We are recording a new episode of The Pin Down today and need some questions to answer on the show. Anything about the opener that you guys want us to dive into?
Should we be worried about Devante Jones getting in foul trouble frequently this year? I saw a tweet from Brendan Quinn that he had 3 or more fouls in half of his games last year. To add on to that, how much do you think Michigan drops off with him off the floor?
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What should Caleb Houstan’s usage rate be right now, and what do you think it should/will be in February and March? Would also love to hear if you think the ball screen looks for him were just a product of a lower level of competition, or that’s something we might see in Big Ten play.
What was the biggest positive surprise between the first game and exhibition? What disappointed the most?
Do things like FT shooting and our defensive foul rate settle out as time goes on or do we expect them to be long term issues?
After game 1 are you significantly stock up or down on anything in particular? Team on the whole, offense, defense, a particular player, defensive coverage, offensive set, etc.
Eric said on the pod last week after a couple games he’d have a much better idea as to what he could predict Devante’s role/production (and I think 3 point shooting in particular) would be. What are his thoughts after the first game plus exhibition?
Is TWill looking like he might become a starter moving forward and might that relegate Johns behind both Will and Diabate in the depth chart?
Is it wrong to think Collins looked shockingly reliable as the point guard given what we saw last night?
P/R coverage. Was hedging part of the problem in the second half?
Houstan: we want this guy getting more than 7 shots a game and definintely more than 4 3s a game, right? Was Houstan doing something in the second half there that reduced his volume of opportunities? Does the team need to run even more plays than they do? Or will there be more hockey assist type looks over time?
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Why is Adrian Nunez the first off the bench and will that change as Frankie Collins gets more experience? Is he still a defensive liability as he has been in the past?
Were there any structural differences in the way Michigan was helping? Seemed like in general we were sagging more in the paint than usual? Strategy or just bad execution?
Do you buy Terrence Williams as a longterm answer backing up the 2?
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What’s the REAL Zeb Jackson story?
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In this game specifically we played a lot of bigs at once. Despite the lack of outside shooting and quantity of large humans on the court, our offense was effective. Can you break down some of the ways they schemed to get good shots while having so many non shooters on the floor together? Do we think this is sustainable against larger teams?
Much of our discussion in the offseason about the depth chart, rotation, wing minutes, and offensive creation included optimism around Kobe buffkin. It is only a couple of games and we know how young he is, but if his trajectory is to be a little further away from contributing this year does that change any of our approach or upside heading into the season?
Referring to the last pod and the concern about the lack of a wing stopper, what does TWill still need to show for you to be comfortable with him to become that guy? Is there a different person that you expect could show up this year in that role?
Relatedly (and pardon my basketball ignorance), I read so often this offseason that Diabate enables us to play switch everything D. I read that as saying he can be a plus defender at spots 1-5. If he can guard 1 and he can guard 5, then why isn’t he the obvious answer to be the wing stopper (especially when Juwan has already shown us a super big lineup)?
For a lineup with Jones, Brooks, Houstan, and Dickinson can you briefly discuss the pros and cons of adding- Johns, Diabate, T Will? More specifically, what are the offensive and defensive pros and cons with each of those 3 in with the other four.
Sample size caveats not withstanding, what surprised you the most during the first game of the season?
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Did you ever think we’d see a lineup of Collins, Nunez, Williams, Johns, Diabate in a competitive game?
Truthfully I can’t stand the auto bench, especially with more experienced players. We could have easily gone zone with DJ in the game and buried them instead of playing Nunez extended minutes.
What are your thoughts regarding the auto bench?
Do you think they are more likely to hard hedge with Dickinson when they have a disruptor like Diabate rotating behind it?
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Did how the game played out on Wednesday give you more questions or answers about this team?
Buffalo was successful with their dribble penetration in the second half. Oregon was last year. What does Michigan need to do to control this - scheme or players?
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A deep-dive into the Spain pnr and how we can expect teams to try to defend M running one of its favorite sets.