I don’t see the strength in Doyle. He’s pretty big in the upper body but he has such a long ways to go in terms of improving his lower body strength and then learning how to leverage it by positioning, technique, etc.
I also don’t think Doyle will ever be a great defender, but he still looks completely lost out there to me. That will improve over time.
I want to see a healthy DJ Wilson with a summer of S&C, I think that guy has a high ceiling on the defensive end as college 5. Maybe MattD is right that he’s just not quick enough, but I have a hard time believing he doesn’t have a higher ceiling defensively than Doyle.
I want to see a healthy DJ Wilson with a summer of S&C, I think that guy has a high ceiling on the defensive end as college 5. Maybe MattD is right that he's just not quick enough, but I have a hard time believing he doesn't have a higher ceiling defensively than Doyle.
I like Wilson as a 5 on the defensive end as a helpside defender that can block shots, he also hedges and recovers quite well. But in terms of one on one defense, there is simply no way that one summer can correct that…far too weak and too soft to be an adequate one one defender…quite frankly its the same issue for all of our bigs, they just don’t have the mindset or aggressiveness.
On offense is where I’m concerned about Wilson, what exactly does he bring to the table? He’s below average at pretty much everything, and particularly inept at outside shooting. Doesn’t handle well enough to be a 3, can’t shoot well enough to space the floor to be a corner gunner as a 4. Doesn’t have a back to the basket game/strength to be a 5. Will he improve, I’m sure he will, but I’m certainly not expecting a leap next year in any form. 4 year guy that may be above average as an upperclassmen unless Kam transfers
I’ve had the opportunity to watch DJ workout in person (roughly a month ago), and his shot is generally right on line, but very flat. His mechanics from his elbow to wrist are very good, with a nice follow through. However, he fails to get vertical extension from his shoulder to his elbow, which makes his shot more of a push/throw.
I want to see a healthy DJ Wilson with a summer of S&C, I think that guy has a high ceiling on the defensive end as college 5. Maybe MattD is right that he's just not quick enough, but I have a hard time believing he doesn't have a higher ceiling defensively than Doyle.I like Wilson as a 5 on the defensive end as a helpside defender that can block shots, he also hedges and recovers quite well. But in terms of one on one defense, there is simply no way that one summer can correct that…far too weak and too soft to be an adequate one one defender…quite frankly its the same issue for all of our bigs, they just don’t have the mindset or aggressiveness.
On offense is where I’m concerned about Wilson, what exactly does he bring to the table? He’s below average at pretty much everything, and particularly inept at outside shooting. Doesn’t handle well enough to be a 3, can’t shoot well enough to space the floor to be a corner gunner as a 4. Doesn’t have a back to the basket game/strength to be a 5. Will he improve, I’m sure he will, but I’m certainly not expecting a leap next year in any form. 4 year guy that may be above average as an upperclassmen unless Kam transfers
I’ve had the opportunity to watch DJ workout in person (roughly a month ago), and his shot is generally right on line, but very flat. His mechanics from his elbow to wrist are very good, with a nice follow through. However, he fails to get vertical extension from his shoulder to his elbow, which makes his shot more of a push/throw.
The hope would be that his length and athleticism more than compensate for his size/strength issues. If he’s a long rim protector and adequate rebounder on defense, then he’s a huge asset that we’ve never really had under Beilein. Hopefully he can at least become Jordan Morgan on offense, again, his length would be a huge asset in P’nR and finishing at the rim.
I want to see a healthy DJ Wilson with a summer of S&C, I think that guy has a high ceiling on the defensive end as college 5. Maybe MattD is right that he's just not quick enough, but I have a hard time believing he doesn't have a higher ceiling defensively than Doyle.I like Wilson as a 5 on the defensive end as a helpside defender that can block shots, he also hedges and recovers quite well. But in terms of one on one defense, there is simply no way that one summer can correct that…far too weak and too soft to be an adequate one one defender…quite frankly its the same issue for all of our bigs, they just don’t have the mindset or aggressiveness.
On offense is where I’m concerned about Wilson, what exactly does he bring to the table? He’s below average at pretty much everything, and particularly inept at outside shooting. Doesn’t handle well enough to be a 3, can’t shoot well enough to space the floor to be a corner gunner as a 4. Doesn’t have a back to the basket game/strength to be a 5. Will he improve, I’m sure he will, but I’m certainly not expecting a leap next year in any form. 4 year guy that may be above average as an upperclassmen unless Kam transfers
I’ve had the opportunity to watch DJ workout in person (roughly a month ago), and his shot is generally right on line, but very flat. His mechanics from his elbow to wrist are very good, with a nice follow through. However, he fails to get vertical extension from his shoulder to his elbow, which makes his shot more of a push/throw.
The hope would be that his length and athleticism more than compensate for his size/strength issues. If he’s a long rim protector and adequate rebounder on defense, then he’s a huge asset that we’ve never really had under Beilein. Hopefully he can at least become Jordan Morgan on offense, again, his length would be a huge asset in P’nR and finishing at the rim.
I think DJ is far from an adequate rebounder at this point, and honestly, he wasn’t a very good rebounder in HS. He certainly can be an above average/good shot blocker (already is in my opinion), but I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defensive rebounder because he doesn’t have the instincts to box out and be agressive prior to leaving his feet. We’ve seen that consistently with bigs under JB over the past 3-4 years save Jmo and Mitch. If we’re being honest, DJ is an oversized perimeter player that doesn’t shoot or handle all that well. If he can get his shot in order that will help him tremendously, as his HS film did display some decent court vision for a kid 6’8. Never going to be a kid that blows by a defender off the bounce, but off a close out he might be able to make some things happen.
I remeber Guestavo was huge on length, and while it can be helpful, it certainly doesn’t replace athleticism. As we’ve seen with Irvin, Wilson, Donnal, Chatman, Doyle…if you are laterally challenged it really doesn’t matter how long you are, you are going to have difficulties staying in front of your man and getting a clean look.
I want to see a healthy DJ Wilson with a summer of S&C, I think that guy has a high ceiling on the defensive end as college 5. Maybe MattD is right that he's just not quick enough, but I have a hard time believing he doesn't have a higher ceiling defensively than Doyle.I like Wilson as a 5 on the defensive end as a helpside defender that can block shots, he also hedges and recovers quite well. But in terms of one on one defense, there is simply no way that one summer can correct that…far too weak and too soft to be an adequate one one defender…quite frankly its the same issue for all of our bigs, they just don’t have the mindset or aggressiveness.
On offense is where I’m concerned about Wilson, what exactly does he bring to the table? He’s below average at pretty much everything, and particularly inept at outside shooting. Doesn’t handle well enough to be a 3, can’t shoot well enough to space the floor to be a corner gunner as a 4. Doesn’t have a back to the basket game/strength to be a 5. Will he improve, I’m sure he will, but I’m certainly not expecting a leap next year in any form. 4 year guy that may be above average as an upperclassmen unless Kam transfers
I’ve had the opportunity to watch DJ workout in person (roughly a month ago), and his shot is generally right on line, but very flat. His mechanics from his elbow to wrist are very good, with a nice follow through. However, he fails to get vertical extension from his shoulder to his elbow, which makes his shot more of a push/throw.
The hope would be that his length and athleticism more than compensate for his size/strength issues. If he’s a long rim protector and adequate rebounder on defense, then he’s a huge asset that we’ve never really had under Beilein. Hopefully he can at least become Jordan Morgan on offense, again, his length would be a huge asset in P’nR and finishing at the rim.
I think DJ is far from an adequate rebounder at this point, and honestly, he wasn’t a very good rebounder in HS. He certainly can be an above average/good shot blocker (already is in my opinion), but I don’t think he’ll ever be a good defensive rebounder because he doesn’t have the instincts to box out and be agressive prior to leaving his feet. We’ve seen that consistently with bigs under JB over the past 3-4 years save Jmo and Mitch. If we’re being honest, DJ is an oversized perimeter player that doesn’t shoot or handle all that well. If he can get his shot in order that will help him tremendously, as his HS film did display some decent court vision for a kid 6’8. Never going to be a kid that blows by a defender off the bounce, but off a close out he might be able to make some things happen.
I remeber Guestavo was huge on length, and while it can be helpful, it certainly doesn’t replace athleticism. As we’ve seen with Irvin, Wilson, Donnal, Chatman, Doyle…if you are laterally challenged it really doesn’t matter how long you are, you are going to have difficulties staying in front of your man and getting a clean look.
I look at DJ at the 5 the same as moving a safety to linebacker. An unathletic safety might be a very athletic linebacker with plus coverage ability. DJ’s length and perimeter skills could translate better against slow, plodding bigs. Questions for me are 1) just how quick/athletic is he, 2) can he get his weight up to 240ish while maintaing his quickness, and 3) can he learn defensive and rebounding positioning
Edit: Your last paragraph on lateral quickness is key. Does DJ have the lateral quickness to play on the wing? I doubt it. Does he have the lateral quickness to be a problem for other teams at the 5? I think so, I at least want to see next year.
While I don't think Doyle is going to be an all American, I do think his ceiling is a bit higher than we may think. I wouldn't necessarily call him polished at this point, when he receives an entry pass in the post he often takes much too long to make s decision (whether it be pass, shoot, put the ball on the deck) and ends up turning the ball over. Sometimes it works to his benefit if he uses the pump fake and then goes up, but often times it does not. Doyle already has the aggressiveness in terms of trying to dunk around the basket, just needs those 3-4 inches of verticality.Biggest thing Ricky can improve to me is his reaction time, he just seems very slow to diagnose and adjust accordingly. I think his footwork is very undeveloped at this point. He basically is limited to the hook. I do think there is a point where we will see him score a few buckets a game out of designed sets when he becomes an upperclassmen.
For the most part agree but feel none if it matters if his conditioning does not improve.
A lot of size can be put on in one off-season. Personally, I put on 20lbs from my freshman to my sophomore year. Do I expect DJ to be a major contributor next year? I do not. However, it’s not completely out of the question he develops his body to the point he could log major minutes and be effective. It’s up to him and how hard he wants to work this off season.
We don’t need him to be an All-American. He just needs to battle for rebounds and guard the rim. The rest of his game can wait if it needs to.
A lot of size can be put on in one off-season. Personally, I put on 20lbs from my freshman to my sophomore year. Do I expect DJ to be a major contributor next year? I do not. However, it's not completely out of the question he develops his body to the point he could log major minutes and be effective. It's up to him and how hard he wants to work this off season.We don’t need him to be an All-American. He just needs to battle for rebounds and guard the rim. The rest of his game can wait if it needs to.
Well said. We don’t need a ton of production,(he won’t be a top option, but will still get putbacks and points) we just need competent, solid defensive play.
I agree to the extent that we need DJ to simply be a solid defender, namely on the defensive glass. However, the defense is operating at roughly the same level in relation to last year (we currently sit at #110 in defensive efficiency), and we would most likely be in the 60-80 range if Walton and Levert were healthy. More than defense, we need to find a way to generate easy shots on offense, and I don’t think Wilson will help in that regard. We need for a big improvement from Zak in terms of shot creation and the ability to make open looks for the team. If we lose Caris (most likely), I think we are going to most likely have another down year in 15-16 relatively speaking unless we’re able to get Jaylen Brown or one of our post players is ready to be a legit threat with a back to the basket game. We simply don’t have players that can penetrate a defense and be a threat to finish/create for teammates or post players that can demand a double…which is why we spend a lot of time dribbling/passing around the perimeter and end up with semi contensted jumpshots
Zak is what he is, for the most part. I don’t think he is going to become a reliable creator at this point in his career. I do think, though, that he’ll look quite a bit better next year with a healthy Walton and an improved MAAR. He’ll see more open looks and hopefully won’t try to do too much.
Coming into this season, I was most excited about Walton. After his promising first year and the positive reviews of his summer camp performances, I really thought he’d be a breakout player. I’m not exactly sure when he injured his toe, but he didn’t seem very aggressive early in the season. He has the ability to get in the lane at will, is great in transition, and he was a great finisher as a freshman. I hope we see him put it all together next year.
Coming into this season, I was most excited about Walton. After his promising first year and the positive reviews of his summer camp performances, I really thought he'd be a breakout player. I'm not exactly sure when he injured his toe, but he didn't seem very aggressive early in the season. He has the ability to get in the lane at will, is great in transition, and he was a great finisher as a freshman. I hope we see him put it all together next year.
He injured it in the second half of the Villanova game, I believe.
Coming into this season, I was most excited about Walton. After his promising first year and the positive reviews of his summer camp performances, I really thought he'd be a breakout player. I'm not exactly sure when he injured his toe, but he didn't seem very aggressive early in the season. He has the ability to get in the lane at will, is great in transition, and he was a great finisher as a freshman. I hope we see him put it all together next year.He injured it in the second half of the Villanova game, I believe.
He was also noticeably limping at times late in the non-conference/early Big Ten schedule. I couldn’t believe how visible it was when they showed closeups of him walking to chat with Beilein.
If it is in fact Turf Toe, I don't know how he made it as long as he did. Personally, I think he should have been sidelined no later than December.Coming into this season, I was most excited about Walton. After his promising first year and the positive reviews of his summer camp performances, I really thought he'd be a breakout player. I'm not exactly sure when he injured his toe, but he didn't seem very aggressive early in the season. He has the ability to get in the lane at will, is great in transition, and he was a great finisher as a freshman. I hope we see him put it all together next year.He injured it in the second half of the Villanova game, I believe.
He was also noticeably limping at times late in the non-conference/early Big Ten schedule. I couldn’t believe how visible it was when they showed closeups of him walking to chat with Beilein.
I agree to the extent that we need DJ to simply be a solid defender, namely on the defensive glass. However, the defense is operating at roughly the same level in relation to last year (we currently sit at #110 in defensive efficiency), and we would most likely be in the 60-80 range if Walton and Levert were healthy. More than defense, we need to find a way to generate easy shots on offense, and I don't think Wilson will help in that regard. We need for a big improvement from Zak in terms of shot creation and the ability to make open looks for the team. If we lose Caris (most likely), I think we are going to most likely have another down year in 15-16 relatively speaking unless we're able to get Jaylen Brown or one of our post players is ready to be a legit threat with a back to the basket game. We simply don't have players that can penetrate a defense and be a threat to finish/create for teammates or post players that can demand a double...........which is why we spend a lot of time dribbling/passing around the perimeter and end up with semi contensted jumpshots
Completely agree with you here. You can only rely on diamonds in the rough for so long until it catches up with you. I believe we’ve reached that point. Debating this topic is difficult because I believe we are making our points a year too early for people to listen. That’s the most frustrating part. People think JB is a magician. Heck, I was one of those people until I spent a weekend at an EBYL tournament and realized if Michigan isn’t landing these kids, some other school is and I don’t care how good a coach you have, that type of talent will trump it 99% of the time.
Unfortunately, I see a middle of the pack B1G next year with a portion of our fan base pointing to “improvement from last year” and saying wait until next year. By far, my biggest fear as a Michigan basketball fan. I want to be over that hump for good.
Bo Ryan has done pretty well without elite recruits. Dekker is the only one on the current squad, and he’s a Wisconsin kid. They’ve won multiple B1G titles and have made the dance every year. OTOH, teams with high recruiting profiles miss the NCAAs, e.g. Florida, Syracuse and UConn this year, just to name three. Mitch was the only top 50 guy when committing on our FF team. GRIII moved into 5 star status long after we got his commitment. And he was far from the best player on that team. Having said that, we do need a strong class in '16. A PG is mandatory. A couple of wings like Langford and Battle, or one wing and a 3/4 like Towns. Teske.
I am interested to see what wilson does next year. If i recall correctly he seemed to be getting more work than some of the other freshman in the few games he played. Obviously were thin down low, but maybe they expected him to contribute a bit as a freshman more than some of the other guys. we shall see I guess.
wilson is going to be a good player at the 4 and/or 5 at some point…everything they (coaches, etc) say is positive and really encouraging
can he stay healty? that is going to be the question with wilson
I think the future is bright for our big men (Doyle, Wilson, and Donnal). All 3 have something different to them that helps their game. The two that have played this year have really shown signs of promise for the near future. As to Wilson, he is athletic for a 5 and has a huge wingspan. I believe the future is bright for those 3.
I think the future is bright for our big men (Doyle, Wilson, and Donnal). All 3 have something different to them that helps their game. The two that have played this year have really shown signs of promise for the near future. As to Wilson, he is athletic for a 5 and has a huge wingspan. I believe the future is bright for those 3.
Don’t know how you could say that about Donnal, he’s looked outclassed this year. He’s not a Big Ten caliber player.