My take on Oscar is that he'd provide offense coming off the bench. I thought his overall effort was really good when he was on the floor last year, but that's what Pike expects from everyone. The areas he needs to improve would be his rebounding, defense, and strength. All of our frontcourt players are 6-6 to 6-8 so he's got a lot of competition for minutes. I don't think he'll get more minutes than Ron, Caleb, Mag, Hyatt, or Jones, but he could play meaningful minutes off the bench, in certain situations, if he's hitting his shot.
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I really like Mag. The problem I see is Harper, Hyatt, McConnell and a potential forward transfer are going to log a lot of minutes at the 3-4 spots. That being said he has a good chance to start during the 2022-23 season. He seems like he’ll be a lock down defender and Pike loves that.
I think (hope) your overreacting about the defense. While there will be some drop off at the 5, the 3-4 punch is going to be much stronger and deeper next year. Either MJ or Cliff was on the floor nearly every minute of every game because we were really thin at forward / wing so playing without a center on the floor wasn’t really an option. I expect we’ll see some minutes each game with no Cliff or a big - instead you have Geo or Paul, Caleb, Jaden, Hyatt and RHJ. Only the PG in that line up may be under 6-6 (and even at that Geo is only 6-4). I do hope we take another big, but not because I think we need an impact player - I think we’re an injury away from not being able to play big (at this point I sort of wish Duke stayed but I have to believe Pike feels confident he can replace him or would’ve convinced him to stay so we’ll see).
I actually think our defense can be pretty good. Offensive ball movement too. I think we’ll miss Young at times (particularly in stopping scoring droughts when things aren’t going our way) but he’s not one of those players who makes the players around him better on the floor as a PG. I think the other players will develop well without him. Remember that Geo had arguably his best year when it was just him and Caleb available to run the offense - they were frosh and sophomores then.
I think you think it’s worse that it will actually be. There’s a big difference having 3 Caleb-like players (in stronger physical shape than last year’s version of him) on the floor with RHJ and a PG vs having 6-1 JY (not a strong rebounder), 6-4 Geo at the 2, and either Paul (not a great defender) or Tez (another 6-4 player) at the 3, with last year’s rehabbing version of Caleb and RHJ at 4-5.
On the flip side, I don’t think Duke is that poor a rebounder and depending on the line up, would’ve helped in spot situations. Sometimes you just need a big body to foul hard and put a poor FT shooting big on the line. I hope we pick up one more big body as a security blanket for this reason.
Shot-blocking is an overrated stat. Usually the ball goes out of bounds and back to the other team. Yes, the THREAT of a shot getting blocked does alter shots and does cause more shots to be taken at a distance.
But attempting to block shots also leads to more fouling, and some of those deeper shots will turn out to be made threes. Also, a missed block attempt often leads to easy offensive put-backs.
I would rather see outstanding man-to-man and help defense by all 5 players, with everyone boxing out properly on every shot, leading to better defensive rebounding.
But attempting to block shots also leads to more fouling, and some of those deeper shots will turn out to be made threes. Also, a missed block attempt often leads to easy offensive put-backs.
I would rather see outstanding man-to-man and help defense by all 5 players, with everyone boxing out properly on every shot, leading to better defensive rebounding.
We will be better in 21-22
It’s not about replacing individuals
The only thing that matters is whether we can score more points a game or give up less
If we do, we are better
Myles was great defensively and great on the boards
He could never be counted on to score , shoot foul shots or stay out of foul trouble
Jacob was our best player but wasn’t used effectively for some reason
Geo and Jacob both need to have the ball
Geo is not an off guard and will be much better as the point
Geo has the ability to play at a much higher level then he has over the last few
Jaden will be a perfect 2
Ron will be much happier playing the 3
He didn’t want to do the things as a hybrid 3/4 that Kwasi did
Hyatt will be a good hybrid 4 and if not we have Mag to be the same
Cliff will be much better then last year as I truly believe the knee thing set him way back
Cliff can be a consistent scorer for us next year
At some point , Cliff will be a dominant force in the league
Just a matter of when
That leaves PM, Caleb to fill in
2 Versatile 6’7” players that have proven that they can play on this level
The team overall will be better
Just need a backup big as insurance
It’s not about replacing individuals
The only thing that matters is whether we can score more points a game or give up less
If we do, we are better
Myles was great defensively and great on the boards
He could never be counted on to score , shoot foul shots or stay out of foul trouble
Jacob was our best player but wasn’t used effectively for some reason
Geo and Jacob both need to have the ball
Geo is not an off guard and will be much better as the point
Geo has the ability to play at a much higher level then he has over the last few
Jaden will be a perfect 2
Ron will be much happier playing the 3
He didn’t want to do the things as a hybrid 3/4 that Kwasi did
Hyatt will be a good hybrid 4 and if not we have Mag to be the same
Cliff will be much better then last year as I truly believe the knee thing set him way back
Cliff can be a consistent scorer for us next year
At some point , Cliff will be a dominant force in the league
Just a matter of when
That leaves PM, Caleb to fill in
2 Versatile 6’7” players that have proven that they can play on this level
The team overall will be better
Just need a backup big as insurance
THIS! There are kind of two camps:
1) those who vividly see what we lose when a player graduates or leaves, but they are not able to see the projected improvement in other players, or how a newcomer can be additive.
2) those who see a balance of what we lose, and what we gain as a team with the development of younger or new players.
I am in the second group, because
1) players usually improve year by year, often with one significant jump.
2) this staff recruits the kind of players with the capabilities to substantially improve. this staff buys underappreciated growth stocks.
3) this staff focuses on player development
I think we will be 10-10 in B1G or better again this year.
His heroics came late. We forget the other players that put the team on their back and delivered top 25 wins in the beginning of the season. Wouldn't even have been in the position to dance without the contributions from the whole team. We will need contributions from the whole team again.
Lots of questions for this team, like most college teams. My guess is that Pikel is coaching rebounding rebounding rebounding. It will be interesting to see if we can maintain top D and rebounding with the younger and new guys. Jones, Rieber, Agee, Hyatt. Who sees the floor will likely depend more on how confident Pikel is in them on the defensive side of the floor.
To me it comes down to matchups. What does Rutgers do or who guards the fast penetrating PGs they will face this year ? The options cannot be limited to Baker, Mulcahy, Jones or McConnell. They can't keep up if a PG is intent on getting into the lane.
Rutgers will need a faster guard option on defense at times....Miller is the only option on the roster.
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This keeps getting mentioned but never actually happens....if you have whatever quick guard that you're thinking of, the concept of team defense always makes the plays....you have defenses that can hedge or shade these quick guards. And outside of Marcus Carr, you don't need to worry about individual defense as much as team defense......and despite what appeared to be good individual defense on the ball, too often we were out of position or too aggressive (Young), which breaks down the rest of the team concepts. Playing hero-ball and going for steals, is exciting and headline grabbing plays, but it rarely happens against better teams.
Are you really suggesting Jacob Young was not a great on ball defender, did not prevent dribble penetration and played so-called "hero-ball" on defense?
Spreading the court and then Beating a defender one on one in dribble penetration is a goal of many offenses because it forces help to come over and it leads to other offensive opportunities. Perimeter 1 on 1 defense to prevent dribble penetration is very important as is hedging in a pick and roll situation.
A guy like Curbelo from Illinois wants to dribble drive, force the help defense to come over and then dish it.
Maryland guards Melo Trimble and Anthony Cowan used to destroy Rutgers with their dribble penetration.
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They're not going to put Miller in solely because of his foot speed, which we don't actually know all that much about.
Maryland played Wiggins, Ayala, Morsell, Hart, and Hamilton. They didn't put Acquan Smart in the game simply because he fit the profile of someone who can guard a smaller guy.
Loyola Chicago didn't have anyone as quick as Jose Alvarado or Ayo Dosunmu and yet they easily handled Georgia Tech and Illinois in the tournament.
The point is, Hawk isn't wrong although I would use Mathis as the example of intense man-to-man defense gone wrong. Young was quite good. But you can neutralize (to some degree) quick guards without having one of your own. Especially when the alternative you're suggesting is Jalen Miller and we have absolutely no idea if he's ready to defend at a Big Ten level, and even if he is, if his offense is playable. Purdue for instance was worse with Nojel Eastern in the game even though he was a great defender.
Young had very good on-ball defense, but he was also a gambler at times which put him out of position and gave the other team 5-on-4 opportunities. Mathis did this, too, and Baker to some extent.
Losing a great on-ball defender, though, can be mitigated by team defense. The ability to have one guy stay in front of a quick guard is replaced by hedging screens, help defense, etc. Same with losing a shot blocker - while having that insurance policy is great, it can be replaced by better overall team defense.
Remains to be seen what our team defense is going to look like next year, to be sure. Hoping Baker will be fully healthy with better lateral movement, and that Mulcahy takes a step forward defensively. Also don't know what we'll see defensively out of Jones, yet.
Rutgers plays very good team defense. Sometimes elite level to the point of forcing bad last minute shots.
BUT....even with that great team defense, we all watched the games the last few years and saw opposing guards dribble past Mulcahy into the lane at will. It's been discussed quite often on this board.
Speaking in of Noej Eastern.....he absolutely put the handcuffs on Harper with his 1 on 1 defense last year. Frustrated the heck out of him. Then, when Eastern was out of game....Harper had room to score.
BUT....even with that great team defense, we all watched the games the last few years and saw opposing guards dribble past Mulcahy into the lane at will. It's been discussed quite often on this board.
Speaking in of Noej Eastern.....he absolutely put the handcuffs on Harper with his 1 on 1 defense last year. Frustrated the heck out of him. Then, when Eastern was out of game....Harper had room to score.
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You are right. Any Zavier Simpson types with a low center of gravity are going to be a big problem for us this year. We’ll also struggle to penetrate on offense against agile guards. It will hurt on both ends, but worse on defense. If we miss the tournament (assuming no big injuries), that gap in our roster will be the biggest reason, with center depth coming in second.
Young and his on the ball defense is not a standard across every program.....and Melo Trimble and Cowen were playing with 2 NBA kids on their roster at different spots....that opened up lanes for him more than the abilities of the guards, it all more about whether RU has length and size more than speed at guard IMO. I am concerned about Young departing, just because he gambled in passing lanes on defense and went for steals.
Lots of guys get beat by quicker guards, not just Paul. The nature of help defense is to deal with that.
Paul was also one of our best help defenders, oftentimes standing his ground against bigs during switches and making a play, to either strip the ball, block the shot or take a charge.
The guy is fearless and does not back down. So yeah, he has work to do on his lateral foot speed, but given all he provides with the rest of his game, on both ends of the floor, it’s a fair exchange.
The idea that you can just make up for a great 1 on 1 defender being gone by playing even better team defense is silly...especially, when you are already playing near elite level team defense. But hey, just play it better.
FIRST.... Pikiell himself went out of his way to talk about Miller's defense when he talked about incoming players......"Rutgers nation is going to love Jalen Miller," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "He is a tough and athletic, two-way point guard who comes to us from a terrific program. He can get to the rim, he is an exceptional defender and most importantly,......".
In 5 years I doubt Pikiell described many other recruits as "An Exceptional Defender"....maybe Johnson, maybe Cliff, maybe Mathis.
AND, here's a separate blurb about Miller from a NJ dom com article.
Miller shows a willingness to get down and defend in man-to-man defense, a characteristic Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell places at a premium.
“Part of me believes this kid likes the defensive end better,” Prete said. “He loves the grind. He loves the challenge of trying to stop somebody and make them uncomfortable. He’s a guy that wants to look you right there and go ‘hey, let’s go’ and he figures it out.”
No one is just pulling thoughts out of the air about Miller. It's based on reports about him.
FIRST.... Pikiell himself went out of his way to talk about Miller's defense when he talked about incoming players......"Rutgers nation is going to love Jalen Miller," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "He is a tough and athletic, two-way point guard who comes to us from a terrific program. He can get to the rim, he is an exceptional defender and most importantly,......".
In 5 years I doubt Pikiell described many other recruits as "An Exceptional Defender"....maybe Johnson, maybe Cliff, maybe Mathis.
AND, here's a separate blurb about Miller from a NJ dom com article.
Miller shows a willingness to get down and defend in man-to-man defense, a characteristic Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell places at a premium.
“Part of me believes this kid likes the defensive end better,” Prete said. “He loves the grind. He loves the challenge of trying to stop somebody and make them uncomfortable. He’s a guy that wants to look you right there and go ‘hey, let’s go’ and he figures it out.”
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Harper did not even play in last year’s game that Montez won for us. Eastern had also transferred . If you are referring to 2 years ago, I do not remember Eastern guarding Harper most of the game. He was a great defender but had his offensive limitations.
I'm fairly certain that's coach speak. I will be shocked if Jalen Miller gets more than 4 minutes per game in the Big Ten next year.
LOL, I think you are right....Pikiell says every incoming recruit is "an exceptional defender". Same thing said about Mulcahy, Baker, Jones, Palmquist, Reiber, Harper, etc, etc, etc
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Stats back that up, too, beyond the eye test. We were 12-3 against major conference opponents when Johnson played >25 minutes (losses vs Iowa, @MSU, and vs. Houston, where he was playing hurt), and we were 1-12 when he played 25 or less.
Edit: And when looking at performance while he was on the court.... in the 541.73 minutes he was on the floor in games we have lineup information for, we averaged 1.80 pts/min and allowed 1.61 pts/min. In the 263.27 minutes he was not on the floor, we averaged 1.58 pts/min and allowed 1.72 pts.min.
While I had the lineup data open for the last post, I checked on Young. In the 609.70 min with Young on the floor (in games we have data for), we scored 1.77 pts/min and allowed 1.71 pts/min. In the 195.30 min he was not on the floor, we scored 1.59 pts/min and allowed 1.46 pts/min.
One of the key things mentioned for this season will be the OOC portion of the schedule, which will enable the new and lightly used players to get more acclimated.
I will also like if CO can present an offensive threat away from the basket. Opposing teams really did not have to worry so much about Myles last year.
I will also like if CO can present an offensive threat away from the basket. Opposing teams really did not have to worry so much about Myles last year.
Agree Shack. For me, as much as we will miss Jacob and Myles, I feel that with the addition of Hyatt, we may round into a more balanced squad. I believe if we had Yeboah last season we would have made it to the next round and possibly further. That to me is how much Yeboah meant for balancing out the squad and gave us another offensive weapon down the stretch.