Marcus Lee needs more time next year.

[Jamal Sunburn]

Cal needs to have faith in him and just let him play. 3 mins here and there are not the answer.

He plays with energy. Dunks the ball when he's in close. Goes after rebounds and blocks shots.

He can essentially be Willie with a higher motor. Just unleash him and let him go.

After Poythress went down this year, the only two players we had on this team capable of making the "oh $hit!" type of play to get the crowd going were Willie and Marcus. And when Willie wasn't into the game for whatever reason, Cal refused to put Marcus in.

We sorely needed those types of plays to fire up the squad and the crowd while taking the opponent out of the game. We needed a demoralizing block, dunk, or something.

Marcus's development and Cal's faith in him is key.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

If the rumor is just about everyone leaving, he'll get playing time unless a few more studs come on board at the 4/5.

 

[WeWant9]

Love Marcus, but he needs to put in a lot of work over the summer. The dude shot what, like 40% from the free throw line? He really needs to work on his hands as well, too many times the ball would just bounce off of them. He has a great motor and like you said is full of energy. If he could polish up on some of his fundamentals he could very well be a solid player next year.

 

[23jumpboy]

He's a double double guy just on effort. He needs to develop a 15 footer so teams have to guard him and won't play us 5 on 4 like teams did with Willie at the 4.n

 

[Blue Decade]

Originally posted by Jamal Sunburn:
Cal needs to have faith in him and just let him play. 3 mins here and there are not the answer.

He plays with energy. Dunks the ball when he's in close. Goes after rebounds and blocks shots.

He can essentially be Willie with a higher motor. Just unleash him and let him go.

After Poythress went down this year, the only two players we had on this team capable of making the "oh $hit!" type of play to get the crowd going were Willie and Marcus. And when Willie wasn't into the game for whatever reason, Cal refused to put Marcus in.

We sorely needed those types of plays to fire up the squad and the crowd while taking the opponent out of the game. We needed a demoralizing block, dunk, or something.

Marcus's development and Cal's faith in him is key.

Faith has nothing to do with it. Calipari has faith in everyone he recruits. But this is a competitive program, and playing time is won in practice. Marcus is an excellent rebounder and an improving defender. But he has no offensive skills outside of 3 feet from the basket. He is a 6-9 version of WCS. Marcus needs to keep getting better. If he does, then he will play more, but it has to be earned in practice.

 

[shaudyshaud1]

Sick of hearing about his offense. Offensively he wasn't the only Big man who was inconsistent on offense. Against Notre Dame the guy got a nice put back dunk and immediately went to bench and never returned

 

[truebluewildcat]

I like his energy and effort a lot...

would love for him to hit it hard this offseason and really improve all around...if he does, I think he could be a great asset next year...

Hawk and Willis need to get after it to...if there is a mass exodus it's going those guys will determine how the next two seasons go...

if there isn't a mass exodus, then great...those three would be icing one the cake...

 

[Blue Decade]

Originally posted by shaudyshaud1:
Sick of hearing about his offense. Offensively he wasn't the only Big man who was inconsistent on offense. Against Notre Dame the guy got a nice put back dunk and immediately went to bench and never returned

You may be sick of hearing it, but offensive skills and free throw shooting are the factors limiting ML's playing time. WCS has similar limitations, but WCS is older, 3 inches taller, and has improved as a scorer and free throw shooter. If ML follows a similar improvement curve, his playing time will increase. Like it or not, this is the way it works in a competitive program.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Originally posted by Blue Decade:

Originally posted by shaudyshaud1:
Sick of hearing about his offense. Offensively he wasn't the only Big man who was inconsistent on offense. Against Notre Dame the guy got a nice put back dunk and immediately went to bench and never returned

You may be sick of hearing it, but offensive skills and free throw shooting are the factors limiting ML's playing time. WCS has similar limitations, but WCS is older, 3 inches taller, and has improved as a scorer and free throw shooter. If ML follows a similar improvement curve, his playing time will increase. Like it or not, this is the way it works in a competitive program.

Exactly. What do the two teams that won yesterday have in common? They didn't really play guys that were offensive liabilities and if they did play it was a minimal amount. Willie got 33 minutes, Dakari got 8, Marcus lee 5. That means every single minute of the game we had at least one guy on the court who can't score unless it's an open dunk/layup or a lob dunk.

 

[UKFAN4L]

Unfortunately, Willie is a liability on offense. He has a tough time creating his own shots. He excels in offense in fast break situations, offensive put backs, and post ups 1 foot away. If dribbling is a factor then he has a rough time. His defense is what kept him on the court. I would take a team of 15 Willie's, but that's the truth.

 

[Hoskins91]

Marcus Lee's defense isn't good enough to make playing him big minutes worth it since he's a no show on the other end.

 

[K_TIME]

I think Lee should have gotten Dakari's "top sub off the bench in the paint" minutes. Dakari was a train wreck last 1/2 of year and Lee was a better defensive option and really was Dakari any more effective on offense?

That being said...Lee does have moments of mental lapse that I think curtails his minutes. Vs. Wisconsin, he fumbles a rebound for an easy offensive outback, is backing off of Nigel Hayes for an open 3pt look and all of that in his limited minutes. I'd wager that is the kind of stuff that Cal sees and doesn't trust him to be on floor with our other options.

Assuming WCS, Lyles and Towns go...he has tons of minutes to fight for with Dakari, Poythress, Skai and whatever we bring in as well.

 

[hoggwildcat]

He needs more weight

 

[Graves51]

Lee started out the season getting his minutes, as did nine others. As the season went on Cal started whittling the minutes of Lee, Johnson and of course Hawkins and Willis. When did we play our best? I think we all know the answer to that.

 

[UKFAN4L]

Lee contested that shot as good as you can without tipping it. And yes he should've squeezed the rebound. But if Cal is taking guys out immediately that does something to your psyche. It seemed like Trey Lyles had a pass on all mistakes. A platoon system can be hard if you're a player that needs to get in a rhythm.

 

[kyballa12]

I love Lee's energy, finishing around the rim, rebounding. But he has slow feet. It makes him a defensive liability. Because of his limited size/frame, he is generally covering a more agile/athletic player. His inability to check a guy in the open floor is a huge problem. Hope they work a lot on his footwork.

 

[bnewt]

don't forget Lee gave up the shot at the end of the 1st half that tied it

 

[Bluebloodbud]

He better improve greatly on offensive end or he will have the same role as he had this yr. need guys to put ball in basket. Cal can teach defense.

 

[bnewt]

Originally posted by Bluebloodbud:
He better improve greatly on offensive end or he will have the same role as he had this yr. need guys to put ball in basket. Cal can teach defense.

aagree defense can be taught......but this staff has not done a good job on defending the pick & roll........the oldest, simplest play in the game

 

[Blue Decade]

Originally posted by Graves51:
Lee started out the season getting his minutes, as did nine others. As the season went on Cal started whittling the minutes of Lee, Johnson and of course Hawkins and Willis. When did we play our best? I think we all know the answer to that.

I like Marcus Lee, but he is a work in progress who can't score unless he dunks a lob pass or an offensive rebound. If you are suggesting that Kentucky can't play its best basketball without Lee on the floor, that's a hard opinion to prove. We played our best against West Virginia. Why? Because our players were pissed. It's very hard to play your best, every time out, for 39 games. Especially hard when you have no seniors and only 1 junior. Had little to do with Marcus. Fans will always second guess coaches, but they are the pros and we don't have to take responsibility. It's ironic that so many fans are questioning Calipari today, after a 38-1 season. Go figure.

 

[Notorious23]

He is Chris Bosh without the jump shot

 

[TangledUpInWildcatBlue]

He needs to get "tougher" and yes I hate to use that word but it is the truth. He sometimes is just fumble fingers and not strong or tough enough.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Lee has a nice little running hook shot and to compare him to someone like Harrell who used that shot exclusively until developing other parts of his game, its something to work with. I too would have liked to have seen him get more of the limited minutes that were available. More fuel hopefully for him to work hard this off seasno.

 

[Jamal Sunburn]

If Willie wasn't giving us anything than go to Marcus. Simply put, he can be that spark. And he's aggressive.
This post was edited on 4/5 3:01 PM by Jamal Sunburn

 

[tapemaster8]

He needs to get his free throw shooting to 70 percent and work on his offense period!

 

[WildMoon]

Well, he should get a lot more minutes next year.

He'll need to improve a lot.

 

[bnewt]

how would he help when all the opponent has to do is back off of him & clog the lane for KAT & any guard trying to drive

 

[KA4Prez]

Marcus Lee is 2 things away from being an All-American caliber player.

1. Get in the weight room
2. Shoot all day and night

 

[Bluebloodbud]

Originally posted by Jamal Sunburn:
If Willie wasn't giving us anything than go to Marcus. Simply put, he can be that spark. And he's aggressive.
This post was edited on 4/5 3:01 PM by Jamal Sunburn

You need to check his stats from the Wisc game. I am pretty sure it was 0s across the stat line. Spark. Aggressive. Doesnt do squat. Needs to score or it becomes 5 defenders on 4. Plus to defend him just foul him. He hasn't developed as an average FT shooter in 2 years. And there is one reason for that....he hasn't put in the time on his own.

 

[Poetax]

There's a reason he doesn't play a lot and a lack of basketball savvy is one of them. He is a bundle of energy but he is out of position on defense all the time. He doesn't know how to switch on a pick and roll. Ulis got picked by his man in last night's game and Ulis got taken to the basket because Lee didn't even try to switch back. He has to use his head in instances like that. Plus he was another big man on this team who has no real offensive game. But he has more time to improve but this year he played what he deserved.

 

[miracle7s]

I love Marcus as a person maybe the best the dude on the team, however he is terrible at basketball. He was personally responsible for 8 points being given up in the 3 minutes he played and that is why he didn't play more. Unless he vastly improves I hope to god we sign a few more bigs.

 

[3 fan]

He has NO offensive skills. Did the OP not watch how Wisc left Willie alone because he sucked on offense? Willie is Dan Issel on offense compared to Lee

 

[ukfit]

If he has no O skills then he needs to develop them in the off season.
We have some tall assistants.
Dont they know how to coach up a big man or not?

 

[Cats192]

Originally posted by Notorious23:
He is Chris Bosh without the jump shot

I think the jump shot is what Makes Bosh Bosh.

 

[Big Foot 275]

Marcus will never be anything more than a role player if he doesn't improve in a lot of areas. He has to put on weight and get stronger. He has to develop an offensive game. He has some of the worst hands I have ever seen. I hope no one ever lets him hold a baby because he is going to drop it. He does have tremendous athletic ability but unless he totally dedicates himself to the game he will never be a major contributor.

 

[Sales Weasel]

Marcus has great energy. Everybody loves putback dunks and Marcus is the best putback dunker on this team. But, he gets absolutely lost on defense. He gave up as many layups as anybody on this team in limited munites. As athletic as he is with his leaping ability, he is surpirsingly lacking in lateral movement. He is a full court VCU, Cincy tye player. He really gets exposed in the halfcourt game. Plus, you are playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end. Unfortunatley, I fear he may only be a 2-3 minutes at a time relief player unless he make significant improvement. Great young man from all imdications and great teammate. On a team full of NBA type 1 and dones, a good upperclassman with a better attitide can be as valuable off the court as on it.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Kaminksy is case in point that guys do indeed get better. Some take 2 3 or even yes 4 years. Lee can be as good as he wants to be.

 

[shaudyshaud1]

I don't get the Chris Bosh comparison. Even if Bosh didn't have a jumpshot him and Lee are nothing alike.

 

[Jamal Sunburn]

Originally posted by 3 fan:
He has NO offensive skills. Did the OP not watch how Wisc left Willie alone because he sucked on offense? Willie is Dan Issel on offense compared to Lee

Then put him in to crass the glass if Willie's not doing it.

 

[highlysuspicious]

with skai coming in next year to play the 4, lee would be a great complement at the 5.