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sagegrouse
11-04-2015, 10:42 PM
I watched about three-fourths of the game on my computer screen.

Here are my impressions:

This was hardly a major-college test. It was racehorse basketball -- higher level than a pickup game but not anywhere near a major test for Duke.

Because of the style of the game, the talents of Kennard, Allen, Ingram and Thornton were on display. Derryck didn't score much -- or seemed to want to -- but all four project to be the "real deal" against regular season competition. Ingram is not an inside player this season,but I think he will contribute from the beginning.

Plumlee will hold his own on defense, but I don't think he will do much more than a few dunks on offense against bigger and more talented teams than Livingstone. I didn't get to see Amile play, but he will be a workhorse, even if not much of a scorer.

Jeter still has a ways to go, but I don't get discouraged about freshman in the first week of November. Vrank is clearly behind Jeter in readiness. Justin R. could get some minutes because of his ability to play the wing and play inside.

Obi looks pretty out of place when the teams are just running up and down the court. Howsomever, I think he could be valuable in games with more of a half-court set-up, where he will be hard to move out of the middle.

brlftz
11-04-2015, 10:55 PM
This was hardly a major-college test. It was racehorse basketball -- higher level than a pickup game but not anywhere near a major test for Duke.



told my wife in the second half that some of the fellas I played with in Card would have given us a better game. I pictured K being disappointed with this as a learning experience

Kedsy
11-04-2015, 10:58 PM
Jeter still has a ways to go...

People keep saying this, but so far the guy has been a per minute stat magnet:

CTC: 19.1 points per 40 minutes; 15.7 rebs per 40
Fla So: 23.3 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40
Liv: 20.8 pts per 40; 17.6 rebs per 40

TOTAL (3 exhibitions): 20.7 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40

Those are really good numbers. I get that I'm talking about an intrasquad scrimmage and two Division II exhibitions, but he's scoring and rebounding at a prodigious clip, and in the two exhibitions he didn't miss a shot (8 for 8 from the field).

So what about his game has a ways to go? I'm really asking -- I haven't actually seen any of the three exhibitions.

sagegrouse
11-04-2015, 11:03 PM
People keep saying this, but so far the guy has been a per minute stat magnet:

CTC: 19.1 points per 40 minutes; 15.7 rebs per 40
Fla So: 23.3 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40
Liv: 20.8 pts per 40; 17.6 rebs per 40

TOTAL (3 exhibitions): 20.7 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40

Those are really good numbers. I get that I'm talking about an intrasquad scrimmage and two Division II exhibitions, but he's scoring and rebounding at a prodigious clip, and in the two exhibitions he didn't miss a shot (8 for 8 from the field).

So what about his game has a ways to go? I'm really asking -- I haven't actually seen any of the three exhibitions.

Perhaps it was the four fouls in 13 minutes against a Division II team?

jimsumner
11-04-2015, 11:03 PM
I watched about three-fourths of the game on my computer screen.

Here are my impressions:

This was hardly a major-college test. It was racehorse basketball -- higher level than a pickup game but not anywhere near a major test for Duke.

Because of the style of the game, the talents of Kennard, Allen, Ingram and Thornton were on display. Derryck didn't score much -- or seemed to want to -- but all four project to be the "real deal" against regular season competition. Ingram is not an inside player this season,but I think he will contribute from the beginning.

Plumlee will hold his own on defense, but I don't think he will do much more than a few dunks on offense against bigger and more talented teams than Livingstone. I didn't get to see Amile play, but he will be a workhorse, even if not much of a scorer.

Jeter still has a ways to go, but I don't get discouraged about freshman in the first week of November. Vrank is clearly behind Jeter in readiness. Justin R. could get some minutes because of his ability to play the wing and play inside.

Obi looks pretty out of place when the teams are just running up and down the court. Howsomever, I think he could be valuable in games with more of a half-court set-up, where he will be hard to move out of the middle.

One big quibble--is that an oxymoron--Ingram is going to do a lot more than contribute from the beginning. Duke will run its offense through him every bit as much as they did through Okafor last season.

sagegrouse
11-04-2015, 11:09 PM
One big quibble--is that an oxymoron--Ingram is going to do a lot more than contribute from the beginning. Duke will run its offense through him every bit as much as they did through Okafor last season.

No argument, but it's the first time I've seen him play in a live game.

Steven43
11-04-2015, 11:35 PM
It's very annoying to watch him play with his hair. He's losing it at an early age. Coaches should talk with him about this. He's a great shooter and playmaker, but he needs to shave his head or do something to stop this bad habit. At some point it may distract his attention from the game.

Were you being serious about this? I mean, really? Hopefully not.

Henderson
11-04-2015, 11:38 PM
One big quibble--is that an oxymoron--Ingram is going to do a lot more than contribute from the beginning. Duke will run its offense through him every bit as much as they did through Okafor last season.

Coach K's post-game presser: "He's a guard. He's a 6-9 guard. That's what his future will be."

This is gonna be fun to watch.

Steven43
11-04-2015, 11:41 PM
Any updates? Is Amile OK? Is Luke more than a shooter? How is Ingram looking? Does Jeter look like he can step in?

'Is Luke more than a shooter?"

I can assure you he is far more than just a shooter. Yes, he can shoot very well from outside, but he can also drive to the basket with dexterity and aggression, he has good ballhandling skills, he is a good passer and will one day be more than merely good, he has an instinct for the ball, he is crafty, and he appears to see the court quite well. In short, he is going to be an offensive force. I have to admit that I did not analyze the defensive side of his game very closely. I therefore have no opinion on that. But this kid is a gamer. If he stays four years, look out.

Kedsy
11-05-2015, 12:19 AM
Perhaps it was the four fouls in 13 minutes against a Division II team?

Well, if you're talking about tonight, he played 25 minutes, almost twice as many as the 13 you attributed to him. His totals in the two exhibition games were 37 minutes and 4 fouls, which doesn't sound so bad to me.

Again, I haven't seen him play in any of the exhibitions, but I still don't understand why people say he needs a lot of work, or has a ways to go, or any other euphemism for "not ready yet." I mean, maybe he isn't ready, I have no idea, but I have yet to hear an actual explanation why not, and he sure puts up the stats.

uh_no
11-05-2015, 12:24 AM
Well, if you're talking about tonight, he played 25 minutes, almost twice as many as the 13 you attributed to him. His totals in the two exhibition games were 37 minutes and 4 fouls, which doesn't sound so bad to me.

Again, I haven't seen him play in any of the exhibitions, but I still don't understand why people say he needs a lot of work, or has a ways to go, or any other euphemism for "not ready yet." I mean, maybe he isn't ready, I have no idea, but I have yet to hear an actual explanation why not, and he sure puts up the stats.

because it's been regurgitated in the media.

I'm not ready to annoint him, or ingram, or kennard. they've played nobody.
I'm not ready to say any of them are not ready.
I'm not ready to say much of anything, as they haven't played a team that matches them even close to physically or skillfully, but for a glorified scrimmage after a few practices.

the team played better than it did last week, and and livingstone was far outmatched. I don't really think there's much more you can take from these.

Case in point: quinn didn't even start in the exhibitions last year. how'd that work out?

subzero02
11-05-2015, 02:47 AM
This thread needs a more positive vibe in general...You'd have thought we were coming off a losing season. I am happy about the Kennard commentary; it sounds like he has a chance to be amongst the top 5 most hated devils of all time(a positive event).

TruBlu
11-05-2015, 05:31 AM
Here we go

@DukeReport Check that - K said it was a flouroscope - which is essentially an x-ray movie
Probably done with a portable c-arm fluoroscopy unit. New ones have very good digitized images which are as detailed as conventional X-rays. My guess is there is one in the locker room/training room. Usually, follow up conventional X-rays are done as a CYA for the docs.

*i are an X-ray engineer, and am involved with the X-ray equipment in the training room for the Atlanta Hawks.

dukelifer
11-05-2015, 06:44 AM
This thread needs a more positive vibe in general...You'd have thought we were coming off a losing season. I am happy about the Kennard commentary; it sounds like he has a chance to be amongst the top 5 most hated devils of all time(a positive event).

While the competition has not been great-Kennard expects to be a starter Being an excellent shooter makes him a confident player. Just ask the Currys. He just needs to get used to the speed of the game.

Billy Dat
11-05-2015, 07:44 AM
I'm not ready to say much of anything, as they haven't played a team that matches them even close to physically or skillfully, but for a glorified scrimmage after a few practices.

I have to agree that the quality of these first two opponents has been really poor. I think both squads had a lot of turnover from the prior year and Fla. Southern even had a new coach. Plus, they were really small.

But one of the things that has jumped out is how BIG we are capable of playing.

Destroying Livingstone last night allowed K to really experiment with defense and presses. For most of the game, we played zone, a wide variety of zones including a 1-3-1 with Ingram at the top. Between his presence at the top of that zone, or the many times he handled the ball from the traditional PG spot at the top center of the court, Ingram cuts a distinctive figure - Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas. He is one of those kids who doesn't look like he's trying hard because he's long, smooth and placid. But, I like Jim Sumner's assertion that we are going to run a lot through him because it opens up a lot of possibilities as he's got handles and seems to make at least one spin move into the lane per game that makes you gasp.

Back to the length, in the post game presser, K talked about the times in the game when he experimented with Ingram, Plumlee and Jeter down the middle of that 1-3-1. Granted, we had injuries which forced us to go bigger at times, but K seems really willing to try new stuff with this size including zones...between presses and zones we threw out tons of different looks, 1-3-1, 1-2-2, etc. It was very different. Maybe this is the culmination of the Boeheim Team USA collaboration and playing more against Syracuse, he sees how hard it is to play against those long zones and, with the shorter shot clock, maybe we see more defensive looks to confuse the opponent and bleed that clock down.

I think Steven43 summarized Kennard well, he is an offensive machine and I think his defense is adequate. I think he should emulate JJ on that front, be able to effectively execute the team concept but he'll never be a stopper. It seems like K is being careful with Thornton, he hasn't started and, even after his big game against Fl. Southern, he didn't start him or change his role much.

For me, big takeaways were the experiments with different zones and presses, the use of big line-ups, Kennards shooting, and Ingram at the top on offense and defense.

Obviously, the primary concern is Amile as K said Jones should be able to play the first real game.

Henderson
11-05-2015, 08:02 AM
Probably done with a portable c-arm fluoroscopy unit. New ones have very good digitized images which are as detailed as conventional X-rays. My guess is there is one in the locker room/training room. Usually, follow up conventional X-rays are done as a CYA for the docs.

*i are an X-ray engineer, and am involved with the X-ray equipment in the training room for the Atlanta Hawks.

What do you think the chances are that Duke doesn't have a new one?

Interesting info and cool job. If I ever get a dog, I'm going to name it Portable C-Arm Fluoroscopy Unit. We could call him Poopy for short.

sagegrouse
11-05-2015, 08:28 AM
Perhaps it was the four fouls in 13 minutes against a Division II team?

Make that four fouls in 25 minutes -- that was 13 points,not minutes. I keep misreading the scacchoops.com box score.

MCFinARL
11-05-2015, 08:41 AM
Make that four fouls in 25 minutes -- that was 13 points,not minutes. I keep misreading the scacchoops.com box score.

Yeah, that's easy to do. I think they have the points and minutes reversed from the way they usually are on the Duke website box scores.

Ichabod Drain
11-05-2015, 08:54 AM
People keep saying this, but so far the guy has been a per minute stat magnet:

CTC: 19.1 points per 40 minutes; 15.7 rebs per 40
Fla So: 23.3 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40
Liv: 20.8 pts per 40; 17.6 rebs per 40

TOTAL (3 exhibitions): 20.7 pts per 40; 16.7 rebs per 40

Those are really good numbers. I get that I'm talking about an intrasquad scrimmage and two Division II exhibitions, but he's scoring and rebounding at a prodigious clip, and in the two exhibitions he didn't miss a shot (8 for 8 from the field).

So what about his game has a ways to go? I'm really asking -- I haven't actually seen any of the three exhibitions.

I like Chase a lot. If the starting lineup stays similar to what it's been so far I think he will be huge off the bench for us. He's been playing well and he brings a ton of energy to the court. Same with Thornton coming off the bench though I see it more likely he works his way into the starting lineup in the future.

I like this team a lot also. It's going to be a fun year.

ETA: Funny stat, we were exactly 11-28 from three in both exhibition games. That's 39.3%, pretty decent.

whereinthehellami
11-05-2015, 09:23 AM
I just love to watch Kennard play. I think he has great vision and is an above average passer with creativity. I think his vision and understanding of the game translate well to the defensive side. He reminds me of Dave McClure (defensively) in the regard. He is just always around the ball. If you watch him on defensive, he seems one step ahead of the ball. Which is good because he has some physical limitations (foot speed, agility). He is also still forcing some shots but I think he shares the ball well overall.

Ingram's disruption on the defensive side of the ball last night was fun to watch. There were a couple Inspector Gadget moments watching the Livingstone guards trying to float passes over his head. There were a couple that Livinstone airmailed to be safe and you could see Ingram looking at them like he was tempted to try and get them. He scares me when he takes it into the lane as I expect him to crumple to the ground on contact. He takes up so much space, that he cause a lot of awkward contact. Color me scared when he faces ACC guys who have size and strength. I think he is going to be a streaky shooter as he doesn't square up all the time on his shots (see Kennard). Ingram seems to disappear to me on the offensive side sometimes. Maybe that is more because he makes it look easy? i can't believe he scored 24 last night.

DBFAN
11-05-2015, 09:31 AM
I agree about Jeter having a huge upside. I saw the first game and both he and Ingram obviously look like freshman. Sorta reminds me of watching McDonald's all American game, because nobody is really sure what they are doing out there especially on defense. When the freshman get the ball they always seem to go towards all the traffic when trying to score. Haven't learned that the path of least resistance is the best way, mainly because of the speed of the game. All of that will get better with time. I think the only big difference with Jeter and Ingram right now, is that Chase seems lost a little more, and isn't quite as assertive on the offensive end. Although when Ingram finds his shooting touch he is gonna be a nightmare in terms of match ups

jimsumner
11-05-2015, 09:47 AM
While the competition has not been great-Kennard expects to be a starter Being an excellent shooter makes him a confident player. Just ask the Currys. He just needs to get used to the speed of the game.

Kennard was 6-11 on 3s last night. When asked if he thought that was too much, K responded that he thought Kennard should have taken more.

So, he's got the green light.

Think J.J. Redick. Think Trajan Langdon. Think Seth Curry.

But don't think one-trick-pony. Kennard can handle, pass, rebound and is a better defender than I expected, although the latter is a work in progress, as it is with most freshman.

In the interval last spring between T. Jones announcing for the NBA and Thornton announcing he was re-classifying, Duke asked Kennard to work on his play-making skills. Duke got Thornton but Kennard still worked on his play-making skills and it shows.

And he's one tough son-of-a-gun. He was a Power-Five level QB prospect earlier in his high-school career and does not shy away from contact.

And of course being a decision-maker and playmaker on the gridiron should help those aspects of his basketball game.

Yes, this team is young and becomes younger if Jefferson is out for any appreciable length of time.

And yes they haven't played anybody. But couldn't the same thing be said about Okafor, Jones, Winslow and Allen this time last season?

Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not predicting the same outcome as last season and there will be rough spots. But if there's one thing we should have learned over the last few years, it is that young talent can prevail over slightly less-talented experience. This team has talent. Loads.

Some final words on Marshall Plumlee. Yes, his stat lines were good but you'd expect that against D-2 big men. But it was amazing how effective he was in transition. There were portions of the first half that looked like a track meet and you think that kind of game would have left Plumlee gasping for breath. But not only did he keep up but also he was finishing at the end of breaks, both on offense and defense.

I asked him about that and mentioned his earlier history of foot injuries but added that he had never worked so hard as he did over the summer. Previously, he knew he would only be going in for a minute or two at a time. Now he needs to be in better shape, both to play longer stints and also to avoid tired fouls. Duke needs him on the floor.

I had hoped for Plumlee to be a serviceable ACC big man this season. I think we may get more, not All-ACC or first-round draft but better than the four or so points and rebounds I was expecting.

Did anyone notice that Livingstone played 14 players in the first half last night? Think that's a lot? Well, their coach told us they could have as many as four--hopefully better--players rejoining them as the season progresses. Academic issues. Their style is to try and run other teams into the ground and I see how that could work in the CIAA.

But do not ask me how an 18-player team works. Do they have cuts in mid-season? Do they go all Spring Training and have split squads and play two different opponents on the same day?

UrinalCake
11-05-2015, 10:16 AM
I caught the game in pieces last night and it looked like we were playing some zone defense. Does it seem like this will be a regular thing, or was it more a function of sitting on a big lead? We have great length and athleticism so it seems like we're physically well-suited to play zone.

jimsumner
11-05-2015, 10:27 AM
I caught the game in pieces last night and it looked like we were playing some zone defense. Does it seem like this will be a regular thing, or was it more a function of sitting on a big lead? We have great length and athleticism so it seems like we're physically well-suited to play zone.

A little of both. I suspect holding down the score on a game but horribly over-matched opponent was a big part of it. But K did talk at some length in the post-game about Duke having a lot of defensive options.

Putting Ingram at the point of a zone press seems to be an attractive one.

And Ingram also will be a defensive asset on defending the in-bounds pass. Blocks out the Sun. K said Ingram would be defending the in-bounds pass in m2m or any kind of zone.

Billy Dat
11-05-2015, 10:52 AM
Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not predicting the same outcome as last season and there will be rough spots. But if there's one thing we should have learned over the last few years, it is that young talent can prevail over slightly less-talented experience. This team has talent. Loads.

Come on, Jim, commit yourself! ;^)

In all seriousness, your comments lift me up and I agree that the talent on this team is obvious. An early season clash with the talent at Kentucky will be a really interesting test for all these guys. One hopes that Amile and Matt Jones (and everyone else) are at full strength.

The team has been subject to some pretty big swings in media rank forecasting. Most had Duke as a top 10 team after all the recruiting classes and NBA/Transfer moves were finalized, but the release of the AP and Coaches Polls (#5 or #6) seem to have had the impact of many thinking Duke was rated too high and now I am seeing a lot of Duke at the back end of the top 10 type of stuff. Perhaps in the next week we'll start to climb back up these daily top 25s so we can go from properly rated to over rated to underrated to properly rated again all before the first official game is played - if, indeed, top 7 is "properly rated".

Lar77
11-05-2015, 10:56 AM
Read a lot of harsh words earlier. It's the second exhibition game for a team with a lot of new faces.

Hey, we beat a team wearing argyle trim.

I'm assuming a rapid learning curve between now and the 14th. Our first test is Kentucky in 2 weeks, although Siena has been to the NCAA as a program many times (don't know where they are this year).

It's a new season. Even the cheerleaders got interrupted from some of their routines.

The Good:

Marshall and Amile are looking much better. They have put the work in. More important, they are leaders.
Luke shows good court sense and awareness
Brandon is going to be a good defender (yes this was Livingstone, but it is a college team - not a Card Gym pickup. I have never seen as many deflections as yesterday at this level)
Grayson is good (and looks like he has hit the weights hard)
Thornton and Jeter played well (I want to call them both "Derek"). Jeter's fouls were silly fouls. Thornton can handle the ball and will be a good passer.

The Not So Good:

Tough to pick out the bad when you win by 60+ points.
Obi needs to improve mobility on defense
Cheap fouls by Jeter
I can't believe Brandon put on 20 pounds. I worry about him.
Injuries

Vrank reminded me a lot like Marshall as a freshman. Robinson came in and contributed (the Admiral was there).
Matt looks like he's grown a bit.

As I said earlier, Siena has had a good program in the past and will better indicate how we are meshing as a team.

This team will be exciting to watch. They can defend and move the ball well.

jimsumner
11-05-2015, 11:11 AM
Something to keep an eye on.

Vrankovic and Robinson have played in the exhibitions. True freshmen can play in exhibitions without compromising their potential redshirt status.

That protection goes away next week.

Redshirting either or both seems to make sense. But what if Jefferson is out for awhile? Without him and either of the guys mentioned above, Duke has an eight-man roster and yes, I know what Duke did with an eight-man roster last season but this is a different team.

Hopefully, AJ will be fine sooner rather than later and this is all moot.

Let me make one thing clear. There is no declaration of redshirt status. Duke could sit out Vrankovic for two months and then start playing him in January. But if he plays next week, there is no redshirt, unless he suddenly develops one of those mysterious hamstring strains that just doesn't go away, gosh darn it.

And to be clear, both could sit out the season and still make valuable contributions in practice.

Merlindevildog91
11-05-2015, 11:44 AM
Something to keep an eye on.

Vrankovic and Robinson have played in the exhibitions. True freshmen can play in exhibitions without compromising their potential redshirt status.

That protection goes away next week.

Redshirting either or both seems to make sense. But what if Jefferson is out for awhile? Without him and either of the guys mentioned above, Duke has an eight-man roster and yes, I know what Duke did with an eight-man roster last season but this is a different team.

Hopefully, AJ will be fine sooner rather than later and this is all moot.

Let me make one thing clear. There is no declaration of redshirt status. Duke could sit out Vrankovic for two months and then start playing him in January. But if he plays next week, there is no redshirt, unless he suddenly develops one of those mysterious hamstring strains that just doesn't go away, gosh darn it.

And to be clear, both could sit out the season and still make valuable contributions in practice.

Thanks for the clarification, Jim. I wondered if exhibition games counted for purposes of compromising redshirts. I wasn't sure, given the arcane and bizarre nature of the NCAA, if they did or not.

CDu
11-05-2015, 12:06 PM
Thanks for the clarification, Jim. I wondered if exhibition games counted for purposes of compromising redshirts. I wasn't sure, given the arcane and bizarre nature of the NCAA, if they did or not.

Alex Murphy played in exhibition games his freshman year, then redshirted. As Jim said, as long as you don't play regular season games, you can redshirt.

I would be very surprised if we didn't redshirt both Robinson and Vrankovic. I say that even if Jefferson misses a few games (or weeks) early in the season. The reason is that we have three big guys ahead of those two, and Ingram can fill in for spot minutes at the PF spot anyway (heck, most folks had him playing 10+ mpg at PF anyway).

Remember - plenty of folks have talked about the logjam we have at PF/C. The discussion has been about whether or not Obi (or Jeter) would get squeezed out of the rotation entirely, as Coach K has rarely played 4 bigs significant minutes. So if Jefferson is out, I'd expect Jeter, Plumlee, and Obi to each get more minutes than expected to fill that void. No reason to waste a redshirt year for what would amount to a couple of minutes here and there until Jefferson returns.

NSDukeFan
11-05-2015, 12:16 PM
...great stuff as usual...

Did anyone notice that Livingstone played 14 players in the first half last night? Think that's a lot? Well, their coach told us they could have as many as four--hopefully better--players rejoining them as the season progresses. Academic issues. Their style is to try and run other teams into the ground and I see how that could work in the CIAA.

But do not ask me how an 18-player team works. Do they have cuts in mid-season? Do they go all Spring Training and have split squads and play two different opponents on the same day?

Wow! Think of the minutes discussions we could have!

jimsumner
11-05-2015, 12:27 PM
Wow! Think of the minutes discussions we could have!

:)

Let me give you an advantage that comes with playing boatloads of folks. Livingstone committed 31 fouls last night without having anyone foul out. Think about that while. That's astonishing.

Whatever else Coach Hinson may have to worry about, he may not spend much time worrying about foul trouble.

Chillduck
11-05-2015, 12:58 PM
Was at the game last night, and I came away impressed with Chase Jeter. He is better than the high school games that I saw him play in. He is very active, and seems to have good court awareness. His biggest weakness is freshman defense (playing more with your hands than your feet). Luke Kennard will one day lead the ACC in scoring. He is a great shooter, but he is a scorer as well. Just look at the high school all-star games he played in. He also will be one of Duke's all-time most hated players. This team also is a much better free throw shooting team than last year's team. I am looking forward to a growing and maturing team by March.

MarkD83
11-05-2015, 01:25 PM
Wow! Think of the minutes discussions we could have!

Actually, I would list the roster alphabetically and then rotate in 5 guys at a time. (Wait someone already tried taht down the road.)

Olympic Fan
11-05-2015, 01:32 PM
Thanks for the clarification, Jim. I wondered if exhibition games counted for purposes of compromising redshirts. I wasn't sure, given the arcane and bizarre nature of the NCAA, if they did or not.

The rules are more bizarre than you think -- Coach K explained last week that true freshmen can play in exhibitions and still redshirt ... upperclassmen can not (an exhibition appearance burns their redshirt opportunity).

Explain that one to me!

COYS
11-05-2015, 05:41 PM
I finally got around to paying for BDN+ so I could watch the game last night. It was my first chance to watch the team play and I came away pretty impressed with the potential of this year's squad. I hope Amile and Matt both have speedy recoveries. Still, it was interested to see all of the new faces get extended minutes. I'm not sure I have any new observations, but a couple of things stood out to me.

1. Luke is going to play. Of the guards not named Derryck, he's got the best handle. His outside shooting ability is going to be invaluable for keeping the floor spread. I know it was a DII team, but he was better on defense than I anticipated. Dare I say he actually looked really good on D? Again, this was overmatched competition, but he had complete control of his game and did exactly what he wanted. Also, did anyone else notice about three or four plays where Luke and Grayson traded off playing a little drive n' kick two-man game resulting in some nice threes? It showed the two have already developed some chemistry.

2. Grayson is going to need time to develop consistency. I've mentioned this before, but Grayson reminds me a lot of Gerald Henderson. Their games aren't exactly similar, obviously, but their athletic ability and strengths balanced with their weaknesses are similar. Gerald was a ridiculous leaper and strong driver with a pretty sweet midrange game. He was also a strong defender. Grayson is a strong driver and really great leaper with a really good outside shot (something Gerald never really developed). He plays insanely hard on defense. However, both guys are/were limited a bit by their handle. Grayson's assist numbers have been excellent so far . . . but he also forces the action and over-penetrates with nowhere to go on occasion (he had 4 turnovers but also got lucky once or twice when he drove into traffic and lost the ball but it bounced to a teammate). He also gambles all the time on defense. Again, that didn't really hurt against a completely overmatched Livingstone squad. But against more veteran teams, I think that type of gambling can hurt us. Gerald's sophomore season was good, but a little inconsistent (granted, his wrist injury halfway through the season didn't help). It wasn't until his junior year that he fully realized his potential, became a star for Duke, and turned himself into a lottery pick. I wouldn't be surprised to see Grayson turn in a sophomore season a little bit like Gerald's. His obvious potential will shine through many nights, but I'm not sure that he'll be a consistent star, just yet. However, give Grayson some time to learn to pick his spots and he might transform himself into a star by the end of the year.

3. Jeter is good. He rebounds. He seems to have good hands. He makes quick, strong moves to score when he gets the ball on an offensive board. He jumps quickly without having to gather himself. He moves on defense. Yes, he had 4 fouls in the exhibition, but it was because he was hustling on D, rotating to cover guards, etc. Even when he committed fouls, he was usually doing the right thing . . . just a little overzealously. That will improve with experience. And with all of our post depth, he doesn't really have to worry about fouling, too much. Anyway, he seems like a guy who is a perfect substitute for Amile. He'll rebound, play D, and has the ability to put the ball in the basket when given the chance. He gets my vote for first big off the bench assuming Marshall and Amile continue to start.

4. Brandon is really unique. Everyone's been saying it. But this was my first chance to see him play. His spinning and-one lefty layup in the first half where he used his long legs to get to the basket after picking up his dribble just inside the top of the key without traveling was . . . just wow. You got to see all of his strengths on that move. His handle, his balance, his body control, his coordination, and, to complete the whole thing, his finishing ability. One of the commentators (was it Nolan?) said that his body type and fluid movements make it seem like he's not trying very hard and then suddenly it hits you just how amazing what he just did really is. He had a few offensive moves like that. He also poured in the points without me realizing how much he had scored. For such a gifted player, his point total snuck up on me.

However, I think the challenge with Brandon will be figuring out where the best spot is to get him the ball to get the most out of his offense. I love the idea of spreading the floor and letting him work one-on-one from the wing. Most defenders won't be able to handle him. Even smaller, quicker defenders will have a hard time preventing him from getting to the basket because even if they are in front of him, he can use his length and agility to slink around them just enough for a layup. Bigger defenders will be hung out to dry by his quickness. The thing is, we'll need shooters on the court to make this happen so that when the defense helps, we can make them pay from three. This will be tough with both Amile, Marshall, or any of our other post players on the court as a pair. The other thing I'd like to see more of is the dribble hand-off curl play. We ran this a lot for Tyus last season. I think I actually saw Derryck run it once for himself. But with Brandon's size, I love the idea of running a motion offense, letting Brandon hand the ball to a guard at the wing, run baseline and curl off a screen from a big guy to receive the ball near the free throw line. From there, he's one step from the basket with his length, has the ability to shoot the little 10-12 foot bunny J, kick out to a shooter, or hit one of our post players on the weak side if the defense helps onto him.

5. Derryck is very, very fast and very, very quick. Whatever his weaknesses might be, he will manufacture a bucket or two per game just by outracing everyone down the court. When he's in the game, he seems to be the primary ball-handler. However, he's clearly learning how to run the team. That said, his handle and speed are a serious asset. And his quickness on the defensive end has got to be as good as any guard we've had since Duhon. Obviously, he's got to learn how to play D at the college level, but Derryck gives the team an extra gear that I think will come in handy many times this season.

Bob Green
11-05-2015, 05:49 PM
Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not predicting the same outcome as last season and there will be rough spots. But if there's one thing we should have learned over the last few years, it is that young talent can prevail over slightly less-talented experience. This team has talent. Loads.

This is all I need to hear about the exhibition game. The team has talent and a coach who has a track record of developing talent.


I had hoped for Plumlee to be a serviceable ACC big man this season. I think we may get more, not All-ACC or first-round draft but better than the four or so points and rebounds I was expecting.

I might not need to hear this, but I certainly enjoy hearing it. If Plumlee is a legit player against ACC level competition, we will be a tough out. I have my doubts and I've expressed my doubts, but I will defer to Jim's observations.