I tried to be pretty honest about DeVante’s strengths and weaknesses this summer and the idea that he dominated the G-League Elite Camp kept getting touted in other circles but I really wouldn’t say that was the case and I came away from those games thinking that they illustrated why Mike was a bit of a better fit (he was also playing in those games).
I don’t think it’s fair to say that Jones hasn’t shown a glimpse of anything either. He needs to make some corrections, but he’s shown some of the half court playmaking, rebounding, etc. that he was expected to. He’s leading the team in assists despite playing some limited minutes due to fouls, etc.
I’m also not sure why the transition is downplayed… He’s playing a different game at Michigan than what Coastal played. Completely different.
I just don’t think Jones is a PG. He really doesn’t handle pressure well at all. I don’t think I’ve seen a PG worse at coming back to the ball, creating space and making himself available for outlets or receiving the ball from the trigger man out of bounds.
He seems really slow and unable to beat pressure. He always turns his back to the defender rather than try to beat him face up.
I don’t know if Frankie is the answer or playing Eli more at PG but if this team doesn’t get better PG play, they are going to struggle big time.
On the one turnover by Eli in the first half, all he had to do was take one hard dribble toward the baseline and he would have created the angle he needed, enter the ball to Hunter there with his defender on the high side and, BOOM, it’s over! Two points.
This is part of the overall issues the team is having. Hunter is not getting enough shots or touching the ball enough. Once he got the ball near the end of the game, he didn’t shoot it but the passing and cutting made for easy dunks.
I’m trying to give benefit of the doubt because we have faced teams with a lot of length and ball pressure like Tarleton and Buffalo that makes it harder to feed the post. But I’m thinking that we are generally not very good feeding the post.
Remember in '17 when we thought Jaaron Simmons would be the starter and then X took over? I feel like we’re in a similar situation where Frankie will eventually take the reins.
I think part of the issue getting the ball to Hunter is less the passing ability of the guards or even scheme, but that it’s much easier when every player around him shoot 40% from 3 on good volume.
On some of the early Beilein teams, we’d see a lot of extended ball pressure because there weren’t many guys who could beat you off the dribble with extended pressure. However, those teams learned to utilize cuts and shooting to burn that type of D. This team can’t dribble well but it also can’t shoot and hasn’t shown itself to be a good passing team either. That’s a huge problem.
Which gets back to the Jones vs. Collins discussion. I saw Frankie at least putting pressure of the defense and attacking the basket. Jones…posts up a guy from 40 feet out??? With Jones the defense was dictating the pressure and tempo and not the other way around.
I also think that more Frankie can solve the shooting issue in that it can unlock a small lineup option with Brooks-Bufkin-Houstan as the wings. Gives Frankie room to attack, open space for Hunter (or Moussa) with that pairing.
The issue with Jones not cutting it as a PG is that if Juwan insists only playing 3 guards, it squeezes out Kobe. I don’t like Houstan playing 37+ minutes a game so maybe Kobe could get some run at the 3 but its becoming apparent that Frankie is going to need more time than thought.
One issue is jumping to conclusions after Jones worse game and Collins best game. This will play out. The coaches have to figure out how best to put the pieces of this puzzle together. I’ll give thanks to Devante and the rest of the Wolverines today. Better days ahead for both him and Collins and Bufkin.
Look I can’t disagree, right now that looks like the case and it would be disastrous to go up against a guy like Frazier right now.
But I also see Devante playing with a total lack of comfort and confidence… we have to give him a little time. He’s also playing for a team that looks completely disjointed. Lets see how this plays out, we may as well anyways, because if Devante really is this bad we’re in trouble.
My worry with DJ is that when he makes the right decision, it’s still not crisp. On Hunter’s baseline drive and dunk, Jones made the right pass but was so off target Hunter had to take a few steps to get the ball and avoid another turnover.
Here’s my take, not having seen this game but just reading the game thread here. We aren’t saying that Jones should be glued to the bench next to Faulds. We need him to figure things out and be a part of the guard rotation. But, he hasn’t come close to justifying 30 minutes. Back off his minutes unless he’s playing well and give them to Frankie. I would have been fine with those going to Kobe, but he seems like he’s in the doghouse.
The press break, dumb fouls, and inability to get the ball to Hunter are all things that fall on our guards. Whoever is playing needs to fix that asap.
We will always compare Jones to Smith simply because of them being grad transfers. Is it fair? Probably not but hard when Smith had Brooks, Livers, Davis as holdovers that had been through a bunch of stuff. Can’t forget Chaundee and Franz either. Jones has Brooks, Dickinson, and Johns as contributors from previous season. Very different roster makeup and it shows with there seeming to be a lot more pressure for Jones to produce.
Eli was the true freshman battling for PG minutes that year. He had a gap of getting more minutes for 4-5 games before X actually took over, the PG situation that year wasn’t settled until January.
