I think it is a real possibility. If DJ improves on a few of his weaknesses he is going to be one the most unique and difficult, to deal with, players in the country.
1 Like
I do too which would make it a shame for him to leave early and to end up in the d league.
My hunch is that JB and DJ have a plan to showcase DJās point forward skills, to some extent, next year, and it will bump his draft stockā¦
2 Likes
I think so too which I am not as fixated on PG next season. DJ brings brains and skills to the 4 that Beilein hasnāt had at Michigan. With little experience at PG and no Stauskas or Caris on the roster, Iāve got to believe Beilein wheels are turning.
1 Like
I was very nervous. I no longer am. In fact Iām very bullish on x next year. Iām expecting big things.
Heās shown some promising flashes, including some passes you wouldnāt see dwalt try. Letās hope he can handle the load.
Heās going to be very very good. He understands angles, change of speed, elite quickness and his vision is elite. I know some will say but in such limited minutes? You can tell someone who gets it like him off a few plays. Iām extremely confident in him now. I hope coach b keeps recruiting athletes to run with him because his open floor game/ fast breaking could be devastating. I really hope we commit to running next year and beyond.
I loved a lot of xās passing. Heās got some flair with his vision. If he can shoot good enough that his defender has to respect it (33%?) and works on finishing tough shots at the rim he will be plenty good for us. Fortunately those are (relatively) easy things to work on.
Not to mention heās got a long wingspan 6ā4" to compensate for his height, 5ā10"-ish.
Man, the leap of faith ppl on this board take is amazing. X is a huge question mark, biggest on the team next to Matthews, another that this board is putting on all B1G teams already.
Probably the same ppl who had Dawkins leaving early for the NBA.
1 Like
Thereās irony in your name and that statement above ha.
But all we can have is faith at the moment. Thereās no way of saying X is going to have a good or bad year based on his playing time this year. He showed some great flashes in the middle and end of the year, so the guesses are just hoping that translates over more playing time.
If anyone thinks the fact X didnāt have a great freshmen year (minutes and stats-wise) means he canāt be good next year, then I would recommend looking at Frank Masonās freshmen year.
Iām one of the ones that strongly believes Simpson and Matthews will both be good players next year. I saw enough of Simpson to be able to say that he will be around middle of the pack big ten pg. 5-7 assists a game is very doable for him. Matthews averaging around 11-13 is what Iām projecting with room to grow as the season goes on.
John, may I ask your connection with Charles Matthews? All of your inside information seems to come from/have to do with him.
I tend to fall on the optimistic side in the offseason (much more fun) and worry my tail off in games.
Positives from x were some excellent passes with timing and vision, quickness, ball handling, he made some shots both deep and at the rim. Negatives are he made some bad passes, committed too many fouls, isnāt very tall by basketball standards, and did not have insanely good shooting percentages. Iām excited for him. Iām not wagering on him being all big ten next year.
Dawkinsā¦ugh. His defense was soooooo bad. I wonāt miss him, but heāll probably have a couple 30 pt games this season where people will pine for him. He just had no clue on d.
I agree. I donāt know if X will surprise us in a good way, but no matter what I think heāll be āgood enoughā. I have high hopes and big optimism on CM as well.
Truthfully, to me itās about the stars being stars. If Moe and DJ come back, Iām more concerned with them elevating their games and being the 1-2 versus how X and CM do.
1 Like
I donāt think X will for sure fail next year but we NEED 25 mpg from him at least and thatās a gigantic leap considering ppl are having B1G aspirations. He showed glimpses, but thatās a long way from being able to count on him for so many more minutes. Its why Iād like to take Barrett if Bomba doesnāt come.
Matthews is a whole nother thing. Iām not even convinced heāll start, though I like DRob coming off the bench, so Iām hopeful heās up for it.
I like X but heās got HUGE shoes to fill for Walton. I feel more comfortable with replacing Irvin because weāll have Mathews and Robinson to help there - no doubt a blow but one we can figure out. Walton thoughā¦manā¦the way he played the last 15 games of the year was unreal.
I hope MAAR can pickup a lot of that slack. I think heāll thrive with having a good team but being āthe guyā that needs to put up shots instead of just being passive and letting the game flow run around him.
1 Like
I know Charles personally. I grew up in champaign IL and would play in Chicago during the summers. Met him through a mutual friend years back. I played basketball with Ray Rice and Verdell Jones and we all have played and hung out quite a bit.
I donāt think itās tough to extrapolate his potential off those limited glimpses. There are certain things that I feel like one can see based off of even a few glimpses. Itās ok if you are taking a conservative stance on him and have your doubts. I wonāt though. I really like what I saw and think heās going to shock people.
Also I really like Aubrey and am willing to bet he looks great the next two years down there. I have a lot of faith in both.
Iām thinking the floor is about where we finished in the big ten this year (with no early departures) with x and cm being big disappointments. Iām thinking theyāll far exceed that, every year it seems like we have at least one positive developmental surprise. If that comes with dj, moe, Duncan, and MAAR meeting expectations then weāre in business.
I have no idea what to expect from Matthews beyond good defense. Iāve never seen him on the court, but calipariās recruiting + Beileinās development + Matthewsās apparent athleticism seems like a good recipe.
1 Like