Thoughts from @bmcleod013 who was in attendance at the game.
Initial thoughts after game. If they continue to shoot the lights out, they will surprise a lot of teams this year. Chatman is the real thing. The bigs played composed. Team will be led by Irvin and Levert. Irvin poss lottery. Best moment when Austin played. Crowd stood and applauded. As did entire team. Special moment for him and grandpa.
Hate to be a downer, but I would be absolutely shocked if Irvin is even mentioned in mock drafts as a first td pick let alone possible lottery. Hope Irvin makes me look a fool
Hate to be a downer, but I would be absolutely shocked if Irvin is even mentioned in mock drafts as a first td pick let alone possible lottery. Hope Irvin makes me look a fool
Obviously one fan at a game observing Michigan playing a low level Italian team isn’t going to mean much saying he’s a potential lottery pick. But it’s worth noting Irvin is at 41 on Chad Ford’s big board before the season. He’s at least on the radar so to speak.
If Irvin can be a bigger and stronger version of himself last year that grabs rebounds, he’ll have a huge year.
For UM, bigger/stronger will certainly aid him rebounding, but For NBA purposes I don’t think bigger and stronger helps Irvin. Lateral movement is what he needs to improve for more utility in the league. He’s never going to play the 4 in the NBA, he has to show the ability to create off the dribnble and guard 2s and 3s in order to improve his stock in my view.
Irvin is somewhere between what was seen in Adidas nations and this Italy trip.
Put together some notes from the box score here… Tough to take too much away, but can start to watch for trends.
I suspect similar score lines in the next two games, the final game will be Michigan’s final summer exam so to speak.
I could see Irvin being a later first round pick as a 3 and D guy, but unless the draft is really void of talent I don’t see Zak in lottery. He isn’t that big for a 3 (6’7" in shoes tops), and definitely isn’t a 2 at this point. I am not saying this to knock Zak, just that teams are trying to hit home runs in the lottery, and it’s not hard to see that Zak isn’t your typical lottery swingman, because of his lack of break down ability. However, he is the type of guy that can carve out a role in the league with his shooting, and adequate ability in all other areas if he continues to improve.
Yep. To be honest, Zak would have to show me a lot that he hasn’t showed before to be in the lottery conversation. I probably would have said something similar about Nik at this time last year, but does lightning strike twice? That said, I could see Zak being in the thick of NBA talk after his junior year.
For this roster, Zak is very important because he fills that pure shooter/ pure scorer role being surrounded by 3 guys who are somewhat more playmakers and 2 inexperienced bigs. I am assuming Caris continues to polish that part of his game, more so in the haf court as he has already perfected dishing while on the break. Could be a great ball movement team, and once again a top 5 offense. If they can defend at or slightly under that 1 point per possession line they should be fine once again.
I too would be really surprised if Zak is ever a lottery pick. With that said, lots of guys are three point specialists in the NBA, and he can really shoot. Reminds me a bit of guys like Danny Green and DaQuan Cook.
What separates a guy like Green from Zak at this point is the ability to defend at a high level. Danny Green is a good defender against 2s and 3s
Am I the only one concerned that Doyle didn’t record a SINGLE rebound against what appears to be very bad competition?
Also, people reference Chad Ford when projecting the draft? He is horrible.
On the other hand, a big personal thanks to MAAR for making me look good…so far
Am I the only one concerned that Doyle didn't record a SINGLE rebound against what appears to be very bad competition?
Nope, you aren’t the only one. It’s a concern, but Michigan dominated the boards in the game so tough to say. Sounds like U-M was unstoppable when a guard got the board and pushed the pace – which is usually when they are at their best.
We do have what I consider to be the best rebounding backcourt in the big ten. Walton and Caris could easily average 10-11 Rebs per game between the two of them
The one worthwhile take away from this game is that the guy we need to score, Irvin, scored big and efficiently.
Am I the only one concerned that Doyle didn't record a SINGLE rebound against what appears to be very bad competition?Nope, you aren’t the only one. It’s a concern, but Michigan dominated the boards in the game so tough to say. Sounds like U-M was unstoppable when a guard got the board and pushed the pace – which is usually when they are at their best.
Any idea if we gave up many offensive rebounds?
No, actually, nothing about Doyle can possibly be a “concern” after one exhibition game in a foreign country, playing his first minutes as a part of this team. Is 12 points and no rebounds a slightly odd stat line for a guy his size? Sure. So what? Trying to project anything about the rest of his career, or even the rest of his season from that is just silly. Are you seriously worried that this means he’ll never, ever be a decent rebounder?
Am I the only one concerned that Doyle didn't record a SINGLE rebound against what appears to be very bad competition?Nope, you aren’t the only one. It’s a concern, but Michigan dominated the boards in the game so tough to say. Sounds like U-M was unstoppable when a guard got the board and pushed the pace – which is usually when they are at their best.
Any idea if we gave up many offensive rebounds?
No clue on the other side of the box score. I suspect no just given the fact that they only scored 60 points in 76 possessions and Michigan grabbed 31 defensive boards.