Even when Duncan is not hitting, defenders do not leave him. A lot of what MAAR and Walton do going to the hoop is made possible by the spacing that a shooter gives them.
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I think this is spot on. When MAAR has to support an āalpha dogā, he often disappears. If you let him get in rhythm, control the ball and probe the defense, he can make things happen in a big way.
I know the staff talked about incorporating more lobs into the game this year (mainly because Dawkins can elevate) but I havenāt seen much of it since GRIII. Would love to see them pick up a big guy or two who can throw down lobs on the reg in transition and the half court.
Since I have the day off, I watched a lot of old footage from our glory days. That lob to gr3 was awesome. Those teams were so good. They could attack a team from every angle
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Corner cut Lob on penetration was the best
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Watching the game against Maryland Kevin Harlan said Walton is 5ā9, the Michigan site says 6ā1. Thatās a big difference but after seeing him more I am starting to think heās closer to 5ā9 than 6ā1.
I do not see why the official Michigan basketball website would lie about that. If they say he is 6ā1 I would believe it more then a CBS commentator.
Most programs lie about height. So I believe the commentator more than the site
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prattd, thatās my worry about Simpson also. But the flip side is, if he was 3 inches taller he is probably going to Duke/UK/etcā¦ He is still a really good player. I mean, really good!
also, I think most schools exaggerate height, which I never understood.
From the highlights Iāve seen, X looks rather pint-sized. But so are Tyler Ulis and Kay Felder, so itās all good. From a competition standpoint, I find I care more about the height of bigs than tough and quick PGs. Although I admittedly liked Goodin more than our other targets cause he seemed like a legit 6-3 PG (with above-average hops).
But yeah, I often wonder why programs lie about height. Itās always weird when a guy turns out to be 2+ inches shorter than his listed height in the draft combine.
I donāt think theyād lie to the extent of 4 inches. In all his games at Michigan, Iāve never heard another commentator say he was only 5ā9". And when Iāve watched games, Iāve never felt he was significantly shorter than anyone else on the court. He may not be 6ā1", but Iād say heās closer to that than he is to 5ā9".
This is from Xavier Simpsonās commitment post: āSimpson measured in a 6-foot, 170 pounds with a 6-foot-4 wingspan at the Nike Skills Academyā ā I donāt know how rigorous the measuring is at the camp, but the inclusion of the wingspan makes me think theyāre probably not just asking the players.
This is from Waltonās RealGM page: āHe was last measured at 6ā1ā with an average wingspan and solid size, at 185 poundsā ā not clear where the measurements come from. I highly doubt he is 5ā9" and donāt think Harlan, a guy who hasnāt called many Michigan games, is a great source.
I believe Walton is 6-1 but from the most recent highlights Simpson has to be under 6 feet. Not that it matters much.
This is from Simpsonās Draft Express page:
Year Source Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan
2015 Nike Skills Academy NA 6ā 0" 170 6ā 4"
2014 Nike Skills Academy NA 5ā 10.5" 166 6ā 4"
2014 Nike Elite 100 5ā 10 NA 165 6ā 3"
Who knows, though. Definitely doesnāt have great height but shouldnāt be particularly small for a college PG - long wingspan should help.
I donāt think Rahkās upside is as high as you guys seem to think it is. I think heās still inconsistent and heās really limited as an athlete both vertically and from a quickness perspective. I wouldnāt describe him as a great ball handler either. Just seems like he kind of persistently moves closer and closer to the rim where he usually gets and makes a tough shot. Doesnāt really get many easy buckets there.
If heās gonna get much better, itās gonna because he developed a midrange jumper and lightning quick decision making, like Denzel Valentine. That guy is good despite being unathletic and just a functional ball handler because heās a reasonable scoring threat from any spot on the floor and makes his decisions instantly.
Reegs you are generally pretty objective, and I find your posts to be pretty fair in general, but I think youāre selling MAAR a bit short in terms of athleticism. Heās certainly not ālimitedā vertically for 6ā3 college guard, in fact, Iād say heās above average/good in that regard. With respect to acceleration, heās probably the only guy on the team (sans Caris) that can gain separation with the first dribble going straight aheadā¦everyone else on the roster has to use a change of speed in order to gain any separation at allā¦and it still doesnāt happen. I agree heās not a great ball handler in a traditional sense (which means we restrict the evaluation to hand dribbling in terms of how hard you dribble, change of direction with the ball, ball control), but where he excels is changing direction with his feet and change of speed moves with his feet (think spin move vs Maryland and hesitation dribbles where he changes speeds going straight ahead, also effectively uses pivot to get defenders off their feet in the paint for 8-10 foot jumpers on a routine basis). Going rights, heās an absolute load to handle. Generally speaking, itās going left where he is limited to being a midrange jumpshooterā¦he generally uses the right to left crossover to create space for a 15-18 foot jumper, but if he ever gets comfortable using the left to attack the rim he has the potential to be a 15pt scorer in the B10.
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This certainly doesnāt look vertically challenged to me
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Might seem weird, but MAAR kind of reminds me of Manny Harris with a worse jump shot.
IIRC Manny also had a hard time going left.
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I can see some similarity in terms of being more comfortable driving to the rack, especially with the right. Where Manny had a huge advantage offensively over MAAR was court vision, Manny was an excellent passer for a 6ā5-6ā6 wing with limited ballhandling ability. Also, Manny had a really nice pullup jumper from the right elbow.
In terms of defense, MAAR is serviceable, but Manny was damn good, I remember him making things VERY difficult for Evan Turner. Manny was also a very good rebounder for a wing, had a really high motor. Manny would do wonders for this teamā¦
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I will give you that his hops not great (but not bad) and He is not the most skillful ball handler for sure. Where I disagree with you 100 percent is when you say he is not fast. He is often the quickest guy on the floor. He makes things happen despite his ball handling skillbecause he is unusually quick.