I'm going with a starting lineup of Morton, Ivey, Newman, Gillis, and Edey. I am praying they have such a good time playing together that they will go for two in a row. The potential of these young men is AWESOME!
Ethan Morton - Don't forget
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... & from multiple players/places. At FF time, team depth & experience are too often overlooked.
This season, we're going to need both. If our low post players are doubled, Hunter & others are going to have to knock down that 3/long distance shot. Toward the end of last season, we were lacking there.
You are going to be very surprised then. Morton is a big part of the future but Thompson is criminally underrated.
Underrated? Maybe underrated on offense. But not so much on D.
In my mind, he does not need to look for shots for the most part...he will find some just by breaking a defense down and focusing on distributing. His mid-range game is better than the rest of his game offensively, on that I agree, but, he needs to look for and take less shots regardless until he can show an ability to consistently make them...especially from distance.
I'm not sure I understand your point. You said you need scoring over defense, I said you need both. Are you saying to in order to have both you need good players? Can't argue with that.
Brian Nuebert is the guy who covers basketball for G&B. ITs metrics were good last year. Much better than you would think I’ll add that he does a good job staying in front of his man. At the end of the day Painter likes him as a defender. He is going to play.
I see what you are going with here- But I just do not see how TW comes off of the bench during his senior season after 2 seasons as our #1 option.
My main gripe about IT is not his shooting ability or his defense- it's his ball handling vs the full court press. It was pretty bad at times, solid at other times. I think we saw a little bit last year that Morton bringing the ball up leads to a higher rate of fouls being called on the opposing team due to his advantages in size and strength.
Yes, depth and experience is important but not as important as having a couple of pros.
I’m saying you generally need to have a team that’s more focused on scoring than preventing the other team from scoring. Yes, D is important, but I’d rather have scorers over players like Eastern/Ray Davis/Kramer who were much more effective on defense than offense. .
IT is a spot up 3 pt shooter. Doesn’t have a B10 body and gets targeted on D. It is what it is.
You are right. I should have said that lineup should be our crunch time lineup. Tre, Sash, and Hunter should start because they earned that right. However, I also want them to be experience the joy of being mentors to their successors. I am also praying our crunch time 5 along with the 2 freshman jell and they realize they will be better off playing and bonding over two years than chasing the glitter of leaving after one.
... & when the pros go down/get tired/are in foul trouble/can't play,
... send in the subs, experienced & otherwise.
How many regular season, conference loses do you think Purdue will have this season? I say 2 (unless injuries, Covid or unforeseen circumstances take over). Our depth & experience will prove mighty handy this season, more than in any recent history. I think this season's team is the deepest I've seen in 40 years.
That would be a big jump for EM. I agree with ZE, JI & MG, but instead/eventually/by conference game time, I think a starting lineup with TW at the 4, & SS at the 2 would be better. Ivey looks to have improved his ball handling since last March, & I believe, if given the chance, within a month of our first game, could be good enough to start as our 1/pg. I would start
1. JI
2. SS
3. MG
4. TW
5. ZE
Should be a very interesting/successful season, no doubt.
I don't think IT's turnovers were a problem last season, or his offense or ball distribution, but he did get posted up & abused on defense too often. If he can continue to knock down the open jumper from distance, he will get his minutes. I have a feeling most teams will press us full court, early & often, especially when they start to fall behind. How we deal with that, & our low post passing, might prove very telling come tourney/crunch time.
I watched EM carefully last year and he has the makings to be our best passer ever. He has good form on his shooting and he has to be able to knock down the 3 if his defender stays back hoping to defend the pass. If his shot is there, he is the best PG in my book. I am also praying BM has matured because he should be the best shooter on the team (just look at his FT%). I love the twin tower concept but for only about 3 minutes per half to be used as a disruption to the other team. JI I see as more of a slasher and I see a lot of back door picks coming constantly during the game and EM will find him or hit the open picker releasing to the basket.
ZE is (usually) going to be our last defender down the floor (on a fast break or otherwise), whether he is starting or subbing for TW. I can see starting a smaller/quicker lineup than the one I listed, but if TW is in the cardio shape he appears to now be in, he will get up & down the floor just fine from now on. With my starting 5, they may be tested with presses, especially the full court type, but if JI & SS can handle the ball as I believe they can, & the other 3 players are in their proper positions/floor spacings, the press should be no problem.
With my lineup, you get max. rebounding, shot blocking, & lots of experience, a little long distance shooting & proven low post scoring. If this group can handle the transition, presses & ball handling, no problems otherwise (& it wouldn't hurt if MG were a little better dribbler/ball handler).
I'm quite sure CMP will go with what best helps our team to win the most games, as always.
1. JI
2. SS
3. MG
4. TW
5. ZE
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I agree, the more minutes EM gets, the more he progresses. Him being a fr./inexperienced last season, his injuries & the Covid played a role in his lack of minutes. I believe he does get more minutes this season. We may need him at the 2/sg spot soon enough. Lots of senior departures after this season. Next season should be interesting.
Sick/injuries. Didn't he miss games at the beginning of last season due to illness? He had mono & missed some games at the start of last season. My mistake, I should have been more specific. The mono hurt his playing time at the beginning of last season. This season should be much better.
I expect IT to be improved this season as well. The battle for guard/pg minutes next season should be interesting. I just hope Edey stays for next season. It makes things/winning much, much easier that way.
Edey is the key/X-Factor for next season/winning. By season's end, Edey will be a dominant post player.
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He missed time due to Mono and was hampered by the effects pretty much all season. I do not remember any injuries.
I do not think anyone mentioned turnovers. Regardless, certain players will always be able to shoot over IT and bully him to an extent. However, it is absolutely crucial for our defenders to stay in front of their man. IT and EH were the two best at this. Jaden is also good when he wants to be but he also has the ability to recover and block shots even if his man slips past him. Newman, Sasha, and Mason all had issues staying in front of their man last year and that is part of the reason why IT got some nice minutes against NT. ITs minutes will partially depend on how EH plays. We did not get pressed often and that is not a major factor in dictating minutes. IT, EH, and Jaden are the guys I want with the ball if we are getting pressed anyway. IT has some flaws but hardly more than a guy like Sasha, Newman, or EH.
IT moves his feet and overall does a good job staying in front of his man. Sasha, Newman, and Mason get blown by way more than he does. Good offense players can go over and through IT but those same guys are usually the ones blowing by Sasha. Neubert has said over and over that we have a ton of skilled players but that its going to be hard for our current roster to ever be elite defensively. Outside of EH and Jaden our guys have to rely on discipline, film, and help to cover good players.
IT was abused on defense last season. That's probably the main reason he didn't get more minutes last season, that & his problems with the press. When did BN/Newman have trouble staying in front of his man? I guarantee you we will be pressed a lot more this season, a lot more. "...nice minutes", with his experience, he should have got more. The main reason he didn't, is his being abused on defense. If he was in front of his man on defense last season, he needs to try something different this season. He was abused, & it was obvious for any astute basketball fan to see. If everyone played defense like IT, we'd get beat by 20 every game. You sure you were watching Purdue last season? Are you an IU fan?
Not sure I agree with the B1G body part, (Lewis 'Action Jackson' & others similar to him got it done previously at this level) but his D needs to improve this season, if he wants/gets more minutes, & I believe it will. It looks like the reason he doesn't get more minutes, is mainly because of his defense. I do like his attitude though. He seems willing to improve where he needs to. What more can one ask for? His improvement will probably be tied closely to his minutes this season. I see him improving.
Of course it depends on how they do in practice & exhibition games, but Thompson may start out ahead of EM, but their minutes may be similar come conference time? Should be interesting to keep an eye on. No doubt this is a very deep/talented team.
"There is no doubt ..." You are saying EM is a better pg/player than EH RIGHT NOW? Was EM better than EH at the end of last season, or do you think EM has improved THAT much more than EH since last March? I do believe EM will get more minutes this season. Those minutes have to come from somewhere. I believe IT will be better this season as well. Can't wait for game one! If we don't get it done this season, then when? If Edey is here 2 more years/seasons, that helps a lot.
I pay for a membership to this board lmao. No I’m not an IU fan. Pay for the premium membership and see what Brian has to say about him. You are way off base.
I dont care what Brian says, believe it or not we can form our own opinions. I believe Brian just mentioned some weird metric about points allowed per possession or something with no context at all. Who cares? Watch with your eyes lol. Bonefish summed up Thompson well above:
"IT is a spot up 3 pt shooter. Doesn’t have a B10 body and gets targeted on D. It is what it is."
"IT is a spot up 3 pt shooter. Doesn’t have a B10 body and gets targeted on D. It is what it is."
Though IT's height does hamper him on defense at times, I believe he could still play better D than he does, regardless of his height. Lewis Jackson & others before him seemed to play better defense than IT, & they were of similar height. I would be surprised if IT hasn't improved his D by now, & he'll probably continue to improve it throughout this season & next season. Remember Spud Webb? He was a 5'.7" pg, who got it done. The (lack of) height of many basketball players is often overstated/overemphasized, in relation to their play (on offense & defense).
Never compare IT to LewJack. They aren’t in the same stratosphere from a ball handling perspective. One is a shooter- the other is the best ball handler Painter has had.
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