Yeah I have to agree with this, even though Wheeler is better than GE starting might be too much too soon for him. Like you said he can still play starter minutes from the bench.
Agree. To me it's the same as saying let's bring lebron off the bench since he'll be an instant scoring punch.
Yeah, exactly the same thing. Wheeler = Lebron.
Great post. Too many attribute athleticism to being better when that's not true in many cases. Eifert brings so much to the flow, he's aggressive on the boards, and is a solid defender. I'll take Eifert in the starting line up and Wheeler coming off the bench this year.
For me, it isn’t who starts. I prefer to see certain lineups play together. The lineup with Haarms, Eastern Ana Wheeler together appears pretty strong at defending the rim. So , if we need to stop the other team from getting into the lane, I like those three together. I also like Wheeler playing with Evan if we need shooters on the floor offensively and/or we need to spread the defense.
I really haven’t seen Wheeler create his own shot as of yet. That’s where he’s behind Hummel and Vince, as a stretch 4. Pretty much just a catch and shoot guy.
I agree starting is a big statement. To me it shows he values eifert more as a player when wheeler brings soooo much more to the table.
I think you are overthinking this. Recruits aren’t deciding whether to come to Purdue based on whether Eifert or Wheeler starts.
It's Matt Painter who has always downplayed the importance of starting. I agree that most kids grow up in systems where the starters are the best players. But as you said, the goal is to put your best team on the floor. Your five best players may not start. Many of us wanted to see both Hammons and Haas on the floor more, because they were two of the best players on the team. But it created bad match-ups. If a player, especially a freshman, gets sufficient playing time, he is not going to feel like he is being slighted. Based on what I have seen and read, Wheeler is pretty happy with how things worked out for him in the last game.
I disagree. The starting 5 are the most visible players on Purdue's team. When you pull up the box score, the stats of the starting 5 are the first 5 players listed. If you ask any college basketball player if they want to start or come off the bench, they will ALWAYS say they want to start!
If Matt Painter is the only college coach that downplays the importance of starting, it doesn't make him right. One could argue that might be part of his struggles recruiting the top talent. The best players ALWAYS want to start. It's that plain and simple. Your example of Haas and Hammons isn't valid. There is only one center position. Therefore, you couldn't start them both. If Haas was better than Hammons (or vice versa), you would start the best one as the center.
I think you have a good imagination. First, you are in the minds of high school kids, and you imagine you know what they are thinking when they see Eifert... As if a high schooler would even know all the subtleties behind this inconsequential message board issue. Then you decide that Eifert is getting preferential treatment for some odd reason. Let me break it to you. I take Painter at his word. He starts those kids whose practice performance justifies starting. When Wheeler performs better than Eifert in practice, he will start.
I don't think he starts. I thought there was a reasonably good chance he would start "at home" against Maryland after Purdue lost a couple since that is when a shakeup happens if it does. Consequently, I don't think he starts today...but depending on what is goining on will get in quicker.
Only with players who’s upside outweighs their potential mistakes. Any of painter’s high profile players have been able to play through mistakes. This is just a biased take
No, Haas and Hammons is a great example, because on occasion it happened. We had a twin towers line-up with Hammons playing PF. Hammons was mobile and had a soft shot from outside. They were two of the best players on the team, but Painter didn't like the match-ups most of the time.
Opinion of position is a dichotomy in all of humanity. Many have a belief and look for supporting evidence. Some have evidence that is an impetus to opinion…and then other times the lines between the two routes are blurred.
Answer this. Would Grady Eifert see any playing time on the other Big Ten teams? Would he see playing time on VA Tech, FSU, ND, or Texas?
