Absolutely agree that Poole is a below average athlete, however he is a double threat off PnR…which is how JB uses guards at UM. Poole can shoot off the bounce from midrange or 3, and has adequate passing and handling skills to create dumpoffs when the opposing bigs show. What we have now are 1 dimensional PnR players. Walton is only a threat to pass because he can’t finish or shoot off the bounce, Zak’s handle is too lose to even run PnR and his midrange shot is inconsistent. The other thing that will help Poole is that he’s 6’4 as opposed to 6’0 like Derrick.
Ideally, you want a triple threat off PnR, those are the type of players that are nearly unstoppable. They can finish at the rim, shoot off the bounce, or find the big for the dumpoff. Basically we needed someone like Josh Langord…he can do all 3. That is truly the difference between a top 25 player and a top 50-75 player. Poole can do 2, and while he is vertically challenged, he does display good body control…now you have some insight as to why I thought Poole was a top 60ish player as opposed to top 40.
Again, a player that I think could have really helped us that we never seriously pursued…Devon Daniels from Kalamazoo (signed with Utah). He had the tools to be a triple threat in PnR. When I first brought him to the board roughly a year ago he was an unknown, unranked player. Now he’s a 4 star to Scout, and between 170-210 on the other 3 sites…which criminal in my opinion. Those are the type of players we need to target IMO if we can’t obtain top 50 guys. We need triple threat players, but JB has explicitly stated that he prioritizes shooting and passing over other attributes.
Speaking of Utah, I like their coach as a potential replacement for when JB is done here. Spent 10 years in the NBA as a backup and has had success as a HC at two colleges. Don’t know if he is a morman and likes being there or not.
I have watched videos on all our guys. It is just my opinion so I will throw it out there. I have been saying for weeks that I am more worried about our guards moving forward than I am worried about our bigs at this point. Donnal has turned a corner. I like the way he is playing and I think he will be better next year. Teske lacks strength and motor and I doubt he will be ready next year. The thing I love about him is he is actually seems 7 feet tall. Donnal and Doyle are undersized. Are either of them really more than 6’9"? Maybe Doyle is, although he seems to be getting shorter but Donnal appears to be in the 6’8" range to me. I also think it is strange that people think Teske looks awkward. I think Teske looks very coordinated and agile for a true 7 foot tall high school kid. He can actually move laterally–that is huge. He has good timing when blocking shots and seems light-footed in half court (for a 7 footer). He is relatively fluid in his motions. I am worried that he does not seem to run the floor well. He has a low vertical but he does seem to get off the floor quickly. With strength and conditioning I think he could be very good. Comparing him to Haas I really don’t see a difference in verticality. Neither can jump. Haas is much stronger, runs the floor better, but there is no comparing Teske’s coordination, agility, and lateral movement to Haas. Teske is better in those categories, in my opinion. I think Teske has the potential to be good by his Junior year.
And that’s the thing, his junior year. Well we have 2 more years before that where we will need SOMETHING at center. Donnal can’t do anything besides play off our guards and disappears far more often than plays well. Doyle has the size but moves like a turtle, and with no jumper and a weak finishing ability, it limits him quite a bit. I strongly believe when dj gets his head straight, he can be s great player. Has all the tools to hit shots and attack off the pick n roll. plus can shoot 3s with shot blocking ability. Not mNy guys across the country have all those tools. I’m hoping this summer he puts in the work necessary to play big minutes.
I have faith Donnal will be solid next year and I find DJ and Wagner very intriguing. I guess that is why I don’t expect there to be a need for Teske to contribute next year anyway. The team will fail if we do not get a guard or develop our current guards, to execute the high pick and roll efficiently (against good teams). That is what worries me.
The problem with DJ is he really has no utility at the moment. Basically DJ doesn’t have enough skill to play the perimeter, and he’s too weak/soft to defend the post, nor does he have enough footwork to be a back to the basket player on offense. Hopefully he improves in one of those areas. DJ needs to adjust his motor big time in order to make a real impact
I think Simpson and MAAR in 2 years with Poole behind them is a good backcourt. Of the 6 bigs that will be in our roster, I see dj and Wagner as the two ideal beilein bigs. I don’t like donnal at all mainly because it looks like he is never trying out there. Granted, he has had a few great games I’ll give him that. Then there’s games where you wonder if he’s even on scholarship. I’m hoping for big things this summer from wilson and Wagner. They both posses unique offensive skill sets that could make next year a bit better if a team.
I greatly disagree. I saw him defend hammonds in a near perfect way 3 or 4 times in the Purdue game. He has the defensive ability to guard. The main reason he doesn’t play is because his pick and roll is only pick n pop right now. When he figures out the puck n roll game to where beilein can trust he’ll do the right thing, He can be a great weapon.
The big mistake this year to me is that we didn’t play dj and mo more in the beginning. I feel, without a doubt, the two bigs with the highest ceiling are these two. Even higher than Davis and teske. Having such a short lease on both of them early in the year was a big blow to their confidence and you could see it on the floor whenever they came in later on in the year. Again, this summer is huge for both of them.
He has no pick and pop game, because he can’t shoot. Wilson was 1/10 from deep during conference play. His problems are mechanical, he doesn’t get enough arch on his shot because he doesn’t elevate his arm from the shoulder to the elbow. Until he extends his shoulders vertically, he will continue to shoot line drives. If you think he’s a good defender, I respect that, just disagree. Having ability is very different that actually executing. IMO, he doesn’t play for a variety of reasons, mainly because he’s not better than the options in front of him.
The problem with these type of players (DJ and Mo) is the transition cost…it take a LONG time. These guys are essentially oversized wings that have never played the post before, and simply aren’t accustomed to the physicality of B10 play. That is the problem with JB small ball…he’s basically asking guys to do things they simply cannot do. It will take 2-3 years for these guys to be even average defenders in the post, and the team remains mediocre as we wait for them to get up to speed.
Fair enough. In February, donnal played 7 games. In 5 of those he had 8 or less points and 4 or fewer rebounds. He recorded 1 rebound 3 TIMES. Come on man, that’s an absolute joke. I truly believe donnal only plays more because he rotates correctly in defense and can roll to the rim better. But how do you learn these things? Playing games, not practice. Donnal is who he is, with very small improvements besides 2/3 games and he was Only good because our guards dominated those games. I see so much more potential in dj and Wagner than all 4 other bigs. Am I wrong in seeing that?
I agree, we don’t have a single big that is above average on the roster…that being said, what does it say about DJ that he’s stuck behind Donnal with those type of numbers? Donnal has proved serviceable, with potential to hit the average/above average range next year.
I just don’t see that. We are coming off a month of donnal having 5 below average/bad games and 2 good ones. I don’t see a whole lot of improvement from the beginning of the year until now. And again, he had good gMes only because our guards decided to play over their heads for a few games. The Illinois blow up was ALL Levert getting him layups. The Maryland games was MAAR getting him layups. I k is he hit 3 3s but has shot poorly overall. Do we agree mo and dj have higher upsides then the rest?
I don’t see teske or Davis being Above average either, not after 2 or 3 years even. That may be harsh but those two are not better high school players than donnal and Doyle were.
I think you are underestimating the role that Donnal is playing in the made layups. It is not simply the guards giving him layups. He is putting himself in the right position to receive the pass, catch it, and lay it in. He is a lot better than Doyle at doing this. It is a skill. Donnal played consistently pretty good in the second half of the season, in my opinion.
I disagree about Donnal looking like he’s not trying. I thought he was one of the few players that was putting forth a full effort against Iowa. He needs to be more aggressive and physical more consistently, but that is more of a mentality issue than effort IMO. I don’t think we can ever accuse JB teams of not trying. I think we can accuse them of having a bad mentality in certain situations. Maybe I’m just splitting hairs.
Not saying that Donnal is above average…just saying that he’s proved serviceable. Donnal had 5 or more rebounds in 9 out of 18 B10 games. He exceeded 10 points in 7 out of 18 B10 games. He recorded a block or more in 10 out of 18 B10 games.
Mark Donnal averaged 10.6 ppg on 57.5% and 35% from 3, 5 reb per game, 1 block per game during conference play. In my eyes, that is serviceable, and I don’t think for a second that DJ or Mo could’ve done better.
Do I think DJ and Mo have higher upside - depends on what you define as upside I guess. I don’t think DJ will ever be a serviceable 5, he’s just too soft and lacks motor. I think Mo has more upside, but he simply doesn’t have the strength/mass to contend with B10 bigs at this point.