Originally Posted by
tommy
You have one of my favorite user names on the board, but I don't agree with you that "we pretty much know what we're getting with next year's team at this point." A quick list of some things we don't know might include:
1. Will Quinn Cook's knee really heal properly?
2. If so, will he be able to play the type of ball-hawking defense and move his feet sufficiently to stay in front of his man that will enable him to take over from Thornton as our primary point guard?
3. Will Thornton improve his ballhandling, shooting, and/or passing, enabling him to actually participate in the offense in a meaningful way and put some pressure on the opposing defense?
4. What will Rasheed Sulaimon bring to the table in terms of ballhandling, shooting, passing, defense, toughness, and contribution to team chemistry?
5. Who will emerge as the leader(s) of the team?
6. Will Seth Curry improve his passing and/or his defense?
7. Will Andre Dawkins add any elements to his game, such as penetrating with the ball, shooting off the dribble, rebounding, or defense?
8. Will Andre gain any consistency in his game?
9. Will he maintain focus and concentration for longer stretches of games?
10. What will Murphy bring to the table in terms of shooting, ballhandling, passing, rebounding, defense, toughness, and contribution to team chemistry?
11. Will Murphy be big and strong enough to play the PF position in Duke's scheme, or will he really belong at the 3?
12. Will Ryan Kelly improve his strength? What about his aggressiveness under the boards?
13. Will Ryan add any back to the basket moves, as may be needed if he plays the 5 when Mason is out?
14. Will Mason play with more consistent confidence than he did this past year?
15. Will Mason play more fluidly when he gets the ball on the blocks?
16. Will Mason develop a face-up 12-to-15 foot jump shot?
17. Will Marshall Plumlee be ready to play big boy basketball? What will he be able to contribute? Will he be strong enough inside against mature post players?
18. Will Josh Hairston (re)gain explosiveness in his legs?
19. Will Josh learn to use his body (without fouling) to keep taller players out of the lane so as to avoid them playing over the top of him?
20. Will Josh gain better judgment as to when it is a good time for him to shoot 17 foot jumpshots and when it isn't?
So there are 20 quick ones that I'd love to know the answers to. I'm sure others have many additional ones. That's part of the fun of watching a team develop is seeing these questions answered as the season goes on. I don't think we know much at all 7 months before the season starts.