Memphis is going to be a very interesting team this upcoming season. In a lot of ways, they will mirror Duke. There is a lot of top-end talent but questions about the way it all fits together. They have questions about their point guard play, in particular.
Bates was discussing his decision and the pitch that Penny Hardaway made to him. Bates said that Hardaway envisions him as a point-forward, a player that can initiate the offense. That seems optimistic considering Bates is not known as a particularly good passer or distributor. Bates has been criticized for being a shot taker and scorer that hasn't had to get his teammates involved much. Jalen Duren is another player that, while talented and skilled, is not known as a playmaker. He strikes me as a jack-of-all-trades type rather than overly dominant in one area. The rest of the roster has talent. Landers Nolley is a very talented wing that will help with spacing. The same can be said for Lester Quinones. DeAndre Williams, a 6'9" F, might be their best passer. He's a Swiss Army Knife kind of player. You put those five out there and you've got a TALL and LONG team that goes 6'5", 6'7", 6'9", 6'9", and 6'10". Memphis had a really good defense last year and I expect they will again this season. The offense was atrocious, though, and they continue to lack an obvious playmaker on the roster. Alex Lomax, a 6'0" PG, only plays sparingly, and he and Williams have been turnover prone. I'm sure Memphis will be better on offense this upcoming season and a terror in transition. I just wonder if their ceiling is not quite as high as the talent suggests on account of the lack of playmaking.