Marques Bolden's role

[arnie]

In the game now

They’re feeding it to him relelentlessly this half, so I don’t think he’s hurt or sick. Mixed results so far, but glad to see minutes for him.

[weezie]

Seems like his confidence is slowly growing...

[dukefan_828]

I consider myself the leader, i often scream for top of the key marquees isolation plays to be called from time to time. No seriously i'm not sure why but i really cheer for this guy and badly want to see him succeed. Not just for selfish reasons i'm sure it has been a let down to him with all the hype from last years class which lets face it he hasn't really lived up to while his other classmates went one N done as predicted and are now millionaires providing for there families. like im sure he wants to and expected to be. Then another tough break for him to have a potentially generational talent in Bagley come in late and take his spot (probably didn't help w the whole confidence thing many think he is missing). I hope he stays above vrank bc i know there is a beast in their waiting to unleash. Was weird to see him not play at all in the first then get extended burn in the second as well as being the focal point offensively on several possessions. He looked good on the eye test except the botched transition play (key lack of confidence) would have loved to see him slam it in stride like he did on his other made attempt. Grabbed some strong boards. Idk what to think but i would like to see him get 15 min a game. Would like to hear other opinions and feel free to dm me for approval to join fan club

[YmoBeThere]

Okay, that was a bit difficult to read, but I get it. You are a Marques fan. I definitely want to see him succeed also. And hopefully he will learn much more about himself in the process.

[WillJ]

I hope he succeeds, but I'm reminded of Wojo's comment about freshman Elton Brand that "the basket just swallows his shot," meaning that Brand had excellent touch around the basket. To be effective offensively, I think Marquise needs that skill. I wouldn't as yet say that Marquise has shown it, though I remain hopeful.

[Troublemaker]

I agree.

MB had 17 points and 10 boards in 15 minutes of play. I'll be the first to say he is a work in progress, but there is significant improvement from last year.

I read GeneBanks comment several times. I don’t see that he’s bashing Bolden, just giving his opinion that Marques not likely gonna be drafted in 2018. Bolden has certainly improved over last year, but I suspect NBA scouts will want see the numbers from last night against high end competition. I do believe he continues to improve, comes back to Duke next year and ultimately makes an NBA team.

Words like "absurd," "elsewhere," and "reality" take the post from "analysis" to "bashing" in my mind. Your mileage may vary.

Although, of course, those comments were made BEFORE the game.

Fair point. I guess the Devil is in the details...

WHy do you prefer Vrank over Bolden?

Yeah, I would hope the Vrank over Bolden crowd goes quiet after last night's performance. Bolden just needs court time. He's not as fluid as Carter, but I think he can be a very solid starter for us next year, averaging around 12 and 8, just like Carter this year. I see him being a key piece on a Final 4 team next year and then getting drafted in the first round - really hope he chooses that route over coming out this year as a mid to late second round pick.

I agree the sentiment here, though I'm agnostic on the question of his NBA future. Perhaps my crystal ball isn't as good as that of some folks here. Bolden is not ready for the NBA yet, but he's only 19 years old. Maybe he won't develop into an NBA player. But let's see where it goes before ripping him as a never-will-be. He's one of ours, and I'm rooting hard for him.

While I'm reluctant to post this on this thread rather than the Bolden thread(if there is one?), here goes:

Marques moves so much better this season than last. Could he have had a leg injury or was he just out of shape? Or more likely he was just a freshmen player that had too much hype and I expected too much from him. I'm liking his energy and movement this season and his performance last night was outstanding. I should have voted for him over Gary but I didn't. Another big that has shown improvement is Robinson. I know he didn't get much PT last season but in the limited action, I did not see this type performance. This team really looks to get along well and some praise needs to go to our Captain Grayson. He seems like he's having fun playing the game again, free of the ESPN baggage he had to carry last season and free of injury will do that. I thank The Lord that He gave me this team to root for after watching the inept NCAA drop the ball on the fraud that went on just down the road. For a while I didn't think I would watch one game this season. GoDuke!

Let's move this discussion out of the 2018 recruiting thread.

[Billy Dat]

K quotes from last night...

On what Marques Bolden can take away from his performance tonight:
“Well I don’t know, you have to ask him, I’m not a mind reader. I thought he had a better second half than a first half. But he played
well, he played more demonstrative in the second half. He played okay in the first half, but in the second half he played with a good
fire, which is what we need.”

On takeaways from Marques Bolden’s performance in practice and tonight:
“I can see good and bad in practice. We’re going to get too minute here in what I see and what I don’t see. No, it’s not a breakout,
he’s a good player, he should play well every game. I wouldn’t call a 50-point win over this team as a breakout for anybody. But did
he play well? He played well. Marques has helped us, we wouldn’t have won the Indiana game without Marques diving for the damn
ball. To me, that was more of a breakout. And I have not seen him do that in practice and those are the type of things that we’re
looking for, guys trying to do whatever they can to help us win.”

[Troublemaker]

K quotes from last night...

On what Marques Bolden can take away from his performance tonight:
“Well I don’t know, you have to ask him, I’m not a mind reader. I thought he had a better second half than a first half. But he played
well, he played more demonstrative in the second half. He played okay in the first half, but in the second half he played with a good
fire, which is what we need.”

On takeaways from Marques Bolden’s performance in practice and tonight:
“I can see good and bad in practice. We’re going to get too minute here in what I see and what I don’t see. No, it’s not a breakout,
he’s a good player, he should play well every game. I wouldn’t call a 50-point win over this team as a breakout for anybody. But did
he play well? He played well. Marques has helped us, we wouldn’t have won the Indiana game without Marques diving for the damn
ball. To me, that was more of a breakout. And I have not seen him do that in practice and those are the type of things that we’re
looking for, guys trying to do whatever they can to help us win.”

Yeah, I'm with Coach here. I've seen some posts saying last night was Bolden's best in a Duke uniform. Nah, his best game was still the Miami performance in Cameron last season. Last night, he just did what he should do against a small team who additionally did not double-team effectively.

[Billy Dat]

Yeah, I'm with Coach here. I've seen some posts saying last night was Bolden's best in a Duke uniform. Nah, his best game was still the Miami performance in Cameron last season. Last night, he just did what he should do against a small team who additionally did not double-team effectively.

I think K's comments were pretty unguarded and seem to speak to a level of dissatisfaction with Bolden's overall grasp of what they want him to do.

But, it was at the end of a list of questions about individual players that seemed to annoy him - he was trying to stress the team, etc.

[DevilYouKnow]

I thought Marques played like a beast last night.

He was surprising me with his agility, his aggressiveness and his control. He has often looked like he was overthinking everything and trying not to screw up. Last night was a completely different Marques, one that offers no relief for our opponents when Bags and Li'l Wen get a breather.

[uh_no]

And I have not seen him do that in practice and those are the type of things that we’re
looking for, guys trying to do whatever they can to help us win.”

really good quote...especially for those of us who are only seeing his seemingly greater effort in games. Needs to bring that every day in practice.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think K's comments were pretty unguarded and seem to speak to a level of dissatisfaction with Bolden's overall grasp of what they want him to do.

But, it was at the end of a list of questions about individual players that seemed to annoy him - he was trying to stress the team, etc.

Yeah...I don't think I've heard Coach K talk about a player like this.

Interesting...

[BD80]

I think K's comments were pretty unguarded and seem to speak to a level of dissatisfaction with Bolden's overall grasp of what they want him to do.

But, it was at the end of a list of questions about individual players that seemed to annoy him - he was trying to stress the team, etc.

His comments also seem to me to highlight how silly it is to speculate on Bolden's role based upon a few minutes in a blow-out victory over a seriously undersized opponent. It is what Bolden does in practice that matters.

[jimsumner]

Yeah, I'm with Coach here. I've seen some posts saying last night was Bolden's best in a Duke uniform. Nah, his best game was still the Miami performance in Cameron last season. Last night, he just did what he should do against a small team who additionally did not double-team effectively.

Sure. But Duke has played other under-sized teams this season and Bolden hasn't done what he should have done. He was more decisive and more confident last night than I have seen him and I take that as a step forward.

Doing it against better competition is the next step. But doing it at all is a framework for taking that next step.

[BeachBlueDevil]

When I watch Bolden play I often think to myself that he doesn't play to his size. He's a big guy (6'11/250) and should be able to just bully people down low. To some extent he does, but I think he still has room to grow in that department. He did it last night at times against St. Francis a much smaller team but I'd like to see him do it constantly against guys his size. If that trait ever comes he could be be a big time force down low.

[BandAlum83]

Bolden's numbers last night were great, sure, but watching him play made so readily apparent how freakishly amazing Bagley, and to a lesser extent Carter are.

Two sequences made it clear when Bolden rebounded his own misses and didn't have the second jump ability or standing jump ability to slam it back home. We hear about his wingspan and standing reach as being immense, but it didn't show on those plays. It was nice that his 3rd attempt in both cases resulted in an "and one", but against typical D1 sized competition, he wouldn't have even gotten the first O rebound.

Speaking of wingspan, standing reach and length, I can't say how many times I've seen Bagley (of the supposed not-ready-for NBA length) has attacked the basket and I thought "he will never reach the basket from there," yet he does with a resounding dunk. I guess his not-freakish wingspan is made up for by his incredible hops and second jump. (It sure looks like length to me).

Believe me, I am rooting for Bolden, but his size doesn't seem to come with the motor, hops or footwork we all desperately expected to see when he committed to Duke. Zoubek became a key part of the 2010 championship team. He didn't have the physicality of a Bagley. I think I'm starting to believe a Zoubek-type role is the ceiling for Marques.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

(content deleted due to destructive criticism of a Duke player)

What? How can you say this?

Last year was rough for sure. For a lot of guys actually. He was injured, etc., etc. And probably frustrated. Fine.

This year he's getting his first meaningful, regular minutes. He is effectively now getting the experience we all hoped he would have gotten last year.

Last night he played just as well as the other bigs against the same competition. So let's not try to downplay what he did last night. Not saying he is better than MB or WC. But I think it's ridiculous, even ludicrous, especially at this point in the season, to suggest that he is a "net negative" and a "detriment" to the team.

Or are you just trying to get us riled up? Some more. Again.

[DukieInBrasil]

Bolden's numbers last night were great, sure, but watching him play made so readily apparent how freakishly amazing Bagley, and to a lesser extent Carter are.

Two sequences made it clear when Bolden rebounded his own misses and didn't have the second jump ability or standing jump ability to slam it back home. We hear about his wingspan and standing reach as being immense, but it didn't show on those plays. It was nice that his 3rd attempt in both cases resulted in an "and one", but against typical D1 sized competition, he wouldn't have even gotten the first O rebound.

Speaking of wingspan, standing reach and length, I can't say how many times I've seen Bagley (of the supposed not-ready-for NBA length) has attacked the basket and I thought "he will never reach the basket from there," yet he does with a resounding dunk. I guess his not-freakish wingspan is made up for by his incredible hops and second jump. (It sure looks like length to me).

Believe me, I am rooting for Bolden, but his size doesn't seem to come with the motor, hops or footwork we all desperately expected to see when he committed to Duke. Zoubek became a key part of the 2010 championship team. He didn't have the physicality of a Bagley. I think I'm starting to believe a Zoubek-type role is the ceiling for Marques.

i made a similar type comment in the MOTM thread.
I agree with pretty much everything in this post. I'm pulling for Marques, and i'm hoping that he converts his physical gifts into solid production. Whether it's this year or next, i hope he sticks with it and keeps learning from the best.

[CDu]

Sure. But Duke has played other under-sized teams this season and Bolden hasn't done what he should have done. He was more decisive and more confident last night than I have seen him and I take that as a step forward.

Doing it against better competition is the next step. But doing it at all is a framework for taking that next step.

Bingo. 100% agree. This was not the first time he has had a huge edge in size, but it is the first time I have seen Bolden be an assertive presence for consistent minutes.

Is it evidence/proof that he is figuring things out? No. But it is a start. And it is better than what he has been doing thus far in this career.

[MChambers]

Bingo. 100% agree. This was not the first time he has had a huge edge in size, but it is the first time I have seen Bolden be an assertive presence for consistent minutes.

Is it evidence/proof that he is figuring things out? No. But it is a start. And it is better than what he has been doing thus far in this career.

I thought Bolden really struggled for most of the first half, but he played a lot better in the second half. He’s improving, and I’m rooting for him. Let’s see him do it in a big game.