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View Full Version : Marques Bolden: Sophomore Version



Spanarkel
09-28-2017, 08:04 AM
Highly recommend this several minute clip of Marques and Coach Capel reviewing game tape together, discussing Marques' strengths/areas for improvement and hinting at how he can really contribute this season!

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/912712545491861506

Indoor66
09-28-2017, 08:25 AM
Highly recommend this several minute clip of Marques and Coach Capel reviewing game tape together, discussing Marques' strengths/areas for improvement and hinting at how he can really contribute this season!

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/912712545491861506

WHY, always, the pounding music? Makes it unwatchable for me.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
09-28-2017, 08:38 AM
WHY, always, the pounding music? Makes it unwatchable for me.

It exists to both get fans pumped and, frankly, as propaganda for the program and other potential athletes. Makes sense to me to put it to a bumping soundtrack.

BeachBlueDevil
09-28-2017, 08:42 AM
Very interesting video. Marques has all the tools genetically to be a force on the inside but he's got to want it and only time will tell if he does indeed want it.

uh_no
09-28-2017, 08:46 AM
Very interesting video. Marques has all the tools genetically to be a force on the inside but he's got to want it and only time will tell if he does indeed want it.

ah yes. questioning a players "heart" before the season even starts! classic.

having physical "tools" isn't the only thing that matters. I'm tall enough to play PG, but suck at it. Does that mean I just didn't want it enough?

Developing skills takes time, just look at the plumlees. Just because you're a big guy and may take a season or two to learn the skills to be successful doesn't mean a player "doesn't want it enough"


Players that don't want it enough quickly find their ways to other programs.

jv001
09-28-2017, 08:51 AM
ah yes. questioning a players "heart" before the season even starts! classic.

having physical "tools" isn't the only thing that matters. I'm tall enough to play PG, but suck at it. Does that mean I just didn't want it enough?

Developing skills takes time, just look at the plumlees. Just because you're a big guy and may take a season or two to learn the skills to be successful doesn't mean a player "doesn't want it enough"


Players that don't want it enough quickly find their ways to other programs.

I agree with uh_no on this. Bolden came to Duke as a highly regarded freshman who probably dominated at the high school level. But playing at Duke in a tough ACC is much tougher and it probably knocked him back a little. Then he get's injured and loses valuable practice time and in-game experience. I'm looking for Bolden to be a pleasant surprise to many of his critics this season. GoDuke!

superdave
09-28-2017, 09:25 AM
I agree with uh_no on this. Bolden came to Duke as a highly regarded freshman who probably dominated at the high school level. But playing at Duke in a tough ACC is much tougher and it probably knocked him back a little. Then he get's injured and loses valuable practice time and in-game experience. I'm looking for Bolden to be a pleasant surprise to many of his critics this season. GoDuke!

Bolden is very mobile with good footwork and really good athleticism. His motor has been questioned at times by scouts and by himself - "Bolden said he most wants to improve “my motor,” and these three days represented a missed opportunity in that regard." http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/usa-basketball-fiba-u-19-world-cup-marques-bolden-duke-coach-k-injury/3z89pnldpthj16d2d3ibn1xap

I look forward to his season. I think he can be a rim protector, rebounder and get a lot of dunks by taking up paint space. Having a true pg will be big for him. His limitations will be the minutes Bagley and Carter command and Bolden's ability to stay out of foul trouble.

I expect Bolden to average 20 minutes and about 6 and 6...and declare victory and go pro. He's got big NBA potential if he can add muscle and develop a mid-range game.

Ultrarunner
09-28-2017, 09:40 AM
I agree with uh_no on this. Bolden came to Duke as a highly regarded freshman who probably dominated at the high school level. But playing at Duke in a tough ACC is much tougher and it probably knocked him back a little. Then he get's injured and loses valuable practice time and in-game experience. I'm looking for Bolden to be a pleasant surprise to many of his critics this season. GoDuke!

The other factor that came into play with Bolden was style of defense. He did well at hedging but not in icing. I am really curious to see how we set the defense this year.

The offensive skills will come (probably). Big guys are slower on that end once they start competing against men their own size.

Excited to see him in action this year.

IrishDevil
09-28-2017, 10:04 AM
If memory serves, when Marques was on The Offseason with Jon Scheyer, he mentioned that he actually came to focus on basketball late - I think 7th or 8th grade was when he really began to put his eggs in the bball basket, so to speak. He's not Josh McRoberts or Anthony Davis, a kid who played basketball from early on and just grew into a big man; he's a defensive end who got down in his stance one day toward the end of middle school and realized that he was so tall, he should probably look harder at sports where height is an advantage instead of a disadvantage. With big men typically taking longer to develop anyway, getting a late start probably leaves a lot of room for growth in coordination and skill at this stage. I'm excited about the prospect of his growth in those areas, coupled with his formidable physical gifts.

Steven43
09-28-2017, 10:08 AM
ah yes. questioning a players "heart" before the season even starts! classic.

having physical "tools" isn't the only thing that matters. I'm tall enough to play PG, but suck at it. Does that mean I just didn't want it enough?

Developing skills takes time, just look at the plumlees. Just because you're a big guy and may take a season or two to learn the skills to be successful doesn't mean a player "doesn't want it enough"


Players that don't want it enough quickly find their ways to other programs.
Wow. Going hard after a fellow DBR poster, and early in the morning no less. Are you sure you suck at PG, uh_no? You appear to have the requisite intensity/tenacity. You might be selling yourself short.

Troublemaker
09-28-2017, 10:15 AM
The other factor that came into play with Bolden was style of defense. He did well at hedging but not in icing. I am really curious to see how we set the defense this year.

Based on the few preseason clips we've see on Duke MBB twitter (so small sample and I could be wrong), we seem to be going with the hedge this season. That's a surprise to me but probably good for Marques as you mentioned (and as Capel showed in that video).

Quick side note: it would've been interesting to see how well junior and senior year MP3 would've hedged. He showed a lot of promise as an underclassman with the hedge but we went away from that tactic for the two years when he was an upperclassman. That's what I was expecting for this season, too, but looks like I could be wrong.

Indoor66
09-28-2017, 10:17 AM
The other factor that came into play with Bolden was style of defense. He did well at hedging but not in icing. I am really curious to see how we set the defense this year.

The offensive skills will come (probably). Big guys are slower on that end once they start competing against men their own size.

Excited to see him in action this year.

He probably liked yard work and preferred brownies to cake.

gotoguy
09-28-2017, 10:23 AM
He probably liked yard work and preferred brownies to cake.

Hey, I like iced brownies. No nuts please.

Marques can run the floor. If he's on the floor I bet he gets some easy dunks in transition.

superdave
09-28-2017, 10:28 AM
Mason averaged 7.2 and 8.5 in 25.9 minutes as a sophomore on a team designed to feature Nolan, Kyle and Kyrie. Not sure Bolden averages that many minutes, but the stats per minute seem about right. Mason played well but only got a few looks each game. He was mostly setting screens, rebounding, doing the dirty work stuff. Kyrie may have gotten him a few more looks had he stayed healthy.


https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/mason-plumlee-1.html

BeachBlueDevil
09-28-2017, 11:34 AM
ah yes. questioning a players "heart" before the season even starts! classic.

having physical "tools" isn't the only thing that matters. I'm tall enough to play PG, but suck at it. Does that mean I just didn't want it enough?

Developing skills takes time, just look at the plumlees. Just because you're a big guy and may take a season or two to learn the skills to be successful doesn't mean a player "doesn't want it enough"


Players that don't want it enough quickly find their ways to other programs.

At times last year he looked like he didn't want anything. Is it questioning heart? Maybe but I don't look at it as so. The time he had on the court ranged from fantastic to lackluster. He also often sat on the bench and didn't look like he was entirely into the game. Then rumors swirled he might leave because he was unhappy and other high touted bigs were coming in.

As far as having the tools which are both genetic and skill, he showed glimpses of them. Again, I think it comes back to wanting to be great. Not every player wants that and they either find it or don't.

rhynelander
09-28-2017, 11:39 AM
Love that the clip almost exclusively featured hightlights from the Miami game. That was one of the games I was lucky enough to attend and I remember Bolden really moving his feet well on defense to help us go on a early run in the second half that broke the game open. It gave a glimpse, but proved to not be a consistent theme throughout last season. He'll definitely get some putbacks and gimmies this year, but I think he'll earn his minutes rim protecting and gobbling up boards. I know the defense is tough for freshman, especially injured/ill ones; but hoping Bolden has a better feel for it last year. I think the Miami game was one of the games that Jefferson shoved Bolden into the right position on defense. If memory serves, in the Miami game, Amile actually pushed Marques into position in time for him to thwart the play. Counting down the days 'till that open scrimage...

sagegrouse
09-28-2017, 12:41 PM
At times last year he looked like he didn't want anything. Is it questioning heart? Maybe but I don't look at it as so. The time he had on the court ranged from fantastic to lackluster. He also often sat on the bench and didn't look like he was entirely into the game. Then rumors swirled he might leave because he was unhappy and other high touted bigs were coming in.

As far as having the tools which are both genetic and skill, he showed glimpses of them. Again, I think it comes back to wanting to be great. Not every player wants that and they either find it or don't.

Said many times here: Be cautious about reading the facial expressions and body language of a player you don't know personally and see only on the basketball court.

BD80
09-28-2017, 01:19 PM
Said many times here: Be cautious about reading the facial expressions and body language of a player you don't know personally and see only on the basketball court.

Particularly if he raised when the dealer turned over an Ace on the flop.

jimsumner
09-28-2017, 02:15 PM
It's no secret that Bolden's "motor" has been an issue during his career.

DevilFalcon
09-29-2017, 10:49 AM
Mason averaged 7.2 and 8.5 in 25.9 minutes as a sophomore on a team designed to feature Nolan, Kyle and Kyrie. Not sure Bolden averages that many minutes, but the stats per minute seem about right. Mason played well but only got a few looks each game. He was mostly setting screens, rebounding, doing the dirty work stuff. Kyrie may have gotten him a few more looks had he stayed healthy.


https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/mason-plumlee-1.html


Pull out only Mason's games when Kyrie was healthy, he was scoring plenty on easy looks and transition. I specifically remember a 20-plus point game from him early in the season.

Since we actually have a point guard this year, I would expect Bolden to get his share if he's on the floor. And that's not counting the rebound/put back. I don't think you can place Mason's season up to Bolden's and assume that's an accurate comparison since there are so many variables.

If he brings the energy and has the drive to rebound he will do just fine. The talking heads don't mention him very much when speaking about this team, but I think they are in for a surprise.

Kedsy
09-29-2017, 11:54 AM
Pull out only Mason's games when Kyrie was healthy, he was scoring plenty on easy looks and transition. I specifically remember a 20-plus point game from him early in the season.

While all this is true, I think it might have been a bit overstated at the time. Mason did have an amazing game against Marquette, in which he scored 25 with 12 rebounds (including 6 offensive boards, his tops for that season), but he didn't score more than 10 points in any other game before Kyrie got injured. Still, even not counting Marquette, he scored 8.4 ppg before Kyrie got hurt, and 6.2 ppg afterwards that season, so there may have been a Kyrie effect (though the difference also might be explained by the fact that the entire ACC schedule happened after Kyrie got hurt), but either way the effect wasn't nearly as large as people made it out to be.