I like the construct of this team
Nov 24, 2022 15:26:29 GMT -8
beaver94, wilkyisdashiznit, and 1 more like this
Post by beaverstever on Nov 24, 2022 15:26:29 GMT -8
First time seeing them in a situation where they came in with time to develop a specific game-plan with this roster, and they did a lot of things well.
The backcourt of Pope and Akkano is defensively sold, and offensively adequate with Pope having an effective iso-game, deadly from mid-range (ala Ethan Thompson), and a threat from deep. He's not a slasher, but penetrates with control and can dish. Duke threw 2 different 'stoppers' at him this game, and he still has a 14/5/2 line with only 2 TOs. Akkano is a bit scary as a ball-handler, but they couldn't really take advantage of that, and he's an opportunistic, physical. A healthy Wright could make our backcourt a real strength.
I really like our wings in Ryuny and Taylor. Ryuny is a tall shooter and Taylor is a scorer. Ryuny has to be respected beyond the arch with someone that has enough length to keep him from getting shots off - Duke was forced to bring one of their bigs way out on him - which unfortunately didn't help our offensive rebounding like you'd expect, but it did open up the paint. Duke really focused on Taylor, and limited him to 5 shot attempts. Still, he opened up the game for the rest of the team, and still found ways to contribute.
Our posts should be adequate, particularly with Angela's post-up game. But Duke has top-tier bigs, and Angela's lack of length and poor timing on aggressiveness and Chol's lack of physicality and basketball sense were really exploited today. They both should get better, and the competition will mostly not have the same caliber of big talent/experience.
I like our bench as well. Rataj has a great physical and skill baseline, and should be a real asset when he adapts to this level. Bilodeau looks like the kind of player that can do the dirty work on the boards; he was overmatched today, but I felt it was more due to those around him having a better feel for the game than he has at this point, than any physicality deficiency. Stevens looks like he has a lot to offer as well.
All in all, it feels like a team that should compete with most in conference now, and the young talent can develop into only needing a few pieces to be very competitive.
The backcourt of Pope and Akkano is defensively sold, and offensively adequate with Pope having an effective iso-game, deadly from mid-range (ala Ethan Thompson), and a threat from deep. He's not a slasher, but penetrates with control and can dish. Duke threw 2 different 'stoppers' at him this game, and he still has a 14/5/2 line with only 2 TOs. Akkano is a bit scary as a ball-handler, but they couldn't really take advantage of that, and he's an opportunistic, physical. A healthy Wright could make our backcourt a real strength.
I really like our wings in Ryuny and Taylor. Ryuny is a tall shooter and Taylor is a scorer. Ryuny has to be respected beyond the arch with someone that has enough length to keep him from getting shots off - Duke was forced to bring one of their bigs way out on him - which unfortunately didn't help our offensive rebounding like you'd expect, but it did open up the paint. Duke really focused on Taylor, and limited him to 5 shot attempts. Still, he opened up the game for the rest of the team, and still found ways to contribute.
Our posts should be adequate, particularly with Angela's post-up game. But Duke has top-tier bigs, and Angela's lack of length and poor timing on aggressiveness and Chol's lack of physicality and basketball sense were really exploited today. They both should get better, and the competition will mostly not have the same caliber of big talent/experience.
I like our bench as well. Rataj has a great physical and skill baseline, and should be a real asset when he adapts to this level. Bilodeau looks like the kind of player that can do the dirty work on the boards; he was overmatched today, but I felt it was more due to those around him having a better feel for the game than he has at this point, than any physicality deficiency. Stevens looks like he has a lot to offer as well.
All in all, it feels like a team that should compete with most in conference now, and the young talent can develop into only needing a few pieces to be very competitive.
