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dukelion
03-14-2007, 11:46 AM
Ok all this Lance Thomas talk got me wondering why I was so excited when he choose Duke over Rutgers.

For much of the season Lance has simply been a defensive sub and as of late he rarely even attempts to shoot.

So I thought to myself that he simply doesn't have a jump shot yet and relied soley on his athletic skill in highschool to score points (i.e fast break dunks and lay-ins).

Then I watched these clips and was blown away!

Turn around jumper?

Baseline J?

Three point range?

Why doesn't he at least attempt some of these shots now that he is at Duke?

Pressure got to him?

Anyways....the three vid clips are on the right hand side.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=26544#videos

DukeBlood
03-14-2007, 12:41 PM
Ok all this Lance Thomas talk got me wondering why I was so excited when he choose Duke over Rutgers.

For much of the season Lance has simply been a defensive sub and as of late he rarely even attempts to shoot.

So I thought to myself that he simply doesn't have a jump shot yet and relied soley on his athletic skill in highschool to score points (i.e fast break dunks and lay-ins).

Then I watched these clips and was blown away!

Turn around jumper?

Baseline J?

Three point range?

Why doesn't he at least attempt some of these shots now that he is at Duke?

Pressure got to him?

Anyways....the three vid clips are on the right hand side.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=26544#videos

I could film a highlight clip of myself and make it look good. Ok, Maybe not me.. But you get my point.

I will admit, He hasn't Shown ANY of that range at this level. Also, I believe he is capable of such and should work on a nice jump shot. Same with McRoberts, There were a few of his HS clips where he knocked down a 3 or two.

Not quite sure why certain players cant hit it in HS and not in college? Obviously in most cases the defense is way better, but in some cases (especially McRoberts) he is always open for a 3.

Clipsfan
03-14-2007, 01:16 PM
I had a couple quick thoughts having watched those clips again:

I'm glad he cut his hair.

He actually has a decent stroke, it's not surprising that he can hit shots.

Even on the highlights, he plays below the basket. No dunks, no tremendous elevation.

Troublemaker
03-14-2007, 01:42 PM
Even on the highlights, he plays below the basket. No dunks, no tremendous elevation.

Agreed. Lance is a good athlete but he definitely needs a jumpshot to open up his inside scoring game because he's not going to just elevate over people. Once he gets folks to respect his midrange jumper, he can use his quickness to drive and finish (with added strength as well). Otherwise, they'll just sit back and wait.

imagepro
03-14-2007, 01:53 PM
It looks like he is pretty darned versatile. It shows he likes to play outside also, and not just posting with his back to the basket and waiting for an entry pass.

The point above by BlueBlood regarding highlights making anyone look good, holds some merit, as they can make you look good. You show oonly the best, not the worst. However, as a sports photographer (still, not video) , I have NEVER been able to make someone look better than they are. Well, almost never anyway. For example in surfing, a kid will come up after a session and say, "Did you get me in the tube?", or whatever they might refer to, when in reality they didn't get in the tube. They only thought they did. Or they "thought" they did some big move, or look better than they do. I think you understand my point.

To me, Lance shows nice versality in the clips. He looks more comfortable creating stuff, than posting up and waiting for an entry pass. In fact, I don't think I saw that once. It looks to me as if he might be more comfortable touching/handling the ball more on the perimeter. Th vids show nice passing, getting out in transition, range and that he knows how to use the glass. An almost forgotten art. He showed nice touch also, if you look at the arch on his shots. Very nice in fact.

I may be wrong, as he may not be able to handle the ball outside at the NCAA level as opposed to HS. One thing for sure however, he could do it there!

Just what I saw from the clips. And it was interesting. Thanks for posting it!

DukeBlood
03-14-2007, 01:59 PM
It looks like he is pretty darned versatile. It shows he likes to play outside also, and not just posting with his back to the basket and waiting for an entry pass.

The point above by BlueBlood regarding highlights making anyone look good, holds some merit, as they can make you look good. You show oonly the best, not the worst. However, as a sports photographer (still, not video) , I have NEVER been able to make someone look better than they are. Well, almost never anyway. For example in surfing, a kid will come up after a session and say, "Did you get me in the tube?", or whatever they might refer to, when in reality they didn't get in the tube. They only thought they did. Or they "thought" they did some big move, or look better than they do. I think you understand my point.

To me, Lance shows nice versality in the clips. He looks more comfortable creating stuff, than posting up and waiting for an entry pass. In fact, I don't think I saw that once. It looks to me as if he might be more comfortable touching/handling the ball more on the perimeter. Th vids show nice passing, getting out in transition, range and that he knows how to use the glass. An almost forgotten art. He showed nice touch also, if you look at the arch on his shots. Very nice in fact.

I may be wrong, as he may not be able to handle the ball outside at the NCAA level as opposed to HS. One thing for sure however, he could do it there!

Just what I saw from the clips. And it was interesting. Thanks for posting it!

Heh, Almost got my name right ;). I used to think Highlight clips meant thats what this player can be.. Did you see some of Shav's Highlight clips? That guy looked unstoppable! I used to get too into thinking a good highlight clip meant this kid can be a big time player..

Say Lance Thomas is a 20% 3-point shooter, but they only show his makes(Obviously- Why would they show his misses?) They show all his makes, So he gets a reputation of being a Mid-Ranged/3-point shooter when really he only shot 20%(In some cases, not saying Lance did this). He does have a nice looking shot so I imagine he shot a little higher %.

Dukefan4Life
03-14-2007, 02:42 PM
If Lance really does have an offense game id like to see it! I dont know why we are using him the way we are, it seems when he is on the floor all he does is set screens! I would like to see him and Z involved in the offense alot more! i was told Z has alot of moves inside!

imagepro
03-14-2007, 04:29 PM
I try to rush sometimes. I'll get your name right next time! Twas not intentional--- But your point was on target.....

phaedrus
03-14-2007, 04:55 PM
zoubek does have moves, and we've seen them at the beginning of the season. some may not believe me, but we actually had a game this year - against a D1 team - where zoubek and thomas were our #1 and 2 scorers.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/boxscores/2006/11/12/41755_boxscore.html

the question is: will these skills eventually translate against the best in the country?

Kewlswim
03-14-2007, 08:30 PM
Hi,

If one goes to a number of services, such as GODUKE.COM, one can see an uncut interview with Coach K before they left for Buffalo, think it was shot on Tuesday. Anyway, in the clip Coach K talks about how in the last few practices Lance has looked particularly good.

I am excited to see what he will do on Thursday. I think a week of rest might have been just what the doctor ordered. Then again, nobody seems to know why they stopped playing defense and why the communication broke down so maybe they need more than a week to fix their problems. I sure hope not.

GO DUKE!

DukeBlood
03-15-2007, 01:00 AM
I try to rush sometimes. I'll get your name right next time! Twas not intentional--- But your point was on target.....

Hah, No worries. It would take alot more then you butchering my screem name to get me upset. I try to have a good time on these boards and be reasonable. Just have some fun takin some basketball. You dont have to get it right, as long as i know your post is meant for me then its ok :). Well everyone have a good night