In the portal, there are only two notable SFs remaining Juke Harris and LeJuan Watts, it’s looking we aren’t going to get Stokes, I really hope MP goes fully in on trying to get Watts, he would compliment KW well. Juke will likely be drafted.
Your point is spot on. We need a quality SF ... in addition to a quality PF ... if we will have the kind of starting, major minutes five that can be a TOP TEN team that can compete at a high level. Pope and staff still have work to do.
Here is a look at the pair you mentioned...
www.sports-reference.com
www.sports-reference.com
Here is a look at the pair you mentioned...
Juke Harris College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Juke Harris - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more
www.sports-reference.com
LeJuan Watts College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
LeJuan Watts - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more
www.sports-reference.com
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Yeah, these are integral components, Watts and Williams combined gets us 15-6 nightly, good enough. I’m hoping we get Rancik today instead of Freeman, DF has way too many issues with injuries, missed ~40 games the past two seasons.
I actually feel better about Stokes now than I did before. If a player has no interest he doesn’t fly from Portland to Lexington. I think he comes to UK or stays at the mothership and goes to Oregon. I don’t buy the excuse of meeting coaching staff.
Our SF position next year is as follows:
Kam/Hawthorne and then Noah.
Maybe Stokes.
Even without Stokes, we've got two great options at the wing and a third guy who's got experience in the system.
I don't see why we'd go after any portal SFs, tbh.
Kam/Hawthorne and then Noah.
Maybe Stokes.
Even without Stokes, we've got two great options at the wing and a third guy who's got experience in the system.
I don't see why we'd go after any portal SFs, tbh.
Who said it's looking like we won't get Stokes,we have a shot
Of course we have a shot, though do we lose out on everyone waiting for him?!?
I don’t believe that SF combination is competitive, IMO, not against elite teams.
I believe he goes to Oregon, they will throw everything at him and the Nike connection there is insurmountable.
Yeah that's my read on what the staff is going for. We get Stokes or we roll with Kam and Hawthorne.
I think Kam is our Darius Miller, basically. If he’s one of your two best players you probably struggle, but if he’s 4-6 then you have a pretty talented roster.
I think that duo is adequate if we had some all conference/all american guys around them and they are purely potential/complimentary players.
But that isn't exactly where we are at the moment haha
I think the VAST majority of posters view most everything through the prism of being a TOP TEN, 1-2-3 seed team at the end of the year. Evaluations and opinions generally are focused on that level ... can we win the SEC, can we win the SEC Tourney and can we realistically have a shot to be in the Final Four ?? We all know it takes a balanced, well-constructed roster to achieve this.
For most ... it is not so much ... are these 2 better than our best 2 from last year, etc.. It is whether our OVERALL team is going to be a high-level team that can legitimately make a FF run at season's end. To my view, even though I think Diallo and Wilkins are great pieces, Pope's work is far from done and I'm still hoping for major-quality pick-ups.
For most ... it is not so much ... are these 2 better than our best 2 from last year, etc.. It is whether our OVERALL team is going to be a high-level team that can legitimately make a FF run at season's end. To my view, even though I think Diallo and Wilkins are great pieces, Pope's work is far from done and I'm still hoping for major-quality pick-ups.
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Kam is also extremely low usage, and career 39% from three.
I could see him slotting in very nicely next to Wilkins and Zoom, who are both ball dominant but also high assist guards.
Should be much easier for him than trying to play next to a converted pg like DA.
I like Kam a lot. And I think Noah should be much improved as a Junior. Don’t know what to expect from Hawthorne.
I could see him slotting in very nicely next to Wilkins and Zoom, who are both ball dominant but also high assist guards.
Should be much easier for him than trying to play next to a converted pg like DA.
I like Kam a lot. And I think Noah should be much improved as a Junior. Don’t know what to expect from Hawthorne.
We need to make a splash at the 4. Need a solid backup 5. And need more shooting.
How I see it at the moment at least.
We have a 6'8" small forward who was getting NBA mocks in the lottery before his early season confidence issues last year. He will probably shoot about 36-42 percent from three, continue to expand his game on cutting and slashing. Love me some Kam Williams and, no, I don't think we need a small forward at all.
Obviously, Tyran Stokes is the exception. You take that player regardless of how you have to reshuffle the positions around.
Love my small forward. Go get a power forward and let's ball.
Obviously, Tyran Stokes is the exception. You take that player regardless of how you have to reshuffle the positions around.
Love my small forward. Go get a power forward and let's ball.
I think we might add a foreign player of two after the portal closes. I think that has always been the backup plan waiting out Stokes
I like and appreciate your confidence in Williams. I really like him, too, especially his apparent love for being here and wanting to help us win. The consistency in his 3-point shooting supports the notion that he is always going to be an above-average shooter. Everybody appreciates that, I think. I am not sure, reserving the right to be wrong about it, but I see KW as a QUALITY 10-20 minute, verses a 20-30 minute, piece of a team with FF potential at the end of the year. The Darius Miller comparison is excellent, I think, and is a positive, not a negative.
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We need 3-4 more players at this point, two guards-wings, a center and PF, at minimum, preferably three solid post players.
I disagree but I understand where you’re coming from. I’ve always been high on Kam.
Easier to get the reserve pieces though imo. We need one more starter. Everything from there should be mostly specialists.
The purpose of this is not just to field a serviceable roster, but instead to get BETTER than we were last year, right?
The Kam/Hawthorne option does seem fine if we’re willing to accept another mediocre 14 loss type season, but it’s certainly NOT an improvement over what Oweh gave us from that 3 spot. It would be a step backward at that position, not forward.
Neither of those are great options. Kam is at best a 6th man and Hawthorne is a wild card. Stokes would be the only legitimate great choice but I would imagine the 2 you mentioned is who we roll with.
Agree, the PF Pope is looking at Justin McBride along with Rancik would be a perfect get.
Nothing would make me happier than to see KW assume the SF spot and have a fabulous, break-out year, trust me !!
Too much invested with Nike for him to ever go to Kansas, it will either be Oregon or UK and I think you may be spot on imo.
I believe KW is extremely overrated, he has zero post game and is not a slasher, he does one thing, shoot. A lot of elite SFs can score from the post, he hasn’t shown that at all. Look at Stokes, he plays in the post a lot, Vince, Stackhouse, Bron, MJ, McGrady, etc
I think you have to look at it collectively. Is Zoom/Wilkins/Kam better than DA/Chandler/Oweh?
I think it probably is, but we are a long way from knowing for sure.
I think you can argue that Kam is a more talented piece than Oweh. Longer frame. Better shooter. Much less ball dominant.
But ultimately it’s about how the pieces fit together. I think we are well on our way to having a better starting 5 than last year. Need to see what we do at the 4.
Yes ... we ALL want us to be BETTER than last year.
You are so right about that. We want us to be a TOP TEN at the end of the season, having meshed and playing its best basketball. Assumedly, when all of us here nitpick, evaluate, make our case, etc ... it is with that hope and desire in focus.
GO CATS !!
I think he's underrated. You think he's overrated.
Probably means he's overrated knowing my track record lol.
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Oweh could do things KW can’t, good athleticism, could score down low from the post and played much more aggressively in driving the lane, KW just parks on the perimeter and essentially never moves…
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This is exactly correct. It’s HOW THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER. We always sit around and debate who’s better than the precious year and none of us have a clue. It’s always on paper until we see them together. So lineups work together and some can never get the chemistry right. .
Damn good thought ... I had kinda forgotten about the international market for talent. We'll see ...
I don’t really think this is true. At least the part about parking on the perimeter and never moving. He is a floor spacer, yes. But it isn’t like he never cut to the basket.
It is certainly true that Oweh could do things Kam couldn’t, and vice versa. My overall point is that with two high usage PGs on the floor, we don’t need another Oweh type at the 3. Kam could definitely be a better fit for next year’s roster construction.
Wouldn’t be surprised if UCLA doesn’t make a hard push on Watts, he‘s from the area.Your point is spot on. We need a quality SF ... in addition to a quality PF ... if we will have the kind of starting, major minutes five that can be a TOP TEN team that can compete at a high level. Pope and staff still have work to do.
Here is a look at the pair you mentioned...
Juke Harris College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Juke Harris - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much moreLeJuan Watts College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
LeJuan Watts - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more
In my opinion the possibility of rolling out our current SFs is why it’s so important to close on Freeman.
Don’t think people will be overly excited about Kam/Rancik/Moreno as your front court after hoping for a top 30-40 portal guy and the number 1 freshman in the country.
I think you can sell Zoom, Wilkins, Freeman, Moreno as your big 4 money guys with good role players behind them, even missing out on Stokes. Sebby for instance(Rancik nickname), just didn’t fit into that tier even if he’s a good fit otherwise.
Mark Pope Assignment: get this roster to the top of the non elite returner group in the preseason polls. So after the Illinois, Michigan,(maybe Florida, still questions with Haugh and Aberdeen), and UConn group. Position yourself somewhere between 5 and 11 of great rosters on paper. Can’t settle for like 20th by just adding Rancik, backup guard, backup 4/5, etc.
Don’t think people will be overly excited about Kam/Rancik/Moreno as your front court after hoping for a top 30-40 portal guy and the number 1 freshman in the country.
I think you can sell Zoom, Wilkins, Freeman, Moreno as your big 4 money guys with good role players behind them, even missing out on Stokes. Sebby for instance(Rancik nickname), just didn’t fit into that tier even if he’s a good fit otherwise.
Mark Pope Assignment: get this roster to the top of the non elite returner group in the preseason polls. So after the Illinois, Michigan,(maybe Florida, still questions with Haugh and Aberdeen), and UConn group. Position yourself somewhere between 5 and 11 of great rosters on paper. Can’t settle for like 20th by just adding Rancik, backup guard, backup 4/5, etc.
Williams and Hawthorne are fine at the 3.
Forget Stokes.
If he comes, great, if he bails, great. Can’t depend on his timeline.
Forget Stokes.
If he comes, great, if he bails, great. Can’t depend on his timeline.
I would like McNeil to be added and fill some of that SF spot if Stokes isn't coming. You would have to have him, Diallo, and Wilkins on the floor at the same time if we get him too. Plus, they are a taller backcourt in general.
Lastly, if it's just KW, Hawthorne, and Noah at SF, that's ok too, as long as we have a couple elite PFs like Freeman and Rancik. Kam will get a lot of points just off kick outs, same with Moreno, off of dive and dishes.
Lastly, if it's just KW, Hawthorne, and Noah at SF, that's ok too, as long as we have a couple elite PFs like Freeman and Rancik. Kam will get a lot of points just off kick outs, same with Moreno, off of dive and dishes.
If not McNeil, we need to add a lower-level shooter at the wing: >40+ 3pt% on their career, otherwise, we will get killed by the zone.
It would be nice if Noah could fill that role, but he seems to need to get warmed up.
It would be nice if Noah could fill that role, but he seems to need to get warmed up.