5 Changes heading into Next season

[steel_curtain]

1) Start Damon Wilson at Point Guard.

Why? Wilson does 3 things well that Robinson doesn't do at all.

a) Wilson can't shoot very well, but he can dribble penetrate and pass really well and he is good for 1 three ball a game. We could desperately use a player that can break down anyone off the dribble from the guard positions consistently without turning the ball over. I've seen enough of Wilson to know he passes better than anyone on our current team, right now. Especially in transition

b) He gets to the foul line, a lot. Wilson is an average free throw shooter, but he made almost 100 free throws this season. This is an asset. Our guards suck at getting to the foul line unless it is end of game foul situations.

c) He isn't some Elite defender, but he is better than any of our weak guards right now on defense. At 6'4 with above average athletic ability, he can help our team on defense. Let him grow as a freshmen early. Take the leash off Wilson, put the leash (choke collar) on Newkirk.

2) Give Nix a real shot at Center and move Young to the 4, Artis to the 3 for at least half the game if we can. Steve Adams helped our defense do a 180 in 1 season. Nix is no where near Adams, but a space eater that will clog the paint will help our defense quite a bit. Nix is a foul machine so don't expect more than 15-20 minutes a game. But he is better than our weak reserves right now and he is massive for setting screens and boxing out for boards.

3) Pray Pitt lands Diallo. There's still a decent chance here. Our defense would improve dramatically with him on our back line.

4) Let Cam Johnson shoot the ball. Johnson played in a backup role and only played in 8 games this season as a true freshmen. Johnson made twice as many 3's this year in 8 games than 5th year senior Cam Wright for this season, as sad as that sounds. Give him some serious run early in the season to try and get it going from deep consistently.

5) Play someone that can shoot the 3 in the backcourt at all times. James Robinson and Cam Wright is one of the worst combinations Ive ever seen and we get zero spacing for Artis and Young on offense. You can't have two backcourt players play together that literally can't shoot and cant make any 3's, at all.

 

[DT_PITT]

Where have you seen so much of Wilson? ...

... also, instead of Cam Johnson, why can't Durand Johnson shoot the ball?

Finally, praying for Pitt to land Diallo isn't exactly a "change" now is it.

 

[whirlybird optio]

1) won't happen

2) could happen, but artis has been bad at the 3

3) would love for it to happen

4) I agree, hope he heals well and fast for next season

5) with you 100%

 

[steel_curtain]

Re: Where have you seen so much of Wilson? ...

Full games on youtube. There's a lot of them. And he played against a lot of high caliber players and teams this year.




I don't know what to expect for Durand. 2 years off is tough. but I still don't view him as a 2, I view him as a 3. I have not seen enough of Cam Johnson, but I'm kinda hoping / reaching we can get some 2 out of him and get some 3 point firepower from the 2 position. If you think Durand can be our 2, I'd like to hear your reasoning on it.


As for Diallo, ha, yea, its more like a need. But the change comes in from moving Mike as almost a full time starter to the 4, and Artis almost a full time starter to the 3.

 

[DT_PITT]

Yeah ... I've watched all those games on YouTube too ...

... I'm just not quite so sure you can make that conclusion from what you've seen on Youtube.

If Diallo comes, Young still plays the five. Or maybe Diallo plays the five. But both would play together.

And Artis became a really good offensive player when he moved away from playing the three. He looked really poor playing the three early in the year (offense and defense). Having said this, I'd like if the staff would continue to try to move him to play there on a more consistent basis. I just don't think it's as easy as you are suggesting.

I too am worried about Durand's rust, but he's much, much more ready to play minutes at the two the Cam Johnson.

I also believe you are selling Chris Jones short. He's getting better and he'll continue to get better.




This post was edited on 3/11 11:13 PM by DT_PITT

 

[Fsgolfdr]

If you saw JRob at Greentree his first year here you'd have thought Pitt found its point for four years . He was that good , but i doubt anyone feels that way about his play now. Anointing a freshman the starting pt guard postion is just not going to happen unless he comes in here and is heads and tails better than JRob.I just don't think that's going to happen . Playing against hs guys is not the same . Pitts biggest weakness is guards and I hope he's so good that he has to play,but let's see how is game is against D1 players first before starting him.

 

[whirlybird optio]

Exactly...John Johnson had a nice HS mixtape..

How did that work out?

Can Damon Wilson keep his man in front of him on defense? If he can do that he will play.

I also think there is a better chance he starts alongside Jrob than instead of him.

 

[DT_PITT]

Not just the summer before his freshman year ...

... early in his freshman year, James looked pretty darn good too. I disagree with those who say he hasn't improved since then, even if it hasn't been as much as we would have hoped.

 

[steel_curtain]

Originally posted by Fsgolfdr:
If you saw JRob at Greentree his first year here you'd have thought Pitt found its point for four years . He was that good , but i doubt anyone feels that way about his play now. Anointing a freshman the starting pt guard postion is just not going to happen unless he comes in here and is heads and tails better than JRob.I just don't think that's going to happen . Playing against hs guys is not the same . Pitts biggest weakness is guards and I hope he's so good that he has to play,but let's see how is game is against D1 players first before starting him.

Something has to give. Because no one seems to be talking about who our starting point guard is going to be after Robinson graduates except for me. Because like Harve says, I guess Im the only one that states Heron should be our future point, or, future player with the offense going through him.

If Heron isn't our point, then who is? So its either Wilson starts getting his lions share of the minutes next year at point and learns, or we again cross our fingers and hope some magical great point guard falls into our lap (Gibbs who is a combo guard or someone else). Or Wilson learns the following year.

James Robinson is the most overrated player in Pitt history in my opinion. Jamie Dixon might not have the stones to start Wilson, but then again, he's been uptight his entire career sticking with older players and being conservative. Ive had enough of Robinson and Newkirk. Im ready for change now.

 

[steel_curtain]

Re: Exactly...John Johnson had a nice HS mixtape..

John Johnson's high school team sucked. John Johnson's high school team also played zero defense. Our Savior holds most teams to under 60 points per game. And they have played a loaded schedule, including playing multiple Top 10 Nationally Ranked teams, including Oak Hill and Roselle.

This isn't J.J. Moore or John Johnson part 2 where South Kent was trying to beat people 110-105. Our Savior NY locks up most teams on defense. They have more losses than what they should, but they played a real hard schedule. I don't think Wilson is going to be instant Mr. shutdown, but he does a respectable job if you watched the full games on him.

 

[whirlybird optio]

James will probably look better next year simply by having Durand and Cam back, having guys that he can pass to late in the clock who can make 3s.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying though, I think the real question next season (Look..Robinson is going to start), is who is the backup. Does Damon Wilson pass Newkirk in the rotation? Do they move Josh to the 2G and let him play as an undersized 2 where truth be told he played a lot as a FR and played ok, mainly because he was hitting shots. Either way, even if he doesn't start, I think it's Wilson's job to lose after Robinson leaves, unless Newkirk makes some sort of improvement I just don't see coming.

 

[Protes]

DT...

... you are touching on a big part of the problem... this roster is flawed because Mike Young and Jamel are both best suited at the #4. Mike is lesser of a player at the #5 and Jamel is lesser at the #3.

And this either stays as is next year. or Diallo's here and that forces Jamel to the #3 and, presumably, DJ to the #2.

Flexibility, theoretically, is great, but any way you slice it we have at least 2 starters playing out of their best position next year.

Honestly, you also have more faith in Chris Jones than I do at this point. I can't think of one area he's a plus; not ball handling, shooting, FT's or defense. He's a bench player in my eyes. He's going to have to do a lot of work to change that.

 

[TreesHero]

Re: DT...

Originally posted by Protes:
... you are touching on a big part of the problem... this roster is flawed because Mike Young and Jamel are both best suited at the #4. Mike is lesser of a player at the #5 and Jamel is lesser at the #3.

And this either stays as is next year. or Diallo's here and that forces Jamel to the #3 and, presumably, DJ to the #2.

Flexibility, theoretically, is great, but any way you slice it we have at least 2 starters playing out of their best position next year.

Well stated. That is why I posted a while ago that Artis could be a 6th man in many games next year and especially if the roster gets another competent #5.

Right now, Artis has a silky smooth jumper and will make the occasional nifty pass, but the rest of his offensive game is limited. He doesn't have a good handle, is not a strong driver, and his feet and hands look slow for a perimeter player. He does show signs of good things, so hopefully he will continue to develop. On defense--ugh.




This post was edited on 3/12 4:26 AM by TreesHero

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Re: DT...

I'm going to continue to disagree that Mike is best at the 4.

Or the Artis is best at the 3.

Both are playing where they are best right now. IdeallY they improve and can play up...

 

[goat123]

Unless Pitt basketball gets better players and some players with grit and drive " 5 changes heading into next season" is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

We're still heading for the iceberg.

We need a course correction.

Remember the new talent will be freshman and they take a while to fit in with the team and learn the system.

Go Pitt!
This post was edited on 3/12 6:36 AM by goat123

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Originally posted by steel_curtain:
1) Start Damon Wilson at Point Guard.

Why? Wilson does 3 things well that Robinson doesn't do at all.

a) Wilson can't shoot very well, but he can dribble penetrate and pass really well and he is good for 1 three ball a game. We could desperately use a player that can break down anyone off the dribble from the guard positions consistently without turning the ball over. I've seen enough of Wilson to know he passes better than anyone on our current team, right now. Especially in transition

b) He gets to the foul line, a lot. Wilson is an average free throw shooter, but he made almost 100 free throws this season. This is an asset. Our guards suck at getting to the foul line unless it is end of game foul situations.

c) He isn't some Elite defender, but he is better than any of our weak guards right now on defense. At 6'4 with above average athletic ability, he can help our team on defense. Let him grow as a freshmen early. Take the leash off Wilson, put the leash (choke collar) on Newkirk.

2) Give Nix a real shot at Center and move Young to the 4, Artis to the 3 for at least half the game if we can. Steve Adams helped our defense do a 180 in 1 season. Nix is no where near Adams, but a space eater that will clog the paint will help our defense quite a bit. Nix is a foul machine so don't expect more than 15-20 minutes a game. But he is better than our weak reserves right now and he is massive for setting screens and boxing out for boards.

3) Pray Pitt lands Diallo. There's still a decent chance here. Our defense would improve dramatically with him on our back line.

4) Let Cam Johnson shoot the ball. Johnson played in a backup role and only played in 8 games this season as a true freshmen. Johnson made twice as many 3's this year in 8 games than 5th year senior Cam Wright for this season, as sad as that sounds. Give him some serious run early in the season to try and get it going from deep consistently.

5) Play someone that can shoot the 3 in the backcourt at all times. James Robinson and Cam Wright is one of the worst combinations Ive ever seen and we get zero spacing for Artis and Young on offense. You can't have two backcourt players play together that literally can't shoot and cant make any 3's, at all.

#1 - I don't think Wilson or anybody can beat out Robinson. I've seen Wilson play and he's good but if he has to play 25-30 minutes for us, I think we're in trouble because he's not THAT good yet. He's a completely different player than Robinson as he's more offensive-minded but also not a true point. That said, Robinson does nothing, absolutely nothing offensively except dribble the ball up the court. He's a liability offensively. So, if I'm Jamie, I keep an open-mind and give Wilson a legitimate shot to win the job. As long as he doesn't turn the ball over that much (which is asking a lot as a freshman), he'll be better than Robinson. The only thing Robinson does is not turn it over. If you can find any PG who isn't a turnover machine, they are automatically better than Robinson. I'd give Wilson a shot.

#2 - People really need to temper their expectations for Nix. This guy is a huge reach (literally and figuratively). He's a very lightly recruited JUCO center who has done nothing in his basketball career before this year because he was way too fat. My expectations for Nix are 0. I have none. I am thinking he'll be similar in production to Uchebo. I could be way wrong on this and I hope I am but I dont know how anybody can be confident that this guy can even get off the bench for us, let alone START.

#3 - Would be great to get Diallo, obviously, but when you're up against dirty Iowa State and Caliparti/Slice, it doesn't look good, does it?

#4 - I'd like to see what Cam Johnson can do but he's still growing into his body and will be an inexperienced RS freshman. Not sure we can count on much from him. Perhaps he'll improve massively and have a Gibbs-like improvement from his first year to his second but what are the chances of that?

#5 Need the Johnsons to have good years shooting the 3.

My prediction, right now, is something like 21-10, 10-8 and either Last 4 Byes or Last 4 In.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Re: Where have you seen so much of Wilson? ...

Originally posted by steel_curtain:
Full games on youtube. There's a lot of them. And he played against a lot of high caliber players and teams this year.




I don't know what to expect for Durand. 2 years off is tough. but I still don't view him as a 2, I view him as a 3. I have not seen enough of Cam Johnson, but I'm kinda hoping / reaching we can get some 2 out of him and get some 3 point firepower from the 2 position. If you think Durand can be our 2, I'd like to hear your reasoning on it.


As for Diallo, ha, yea, its more like a need. But the change comes in from moving Mike as almost a full time starter to the 4, and Artis almost a full time starter to the 3.

How come I am betting you saw a lot of Robinson's You Tube clips and were clamoring for him to start as a Fr too. Which he did. But you were basing your analysis off of HS tapes.

 

[steel_curtain]

Regarding Diallo

1) Kentucky already signed the #1 Center in 2015. They still have Dakari Johnson, another 5 Star 7 foot center that will be coming back. And Kentucky is probably going to sign 1 of Swanigan, Maker, or Rabb, another Top 10 Forward / Center

2) St. John's is out imo

3) Kansas has a loaded frontcourt currently and signed a Top 15 PF / C already. Kansas leads for Thon Maker over Kentucky, arguably the best player in the class, a 7 foot center. Kansas is also getting investigated over Cliff Alexander.

That leaves Pitt and Iowa State. And there is a lot of smoke Iowa State's Coach may be NBA bound after this season is over.

 

[JS School]

Re: DT...

TreesHero posted on 3/12/2015...
Right now, Artis has a silky smooth jumper and will make the occasional nifty pass, but the rest of his offensive game is limited. He doesn't have a good handle, is not a strong driver, and his feet and hands look slow for a perimeter player. He does show signs of good things, so hopefully he will continue to develop. On defense--ugh.


Agree with all of this. He is basically a 4 because that is the best place to hide his weaknesses and take advantage of his positives in mismatches. Hard to criticize a kid who is your best scoring threat, but he has enough weaknesses that I sometimes wonder how much of a positive he is overall. Maybe that's the real issue with this team: even the best players have negatives that offset their positives.