Tonight's game was both impressive and concerning when it comes to our team. Our ceiling is as high as any team Bruce has had, but getting them to consistently pour the gas on the fire may be difficult. The jury is still out on that one.
I saw some of the best defense I've seen from a Bruce coached team, so that is saying a lot. There was one possession where our guys switched multiple times and communicated like I've never seen before. It was just a beautiful display of preparation and they looked like a well oiled machine.
Johni got backed down by those big bodies and that hasn't happened very much. He is the backbone of our team IMO and can put up double-double numbers every night. He still needs to work on going to his right but you can tell he's worked hard on his 3 point shooting. He is currently shooting 50% from behind the arc hitting 4 out of 8 attempts. That's only slightly below his free throw shooting this year at 52% at 13 for 25.
Dylan didn't seem to be himself during these last few games. It was like he didn't feel well or something was heavy on his heart. He didn't smile, he didn't have that Dylan enthusiasm we usually see. He made some bone headed fouls and seemed a little less into the game IMO. He has worked hard on his free throws and his new form with a high release yielded him 6 out of 6 for the night. His free throw form has much less movement which is what you want when trying to be more consistent. Eight points from him in 16 minutes and 18 from Johni in 22 minutes means our center position came through on the scoring end.
Denver is a catch and shoot kind of guy. He may be able to put in on the floor and go to the basket but so far, I've seen him catch it and put it in the basket. I don't think his basketball IQ is as high as one would want. But when you are shooting 54% from deep for the year, you get a pass from me.
Tre is only shooting 44% from deep this year. Pretty sweet when your back up PG can shoot like that. He is averaging almost 16 minutes a game and 5.5 points per game, but add in his 3 plus assists a game so we are getting some production from that position when Aden is out. I do think Tre is a step slower than he needs to be for a point guard in the SEC. I think smaller, faster guards will give him trouble from a ball handling perspective. He may be able to big body them with his bigger frame, but that has yet to be seen. He does see the court well and can increase offensive efficiency by getting easier baskets, and that bodes well to winning.
Aden can flat out shoot it and is showing us why he was so highly rated. He is shooting just over 46% from deep but I've seen that he sometimes shoots when his hips are rotating slightly and not perfectly square to the goal. That makes it much more difficult to make but he only does this when he shoots at a faster pace than normal. This dude is money and worth the price of admission. His shooting percentage on drives is slightly lower than from deep, so teams will start guarding him close and making him drive. He seems to be pretty good at that so it should create some entertaining basketball.
Chris Moore is averaging just under 20 minutes a game and is giving us 5 points and almost 3 rebounds. He's shooting 33% from deep. He does have a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio so that is good. He hustles and seems to be the heart of the team, but the scoring is not there.
CBM is playing just over 18 minutes a game and seems to be our slasher. He can take it to the rim and he is shooting 33% from deep. His 7.5 points per game means that we are getting some production from the SF position. We need more energy from him IMO. If he had Chris Moore's motor, he would be trouble to deal with.
KD is only shooting 25% from deep, but he means more to the team than just deep balls. His energy and defensive tenacity is off the charts. He's averaging 9 points a game but his real improvement is in his court vision this year. He's getting more assists and his assist to turnover ratio is now 2:1. If KD keeps getting assists, we'll keep winning.
The fact that I'm talking about Jaylin last is a travesty. He could be so dominant but just fades away sometimes. He's only shooting 30% from deep and that is down for him, but he is averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds in just over 23 minutes a game. His assist to turnover ratio is only 1:1 and with his excellent passing ability, he needs to focus on taking care of the ball and making smart passes.
I think the sky is the limit for this team. I am extremely encouraged by the tremendous numbers of assists we are getting this year. That usually equates to a higher offensive efficiency. We lacked leadership down the stretch against Baylor and that is why we lost. Our team looked tired to me and no one was there to take the reigns. That will change as Aden matures. He is they guy.
I saw some of the best defense I've seen from a Bruce coached team, so that is saying a lot. There was one possession where our guys switched multiple times and communicated like I've never seen before. It was just a beautiful display of preparation and they looked like a well oiled machine.
Johni got backed down by those big bodies and that hasn't happened very much. He is the backbone of our team IMO and can put up double-double numbers every night. He still needs to work on going to his right but you can tell he's worked hard on his 3 point shooting. He is currently shooting 50% from behind the arc hitting 4 out of 8 attempts. That's only slightly below his free throw shooting this year at 52% at 13 for 25.
Dylan didn't seem to be himself during these last few games. It was like he didn't feel well or something was heavy on his heart. He didn't smile, he didn't have that Dylan enthusiasm we usually see. He made some bone headed fouls and seemed a little less into the game IMO. He has worked hard on his free throws and his new form with a high release yielded him 6 out of 6 for the night. His free throw form has much less movement which is what you want when trying to be more consistent. Eight points from him in 16 minutes and 18 from Johni in 22 minutes means our center position came through on the scoring end.
Denver is a catch and shoot kind of guy. He may be able to put in on the floor and go to the basket but so far, I've seen him catch it and put it in the basket. I don't think his basketball IQ is as high as one would want. But when you are shooting 54% from deep for the year, you get a pass from me.
Tre is only shooting 44% from deep this year. Pretty sweet when your back up PG can shoot like that. He is averaging almost 16 minutes a game and 5.5 points per game, but add in his 3 plus assists a game so we are getting some production from that position when Aden is out. I do think Tre is a step slower than he needs to be for a point guard in the SEC. I think smaller, faster guards will give him trouble from a ball handling perspective. He may be able to big body them with his bigger frame, but that has yet to be seen. He does see the court well and can increase offensive efficiency by getting easier baskets, and that bodes well to winning.
Aden can flat out shoot it and is showing us why he was so highly rated. He is shooting just over 46% from deep but I've seen that he sometimes shoots when his hips are rotating slightly and not perfectly square to the goal. That makes it much more difficult to make but he only does this when he shoots at a faster pace than normal. This dude is money and worth the price of admission. His shooting percentage on drives is slightly lower than from deep, so teams will start guarding him close and making him drive. He seems to be pretty good at that so it should create some entertaining basketball.
Chris Moore is averaging just under 20 minutes a game and is giving us 5 points and almost 3 rebounds. He's shooting 33% from deep. He does have a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio so that is good. He hustles and seems to be the heart of the team, but the scoring is not there.
CBM is playing just over 18 minutes a game and seems to be our slasher. He can take it to the rim and he is shooting 33% from deep. His 7.5 points per game means that we are getting some production from the SF position. We need more energy from him IMO. If he had Chris Moore's motor, he would be trouble to deal with.
KD is only shooting 25% from deep, but he means more to the team than just deep balls. His energy and defensive tenacity is off the charts. He's averaging 9 points a game but his real improvement is in his court vision this year. He's getting more assists and his assist to turnover ratio is now 2:1. If KD keeps getting assists, we'll keep winning.
The fact that I'm talking about Jaylin last is a travesty. He could be so dominant but just fades away sometimes. He's only shooting 30% from deep and that is down for him, but he is averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds in just over 23 minutes a game. His assist to turnover ratio is only 1:1 and with his excellent passing ability, he needs to focus on taking care of the ball and making smart passes.
I think the sky is the limit for this team. I am extremely encouraged by the tremendous numbers of assists we are getting this year. That usually equates to a higher offensive efficiency. We lacked leadership down the stretch against Baylor and that is why we lost. Our team looked tired to me and no one was there to take the reigns. That will change as Aden matures. He is they guy.
