The biggest difference between our best years and now is having guards and or wings that can beat their man off the dribble and get to the rim or distribute while doing a decent job of defending the same. So the question is which of the above can do it?
Have to slightly disagree. Our best years under Beilein have come when we have elite shot creators at the guard/wing spot that can compensate for the poor defense. Burke was an average defender, Stauskas was awful, and Caris was below average.
On the 13 and 14 squads those guys were good enough on offense to overcome defensive flaws. Since weāre never likely to be even above average on defense under Beilein, the question becomes can he land an NBA wing or PG.
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Was going to say I donāt think JB has ever had decent defenders on the perimeter. Caris had the best tools, but the defensive philosophy did not maximize them and I suspect his best days are head of him in that respect.
I think Dave and X can be good defensive duo. I think Brooks and Dave have ready-made skills for PnR and I am still high on X developing them in time. I would love to add a wing that can excel in ISO, in addition
As someone that has most certainly seen more of Dave than anyone around in the scouting community, I think defense is going to be an issue for him early on. That said, I donāt think thereās any doubt heāll be an upgrade over X offensively.
Yeah, Iām hoping his strength and bulldog mentality helps him develop in that regard.
Matt, how is Daveās conditioning? At 6ā0" and 188# listed, is he rocked up or could he conceivably drop a few pounds to add quickness?
Dave has a lot of muscle definition, doesnāt carry bad weight. Heās not a great athlete by any means but not terrible either.
So do you think X should play more than Dave next year if Dave struggles on D?
Dejulius is only a junior. Wonāt be here next season.
Dave isnāt coming until 2018
Do you think that for 2018?
Depends on 2way impact, considering offense as well. While X is a good perimeter defender, I do wonder if opposing coaches will place him in positions to get bullied
If coach values winning, its quite obvious heāll play a defensive oriented player.
Agreed. But I donāt value X as much on defense as others based on size. Eventually he will get bullied.
Hereās something that I think I disagree with you about. From 2009-2013 our average adj. defensive rating from kenpom was 51.6. While not spectacular, or even great, itās definitely what I would consider above average. Looking at those lineups itās not like they theoretically should be far better as the overall athleticism and talent is roughly the same, if not less. Itās just, as you and I discussed earlier, those teams usually played every single possession like it was actually important. The grit they displayed while playing teams that shouldāve just murdered us was fantastic, and I believe that if we keep getting guys like DeJulius, even if they might not be the most talented, the fact that they always play hard will at least somewhat make up for that.
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I think I might be more inclined to agree with you if Harris & Sims were JB recruits. They were obviously on the roster during 09 & 10, and were the best defenders on the team in my view.
Additionally, when JB has a choice to prioritize motor/intensity/defense OR offense, he goes with offense, and thatās not going to change in my opinion. To think weāre actually worse at defense this year in relation to the last 3 is a scary thought indeed. John Beilein is simply not a good defensive coach, and I have no faith that our defense will ever be better than average under his regime.
I consider Manny a Beilein recruit because he could have gone elsewhere when Beilein replaced Amaker. Beilein had to convince him to stay.
I just want to say dave is my nephew. I done seen him work so hard from like the age of 5 to be where he is today and to see people actually talking about him and a school like Michigan wanting to play for them. Im very proud and happ for him
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Iāve been telling everyone Daveās work ethic is outstanding. No exaggeration to say he trains 2 - 3 times per day at times.
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