106.5 usage Orating with 22% usage. Solid for a point guard when you don’t have to be the best player and primary playmaker! That would be a good season for Watts… But take a look at that name above Appling. Watts is almost certainly going to have to shoulder significantly more burden than Appling did and I don’t think he’ll be ready for it.
I’d say Lucas was a pretty good freshman who made a fairly normal leap from freshman to sophomore year. Watts needs a much bigger leap than that I think for MSU to be close to a top 25 offense.
But that team had a senior Draymond Green leading the team in usage and assists at a NPOY caliber rate. Aaron Henry, Gabe Brown, Joey Hauser aren’t doing that.
I’ve spent the last two minutes blinking at my screen trying as hard as possible to remember a basketball player named Austin Thornton existing, and failing.
OK. I think Tillman is a swing piece. Next year, he’d be an All Big Ten First Team preseason player.
Henry still has a lot of potential and is a potential draft pick.
Hauser is a legit combo forward offensive weapon.
There’s no NPOY Draymond, but it isn’t like everyone is counting on Watts to do everything. Those three guys would be top 3 players on most Big Ten rosters.
I have watched Hoggard as much as possible because I find him fascinating. It’s hard to say if he’s properly ranked because he doesn’t fit a standard positional mould.
I was talking about him with an MSU guy the other day and the conclusion I reached for his historical comp is 6’2" Jared Sullinger. He has a jumper but not range. Extremely crafty around the basket but not athletic. Better passer on the low block than in a half-court set. Deep drop zone defender rather than a press man magnet. Etc.
To answer your question I would guess he’ll be well suited for Izzoball from day one because of his remarkable girth. Izzo doesn’t really run iso post-ups for his guards (does anyone?) but he is an interesting piece.
Again I note that Christopher baptized him at the Dallas EYBL – Hoggard doesn’t have a lot of lateral agility. If I were forced into a guard comp – Khalid El-Amin I guess?
Him not having a burden doesnt mean he isnt going to unduly take shots and responsibility for initiating offense that doesnt end up working out well for Michigan St. I feel like Watts has a lot of what Iggy did last year - once he gets the ball, he is going to end up shooting it. Not necessarily bad for a wing player, but not great for a guy you are initiating an offense through
Watts is a clearly flawed player now, my larger argument that he’s talented and might be a better player as a sophomore – especially with the pieces around him.
Then what’s the action that is initiating most of the offense? Henry pull-up jumpers? Tillman and Hauser alternating post-ups? Maybe Hauser is an elite high-post face-up guy (which I don’t THINK he did a ton of at Marquette?), but I think there’s not a ton of upside in that offense unless it’s coming from Rocket.
Izzo’s offenses are almost literally always in the national top-10 in assist rate. They’ll find a way to move the ball. My bet would be Tillman initiating on the low block for most halfcourt sets
Totally agree they are top 3 players. But they are players that I do not expect to ease the burden of facilitating offense or shot creation on whoever is MSU’s point guard next year, and I don’t see a positive comparison between that group of guys and a team that had Brandon Wood and Austin Thornton starting - at least without mentioning that Draymond Green was practically that team’s entire offense and there is no one on next year’s roster that can replicate that.
MSU will need a guy to step up and become a good distributor. For the last 4 seasons they’ve had Cassius who was able to be that guy. But Izzo has had plenty of teams that didn’t revolve around a PG so it doesn’t have to be Watts. It’s not gonna be Gabe Brown as he’s shown none of that. So it’s gotta be Hauser, Watts, or Henry to go along with Tillman who is a good passing big. Henry and Watts have decent AsstRates but both turn it over even more. Can say the same about Hauser in his freshman year at Marq.
They’ll be a weird team on offense. I’d expect a ton of TOs from them.
I would not be shocked if Loyer becomes a good PG (offensively) as a Junior. I wouldn’t rule it out. Young man can shoot the ball with the best of them.
I feel like Loyer doesn’t fit because he was super well known in the state and even ranked pretty high nationally. Michigan fans love the guy lol. Ahrens is the pick this year since there’s no shot I remember him in 5 years.
I’d toss Matt Costello in there. I legit didn’t remember who Thornton or Kebler were so they fit perfectly.
