I watched some of Juwanās press conference from today. If I was a high school kid ā heck, me right now ā there is no doubt I would want to play for Juwan over Self and all these other egomaniac, self-serving coaches. Lol at the idea of Izzo trying to recruit against hiim.
A couple of random thoughts I had on this great signing:
ā I like that Juwanās first recruit is arguably similar to himself. Same height, same position, highly ranked, uber talented at a lot of things but maybe not a star at any one skill, etc. Very cool.
ā I think there are some parallels to Mitch McGaryās signing too. Mitch started out as a top-5 guy and finished the recruiting process as a top-30 guy. I think thatās similar for Todd. Mitch also was athletic, talented, worked hard, did a lot of good thingsā¦but didnāt necessarily have the star power. (Meaning he wasnāt your alpha, go-to guy but was a critical part of the machine).
ā I think the depth at forward now with Livers, Johns, and Todd will be an asset next year. Todd doesnāt have to come in and be a superstar, he can work his way into the rotation and give the team a spark for maybe 20mpg initially until he settles in.
Yea it will be very interesting to see if Livers or Johns blows up and goes pro. If not then the 3-4 positions will be super stacked next year. Obviously itās a good āproblemā to have.
I suppose it is possible that Livers or Johns have a DJ Wilson season and make the jump, but Iād bet against both. Neither of them are freakish athletes that the NBA over-drafts and neither has shown enough skill to project that theyād blow up into a Mo Wagner type departure. I would love to believe that Livers has a great year and suddenly shows he can beat guys off the dribble, defend the best wing on the other team, diversify his offense, etcā¦but I expect he will be back next year.
Great sign for the program under Juwan. I confess that I am not as thrilled as I would be for a signing in another sport of a prospect of this caliber, because years of Beilein have trained me to recognize that speckling a roster with one-and-done five stars is no guarantee of a successful team. And, of course, Beilein was good at taking mid-level prospects and turning them into great players. So one top prospect for a year wonāt necessarily bring the house down.
But the Beilein days are gone. Itās Howardās team now. This is a great start.
The NBA is pretty desperate for guys that can credibly defend and command respect from defenses on the wing. If Livers shows he can defend threes well, heās a second round pick guaranteed because we know he can shoot. Michigan may need him to diversify his offense - the fact that heās a plus shooter is enough for the NBA.
I mean - Danny Green dribbles like twice a year, and is a very valuable player.
Yeah agreed. Anyone with wing size who can guard their position and shoot 40% on threes is a draftable prospect. Itās weirdly rare that you can find both of those.
I donāt expect Todd to slide much more in the rankings than he has, and could even move back into the top-10, if healthy. Heās also much springier than McGary ever was- more in the DJ Wilson/Petway/Baston category, not the McGary/Juwan category in terms of hops. Mitch had a more college-ready body, though. Judging from Ethanās article, it sounds like Isaiah may have some Alpha in him. Iām looking forward to seeing what he can doā¦and also looking forward to Michiganās 1st McDonaldās All-American since Daniel Horton.
The first video I watched of Todd suggested he was still a bit of a puppyāand I got how the incredible promise had him ranked number one early, still more latent than actual. But he is, at this stage, quite a refined and very versatile player, Dylanās caveats notwithstanding. If I imagine him with another year of play behind him and a summer with Sanderson? I could talk myself into some of those Giannis comparisons. I mean, the way he carries himself is different, but thereās something of the same promise in the two players.
I also donāt accept some suggestions that heās passive. Heās not mean-spirited, but he doesnāt shy from going hard.
I donāt think anyone is saying heās passive that Iāve seen.
I donāt understand Giannis comparisons at all though. Giannis is a point guard, Todd is a power forward.
A great Euro step does not make you Giannis. I just donāt see Todd coming into passing skills like Giannis, heās more of a true scoring perimeter four.
Matt D quotes someone saying that coaches would like to see him be more assertive in his Mgoblog appraisal (the quote is from a Rivals piece).
I bow to your greater experience andāyeahāhe will never be a guard, but there is something about his stride. . . thatās a little Giannis-like, or which helps me see why a couple of people were tempted by the comparison. More importantly, though, I feel like one can glimpse a player who just might exceed the already-large expectations.
I actually think Todd has a better jumper than Giannis so Todd will probably be better than Giannis. That comparison is disrespectful.
Yup, Duncan Robinson has earned himself a spot on an NBA roster. While Livers may not be as good of a shooter/offensive player as Duncan, heās a better rebounder/defender, and is still a plus shooter. Heās got enough to work with that some team will give him a shot, even if he still canāt dribble.
The one thing that stats and a certain kind of fixed-in-amber take on players canāt give you is a sense of their continuing potential. If weāre lining up the votes on whether Isaiah is a markedly improved dribbler, I am going with the likelihood heās a happy surprise. And yes, I agree thereās a pretty good chance that heās gone after this year.
I think the whole Giannis at point guard experiment went the way of Jason Kidd. Giannis is a new wave big 3 or stretch 4. Tough comparison for Todd simply because Giannis is the reigning MVP, but look back around 2013-2014 and Giannis came into the league pretty scrawny and pretty raw (offensively). Heās really only just added an adequate 3 ball (if you can consider it that). Clearly has always been a plus passer.
With that said, I get the comparison. Lean, athletic guys who puts the ball on the floor, can face up, and finish in traffic. But, kinda ends there. One guy hasnāt played a minute of college ball, the other is putting in work in the NBA. I guess itās only human nature to compare high school prospects to NBA all-stars and league MVPs at this stage (itās exactly what happens during recruitments and during the NBA draft).
I donāt have a āfixed in amberā opinion of Toddās game at all. I just donāt think the way Giannis plays matches the way that Todd plays at all.
Giannis is and was a unicorn because of his playmaking and passing at his size. Todd is not a great passer despite a good handle.
Giannis is a downhill player who has always preferred to drive to the rim instead of pull up for a jump shot. Todd is a face-up four man who settles for jump shots too often rather than attacking the rim.
Other than in transition, Iām just not really buying the similarities.
There are no comparisons. This is so not reality.
Because letās be honest, comparing him to a player who he most likely actually compares to (I see you, Noah Vonleh) isnāt exactly going to excite the fanbase like a reigning MVP.
No, I donāt think you do. But a lot of fans really tend to project what they see in a player at any given moment as their future or professional ceiling. And weāve seen some pretty dazzling cases of some experts being very very wrong here over the last years. DJ Wilson will always be my favorite.
The fact that a second sportswriter made a Giannis comparison was what prompted me to try to see it, thatās all. (I think beanman about got it right.) But. . . moving on!