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Thomas Bryant or Caleb Swanigan

Sep 26, 2016
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I want to hear opinions on who is better. Please do not comment unless you watch IU play periodically at least.
 
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They are both very good. Going to be some really interesting match ups in that game this year. Both were good as freshmen and looks as if they've both improved a lot. And both first round picks next year.
 
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Swanigan is a much better rebounder and low post scorer. Bryant is a better defender and three point shooter.
 
Swanigan is a much more skilled, all around player. Bryant is much more athletic and runs the court better.


Bryant probably fits the NBA up and down style a lot more than Swanigan, but it depends on the teams style. For the Warriors, Bryant would be better. For the Spurs/Cavaliers, Swanigan fits better.
 
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Heading into the season, I definitely would have said Bryant, but Swanigan looks greatly improved so it's hard to say. They are very different players.

Bryant passes the eye test, Swannigan passes the it test.
Bryant will go higher in the draft. Swannigan will last longer in the league.
I love Swannigan but Purdue would be final 4 material with Bryant. He'd play the 4 for us. A rim protector we badly need. I guess we'll see how they progress the rest of the year.
An important addition: I assume Bryant would be schooled under Painter. He would be a different player under Painter.
 
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I like them both. I'd go with Swanigan because he is a relentless rebounder, is better posr scorer....and that look away assist against Villanova was sick. He is a basketball player. Bryant is a more explosive athlete.
 
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Bryant passes the eye test, Swannigan passes the it test.
Bryant will go higher in the draft. Swannigan will last longer in the league.
I love Swannigan but Purdue would be final 4 material with Bryant. He'd play the 4 for us. A rim protector we badly need. I guess we'll see how they progress the rest of the year.
An important addition: I assume Bryant would be schooled under Painter. He would be a different player under Painter.
If Purdue currently had Thomas Bryant and Biggie playing the 4/5, Purdue would hands down be co-favorite with UK this season. Having two guys who can play inside, defend on the perimeter, and step out to hit a three alongside the roster of guards and forwards would be incredible. You would have 4 legitimate players with NBA talent on the team at once.

Alas, I would still take Biggie. He simply impacts the game in more ways than Bryant does. Biggie can control a game himself whereas I think Bryant is more reliant on his fellow players a bit more right now.
 
I like them both. I'd go with Swanigan because he is a relentless rebounder, is better posr scorer....and that look away assist against Villanova was sick. He is a basketball player. Bryant is a more explosive athlete.


This is exactly how I see it as well. I haven't watched as many IU games but if Swanigan had Bryant's athleticism, Biggie would be a lottery pick.
 
They are both really good but pretty different so not sure it's a good comparison. I really enjoyed seeing CS's overall improvement against 'nova-until the last 10 seconds. Hopefully he has learned to pass it next time..

I would have no complaints with Bryant on the Boilers and somehow actually enjoy his game, which feels really weird for me to type.
 
bryant is a little bigger and more athletic. he gets more blocks and steals and is more disruptive on defense. caleb is a better rebounder and passer and his post effectiveness is incredible. I think I'd have taken bryant last year. It's hard to say because biggie was playing with AJ. This year...I bet biggie is "better". I think biggie's ceiling is higher. They are both impressive. He's the only guy on iu i enjoy watching play the game.
 
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Bryant passes the eye test, Swannigan passes the it test.
Bryant will go higher in the draft. Swannigan will last longer in the league.
I love Swannigan but Purdue would be final 4 material with Bryant. He'd play the 4 for us. A rim protector we badly need. I guess we'll see how they progress the rest of the year.
An important addition: I assume Bryant would be schooled under Painter. He would be a different player under Painter.
How would you want Painter to make him different? As a freshman last year he was 2nd in the nation in FG% at around 70%. He shoots the 3 turns the ball over rarely, rebounds and passes well. He is also a team motivator/leader.
You are right about being final 4 with Bryant, but we have him and are final 4 material ourselves. I wouldn't trade Bryant and definitely wouldn't trade OG (who will prob draft ahead of both of them) for Swannigan.
It doesn't surprise me that CS has improved and will continue as the year goes on though. I stated that in a post on this board about a month ago. I love his game.
 
How would you want Painter to make him different?

First I'd tell him to stop doing this and get his ass down the floor and play defense:
635908825098869093-Thomas-Bryant-1.jpg

Then I'd tell him that not every call will go his way so stop doing this:
IUUK16-050-1.jpg

And finally I'd tell him to never, never, never, ever do this in public again:
20151024IUHoosierHysteria0401.jpg
 
Again the motivation is alright. Much easier to slow someone down than speed them up. The rest of IU players play with little emotion. I am sure if he was wearing gold and black that you would be fine with it. At least he isn't drinking and using drugs. That wasn't a shot at Purdue either, IU has had much more issues with that than most schools...
 
Again the motivation is alright. Much easier to slow someone down than speed them up. The rest of IU players play with little emotion. I am sure if he was wearing gold and black that you would be fine with it. At least he isn't drinking and using drugs. That wasn't a shot at Purdue either, IU has had much more issues with that than most schools...
Your right except for the third picture of the dancing:D. No one needs that.
 
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The comparison should be would you rather have OG or Swanigan. Same class and same position
Perhaps, but Swanigan played almost 20 minutes at center against Nova and is also in the same class as Bryant. I think that OG compares more closely with Vince Edwards, who is getting a lot of minutes at the 4 this season.
 
If Purdue currently had Thomas Bryant and Biggie playing the 4/5, Purdue would hands down be co-favorite with UK this season. Having two guys who can play inside, defend on the perimeter, and step out to hit a three alongside the roster of guards and forwards would be incredible. You would have 4 legitimate players with NBA talent on the team at once.

Alas, I would still take Biggie. He simply impacts the game in more ways than Bryant does. Biggie can control a game himself whereas I think Bryant is more reliant on his fellow players a bit more right now.
I don't think this is accurate on several levels. Duke, when healthy, is probably the favorites (vegas odds 7/2 vs 8/1). If Purdue could have another impact B1G player that elevate them into an elite title contender it would be someone like Melo Trimble. It's not a secret that Purdue lacks an elite level playmaker while being stacked in the frontcourt.

As for Biggie vs. Bryant, they're slightly different players playing in vastly different systems. Purdue wants to control tempo and pressure teams into playing a full 30 seconds of defense. IU wants to run, run, and run more while pressuring teams with tempo so their athletes can compete.

They're both great college players that are versatile. They both play their best in the post. Biggie is a better rebounder and Bryant is a better rim protector. It would depend on what your program philosophy is as to who you would take. Neither would be a bad choice. If they were to play on the same team they would make a pretty solid front court with their versatility and strengths.
 
I don't think this is accurate on several levels. Duke, when healthy, is probably the favorites (vegas odds 7/2 vs 8/1). If Purdue could have another impact B1G player that elevate them into an elite title contender it would be someone like Melo Trimble. It's not a secret that Purdue lacks an elite level playmaker while being stacked in the frontcourt.

As for Biggie vs. Bryant, they're slightly different players playing in vastly different systems. Purdue wants to control tempo and pressure teams into playing a full 30 seconds of defense. IU wants to run, run, and run more while pressuring teams with tempo so their athletes can compete.

They're both great college players that are versatile. They both play their best in the post. Biggie is a better rebounder and Bryant is a better rim protector. It would depend on what your program philosophy is as to who you would take. Neither would be a bad choice. If they were to play on the same team they would make a pretty solid front court with their versatility and strengths.
Duke will be the team to beat by the end of the year. A 1/2 dozen teams are a distant 2nd.
 
I don't think this is accurate on several levels. Duke, when healthy, is probably the favorites (vegas odds 7/2 vs 8/1). If Purdue could have another impact B1G player that elevate them into an elite title contender it would be someone like Melo Trimble. It's not a secret that Purdue lacks an elite level playmaker while being stacked in the frontcourt.

As for Biggie vs. Bryant, they're slightly different players playing in vastly different systems. Purdue wants to control tempo and pressure teams into playing a full 30 seconds of defense. IU wants to run, run, and run more while pressuring teams with tempo so their athletes can compete.

They're both great college players that are versatile. They both play their best in the post. Biggie is a better rebounder and Bryant is a better rim protector. It would depend on what your program philosophy is as to who you would take. Neither would be a bad choice. If they were to play on the same team they would make a pretty solid front court with their versatility and strengths.
I don't think that Painter wants to go 30 seconds into the shot clock, so much as Painter wants to run his offense through the post and give his bigs the right of first refusal. Purdue's tempo is typically much closer to IU's than Wisconsin's.
 
I don't think that Painter wants to go 30 seconds into the shot clock, so much as Painter wants to run his offense through the post and give his bigs the right of first refusal. Purdue's tempo is typically much closer to IU's than Wisconsin's.
Of course they don't. It would be a shot clock violation.
 
Of course they don't. It would be a shot clock violation.
Ha. Let me restate.

Purdue is not a slow tempo team like Wisconsin or Virginia or even Michigan St. Those teams are very patient on offense and conservative on defense. Purdue is much more of an average tempo team.
 
I don't think that Painter wants to go 30 seconds into the shot clock, so much as Painter wants to run his offense through the post and give his bigs the right of first refusal. Purdue's tempo is typically much closer to IU's than Wisconsin's.
True, I didn't mean that they sat in the corner with the ball for 28 seconds before taking a shot. Coach painter definitely wants to play through the post and find the best possible shot while Crean wants to get into the offense quick and look for a shot.
 
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