This happened every Big Ten game this year 
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I distinctly remember X flashed his quickness freshman year. You could see he was talented. I wasnāt concerned about whether he would pan out or not.
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Regarding the height one never knows, Iāve witnessed people growing more than 6 inches well into their late teens and early 20s, itās very unusual, one you might know is Scottie Pippen. I wasnāt being argumentative but rather optimistic about Brooks. We donāt know if Brooks can shoot at a better percentage or not and we probably never will know because the manner Beilein has decided to play him. Brooks has always come in and play in short spurts hardly enough time to get into a rhythm in the game which is terrible for personal shooting percentage. Have you ever come off the bench to play in a game it takes a while to warm up, correct? We donāt know what he can or cannot do playing a full game. I do know his height is not much of a problem when he drives the lane and shoots a jumper. Brooks is much more athletic than given credit for, I am guessing his vertical is between 35 - 37 inches and that is a guess I have not looked. I think with the incoming players Brooks will never be more than a 7th person giving the 1st string a breather but I like his energy and defense when he does.
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When Eli plays 20+ mins, he averages 4.9 PPG, shoots 40% overall, and 27.6% from three. Itās not about minutes and getting warmed up.
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Agreed, I think itās his confidence as well. He had wide open looks and passed the ball. There is a difference between shooterās and scorerās. Most scorers are shooting the ball before they have itā¦looking for space and in the ready position to pull the trigger. If he can change his mind set he can improve.
Iām pretty sure he broke the record for the most wide open pump fakes this year. Confidence is a serious issue for him.
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I have never seen a player as consistently and thoroughly visibly shook as Eli Brooks. He plays with visible terror. Thatās not a good sign.
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Exactly. It really sucks because he busts his ass on the defensive end and seems like a really good kid/young man.
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Blaming coaching use for his shooting is a stretch. Brooks has started games/halves and his production wasnāt different. I like his effort, I like what he brings to team, I hope he has more he can bring this coming season. But blaming his shoot on use is a really forcing fans to stretch reality.
Plus, you asked about bench performers. Stauskas didnāt seem to struggle to warm up when he started his career off the bench. Duncan Robinson didnāt seem to need much time for his shot to āwarm upā ā the coaches liked that element off the bench. Livers has shown the ability to enter games off the bench and knock down shots. As a Freshman, Poole showed that same quick entry scoring ability. It can be done. Brooks just hasnāt been a productive offensive player at the college level, yet.
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Yeah youāre right.
I think itās tough because he seems like he plays really hard and with focus and prioritizes possessions and if youāre shooting as poorly from everywhere as he is, it makes sense to look for teammates instead of your own shot.
Re: DDJ, he looked physically up to it to me. If his shot is what itās supposed to be, I think Iād have him #2 after Castleton for player I expect to go from small minutes to being a Big 10 starter quality player (though Castleton wonāt get big minutes with Teske around), above Johns and Nunez.
Iām hoping DDJ turns into a DWALT type player. Maybe a 2ā¦but I like his game at the point.
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I remember Caris looking like that as a freshman, but it didnāt last too long. I still believe Brooks can be a contributor, but itās discouraging that he still looks lost with the ball in his hands on offense regularly.
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Could happen but Caris was/is cat quick. One of the best first steps in the NBA right now.
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Yeah and he is also 6ā7".
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I donāt think Brooks looks lost. Heās not being aggressive and not making shots. He knows the offense and defense.
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Exactly why I have pretty high hope on him turning things around next season. The fact that he is staying says that he believes in himself as well.
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For the sake of discussion letās set up a scenario where Cumberland commits to Michigan, Iggy goes pro, and Franz stays in Germany. How do people think the lineup would play out? Eli vs. Cumberland for starting 2 guard, but then again Nunez or DeJulius could easily jump into the conversation for some minutes there. Livers at 3 and Johns at 4? One of the freshmen at the 3 (Wilson, probably) and Livers at the 4? I think a Simpson-Cumberland-Wilson (if readyā¦)-Livers-Teske lineup would be pretty damn good. If neither of the freshmen can jump into the starting 3 spot right away itās probably putting a decent amount of pressure on Johns to make a jump to āviable B1G starting 4ā so we can start him and Livers.
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Sure
But Caris got 10 minutes a game on a team that started 4 NBA first round picks, and was gratuitously added as a NINTH guy to the rotation because he was too good in practice to sit, all his freshman year. As a sophomore he was all conference. He was also about as young as he could possibly be for a freshman (six days younger and heād have still been in high school).
Eli got 11 mpg as a sophomore on a team with maybe a handful of second round picks, and a six man rotation with Beilein desperately trying to find ANYONE reliable to soak up minutes. Beilein also visibly attempted to find ways to not play Brooks - just tossing DeJulius out there in the hopes heād be better than Brooks. Eli is old for his class - an October birthday.
I hate being the guy who always points out that heās been pretty bad, but any plan that involves him getting 20+ minutes a game is worst-case, and will require MASSIVE development to make that not so.
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Itās probably X, Brooks, Livers, Wilson/ Johns, Teske unless Iggy come back. They can be a top 3-4 team in B1G with that lineup, maybe better.