He’s announcing at 2:30 p.m. Probably worth your time to pay attention. There’s significant buzz there that U-M has made a serious move.
Crystal Balls jumping toward Michigan today - including Jerry Meyer, Corey Evans, and Evan Flood (Wiscy guy). Interesting…
Sure looks like JB has taken the initiative to grab the first fish that bites and not be left at the altar again. This brings some clarity to breaking ties with Winston much more into focus. Can’t be left without an impact PG in this class.
Sure looks like JB has taken the initiative to grab the first fish that bites and not be left at the altar again.
I tend to agree with this as well.
Wow. That escalated quickly. I don’t love his size but he’s pretty highly ranked. Maybe a Trey Burke clone?!?
Wow. That escalated quickly. I don't love his size but he's pretty highly ranked. Maybe a Trey Burke clone?!?
Not as good a shooter yet, but a bulldog on D and a consummate floor general.
Couldn’t agree more Dylan. Winston had two years and 15+ visits to fall in love, he didn’t.
Welcome Xavier! I will enjoy watching film on him now. Maybe with him and Teske in the same class, our defense on the perimeter and around the basket will take a step up. Happy about the pickup, and happy about how it came about without us getting sucker punched again. Thanks Beilein.
Wow. That escalated quickly. I don't love his size but he's pretty highly ranked. Maybe a Trey Burke clone?!?
Eh…what the hell, I’m in a good mood, time for a cameo!
I’ve watched Simpson in person for 2 games (was at Peach Jam while my daughter was getting ready for Nike Skills Academy), and 3-4 full game clips.
Simpson is not Trey Burke…doesn’t have the elite ballhandling/change of direction ability that Trey had in HS. Nor does Xavier possess a jumpshot on par with Trey at the same stage of development. Xavier is generously listed at 6’, but he’s probably in the 5’10, maybe 5’11 range in reality…and about 160 lbs at this point.
That being said, Simpson is very experienced at PnR situations, and excels in that regard…but primarily as a scorer. While Xavier isn’t a great (or even good) thlete, he has average/slightly above average lateral movement and speed…but he really knows how to change speeds off PnR depending on how the big plays the screen. He has a good midrange pullup off the bounce from either the left or right side when the big goes under. He’s not going to finish at the rim at the next level, just doesn’t have the size, strength or verticality to accomplish that. He compensates for that with an excellent floater from 12 feet and in…he really goods good elevation with his legs and puts good arch on the floater…he’s really good with that thing. Simpson has really improved his jumpshot over the past year, he has nice arch and rotation now, whereas a year ago he had a low release and line drive type shot. Not a knockdown shooter by any means, but he’s much better than Tum Tum for example. I’d say he’s a notch below Walton at the same stage of development.
I know a lot of you probably look at the assist numbers and think pure passing PG…Simpson is not that. He collects assists in transition much the same way Walton does…he’s not a guy that breaks down a defense and finds the big when the help comes. He’s primarily a scorer in a half court set right now.
Defensively he’s a bit undersized, but he has very quick hands and gets in the lane for steals.
Overall, I like the pickup, Simpson has wide shoulders and can easily pick-up 20lbs of muscle and not lose a step. While he certainly isn’t a guy that is going to break defenders down one on one, he’s a good shooter off PnR, has an excellent floater in the lane, looks to push tempo in transition, and is an above average defender. Overall, I’d say he’s ranked appropriately, a 60-80 type player. Like Simpson much better than Aiken…hard to say about Lucas (didn’t see enough of him and he looked to be playing suspect competition in a few clips)…a notch below Cassius, on offense anyway, but a better defender.
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Whoa, a @MattD sighting. Pretty fair take of Simpson’s game. I personally like getting a guy who can really guard the ball at the one. Combine him with MAAR and Walton and that’s a nice defensive backcourt.
Here’s audio from Simpson’s announcement:
http://www.prephoopsohio.com/news_article/show/552092?referrer_id=1373117
Here’s the full informative update: http://www.umhoops.com/2015/09/09/four-star-point-guard-xavier-simpson-commits-to-michigan/
Now you know why Michigan and Cassius Winston are through. Michigan got a PG. That was the decision that they had to balance and I think it was the right move. Winston the better offensive player, Simpson the better defensive player, but bird in hand…
One small concern that some may have regarding Simpson is age…already 18, and will only be 4 months from turning 20 when he hits the court for UM as a freshman.
Personally, I’m not concerned about it…as Simpson’s body has a ton of filling out to do. Think he can add 20lbs of muscle easy with the broad shoulders. Good thing is, he’s not carrying bad weight (as opposed to Winston, who is carrying a LOT of bad weight).
One small concern that some may have regarding Simpson is age..............already 18, and will only be 4 months from turning 20 when he hits the court for UM as a freshman.Personally, I’m not concerned about it…as Simpson’s body has a ton of filling out to do. Think he can add 20lbs of muscle easy with the broad shoulders. Good thing is, he’s not carrying bad weight (as opposed to Winston, who is carrying a LOT of bad weight).
Welcome back.
I’m more worried about age with potential early entrants.
NBADraft.net has his birthday as 2/11/97 so yep, old for his grade. His dad is a few inches taller than him though so maybe there’s a hope he’s not done growing.
Seems like there are so many guys on the extremes of the age curve either young (LeVert) or old (MAAR, Simpson, Albrecht). With the young guys maybe there’s more pro potential or impact down the line, but with an older guy you are looking at a better chance of contributing right off.
Welcome back Matt! The biggest asset Xavier brings IMO is his dogged determination to win. As you’ve often stated we have been a notorious “soft” team as far as tenacity is concerned, and the “dog” in him will be a welcome addition. Notable that OSU in essence ignored him ( they already have Harris ) but that’s fine with me.
Simpson isn’t a game changer by any means, more like an above average role player down the line…but I can’t overstate that being an above average role player on BOTH sides of the court is something that I value a LOT, even though some around here may not think much about the defensive end of the court.
This commit came from so far out of nowhere! I didn’t even know we were in the mix with him or that we had even offered. Call me paranoid but I hope we aren’t looking at another change of mind de-commit coming down the road. Call it the Battle effect.
It does appear now that we moved on from Winston as opposed to he moved on from us. But overall we took a talented kid that fills a need so if the commit sticks I would call it a smart move.
And welcome back Matt D, why you stay away for so long? With the season getting closer and closer hope you stick around.
What does this mean for bruce brown?
What does this mean for bruce brown?Think he's mostly focused on Georgetown and Indiana right now.
Great opportunity for Simpson! He’ll get schooled and pushed by Walton for a year, and be ready to take over as a Soph.
M probably needs another PG in '17?