I would love to have a 3rd year Adou but you have to wonder if he isn't thrilled about being stuck behind Edwards on the bench. Adou could be the best player on the team for most college programs. He is so much better than Edwards and you know he has to realize that also.
Adou and anyone with eyes knew it since games in Canada and Blue-White game. It has been obvious from day one that Adou has a more NBA ready body, has more toughness, has a better knack for getting boards and a stronger desire to get them, is better defensively, has more athleticism, is a better finisher, is fearless, and the list goes on.
Just wondering which guy coming in next year gets the auto-start over Thiero…
I know TAMU will look and play completely different Saturday. But they looked horrible against Auburn last night. I mean barely Div. I competent bad. At one point I think their players just lost the ball on 4-5 straight layups. Other than free throws and put-backs they didn't seem to be able to score. And Auburn didn't look a whole lot better.
Part of it is that coaching in the modern era just gets tougher and tougher every year. Social media, NIL, whatever else you can imagine.
Edwards minutes have dropped dramatically in games that have really counted. Cal gave him some extra run against Mizzou because we were winning that game no matter what. It takes some kids longer to break through. These coaches see these guys in practice every day. I trust Cal's ability to recognize basketball ability. If there is real untapped potential there, which I think we've seen some flashes of, it only behooves the team to try to help him reach more of his potential, especially while Thiero is out. Adou has been my dude since day one last year. I love his progression as a player and yes, he needs to see the floor. But this team can be taken to an even higher level if Edwards finds his footing. Just like Wagner took some time to figure it out, and now he's a guy we need on the floor for close to 35 min a game.
That is an interesting comparison. And maybe not that far off (wrt draft stock). Even though IMO Boston was a "me me me" player, where as Edwards does seem interested in team ball.
Theiro has been one of my favorite guys the past 2 years, but he did not outplay Livingston. Last year he was like a bull in a china shop. You could maybe say Livingston was not significantly better than Theiro.
The difference with Boston is he wasn't the 6th or 7th best player on his team.
Did Adou practice yesterday (Wed)? If not, unless he practices today, I don't expect him to play Sat.
This is a great point! You can see some growth from Edwards already. In the last few games I think we've started to see the game slow down a bit for him. He used to ONLY put his head down on a breakaway and look for his shot. I've noticed multiple occasions recently where he has kicked it out at the right time instead.
Are you hearing anything or just think the return fits the timeline for a back injury?
100% ^^
Thiero is a better ball handler and decision maker than Edwards. His versatility is his biggest strength. I see him as a physically dominant 3 or a small ball 4. It really doesn't matter which spot he plays he always leaves his all out there and produces in some area.
A few things
We don’t need Wagner on the court for 35mpg. That’s just your opinion.
“I think the best version of this Kentucky team includes a Justin Edwards that has found his way.”
Sure, it's my opinion. I'm just saying Wagner has grown leaps and bounds since the first 6-7 games of the season. How many minutes do you think he should play? I love Dilly and Shep, but I don't know if they should be playing more minutes than Wagner. Wagner on the floor along with the shooters is a perfect scenario. Opens up the floor for him the attack the basket. He's a guy that's becoming harder and harder to take off the floor. Just my opinion. What's yours?
Mine is that we have enough guys at guard to ride hot hands and not arbitrarily dish out so many minutes to one guy.
Name the last freshman who went from struggling early in the season to all of a sudden being a 1st round pick? I'll wait. It is clear as day that Edwards doesn't do anything particularly great or even good. I don't have to be a paid talent evaluator to see that.
I agree with you that Theiro currently is a better option at PF, especially offensively. But how is Edwards more of a 3 than Thiero? I haven't seen any evidence that Edwards has more Guard skills than Thiero in any way - not one. To me the best option at the SF spot TODAY is one of the Guards (e.g., Reeves or Sheppard). I expect that both Edwards and Theiro will eventually develop their skills to the point of being good enough SFs offensively - but that's not the case today, and I think UK needs to be trying to win now.
If an Edwards return means a Thiero exit, I’d much rather see Justin bolt. I think Thiero can help our team more, and that Thiero has a better chance of sticking in the league.
What Thiero did against KU and UNC illustrates why he needs more than the 15mpg he was getting before the injury. I don’t care if it’s at the 3 or 4 (or a combo of that). Remember when Self said that he didn’t have anybody as athletic as Keion Brooks on his team? Thiero is even more athletic and aggressive. Neither Kansas nor UNC had a dude like him this year.
Yeah I understand that. I would much rather have Adou as well but I really think he has so much more abilities then he gets credited for and I think an NBA team is going to see that. He is just another example of a guy who Cal thinks he can get away with treating like a backup. Adou was better than Chris last year.
Somebody besides the 4 Guards (I assume Hart can't help this year since we haven't seen him) will have to play some SF. I understand that. But ideally, I want my team's SF to be able to consistently shoot the 3pt. shot. (Really would have loved to see UK go all-in on Dalton Knecht.). But, as it stands, Thiero or Edwards is going to have to play some SF. Thiero is obviously still in the process of developing his perimeter shot, although I do think it's more of a confidence thing with him than a problem with his shot. But I just think Edwards' is not really close to being able to consistently hit the 3 at this stage of his development.
I think it’s just not going to happen for Edwards at this point. 4/29 across 12 out of 14 games is all we need to see.
If Thiero likes the idea of making crazy money, then he needs to work obsessively on that 3pt. shot and his ball-handling. Those are things that would help make him a top SF pro prospect. I believe both are just issues of time invested and confidence for him. If his health is ok and he puts in the work, I think Thiero can be both an NBA draft pick and a real problem for other CBB teams next season at the 3 or 4.
Look at the other thread about Wagner’s shooting. Since his first 3 games (going 1-9), he has made 38.2% of his 3’s!
