E.J Montgomery
- Thread starter Duke=Boom!
- Start date
Give me bolden, Javin, vrank, white and Zion at the 4 and 5.
EJ is pretty mobile. Seems to have good footwork and athleticism. Like to play outside as much as inside, or maybe even more outside.
He has some developing for sure, but he reminds me of Bagley... Not in any way saying he is Bagley, but his game may take time to develop but I see a high ceiling. He is far from that ceiling currently. May need 2 years.
He has some developing for sure, but he reminds me of Bagley... Not in any way saying he is Bagley, but his game may take time to develop but I see a high ceiling. He is far from that ceiling currently. May need 2 years.
^^agreed hes already more skilled offensively than Javin and could play either the 4 or the 5. He might even have better touch on his jump shot/touch close by the rim other than dunks than Zion.
The analysts during the McDs game were talking about how in 7-8 grade EJ was ranked the #1 player in the class...kid definitely has talent. It’s probably down to Duke and UK with Vandy being the sleeper. Couple moving parts. Will be interesting to see who stays for UK.
Either way...we land him for depth or just means guys like Jack and Vrank get their shot for some PT. Will be curious to see if both Bolden and EJ Will both be on Dukes roster next season. I hope Javin can continue to improve his game bc Duke plays 4v5 with him on the court and while we all love his hustle isn’t a great defender/rebounder or rim protector. EJ already has the much higher ceiling. We’ll see
The analysts during the McDs game were talking about how in 7-8 grade EJ was ranked the #1 player in the class...kid definitely has talent. It’s probably down to Duke and UK with Vandy being the sleeper. Couple moving parts. Will be interesting to see who stays for UK.
Either way...we land him for depth or just means guys like Jack and Vrank get their shot for some PT. Will be curious to see if both Bolden and EJ Will both be on Dukes roster next season. I hope Javin can continue to improve his game bc Duke plays 4v5 with him on the court and while we all love his hustle isn’t a great defender/rebounder or rim protector. EJ already has the much higher ceiling. We’ll see
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Think about the depth (as we say every year seems like)...couple moving pieces but we could be looking at
Jones/Gold
RJ/AOC
Cam/Jack
Zion/EJ/Javin
Bolden/Vrank/Robinson
That’s a lot of depth.....Starting 5 plus Alex getting big minutes as the first guard wing off the bench.
Goldwire could earn 10 mins a night as an improving Soph backing up Tre-Jordan hit a 3 against MSU and plays pesky defense as shown to have leadership qualities. Kids have to grow up quick. If you’re a Soph at Duke ur an upperclassmen. Or maybe K slides RJ to the point with Alex in there some.
EJ and/or Javin will definitely get minutes...then you have Jack who will do nothing but come in for 5 mins grab 4 rebs play great defense and hit an open 3. Bolden can’t play anywhere close to 40 mins a night...closer to 25 maybe even 20 if EJ comes. Vrank will be the only SR on the team who has waited his time and If Duke doesn’t land EJ could give them 10 mins nightly backing up Bolden.
Will be interesting to see how K works his minutes next season with the team...heavy heavy minutes with the starters like usual 6-7 guys or spreading it out some. RJ is the one guy you know will play heavy minutes every single night. Jones should as well and Cam/Zion but will they be 25-30 mins or closer to (33-36)
Jones/Gold
RJ/AOC
Cam/Jack
Zion/EJ/Javin
Bolden/Vrank/Robinson
That’s a lot of depth.....Starting 5 plus Alex getting big minutes as the first guard wing off the bench.
Goldwire could earn 10 mins a night as an improving Soph backing up Tre-Jordan hit a 3 against MSU and plays pesky defense as shown to have leadership qualities. Kids have to grow up quick. If you’re a Soph at Duke ur an upperclassmen. Or maybe K slides RJ to the point with Alex in there some.
EJ and/or Javin will definitely get minutes...then you have Jack who will do nothing but come in for 5 mins grab 4 rebs play great defense and hit an open 3. Bolden can’t play anywhere close to 40 mins a night...closer to 25 maybe even 20 if EJ comes. Vrank will be the only SR on the team who has waited his time and If Duke doesn’t land EJ could give them 10 mins nightly backing up Bolden.
Will be interesting to see how K works his minutes next season with the team...heavy heavy minutes with the starters like usual 6-7 guys or spreading it out some. RJ is the one guy you know will play heavy minutes every single night. Jones should as well and Cam/Zion but will they be 25-30 mins or closer to (33-36)
Cam is the most likely PG if Tre is out, but I can see Duke picking who has the best matchup and running an isolation for any of the big 3 along with Tre.
Javin is a good defender, just plays hard but out of control at times. He needs to figure out when to go full bore and when 90 percent is what is needed to stay under control. K appreciates his hustle. He just needs to make himself enough of a threat to be guarded. A jump shot to 15 feet, a hook , and maybe master a pullup jumper. Very athletic, just needs to stay under control.
EJ has some of the quick jump of MB35. If he can turn up that motor under K's motivation he can be real good. Too often guys can get by taking plays off in HS. He needs to show some more motor. I admit I haven't seen alot of him, I just like his athleticism and quickness off the floor. I am sure K has compared him to MB, but MB is special in his skills, length, quick jumping and motor especially on the offensive boards. Unfair to compare anyone to him right now, but you see parts of EJ's game that remind you of Bagley.
Javin is a good defender, just plays hard but out of control at times. He needs to figure out when to go full bore and when 90 percent is what is needed to stay under control. K appreciates his hustle. He just needs to make himself enough of a threat to be guarded. A jump shot to 15 feet, a hook , and maybe master a pullup jumper. Very athletic, just needs to stay under control.
EJ has some of the quick jump of MB35. If he can turn up that motor under K's motivation he can be real good. Too often guys can get by taking plays off in HS. He needs to show some more motor. I admit I haven't seen alot of him, I just like his athleticism and quickness off the floor. I am sure K has compared him to MB, but MB is special in his skills, length, quick jumping and motor especially on the offensive boards. Unfair to compare anyone to him right now, but you see parts of EJ's game that remind you of Bagley.
EJ checks a lot of boxes:
- 6-10 with a big wing span
- athletic
- good post scorer
- ability to stretch the floor with his shooting
- ability to block/alter shot
- good skills
- good rebounder
EJ also has question marks
- 215lbs, strength, can he physically battle in the post
- willingness to play in the paint
- is his motor where it needs to be
- how assertive/aggressive is he in practices & games
- mentality, can/will he accept his role
Based on talent and what he brings he could be a good addition to any team, but it's the questions and how those play out that will determine how much of an impact he will be.
As for Duke, I say you get a kid like this if he's interested bc he can help both now and later
- 6-10 with a big wing span
- athletic
- good post scorer
- ability to stretch the floor with his shooting
- ability to block/alter shot
- good skills
- good rebounder
EJ also has question marks
- 215lbs, strength, can he physically battle in the post
- willingness to play in the paint
- is his motor where it needs to be
- how assertive/aggressive is he in practices & games
- mentality, can/will he accept his role
Based on talent and what he brings he could be a good addition to any team, but it's the questions and how those play out that will determine how much of an impact he will be.
As for Duke, I say you get a kid like this if he's interested bc he can help both now and later
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What ever happened to the Reid Travis transfer option? I think I like that better. That would be real clutch. That dude can play
That is a lot of depth but as you say, we say that every year. They definitely would not all play but it will help them challenge each other in practice.
We are going to have to re-evaluate what an NBA 5 is on a going forward basis. The days of huge aircraft carriers in the post are gone. The ideal NBA 5 is going to be a near 7 footer with a huge wingspan and elite athleticism that plays D (with a focus on rim protection) and rebounds at a high level. Guys like this are going to be like elite left tackles in the NBA. Few and far between.
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Thus, a lot of NBA teams are going to have guys that used to be PFs playing up at C. They will trade off size for mobility. Because scoring in the low post isn't something that is going to be prioritized. If a nominal 5 can hit 35+ percent from 3, on 3+ attempts per game, great. But low post scoring is not a priority. Defense (again, esp rim protection) combined with rebounding are the big things NBA bigs will simply HAVE to be able to provide. If they can score in the low post as well, great. And I don't see EJM doing what we need him to do next year, ie play D and rebound at a high level. If we can get 10 total PPG from our traditional bigs next year, we'll be fine. But we will need good D and about 15+ boards from our bigs (exclusive of what Zion adds).
All stuff we don't need next year. Our 4 current frosh, along with AOC, will score enough points to contend for the national title. We need rim defense behind our guys along with rebounding.
Tre/jordan
RJ/aoc
Cam/white
Zion/javin/jrob
Ej/vrank
Imo bolden doesn't come back to be the 5th or 6th option. Bolden likes to score and his energy depends on his scoring. Trent going to be the same thing if he returns a spot up shooter and maybe avg less points than this year.
RJ/aoc
Cam/white
Zion/javin/jrob
Ej/vrank
Imo bolden doesn't come back to be the 5th or 6th option. Bolden likes to score and his energy depends on his scoring. Trent going to be the same thing if he returns a spot up shooter and maybe avg less points than this year.
Trent coming back to school would be the dumbest decision ever. We are bringing in 2, and maybe 3, guys that are better at his position than he is. Cam and RJ are much, much better.
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Trent wouldn't be returning for 1 year. If Trent returns, it is for 2 years, and he knows it.
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Plus, about 5 mins after Trent announces his return, AOC announces his transfer. Because next year would essentially be a RS year at Duke, so he might as well transfer. A UGA team in rebuilding mode would make him the number 1 option in 2 years.
We're definitely only bringing in two guys who MIGHT be better at his position than Gary. Unless you think Tre or Zion are shooting guards. I also don't think AOC would automatically transfer. For one, he knew what the roster has looked like for us in recent seasons so he knew what he was signing up for. We're also probably going back to a perimeter oriented team next season which will probably give him a shot at more PT even though our perimeter is deeper.
Trent is a Wing player in college. Increasingly, the lines between SF and SG have blurred. Both positions require incredibly similar skillsets. Both Cam and RJ have wing player skills and attributes. Both are taller and longer than Trent, and both are more athletic. Theoretically, Trent was a better shooter, but we didn't really see that manifest itself in key moments this year. In the McD's game, RJ took over down the stretch, and Cam made a huge three late.
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CR and RJ are at least as good at every wing thing as is Gary, in addition to being bigger and more athletic. Maybe Trent is a better shooter, but not enough to offset the other things RJ and CR can do.
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As for AOC, he didn't know how stacked we'd be at his position. When he committed, we either had, or were essentially certain to get, Trent. With CR being not far behind. Trent was projected as a OAD. But that is never certain. Regardless, AOC knew he'd be the first non-big off the bench for Duke last year, and projected a larger role next year. Ideally, AOC thought he'd be the starting SG with TreJ and Cam Reddish. Because when AOC committed, RJ was still in the class of 19, not 18. He was still thought to be a near lock to UK. Instead, AOC is now faced with an incredibly altered reality wherein RJ is in the class of 18, and is going to Duke.
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Which, from AOC's POV, whatever. AOC knew, when he committed, that there was at least a decent chance that Trent would return to Duke for GT's soph year, and that GT and CR would start, with AOC off the bench, as again, the first guard off the bench. Given that CR would spend some time as the nominal backup to TreJ, this was workable. AOC knew this was a possibility. The addition of RJ doesn't really impact that thinking. Provided that GT leaves, RJ simply takes that place. Given that RJ and CR can play some PF, AOC still sees plenty of PT being available. And that AOC would start and star the NEXT year (19-20). But if GT is back, Duke's rotation on the wing is set. We'd have two guys that would each see 25 MPG solely on the wing (likely more in RJ's case, with CR getting some burn at PF and PG). RJ would likely push 35 mpg solely on the wing. Well that would leave 15-20 MPG on the wing, and I feel like soph Trent would get many of those minutes.
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If GT returns, AOC might play less this upcoming year than the previous year. Given that, he could very well decide that an entire years spent as a transfer could be well used to work on his body and get it up to 210 ish for the start of the 19-20 season. He'd be a star, somewhere (don't think Nova wouldn't sniff around if he transferred) if that happened. I think AOC will be a POY candidate in 2 years, and I'd just as soon that be at Duke. Further, AOC will know and accept the logical pecking order next year. I'm afraid a soph GT will think HE should be a lead option. And that is just catastrophically wrong thinking on any team that has both CR and RJ.
Not that this has anything to do with Montgomery, but AOC was not highly ranked coming out of high school, he is a legacy and certainly knew he'd have to work for playing time at Duke. I have high hopes for the kid, but he didn't show in his limited play that he's ready for Prime Time unless he gets stronger, more aggressive and puts some moves into his offensive game.
I think people are underrating AOC a little bit. He was a consensus top-75 kid. And while his dad played at Duke, K didn't recruit him to be kind. AOC has a chance to be very good in the future.
I know people wished he had played more this past season, but he still averaged over 10 minutes per game. That's more as a true freshmen than guys named Grayson Allen, Matt Jones, Ryan Kelly, Miles Plumlee and Brian Zoubek....and just slightly less than other guys named Nolan Smith, Lance Thomas and Quinn Cook.
I know people wished he had played more this past season, but he still averaged over 10 minutes per game. That's more as a true freshmen than guys named Grayson Allen, Matt Jones, Ryan Kelly, Miles Plumlee and Brian Zoubek....and just slightly less than other guys named Nolan Smith, Lance Thomas and Quinn Cook.
AOC should see plenty of burn next season as the first guard off the bench...hopefully next year hes around 6'6 185
Alex can play. We need to stop some of this garbage talk, and thinking the next wave of stars are already better than some of the current kids. If he works hard this summer, he is as valuable a player as a sophomore than a freshman one and done. It works at other schools, why can't it work at Duke? See Donte DiVincenzo. Most didn't know his name until last night. Hard work and being talented can really help a team. Alex has the talented part down, if he's hungry to improve, watch out.
And if he gets stronger. Would be great to see him in the 185 range. There have been rumblings that's he's still growing and might be near 6-7
Sure, if Trent is gone. If Trent is back, combined with our frosh wings.......Things get dicey. Real fast. And waiting until Christmas just wastes a semester.
It isn't garbage talk to project that RJ and Cam are better players than AOC. Both are elite players, with top end size, skill, and athleticism. The only area where AOC has even a possible advantage is 3pt shooting, but that advantage is likely negligible, if indeed it even exists.
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It is possible to think that AOC is a very good player. I've clearly stated, on numerous boards, that I think he's going to be NPOY good as a junior. But frosh RJ and CR are going to play all the minutes they can handle. Likely around 35 apiece. CR will probably spend more time at PF than he should, and less time backing up TreJ than he should. But still.
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Like I said, if Trent is here, he's going to get a lot of the excess minutes at SG/SF (two positions that are essentially interchangeable in today's game). I just don't see the minutes for AOC if Trent returns.
If he likes that staff over there let him go...HC a habitual liar and one assistant is an AFAM major.
OFC
Kentucky & UNC have in home visits with EJ next week.
Nothing scheduled for Duke as of now
Nothing scheduled for Duke as of now