I don't want to get in the middle of your comments, but I think any Michigan fan would be happy to have Bess, if we knew he would put up the same emotions, toughness, points, and numbers that Novak did. But I am not sure anyone can bring the same things that Novak did when he was at Michigan.
I think maybe more of what MattD is getting at is that Novak was indeed a unique case of a poorly touted recruit developing into a huge contributor over four years. His grit, heart, and toughness will always be remembered. I would say though that his case is an exception, not a rule. We have no clue if Bess would develop at all along the same path, particularly if he doesn’t have the opportunity for early PT like Novak did. I would certainly be happy if Bess brought Novak’s intangibles to the team.
Dingo - it is indeed the exception that a prospect outplays his talent by a wide margin.
Frankly speaking, Bess would be a downgrade in terms of talent. I have no doubt that he plays with effort and emotion, but sometimes those qualities simply aren’t enough.
Can’t create his own shot? No athleticism? Where are these ideas even coming from? I feel like people are reading what others post and are just regurgitating it without even giving this guy a chance. Yes, he’s not at the level of a Blackmon Jr or Booker, but from an unbiased perspective, which is difficult seeing as we have been missing out on a lot of big names, this guy is a strong player with a lot of upside. This guy can play
Can't create his own shot? No athleticism? Where are these ideas even coming from? I feel like people are reading what others post and are just regurgitating it without even giving this guy a chance. Yes, he's not at the level of a Blackmon Jr or Booker, but from an unbiased perspective, which is difficult seeing as we have been missing out on a lot of big names, this guy is a strong player with a lot of upside.
This guy can play
If you think Bess has a tight handle for a wing player then I would suggest you look at the film again. Can’t speak for others, but I never personally said Bess has no athleticism, just said that he won’t be able to finish in a high major setting due to a lack of size.
My evaluation criteria is the same regardless of the prospect and/or ranking. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I think Booker is overrated. Does not have a tight handle, average athlete, poor shot selection at times, but he can definitely shoot the rock and has nice size for a 2 guard. When I look at Booker’s film i honestly think to myself that Booker looks like Stauskus as a senior in HS with less ball handling ability and nowhere near the court vision. I simply don’t buy Booker as a top 20 player. I like Blackmon much more. That is not to say that Booker isn’t a good prospect, because he is, but not a top 20 talent in my opinion.