This team still has a long way to go and I still see huge untapped potential in this group, but what we've seen in spurts, and what we saw for most of the game last night, is very encouraging.
#1 I thought without Jemarl Baker we'd struggle 3pt shooting.
However, we have shot 37.6% from 3pt range as a team. Quade Green has shot 50% from 3 on the season and is probably the biggest surprise. SGA, Gabriel, Knox, and Diallo have all shown they can make a 3.
#2 After early games, I was worried about guys not being as good as I thought they would be. Namely, Diallo, Knox, Washington, and Richards.
I've been seeing improvement and growing confidence from all 4 of these players. Knox is scoring 16.1 ppg and is grabbing 5.7 rpg. I don't think I realized just how good a rebounder Knox would be. I've noticed his excellent rebounding ability multiple times in these early games. Early on, Knox was too unselfish and not assertive, but that is changing before our eyes.
Richards' improvement over the last 3 games is very significant. That 25 and 15 game was amazing, but the good news is that he surrounded that game with 2 others that show some consistency. In the last 3 games, he's averaged 14.6pts and 8.6reb.
Washington has been having ups and downs. In the Vermont game, he finished with 17pts and 10reb, but he followed that with only 2pts and 2reb against Kansas. Last night's game was encouraging, against a team that really played hard nosed defense, PJ thrived, finishing with 17pts, 5reb, 4ast, and shot 5-7 from the FT line. Did you know Washinton is 3rd on the team in assists with 19? Problem is, he has 21 turnovers. Good news is, these last 2 games he's only had 1 turnover.
Diallo is a guy whose expectations were through the roof coming into this season. Based on those expectations, I think some fans have been disappointed in him. Honestly, I was disappointed with him to some degree, but I'm liking what I'm seeing more and more. Teams are definitely honing in on him, not letting him get comfortable. Last night's 19pts and 4ast were good to see. Those 2 monster dunks were part of what I was expecting this year, and I'm glad to see them, but I thought Diallo's overall play last night was excellent. He was doing what he needs to do to be successful. I loved those dunks, but the short runners inside 10 feet will be his bread and butter. Despite fan disappointment,
he's still our second leading scorer
#3 Point guard was my biggest concern to begin the season.
Through 7 games, I still have some concerns with the PG position, but I'm not nearly as worried as I was in September. I've already mentioned how Green has been shooting the ball and scoring, but how about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? I can't get over how much better he has been than I thought he'd be! If you had told me a month ago he'd be scoring 9pts and leading the team in assists with 4apg, I might have laughed at you, but that's what he's doing. His "old school game" may become the most common catch-phrase of the season because you can't "hurry him up" with his "unorthodox" and "awkward" style. But all we can say is that he's efficient, shooting 55.3% from the field, including 50% from 3. I'd like to see fewer turnovers from both these guys. As Cal has pointed out, they're trying to make the highlight play instead of the easy play. I think this will improve as the season goes along. Until then, I think our 2-headed point guard will get us through.
#4 I worried we didn't have enough scoring. I thought the same couple guys would have to carry us every night.
Scoring is down a bit from previous seasons, though the team is still averaging 78 points per game. The most encouraging thing I've seen in regard to scoring is our balance. We've been led in scoring by 5 different players in these 7 games. Diallo, Washington, Knox, Green, and Richards have all led the team in scoring, and our scoring has been very balanced in all our games, which is a great thing. Knox has led the team in scoring 3 times, so it's looking like he's gonna be the go-to guy for this team.
All in all, we're moving in the right direction. There is still huge upside to this team, but it's beginning to take shape. The defense is improving game by game. We're still giving up too many straight line drives, but the man to man is getting better. I like the zone, still. The team is more active in that zone and the turnovers leading to easy transition points are more frequent in that zone. I liked the 3/4 court press last night too. Put Vanderbilt on the front of that and it will be a nightmare for opposing teams.
#1 I thought without Jemarl Baker we'd struggle 3pt shooting.
However, we have shot 37.6% from 3pt range as a team. Quade Green has shot 50% from 3 on the season and is probably the biggest surprise. SGA, Gabriel, Knox, and Diallo have all shown they can make a 3.
#2 After early games, I was worried about guys not being as good as I thought they would be. Namely, Diallo, Knox, Washington, and Richards.
I've been seeing improvement and growing confidence from all 4 of these players. Knox is scoring 16.1 ppg and is grabbing 5.7 rpg. I don't think I realized just how good a rebounder Knox would be. I've noticed his excellent rebounding ability multiple times in these early games. Early on, Knox was too unselfish and not assertive, but that is changing before our eyes.
Richards' improvement over the last 3 games is very significant. That 25 and 15 game was amazing, but the good news is that he surrounded that game with 2 others that show some consistency. In the last 3 games, he's averaged 14.6pts and 8.6reb.
Washington has been having ups and downs. In the Vermont game, he finished with 17pts and 10reb, but he followed that with only 2pts and 2reb against Kansas. Last night's game was encouraging, against a team that really played hard nosed defense, PJ thrived, finishing with 17pts, 5reb, 4ast, and shot 5-7 from the FT line. Did you know Washinton is 3rd on the team in assists with 19? Problem is, he has 21 turnovers. Good news is, these last 2 games he's only had 1 turnover.
Diallo is a guy whose expectations were through the roof coming into this season. Based on those expectations, I think some fans have been disappointed in him. Honestly, I was disappointed with him to some degree, but I'm liking what I'm seeing more and more. Teams are definitely honing in on him, not letting him get comfortable. Last night's 19pts and 4ast were good to see. Those 2 monster dunks were part of what I was expecting this year, and I'm glad to see them, but I thought Diallo's overall play last night was excellent. He was doing what he needs to do to be successful. I loved those dunks, but the short runners inside 10 feet will be his bread and butter. Despite fan disappointment,
he's still our second leading scorer
#3 Point guard was my biggest concern to begin the season.
Through 7 games, I still have some concerns with the PG position, but I'm not nearly as worried as I was in September. I've already mentioned how Green has been shooting the ball and scoring, but how about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? I can't get over how much better he has been than I thought he'd be! If you had told me a month ago he'd be scoring 9pts and leading the team in assists with 4apg, I might have laughed at you, but that's what he's doing. His "old school game" may become the most common catch-phrase of the season because you can't "hurry him up" with his "unorthodox" and "awkward" style. But all we can say is that he's efficient, shooting 55.3% from the field, including 50% from 3. I'd like to see fewer turnovers from both these guys. As Cal has pointed out, they're trying to make the highlight play instead of the easy play. I think this will improve as the season goes along. Until then, I think our 2-headed point guard will get us through.
#4 I worried we didn't have enough scoring. I thought the same couple guys would have to carry us every night.
Scoring is down a bit from previous seasons, though the team is still averaging 78 points per game. The most encouraging thing I've seen in regard to scoring is our balance. We've been led in scoring by 5 different players in these 7 games. Diallo, Washington, Knox, Green, and Richards have all led the team in scoring, and our scoring has been very balanced in all our games, which is a great thing. Knox has led the team in scoring 3 times, so it's looking like he's gonna be the go-to guy for this team.
All in all, we're moving in the right direction. There is still huge upside to this team, but it's beginning to take shape. The defense is improving game by game. We're still giving up too many straight line drives, but the man to man is getting better. I like the zone, still. The team is more active in that zone and the turnovers leading to easy transition points are more frequent in that zone. I liked the 3/4 court press last night too. Put Vanderbilt on the front of that and it will be a nightmare for opposing teams.
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