Originally Posted by
kAzE
I didn't get to see this game live, but I was able to watch the replay, and I agree with the somewhat mixed reaction thus far in this thread, there were some positives and negatives to this game, for sure.
First the huge positive is that Tre Jones is capable of this type of offensive performance. His defense is a constant, and we know he's a playmaker on that end, but the fact that he was able to carry the team on offense at all is a new development. He has not done this in his career until now, and this is a good sign, IMO. On a night when not many other guys were stepping up in terms of scoring, Tre was able to carry the load, and I honestly didn't think he had this type of performance in him, so kudos to him. I hope the 3 point accuracy was not a fluke, that's going to be big for him, if he can keep it going from deep.
Loved what saw from Carey. He really used his size and strength to his advantage in this one, and that is what we need from him.
Joey Baker got more minutes, at Alex O'Connell's expense. He's clearly one of the two best shooters we have, if not the best. I predicted that Alex would begin the year as a starter on this team, but I took a wild guess that Joey would eventually replace him, and this seemed like a step in that direction. However, I do think that at least in the short term, Alex will remain the "starter," and Coach K will go with the hot hand. Where this eventually goes, I have no idea. I will say that I thought Joey's defense was fine. I don't quite agree with some other posters' criticism of his effort on that end. Coach K clearly felt he was contributing enough to keep him out there for 15 minutes in this game.
Turns out Cassius Stanley is human, after all. However, I'm not worried. I think he is one of the few two way players on this team, and I strongly suspect he will start every game this season as long as he stays healthy. I think the ship has sailed on Wendell Moore taking his spot.
Speaking of Moore, I have optimism that he will eventually find his role on this team, but he has a long way to go. I think he needs to readjust his expectations of his own ability at this level. He's competing against athletes of his own caliber or better now, and it's only going to get harder. He needs to understand his limitations, especially on offense. He is a big and strong kid, but he is not extremely quick, and he is not the most explosive athlete.
I kept hearing about Javin's improvement from coaches and other players, but I haven't seen it thus far. He's still a foul machine (usually senior big men have learned how to avoid fouls) and has developed no new skills on the offensive end. I once thought he would become a more athletic Amile Jefferson, but I've been disappointed. He is still (on paper) our best defensive center, but I expect more from him.