2017 - F - Isaiah Livers (Commit)

Better shooter then I’d ever thought he’d be. Seems like he’s regressing a bit in terms of softness/motor though

Ehh he’s kinda in a tough spot in terms of the NBA. Definitely wouldn’t be able to play SF and keep up on defense with has lack of quickness but he’s also not exactly physical enough to bang down low.

Wait so we’re coming back to my initial projection of ‘lacks lateral agility’ after most declared me a fool after the first 2 weeks of the season?

I kid…he moves pretty well when he’s already on the move but he is flat footed when in a stagnant position. Much better as a help side defender. Not a very good iso defender on the wing or the post at this point.

God Matt, I don’t know if you edited that but the second half didn’t appear and I was ready to yell at you. For a college Power Forward I think his quickness is at least average. For an NBA 3? Yikes.

I’m ok with the lack of movement on the wing because naturally there just isn’t a whole lot of improvement he can make, however he has shown signs of being a really good rebounder when engaged, just isn’t consistent just yet. Need DJ to have his motor on full tilt at all times. Would love to see him settle in at 7rebs per game, and I think that’s possible with a little more intensity

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On offense right now Wilson is exactly where I want him, maybe with some improvements on his dribble drive game versus slower forwards. I mean he does have a ridiculous 150.7 ORtg during conference play (Easily the best in the Big Ten) with a 17.2% usage rate, shooting greater than 60% from both two and three. On help defense this year he’s been better than what we’ve had in the past. When matched up with quicker guards if they get past him he has a really great ability to block their shot cleanly from behind. However I agree with you that his 1 on 1 post defense has been suspiciously bad recently. I think it started with UCLA and hasn’t really improved, and that’s worrisome. His defensive rebound rate of 13.3% during conference play is absolutely going to need to go up over the year by a large amount, and after seeing him pull down 6 offensive boards against Iowa it sucks that he’s only gotten 5 in the next 4 games combined. I thought he had really turned a corner there. As you said, I think that can be fixed by giving it some more intensity as unlike Wagner I think he has the fundamentals down.

If you are referring to DJ, I think it could be because he is playing too many minutes.

You know, one thing we should all keep in mind is that before this year, DJ had played a total of 182 minutes in his CAREER. He’s likely to experience ups and downs, but his numbers right now (close to 11/7) have been nice, and he’s really starting to gain confidence and expand his game on offense. No doubt we need more of the energy he showed in New York, though.

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I am personally of the belief that DJ will definitely be a draft pick if the 3ball is real and he can get back to guarding the perimeter like he did at the beginning of the year. He is a clear 4 man with great height/length for the position and no weaker than guys like Brandan Wright and John Henson at the same age.

A few notes that I can’t state publicly/twitter:

  • Livers was extremely frustrated during post game…he exchanged a few words with his coach. I talked to him for about 10 minutes and among his comments ‘they didn’t give me the fuckin ball at all’. Just frustration after a tough loss to a really good team IMO

  • a lot of good natured trash talk between Dave and Isaiah after the game…Dave obviously had the bragging rights today

  • Kzoo central utilized a double team on Dave on most possessions in the second half. James Vallar was basically used as a pitbull on Dave to just body him up and get physical…and fouled him hard a lot. Dave never engaged in the BS and just went about his business. Really liked the mental toughness he showed out there. I talked to him about it after the game and he just said ‘scoreboard’. Good enough for me

Per your first comment, are you saying that he may be bringing an attitude with him to AA?

Not saying that at all, just a kid blowing steam after a loss. In fact, I wish he had some ‘attitude’, as Livers is very reserved/quiet. Not a fiery type of kid at all.

22 and 10

“Livers scored 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in a 76-43 win over Richland Gull Lake Jan. 13 and followed up with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 73-63 loss to Detroit East English Village at the Floyd Mayweather Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. a night later.”

That’s a pretty good game!

10 points in OT loss to No. 1 Grand Rapids Chrsitian.

Beilein was there

Looks like it was a low scoring game. 52-50 in OT.

MSU recruit Tillman scored 9.

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Very nice jump shot, and can get it off the bounce.

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With DJ and Livers at the four, I have a feeling we don’t see much 2-3 zone (or zone in general) against us for quite a while ha.