In Johns, I see a lot of similarity to Joe Alexander, more so that any player Beilein had in Michigan.
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Not sure if I see that comparison. Joe was a freak athlete and basically a 17 feet and in guy. Johns is more comfortable from 3, has a better handle, and isnāt nearly the athlete Alexander was.
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I think people are underselling Johns athleticism.
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Iām not saying Johns isnāt athletic, he just isnāt Joe Alexander.
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Watching the Lakers last night, Kyle Kuzma seems like a good comp for Johns.
Side noteā¦man do I wish we had offered Kuzma a few years back
Sounds like he had trouble getting eligible for Utah, so . . .
But yeah, his talent and skills would have been a nice fit for us.
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You guys were being kind. Donnal and Doyle were recruited as centers, and would probably have been assumed, like most centers, to be later bloomers. Still, Johns looks great to me, and my point probably still holdsāBeilein is getting more talented players.
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Donnal did not live up to the expectation, largely because he never embraced the physical play of BIG. Doyle was recruited as a low ceiling role player, who actually did quite well as a freshman. It is hard to say how much his illness contributed to his lackluster sophomore season, but it is at least a major factor. Johnsās skillset is similar to Donnalās to some extent but is much more physical.
Donnal and Johns are completely different players. I donāt think they should be compared at all.
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There is nothing about Donnalās game that compares to Brandon Johns with the exception of possibly three point shooting. Johns has a passable handle, good athletically, offer better defense and I think will embrace contact more once he get use to the college transition. Donnal was a 5 all the way once he stepped on campus and could not guard a 4 if his life depended on it. Iāve never seen someone have his shot blocked more at the rim point blank than Donnal and Doyle. I have way more expectations for Johns than either Donnal or Doyle.
Why are we talking about Donnal in this thread?
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I seriously donāt know why his name came up as a comparison to Johns.
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Because I kind of dumbly compared them; thatās why I noted it was dumb.
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I covered the game today. Brandon looked really good offensively. Was destroying Dewitt off the dribble facing up and especially attacking from the three point line. Was consistently drawing fouls because no one could stay in front of him for Dewitt. Guards or posts. He got Dewittās best player Luke Hyde in foul trouble and kept attacking him non stop. Hit a couple threes as well. He had 5 steals in the first quarter
One thing of note; he was very out of shape. Not because he is lazy, but because he has only been playing basketball for just the last week. His dad told me after he is fresh off a torn patellar tendon in one of his knees. He frequently had to be subbed out every couple minutes for 30 seconds-1 minute. He only played 20-25 minutes tops today. If he was in shape he couldāve had a triple double and maybe even dropped 50. Dewitt is a real good high school team too. Have 2 2018s going to the GLIAC, and several other members on their team who will play college ball at some level. I was impressed with Johns and when he gets in shape, watch out.
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Wow. Didnāt know about the injury. Is he fully recovered? Great game, especially in limited minutes.
Are you sure about the torn tendon? That is a major injury with a long recovery.
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Brandon Johns played very well today. I was at the game covering it. He looked great attacking with the dribble from the perimeter and knocked down a couple threes as well.
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