You might be the most optimistic Michigan fan that ever lived.
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Why is he a 4?
Makes most sense given his skill on both ends of the court
Not as much given the roster with DJ and Livers though, right?
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I donāt see Beilein using Matthews as a 4 with DJ Wilson starting there. If he goes small ball then I can see that with Wilson at the 5 or just a regular 5. Next year the team is going to need all the rebounders they can get on the floor with Walton not there to save the Bigs bacon.
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This is after DJ leavesā¦CM might be more effective than Livers, regardless.
I realize that in todays world especially JBās world you are often classified by the position you defend rather than the opposite. That said he seems like too good of an athlete to be sitting in the corner waiting for a shot behind the arc.
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The three and the four do very similar things for all intents and purposes. Youāve seen DJ handle the ball more as he becomes comfortable. They are really the same position on either side of the offense.
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The offensive mismatches are not the same, however.
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Agree, in looking back to one of your original posts on him it included the following. Just wonder why a guy that seems destined to play the 2 at the next level becomes a 4 in this offense. Especially if he can defend the ball, because that is one thing we struggle to do.
In DraftExpressā analysis of Matthewsās measurements, Jonathan Givony compares his athleticism to Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Charles Matthews has tremendous size for an NBA shooting guard standing 6ā6 with a 6ā9 wingspan and a 189-pound frame. Having gained just 2 pounds since last summer, Matthews is a lean athlete with great explosiveness. His 41.5 inch maximum vertical leap is terrific. Heās built similar to Zach LaVine, who at 6ā5.75 with a 6ā8.25 wingspan and 181-pound frame registered a 41.5 maximum vertical leap at the 2014 NBA Combine, but of course is not quite as athletic.
I donāt think heāll play the four with DJ/Livers as I mentioned again, mostly just because Iām not sure heās strong enough to guard 4s consistently (heāll still have with switching, etc.) and those two guys are better to be featured there.
But I can at least buy the argument that he could play there because the three and the four are the same thing for all intents and purposes. I also think that heās more destined to play the three than the two at Michigan.
But go back and watch his film from last yearā¦ his game as a freshman was closer to a four than a two.
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Yea Iāve always seen him fitting in at the 3 as a replacement for Irvin and keeping Duncan as the designated shooter off the bench.
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Three seems like the most likely slot for Matthews based on his skills and roster composition. Maybe once DJ leaves, but if he stays for a fifth year, Matthews is only one year behind him, assuming he stays for his fifth. There are also Wagner, Teske, Davis, and Livers who might play a roll in the 4 spot.
I do think Matthews can play the 4 at Michigan though, like GRIII did. Maybe itāll be different if there are changes to the roster composition, if DJ were to leave after his RS Jr year, or if Simpson, Brooks, and Poole (and maybe DeJulius) just prove too good to keep off the floor.
DJ is going to get his 30 minutes a night next year. I imagine all of which will be at the 4. Matthews is going to get 30 minutes a night too. Spot minutes at the 4 if Livers is unable to contribute as much as weād like or if we āgo smallā with DJ at the 5.
Bettter have a hell of a point or 2guard in 2018 if youāre starting a CM or Livers/ DJ combo and especially in 2019
Matthews at the 4 to me only works on short stints. You get into the tournament and you will have the same thing that happened for two straight years which is get bullied by the more athletic teams (see Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, types) like GR3 was during the tournaments. I would let him sink or swim at the 3. If his handle is adequate I believe he swims.
Donāt remember GR3 being bullied as the reason for any of those losses and he more than returned the favor on the other end.
Louisville and Kentucky both lived off of second chance points during the final and EE. I forget the 4 for Louisville that was basically pushing GR3 under the basket and dominating the second half. Kentucky was the same issue as they played a 5 and a long 4.
Seems to be revisionist
Lack of rim protection, lack of overall athleticism, foul trouble, and Nikās efficiency plummeting were all bigger issues than GR3 at the 4. Heck, Walton was getting bullied far worse by Andrew Harrison and giving up easy penetration all day.
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Over two years with GRIII at the 4, the team had 27 Big Ten and 8 NCAA tournament wins. The losses to Louisville and Kentucky were by a combined 9 points, including one on a last second shot. Iād say that experiment worked pretty well.
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