over his shoulder. Let him work through some mistakes during the game, but he gives us a much better scoring threat.
That's not the only consideration.
With Furst playing with Edey more now that's another "scorer" off the 2nd team. Gillis not shooting much.
With TKR looking pretty weak of late we've got very little scoring on the 2nd squad.
A squad that some thought could be competitive in the league on it's on.
Shift Newman and Morton and its badly unbalanced and will lose most shifts (imo)
One good thing about Newmans free hoisting of shots is it works on the 2nd squad as there's much more of a need there.
 
iu
at this stage, i think painter is going with what got us to this point. i dont think he will change the lineup. and yes, i am frustrated with his lack of offense but jenkins hasnt shown me much at either end
I just wish Jenkins does a Sterling Carter at IU. ;) Hit 5 3 balls! Has a better chance of that than Johnny O and his dunk! ;)
 
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Maybe more Jenkins? I wish I could say Newman, but I don't have any confidence in his shot right now either, and his passing is nowhere near Morton's.
For what it's worth, I think Newman transfers after this year.
I’m with you on Newman, don’t see him sticking around after this year.
 
Maybe more Jenkins? I wish I could say Newman, but I don't have any confidence in his shot right now either, and his passing is nowhere near Morton's.

I’m with you on Newman, don’t see him sticking around after this year.
I didn’t think he’d stick after last year, Newman could be huge for the Boilers this year, it’s on him. Sometimes it seems he’s afraid to make a mistake when he’s playing, needs to just play his game.
 
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I didn’t think he’d stick after last year, Newman could be huge for the Boilers this year, it’s on him. Sometimes it seems he’s afraid to make a mistake when he’s playing, needs to just play his game.
Newman needs to relax, play good defense and rebound when he goes into a game. Don't hunt a shot, take one only when open , and let game come to him. Forcing shots and turning it over will very much limit his playing time.
 
Wasn't he a big time shooter/scorer in HS? I don't understand why his wide open 3s are not falling. - It would make a huge difference in games like today and others.
He got some bad mechanics, and now it's in his head he's gonna miss everything from wide open threes to layups. Gotta square up with better feet. Literally all these guys do is shoot around everyday so should be able to see it on film and get some shots up in practice. He's still an upgrade over SS from last year even when he scores 0 though, that's why this team continues to get better and will be better when he figures it out vs last year's team that plateaued after the first scrimmage.
 
Didn't we have someone else in recent years whose shot looked so awkward because of the feet placement? Was it Terone Johnson?
 
Newman needs to relax, play good defense and rebound when he goes into a game. Don't hunt a shot, take one only when open , and let game come to him. Forcing shots and turning it over will very much limit his playing time.
...and what affected him last year...
 
I think it is truly weird how every year we go through this process of attempting to find the worst starter, the guy we just have to put on the bench. I see it every year. The “Eifert Effect”. Some amateur coach decides that he knows more than coach Painter and starts this stuff. Can we let Morton alone? He must be effective in practice and be contributing exactly what Painter wants from him. Not everybody has to score for us to win.
What we seem to go through every year is a shortening of the bench during conference play while having most success early in the season distributing minutes and taking advantage of depth and fresh legs. Then we crap the bed in the post season when a starter goes cold, gets injured, fouls out, etc, and we have to turn to a guy that is averaging 8 -10 minutes a game or hasn't even played in the last 5 games. I hope the trend doesn't continue this year but clearly the bench is becoming less and less productive.
 
Watched the MSU highlights again...its worse than I remember, he is literally passing up layups...kind Nojel-ish.

The difference is, his head is on much tighter than Nojel, so going to stay positive...
 
That and how about the missed layups or maybe they were 5 footers, it’s like he got the ball and quickly shot it like the bad kid in elementary school recess. He’s better than this and hopefully figures it out, playing 5 on 4 on the offensive end eventually won’t work in a game in March.
Great analogy. He treats the ball like a hot potato.
 
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Last night Morton was -14 this stat keeps climbing up. Jenkins was +8 he is the only viable option. I must say playing intense defense has a way of taking your legs out from under you. For Morton it has to be even more tiring a 6'6" wing guarding smaller guards and having to fight through screen after screen. Couple that with the fact we have two freshmen in the back court with him help isn't coming. IMO Ethan needs help he has battled every second he is on the defensive end of the court. What we are seeing with his shot is you need your legs and his are exhausted. I watched at least 10 of his HS games and even more of his games with the Renns (AAU). He was a big PG who could muscle his way to the rim and a great offensive rebounder. He was a scorer not a shooter. IMO he needs to rest the B10 is a grind and we cannot wear him down to the point of no return. I don't care who it is but Ethan needs someone to come in and take some of his minutes. I would go with Jenkins at the two and move Loyer to the 3. Doesn't really matter who you use but use someone other than Ethan get him down to 20 minutes for a few games. I understand the posters who are frustrated with his shot as am I. Ethan is not who we should direct our frustrations at. Blame Painter he is leaning on one player to be the defensive stopper way too much IMO. It's not going to be his lack of scoring that may cost us but his declining defense from overuse. TKR in HS would guard the other team's best scorer the kid is quick on his feet he could give you a few minutes guarding the 3 also. A fresh TKR vs a spent Ethan?

Next to no one here grasps how hard this kid (that is NOT a great athlete) is working on the defensive end to stay in front of guys THAT ARE QUICKER THAN HE IS!
Yes his aversion to shooting (for cause) is annoying, but in slowing down the opponents best scorer he is doing an invaluable service to this team.
We just went through a year TWO YEARS AGO where we didn't have that guy (ready) and other teams stars lit us up game in and game out. Kinda staggering that more here don't remember those times.
WAS more of an issue when our shooters weren't shooting well but that seems to be coming around and if Braden and Fletcher keep stroking it we'll be just fine.
Yeah itd be nice to get some points from that position but at 17-1 and top 3 nationally I guess you CAN have a guy that doens't score at all and STILL be ok.
;)
 
we have seen this before with much better shooters losing confidence and not being able to hit anything. Morton just needs to hit a couple a game ( maybe a jump shot and a layup) for the other team not to have a five on four advantage when Purdue is on offense.
 
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Last night Morton was -14 this stat keeps climbing up. Jenkins was +8 he is the only viable option. I must say playing intense defense has a way of taking your legs out from under you. For Morton it has to be even more tiring a 6'6" wing guarding smaller guards and having to fight through screen after screen. Couple that with the fact we have two freshmen in the back court with him help isn't coming. IMO Ethan needs help he has battled every second he is on the defensive end of the court. What we are seeing with his shot is you need your legs and his are exhausted. I watched at least 10 of his HS games and even more of his games with the Renns (AAU). He was a big PG who could muscle his way to the rim and a great offensive rebounder. He was a scorer not a shooter. IMO he needs to rest the B10 is a grind and we cannot wear him down to the point of no return. I don't care who it is but Ethan needs someone to come in and take some of his minutes. I would go with Jenkins at the two and move Loyer to the 3. Doesn't really matter who you use but use someone other than Ethan get him down to 20 minutes for a few games. I understand the posters who are frustrated with his shot as am I. Ethan is not who we should direct our frustrations at. Blame Painter he is leaning on one player to be the defensive stopper way too much IMO. It's not going to be his lack of scoring that may cost us but his declining defense from overuse. TKR in HS would guard the other team's best scorer the kid is quick on his feet he could give you a few minutes guarding the 3 also. A fresh TKR vs a spent Ethan?
No way TKR guards the 3 at this level. He can't even stay in front of 4's and 5's right now. His defense is awful right now and a huge reason why he is getting so few minutes.
 
Ethan Morton right now stands second in the Big Ten Conference in assist-turnover ratio, behind only Jalen Pinkett and ahead of everyone else. That’s for the whole conference for the whole season. In Big Ten play, Morton is 6-for-22 on three-pointers, while Brandon Newman is 6-for-21. If Morton made two of his next four shots from the floor, he would precisely match Newman’s Big Ten totals from the field -- 10-for-33. They are just two of four Boilermakers shooting below 33 percent in Big Ten play, joined by Trey Kaufman-Renn and David Jenkins.

Ethan Morton was voted Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year for the same state that includes Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as opposed to the one with Russiaville and New Palestine. He’s been widely acclaimed to be Purdue’s best defensive player and “key.”

Don’t like him? He’s also 17-1 as a starter, so stuff that in your basket and sit on it.
 
Next to no one here grasps how hard this kid (that is NOT a great athlete) is working on the defensive end to stay in front of guys THAT ARE QUICKER THAN HE IS!
Yes his aversion to shooting (for cause) is annoying, but in slowing down the opponents best scorer he is doing an invaluable service to this team.
We just went through a year TWO YEARS AGO where we didn't have that guy (ready) and other teams stars lit us up game in and game out. Kinda staggering that more here don't remember those times.
WAS more of an issue when our shooters weren't shooting well but that seems to be coming around and if Braden and Fletcher keep stroking it we'll be just fine.
Yeah itd be nice to get some points from that position but at 17-1 and top 3 nationally I guess you CAN have a guy that doens't score at all and STILL be ok.
;)
I don't get the whole "How hard he's working" argument.
Are you saying that because he's a marginal athlete, he works harder than better athletes? Maybe it just looks like he's working hard because he's less coordinated. In fact, his movements on the court remind me of Billy Hoyle in White Men Can't Jump.
I don't care how hard a guy works to compensate for his lack of fast twitch muscle fibers, that's just physiology.
 
I don't get the whole "How hard he's working" argument.
Are you saying that because he's a marginal athlete, he works harder than better athletes? Maybe it just looks like he's working hard because he's less coordinated. In fact, his movements on the court remind me of Billy Hoyle in White Men Can't Jump.
I don't care how hard a guy works to compensate for his lack of fast twitch muscle fibers, that's just physiology.
I think Bonefish has now found his target this year. Should be fun!
 
Yes I'm saying that because he's a marginal athlete he IS working harder TO STAY IN FRONT OF guys that are QUICKER THAN HIM.
It's not a difficult concept.
For most.
You don't care how hard a guy works...............................................................................
kinda explains a lot. ;)
 
Yes I'm saying that because he's a marginal athlete he IS working harder TO STAY IN FRONT OF guys that are QUICKER THAN HIM.
It's not a difficult concept.
For most.
You don't care how hard a guy works...............................................................................
kinda explains a lot. ;)
what I'm saying is just because he has spasdic body movements and goes flying out of the picture, doesn't mean he's working any harder than a guy who's a better athlete. Do you think he works any harder than Eastern did on shutting down the other teams top scorer?
I think Morton tries as hard as he can with his limited athleticism. But I think every player tries as hard as they can.
 
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I think Joe (or what it Jon) Crispin must have been reading this thread when he was talking about Morton's lack of confidence and not shooting when left wide open.
I think Newman is starting to make a statement hitting some 3s, taking the ball to the rim, rebounding, quick hands, etc.
 
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