He can win a game for you all by himself. He can lose a game for you all by himself. Someone in another thread compared him to Gary Nova and I definitely see the similarities. I'm hoping being paired with Jeremiah was what the doctor ordered for Derek. When he has the confidence, the shots fall. When he plays smart, the shots fall. My optimistic viewpoint is maybe he turned a corner today and the presence of Jeremiah Williams might have a lot to do with that.
The enigma that is Derek Simpson
- Thread starter knight82
- Start date
Simpson can create shots off the dribble but making the shots has been a problem.In the second half he led the team with the scoring spurt that erased the deficit and resulted in a 10 point win on the road.The Baker like step back jumper brought a smile to my face.
Or maybe RU fans not showing enough patience to a player who is only a sophomore.
We saw him win games against PSU and Indiana last year.
We saw him almost win a game against OSU.
He almost had a triple double in the win against Nebraska.
In a game against Stonehill where nobody played well who hit the game winning three point jump shot with game on line? Simpson?
Who hit the big half court shot against Indiana? Who iced the games with his free throws against Indiana?
Even in the horrible PSU debacle, who lead the team in rebounds and assists?
Today he showed all the tremendous skill that he possesses.
Will be a very nice piece next year with Dylan and Ace.
For the first time ever we won @ Michigan! A big reason was Derek Simpson.
It wasn’t only the scoring. It was solid defense and six assists.
I've always thought he was one of our 2-3 most talented players, but he doesn't always play up to his level of talent for a variety of reasons - but when he does, like tonight, he can play at an all-conference level. And 19 (on 7-13 shooting)/5/6 with 2 steals and only 1 TO and hitting all 3 FTs is an all-conference game.
He had a real nice game today though I still don’t think a lot of those midrange shots are good shots.
Amazing game today. Let's hope it's not a fluke. Best shooting game of the season by a mile
Very good player who is only a sophomore. Finished the last ten games of last year as are best player.
Pike then decided to go with a transfer (Noah) who clearly is out of his league in Big ten play. It was obvious it put a damper on his Confidence. He is surrounded by players who cannot shoot or finish which also a huge problem for his spacing. Hopefully with JWill now playing that will open up the middle a little more. Pike also abandoned high pick and roll with Cliff until today. Give the young man time but definitely will be a good player for us just give him some one who can shoot
Pike then decided to go with a transfer (Noah) who clearly is out of his league in Big ten play. It was obvious it put a damper on his Confidence. He is surrounded by players who cannot shoot or finish which also a huge problem for his spacing. Hopefully with JWill now playing that will open up the middle a little more. Pike also abandoned high pick and roll with Cliff until today. Give the young man time but definitely will be a good player for us just give him some one who can shoot
He has one wild left handed layup attempt, but most of the attempts were under control today.
It is important to "slot" your players properly, so they can fit into the scheme. As much as I am all in on Simpson, the goal is to become a reliable player now, so he can be reliable or more consistent next year.
Having Jeremiah Williams take some of the workload off of him on defense AND offense helps.
We slowed down a very effective Michigan offense in their building which allowed RU to get back into the game, which is where Simpson and the backcourt delivered. Simpson and Davis have the upside to be very dangerous tandem off the bench next year.
It is important to "slot" your players properly, so they can fit into the scheme. As much as I am all in on Simpson, the goal is to become a reliable player now, so he can be reliable or more consistent next year.
Having Jeremiah Williams take some of the workload off of him on defense AND offense helps.
We slowed down a very effective Michigan offense in their building which allowed RU to get back into the game, which is where Simpson and the backcourt delivered. Simpson and Davis have the upside to be very dangerous tandem off the bench next year.
If he had good offensive coaching he'd be something. From what I've seen he has been very responsive to the coaching of his defense and rebounding. Now he needs someone to help refine his shooting form and coach the poor shot selection out of him. I don't think our staff is necessarily going to be the ones to get that done, unfortunately.
For Derek in my opinion its been about two things with him, confidence and squaring his body when he shoots. I know its so fundamental but when he squares up in that mid range hes pretty good. Its when he is not square and off balance that like any shooter percentages drop.
Him running high PNR with Cliff is where he thrives.
Him running high PNR with Cliff is where he thrives.
Kid’s pretty good and takes a lot of crap. And for a supposed weakling he goes up HIGH in TRAFFIC to get an inordinate amount of rebounds. He can play on my team.
It’s called being a sophomore. He needs to get stronger and continue to improve his shot selection and he will be fine - Jr & Sr years will be his.
As I posted on the game thread, Derek epitomizes the team as being wholly and totally inconsistent from game to game.
However when you get the Good Derek - he is a heckuva player.
The Bad Derek - not so much !
However when you get the Good Derek - he is a heckuva player.
The Bad Derek - not so much !
Rebounding and defense has shown up almost every game. He plays hard.
I guess being a true sophomore lends itself to up and down performances. Derek played very well and if he can just be steady the remaining games we might just shock a few teams.
Watch Derek’s head when he shoots . Different player with his head on the basket then just a quick glance
He has been BUT first 10 games Pike rode him and clearly impacted the sophomore which was clear.
Noth knocking him. He just never should have never been the starting PG and his play at this level has been bad. Great great FT shooter no doubt. Good player just too small for BIG ten . Not his fault at all .
Definitely want him stronger, just remember his Gumby body can already leap and doesn’t get hurt.
Don’t overdo it
Exactly! Caleb was best defensive player in league… perhaps country…last year.
He's young, played against weaker competition in HS and became a bigger part of this team earlier than anticipated with Mulcahy and Spencer gone. He plays his butt off and I'm looking forward to seeing him play 2 more years.
Is this the real Derek as much as a 2 for 14 night is the real Derek?
I was quickly digging around for an advanced stat of Std Dev if FG% or a complete game log for NCAA players.
I really wonder what his Std Dev would be compared to a meaningful sample.
@fluoxetine you know of anything like this?
I was quickly digging around for an advanced stat of Std Dev if FG% or a complete game log for NCAA players.
I really wonder what his Std Dev would be compared to a meaningful sample.
@fluoxetine you know of anything like this?
The goal is to reach 70 PTS the rest of the season and the guards (3 guard lineup) now should be able to get to 40 points to get RU to the 70 point goal. Last night's game had 34 from the guards.
He is athletic and exciting and can hang in the air like nobody since Jacob Young. His big and important issue is shooting percentage, which is a little strange as he is such a good FT shooter. Hopefully he gains confidence and can develop more control and that number rises.
Nobody loses a game all by themselves. Fans like to blame one or two guys but it takes at least 8 solid efforts on both ends to win. We had less than 3 against PSU. We had everyone playing hard against Michigan. Shots going in does of course help but there are games he gets no open looks. That even happened to Spencer a handful of games last year. Jeremiah gave us a boost of energy and the team all pitched in and benefited from that energy.
Derek has been consistently inconsistent......let me actually refine that saying we have seen a lot more of bad Derek, than good Derek. I agree his shot needs to be reworked - something is off as he seems to continually miss (though he is a good free throw shooter). Derek's good games remind me of the saying 'even a broken clock is right twice a day'. All season if he wanted to have a big game it was there for the taking, as nobody else is going to step up. Somebody said earlier they hope this is a turning point for Derek - I hope so too, but no way I'd bet on that being the case. He can get to spots and create his own shot, but if those shots are not falling then what's the point?
Agree he takes way too many off balance shots which absolutely kill his shooting %. Needs to play more composed and under control to be an effective piece for us.
Funny how many posters think players coming out of high players school should ramp up to consistently top perfromance right out of the gate, especially in a league like the Big 10. That's an unrealistic expectation and misguided. There's a learning curve and everyone, no matter how many stars they have, are going to be inconsistent in their early years. Of course there are exceptions with some NBA lottery picks but that's not the rule.
Patience is required. You need to let young players develop at each stage as the competition is elevated.
For perspective, take a look at Boo Buie's stat progression. He took a couple of seasons to develop and was also inconsistent. His first two years don't look that much different than Derrick's. Matter of fact, I found a game in the second half of his sophomore season where he had 8 pts on 3-13 shooting with just one assist in 31 min ... sound familiar? I can just see the Northwestern board with posters crying about "ineffciency" and "inconsistency", why he was the "reason for the loss" and getting a better player from recruting or in the portal for the next year ... and on and on. I'm not saying Derek is another Buie but I'm also not saying he can't be.
Let history be your guide and have some patience to let players develop.
Patience is required. You need to let young players develop at each stage as the competition is elevated.
For perspective, take a look at Boo Buie's stat progression. He took a couple of seasons to develop and was also inconsistent. His first two years don't look that much different than Derrick's. Matter of fact, I found a game in the second half of his sophomore season where he had 8 pts on 3-13 shooting with just one assist in 31 min ... sound familiar? I can just see the Northwestern board with posters crying about "ineffciency" and "inconsistency", why he was the "reason for the loss" and getting a better player from recruting or in the portal for the next year ... and on and on. I'm not saying Derek is another Buie but I'm also not saying he can't be.
Let history be your guide and have some patience to let players develop.
I like this comparison. If you looked at Gary Nova's highlight reel, you would say he was a sure fire NFL QB. But we know the body of work falls well short. I also like the Boo Buie. It would be great if Simpson can have a similar growth curve.