Johnson in our losses

[Sean Miller Fan]

UNC: 7 points, 7 assists, 4 TOs
Wake: 14, 8, 5
Lou: 10, 0, 3
SFU: 9, 10, 7

It doesn't take a rocket scientist. We cannot win unless Johnson plays well. Champagnie and Toney have been pretty consistent. Johnson is maddeningly inconsistent. If he has a subpar game, we simply cant win. 1.3:1 assist to TO ration in losses and only averaging 10PPG

 

[pittizit]

sit him

 

[PittPoker]

sit him

I would start Femi and play X in spots. If X won't work on his wildness and selfishness he should be sitting a lot. It's not like we have won the past 2 games because of him. Heck I'd argue we lost the Wake game because of him and he certainly wasn't good against North Carolina.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

sit him

I have said that but even I dont know if that's the answer. I think we need him and we need him to be good. We just wont win if he doesnt play well.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

They can’t sit him he’s their best option at PG

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

UNC: 7 points, 7 assists, 4 TOs
Wake: 14, 8, 5
Lou: 10, 0, 3
SFU: 9, 10, 7

It doesn't take a rocket scientist. We cannot win unless Johnson plays well. Champagnie and Toney have been pretty consistent. Johnson is maddeningly inconsistent. If he has a subpar game, we simply cant win. 1.3:1 assist to TO ration in losses and only averaging 10PPG

Why does Toney get a pass? He has averaged 9.5 pts and 4.5 rebounds over the last two games. He needs to step it up as well.

 

[pittjas]

Look, some of X’s decisions are TERRIBLE. He plays too fast at times and just makes plays you shouldn’t make in your third year...

At the same time, he makes plays that not many other PGs in the country can make. His explosiveness is something that bothers opposing defenses.

I would love to have seen X play with the 08-09 team or some of the teams JRob played with...

...because I think he’d make them both even better.

Maybe I’m wrong. But, I continually watch and he is quite literally the only player who can consistently create off the bounce against ACC defenders.

Champ - catch and shoot 3s, scores off post up catches or dump offs

Toney - plays very within himself which is a good thing, but not very confident off the bounce unless he’s in a good rhythm. Usually defers late in the shot clock, not a consistent scorer from mid-range/3

TB/AKC - complete liabilities. Can’t even finish dump offs reliably, often too weak to finish. Don’t even think about giving to them with back to basket, will be converted about 25% of the time

Ithiel - has just now gotten comfortable enough to be SOME threat off the dribble but lacks the first step. I think as he plays more this can become more a part of his game as the speed slows down, but for now he’s mostly catch and shoot

Femi - can usually create off dribble but handle is still a little loose and he can’t shoot

Look at that... you have 2 really good players in Toney and Champ, but neither can get the ball at the 3pt line and get you a basket like Sam Young or Michael Young or Artis.

And the posts are absolute garbage. I mean, Toney made a great dump off pass last night that the announcers called a bad pass simply because of how bad our post players are...

point being, it’s not really fair to X because he’s not a great shooter.. yet there’s still a lot of pressure on him to create for this offense.

He doesn’t have the ability to just dump it to DeJuan Blair or McGhee and just stand and watch. He can’t just give it to Champ or Toney and let them iso and get a bucket...

It’s all on X.

Which is why it really falls on Capel. 3 years in and he still hasn’t recruited ANYONE who can consistently score at all 3 levels.. or a big who can walk and chew gum.. (well I guess one, but he played too much GTA)

Really good offensive players bail you out of bad possessions. You can give it to a guy like Mike Young or Sam Younf and get a bucket... we have such a weird group offensively that it takes perfect possessions from us to score... and really really good games from X to win.

He can’t just let the game come to him and manage it like JRob or Levance could.

 

[Ski11585]

Look, some of X’s decisions are TERRIBLE. He plays too fast at times and just makes plays you shouldn’t make in your third year...

At the same time, he makes plays that not many other PGs in the country can make. His explosiveness is something that bothers opposing defenses.

I would love to have seen X play with the 08-09 team or some of the teams JRob played with...

...because I think he’d make them both even better.

Maybe I’m wrong. But, I continually watch and he is quite literally the only player who can consistently create off the bounce against ACC defenders.

Champ - catch and shoot 3s, scores off post up catches or dump offs

Toney - plays very within himself which is a good thing, but not very confident off the bounce unless he’s in a good rhythm. Usually defers late in the shot clock, not a consistent scorer from mid-range/3

TB/AKC - complete liabilities. Can’t even finish dump offs reliably, often too weak to finish. Don’t even think about giving to them with back to basket, will be converted about 25% of the time

Ithiel - has just now gotten comfortable enough to be SOME threat off the dribble but lacks the first step. I think as he plays more this can become more a part of his game as the speed slows down, but for now he’s mostly catch and shoot

Femi - can usually create off dribble but handle is still a little loose and he can’t shoot

Look at that... you have 2 really good players in Toney and Champ, but neither can get the ball at the 3pt line and get you a basket like Sam Young or Michael Young or Artis.

And the posts are absolute garbage. I mean, Toney made a great dump off pass last night that the announcers called a bad pass simply because of how bad our post players are...

point being, it’s not really fair to X because he’s not a great shooter.. yet there’s still a lot of pressure on him to create for this offense.

He doesn’t have the ability to just dump it to DeJuan Blair or McGhee and just stand and watch. He can’t just give it to Champ or Toney and let them iso and get a bucket...

It’s all on X.

Which is why it really falls on Capel. 3 years in and he still hasn’t recruited ANYONE who can consistently score at all 3 levels.. or a big who can walk and chew gum.. (well I guess one, but he played too much GTA)

Really good offensive players bail you out of bad possessions. You can give it to a guy like Mike Young or Sam Younf and get a bucket... we have such a weird group offensively that it takes perfect possessions from us to score... and really really good games from X to win.

He can’t just let the game come to him and manage it like JRob or Levance could.

This is correct. People calling for X to get benched are calling for Pitt to forfeit those games. No other player can reliably create offense.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I would start Femi and play X in spots. If X won't work on his wildness and selfishness he should be sitting a lot. It's not like we have won the past 2 games because of him. Heck I'd argue we lost the Wake game because of him and he certainly wasn't good against North Carolina.

Then who is everyone else going to give the ball to when they can't get a shot? The whole team looks at him to create.

I agree he gets wild and out of control at time (sometimes more than others), but that's the same trait that makes him what he is. We don't move the ball around enough in general, it's not just X.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I would start Femi and play X in spots. If X won't work on his wildness and selfishness he should be sitting a lot. It's not like we have won the past 2 games because of him. Heck I'd argue we lost the Wake game because of him and he certainly wasn't good against North Carolina.

That’s flat out insane
Xavier is the acc assist leader
Yes he’s maddening
Yes he gets out of control -
And yes capel needs to yank him sooner

But femi- who I like a lot - is dude to spell Xavier -
Not ready for prime time yet

 

[Ski11585]

Also a lot of folks ITT are acting like X stole a bunch of shots against UNC. He was fourth in shot attempts. Who else do you want shooting more than him? Not AKC no matter what Vader says.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Also a lot of folks ITT are acting like X stole a bunch of shots against UNC. He was fourth in shot attempts. Who else do you want shooting more than him? Not AKC no matter what Vader says.

AKC is shooting 52% from the floor against ACC competition. AKC is shooting 54.3% for the season.

AKC, against the most stacked frontcourt in the entire ACC against UNC, shot the ball 3-7, 43%. If you watched the game, 2 of AKC's misses literally stuck on top of the rim and bounced around before the ball finally found a way to miss and not go in. AKC was literally 1-16th of an inch from shooting 5-7 against UNC's frontcourt.


Xavier Johnson is shooting 38% for the season. Xavier Johnson is shooting 30% against ACC competition.


AKC has the 2nd highest field goal percentage for the entire season on the entire roster and the 2nd highest field goal percentage on the team against ACC competition only.


Xavier Johnson has the worst shooting percentage in the entire rotation in ACC play. Xavier Johnson's shooting percentage is dead last in the ACC. In fact, X's shooting percentage in the ACC is over 10% worse than every other single player on our entire team.


Let's not even bring up X's stellar 3 point shooting percentage, which now sits at 20% in league play, dead last.


X's ORTG offensive power rating in ACC play is now sitting at 92. He is barely, barely, ahead of Femi Odukale in ACC play.


The Word "Big 3" has been a more of a "Big Joke" the last 2 games instead of a Big 3. More like Big 1, Champ. Ithiel Horton has a chance to pass X before this season is over, and Horton started very slow. Horton is trending way up since the start of the year. X has been trending way down. Horton's already blown past Trey Mcgowens ORTG offensive Power Ranking. 3 Years in and Mcgowens still cant break 100. And for the record, I told you so.

 

[DT_PITT]

They can’t sit him he’s their best option at PG

And then some ...

 

[DT_PITT]

That’s flat out insane
Xavier is the acc assist leader
Yes he’s maddening
Yes he gets out of control -
And yes capel needs to yank him sooner

But femi- who I like a lot - is dude to spell Xavier -
Not ready for prime time yet

Totally agree.

 

[DT_PITT]

Look, some of X’s decisions are TERRIBLE. He plays too fast at times and just makes plays you shouldn’t make in your third year...

At the same time, he makes plays that not many other PGs in the country can make. His explosiveness is something that bothers opposing defenses.

I would love to have seen X play with the 08-09 team or some of the teams JRob played with...

...because I think he’d make them both even better.

Maybe I’m wrong. But, I continually watch and he is quite literally the only player who can consistently create off the bounce against ACC defenders.

Champ - catch and shoot 3s, scores off post up catches or dump offs

Toney - plays very within himself which is a good thing, but not very confident off the bounce unless he’s in a good rhythm. Usually defers late in the shot clock, not a consistent scorer from mid-range/3

TB/AKC - complete liabilities. Can’t even finish dump offs reliably, often too weak to finish. Don’t even think about giving to them with back to basket, will be converted about 25% of the time

Ithiel - has just now gotten comfortable enough to be SOME threat off the dribble but lacks the first step. I think as he plays more this can become more a part of his game as the speed slows down, but for now he’s mostly catch and shoot

Femi - can usually create off dribble but handle is still a little loose and he can’t shoot

Look at that... you have 2 really good players in Toney and Champ, but neither can get the ball at the 3pt line and get you a basket like Sam Young or Michael Young or Artis.

And the posts are absolute garbage. I mean, Toney made a great dump off pass last night that the announcers called a bad pass simply because of how bad our post players are...

point being, it’s not really fair to X because he’s not a great shooter.. yet there’s still a lot of pressure on him to create for this offense.

He doesn’t have the ability to just dump it to DeJuan Blair or McGhee and just stand and watch. He can’t just give it to Champ or Toney and let them iso and get a bucket...

It’s all on X.

Which is why it really falls on Capel. 3 years in and he still hasn’t recruited ANYONE who can consistently score at all 3 levels.. or a big who can walk and chew gum.. (well I guess one, but he played too much GTA)

Really good offensive players bail you out of bad possessions. You can give it to a guy like Mike Young or Sam Younf and get a bucket... we have such a weird group offensively that it takes perfect possessions from us to score... and really really good games from X to win.

He can’t just let the game come to him and manage it like JRob or Levance could.

Well said.

 

[PittPoker]

AKC is shooting 52% from the floor against ACC competition. AKC is shooting 54.3% for the season.

AKC, against the most stacked frontcourt in the entire ACC against UNC, shot the ball 3-7, 43%. If you watched the game, 2 of AKC's misses literally stuck on top of the rim and bounced around before the ball finally found a way to miss and not go in. AKC was literally 1-16th of an inch from shooting 5-7 against UNC's frontcourt.


Xavier Johnson is shooting 38% for the season. Xavier Johnson is shooting 30% against ACC competition.


AKC has the 2nd highest field goal percentage for the entire season on the entire roster and the 2nd highest field goal percentage on the team against ACC competition only.


Xavier Johnson has the worst shooting percentage in the entire rotation in ACC play. Xavier Johnson's shooting percentage is dead last in the ACC. In fact, X's shooting percentage in the ACC is over 10% worse than every other single player on our entire team.


Let's not even bring up X's stellar 3 point shooting percentage, which now sits at 20% in league play, dead last.


X's ORTG offensive power rating in ACC play is now sitting at 92. He is barely, barely, ahead of Femi Odukale in ACC play.


The Word "Big 3" has been a more of a "Big Joke" the last 2 games instead of a Big 3. More like Big 1, Champ. Ithiel Horton has a chance to pass X before this season is over, and Horton started very slow. Horton is trending way up since the start of the year. X has been trending way down. Horton's already blown past Trey Mcgowens ORTG offensive Power Ranking. 3 Years in and Mcgowens still cant break 100. And for the record, I told you so.

The Xavier lovers are out in full force. Your stats, Matt's stats about him on the pay board, etc... it doesn't matter for some on here. They think because he has nice assist numbers he is wonderful smh. He is anything but.

 

[PittPoker]

Totally agree.

Of course you agree. You were 1 of JRob's most staunch defenders too. I get it, X does no wrong. As long as he has 8 assists he is great right? No matter as Vader stated or Matt about his awful 3 point shooting or 2 point shooting or his wildness or his selfishness. Nope he is great. Of course. Sigh...

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Sometimes you just have to live with a player and right now X is that guy . You can’t win without him , but his poor decisions can and do ultimately cost you games .

Everyone hoped that as he matures he’d cut down on his miscues and improve his shooting , well it really hasn’t happened . X plays at a speed that makes him what he is when he’s great and when he sucks .

It has nothing to do with coaching because his coach was a really controlled heady pg with a good shot , some things just can’t be taught to some guys .

Slowing X down would just take away his greatest asset . Convincing him to only take wide open shots as a last option might be possible . If Femi could only shoot FTs you could use PT as a way to reign X in but at 37% FTs you can’t afford to have out there at crucial times .

 

[DT_PITT]

Of course you agree. You were 1 of JRob's most staunch defenders too. I get it, X does no wrong. As long as he has 8 assists he is great right? No matter as Vader stated or Matt about his awful 3 point shooting or 2 point shooting or his wildness or his selfishness. Nope he is great. Of course. Sigh...

If you read my posts you will notice that I have never once said that "he does no wrong." Quite often I speak of his mistakes, and have noted often that he brings bad and good to the Panthers.

I think Vader's post correctly spells out the notion that if Xavier plays well, Pitt most often plays well. If he doesn't, we often don't. This has been said be many, myself included, a number of times.

But believe the reality is that for Pitt to be the team we want them to be, it is imperative that Xavier plays the way he has in our wins. No other player on the Panthers at this time can replace what he does well (when he is doing it well.) Replacing him will not solve any problems.

I would appreciate if you would not represent my thoughts so incorrectly, nor do I quite understand the tone you have taken with me of late.

 

[DT_PITT]

Sometimes you just have to live with a player and right now X is that guy . You can’t win without him , but his poor decisions can and do ultimately cost you games .

Everyone hoped that as he matures he’d cut down on his miscues and improve his shooting , well it really hasn’t happened . X plays at a speed that makes him what he is when he’s great and when he sucks .

It has nothing to do with coaching because his coach was a really controlled heady pg with a good shot , some things just can’t be taught to some guys .

Slowing X down would just take away his greatest asset . Convincing him to only take wide open shots as a last option might be possible . If Femi could only shoot FTs you could use PT as a way to reign X in but at 37% FTs you can’t afford to have out there at crucial times .

Well stated.

 

[Ski11585]

@PittPoker I realize nuance is impossible for you, but it’s possible to think X is our best option at PG while also acknowledging when he struggles.

 

[PittPoker]

nor do I quite understand the tone you have taken with me of late.

I have liked 100's of your posts over the years, I have always respected your thoughts. But when Souf calls my thoughts in my 1 post INSANE and you quote him and tell him you agree with that, how would you feel? My thoughts aren't INSANE, I am a die hard Pitt fan that was just giving an alternative option perhaps with regards to PG. A few people liked it, obv a few didn't. But when you quote a guy who called what I wrote INSANE and you say you agree with him, well sorry I wasn't all happy happy joy joy with you DT. I thought you were a poster better than that.

 

[DT_PITT]

I have liked 100's of your posts over the years, I have always respected your thoughts. But when Souf calls my thoughts in my 1 post INSANE and you quote him and tell him you agree with that, how would you feel? My thoughts aren't INSANE, I am a die hard Pitt fan that was just giving an alternative option perhaps with regards to PG. A few people liked it, obv a few didn't. But when you quote a guy who called what I wrote INSANE and you say you agree with him, well sorry I wasn't all happy happy joy joy with you DT. I thought you were a poster better than that.

Actually ... to be perfectly honest, I didn't even read the "insane" part -- nor did I was I realize he may have been applying that to you per se. But I did agree with Souf's basic notion about Xavier completely, and that's what my response was about.

I know you are as much of a die hard Pitt fan as I am.

But we can't bench Xavier.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I have liked 100's of your posts over the years, I have always respected your thoughts. But when Souf calls my thoughts in my 1 post INSANE and you quote him and tell him you agree with that, how would you feel? My thoughts aren't INSANE, I am a die hard Pitt fan that was just giving an alternative option perhaps with regards to PG. A few people liked it, obv a few didn't. But when you quote a guy who called what I wrote INSANE and you say you agree with him, well sorry I wasn't all happy happy joy joy with you DT. I thought you were a poster better than that.

Benching x for femi as the starter is insane
Toughen up , buttercup

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

But when Souf calls my thoughts in my 1 post INSANE

To be fair though, the only reason why he called it insane is because it is, well, insane.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

I know this is off topic but i think the Steelers should bench Ben for Mason Rudolph because sometimes Ben throws bad passes.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

I know this is off topic but i think the Steelers should bench Ben for Mason Rudolph because sometimes Ben throws bad passes.

You should probably come up with a better analogy. It’s time for Ben to retire. Mason isn’t the long-term answer, but neither is Ben anymore.

 

[PittPoker]

You should probably come up with a better analogy. It’s time for Ben to retire. Mason isn’t the long-term answer, but neither is Ben anymore.

I used to like his posts but lately he tries to come here and be a smart ass and it really falls flat. That Ben analogy like you mentioned is not comparable.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

I used to like his posts but lately he tries to come here and be a smart ass and it really falls flat. That Ben analogy like you mentioned is not comparable.

It’s the perfect analogy. He wins us a lot of games. And he’s gonna cost us a lot of games. And there’s nothing we can do about it for at least another year other than get rid of him and take the hit or play him and take the highs and lows

And not talking long term potential but right now Femi is Mason Rudolph. We’d need a miracle to win ACC games with him playing the bulk of the minutes.

I’m fine with you disagreeing with me or not liking my posts. I don’t think you’ve made a convincing argument to remove the only player on the roster consistently putting pressure on defenses and creating shots for others.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

It’s the perfect analogy. He wins us a lot of games. And he’s gonna cost us a lot of games. And there’s nothing we can do about it for at least another year other than get rid of him and take the hit or play him and take the highs and lows

This is probably true. Good Xavier is as good as anyone and Bad Xavier is as bad as anyone. We need Good Xavier to win. If we went with Femi and he was consistently mediocre, we probably couldn't win.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Why does Toney get a pass? He has averaged 9.5 pts and 4.5 rebounds over the last two games. He needs to step it up as well.

Johnson and Toney were especially bad at times in the UNC game. A number of uncontrolled drives without anyone in place for a rebound, etc... ending in extremely difficult shots.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

5 points, 3 assists, 2 TOs in 19 minutes vs ND

Again, we cannot win if Johnson doesn't play well

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

Here is the deal as far as I see it. X is not consistent, and tries to do too much when thinks aren't going well for the team. He does this because he wants to win, not because he is selfish. So, when the team plays hard, shares the ball, rebounds and plays defense, he doesn't have to force as much. Toney, on the other hand, has a game which personifies teamwork and he plays best when he is doing all of the little things. However, for some reason, he and his family don't get that. When the team starts playing really well and he doesn't get his or get enough acclaim, he can't handle it and blows up the team chemistry by playing differently than what is effective for the team.

Both have a direct effect on the team and it's performance, but one is out of selfish reasons and the other is not.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Here is the deal as far as I see it. X is not consistent, and tries to do too much when thinks aren't going well for the team. He does this because he wants to win, not because he is selfish. So, when the team plays hard, shares the ball, rebounds and plays defense, he doesn't have to force as much. Toney, on the other hand, has a game which personifies teamwork and he plays best when he is doing all of the little things. However, for some reason, he and his family don't get that. When the team starts playing really well and he doesn't get his or get enough acclaim, he can't handle it and blows up the team chemistry by playing differently than what is effective for the team.

Both have a direct effect on the team and it's performance, but one is out of selfish reasons and the other is not.

The truth about Johnson is that he is a below average ACC PG. The fact we need to count on him to play well to win is a problem because he isn't very good.

 

[Pittx9]

Of course you agree. You were 1 of JRob's most staunch defenders too. I get it, X does no wrong. As long as he has 8 assists he is great right? No matter as Vader stated or Matt about his awful 3 point shooting or 2 point shooting or his wildness or his selfishness. Nope he is great. Of course. Sigh...

This team would be sitting pretty probably somewhere around the 5-7 seed line at least if James Robinson was the point guard. He is exactly the type of point guard this team needs, that is of course unless they had a superstar that not only is a great passer but also can score from anywhere.

A pass-first point guard that doesn’t turn the ball over would do absolute wonders for this team though. While X’s APG numbers look nice, it doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story about him. If he played like Robinson did and had those assist numbers, this is a much, much better team.

 

[FIVE4PITT]

There is a reason Horton went to Delaware. He cannot shoot off the dribble and doesn't seem to be an ACC athlete.

 

[gary2]

The truth about Johnson is that he is a below average ACC PG. The fact we need to count on him to play well to win is a problem because he isn't very good.

Knowing what he is, we should have options.

Two recruiting classes with zero options.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

The truth about Johnson is that he is a below average ACC PG. The fact we need to count on him to play well to win is a problem because he isn't very good.

X is not a below average ACC PG. He is a PG who when he plays well, plays as well as any PG in the conference. When he plays badly, he plays as bad as any PG in the conference. That does not make him a below average PG, it makes him an inconsistent PG. He is at his best when the rest of the team is doing well because he does not believe he had to do it by himself and he plays within himself and in control.

On another note, the 2nd foul on C yesterday was pathetic. How can you draw a charge on someone that is going sideways through the lane and the defensive guy is set up to draw the charge from the top of the fall line? X run into his side, not into him and ghat was easily a foul on the defender.

 

[Parkview57]

However, for some reason, he and his family don't get that.

Not to change the direction of the discussion, but do we know this as a fact? I mean that he and his family are upset by his role, etc.?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

X is not a below average ACC PG. He is a PG who when he plays well, plays as well as any PG in the conference. When he plays badly, he plays as bad as any PG in the conference. That does not make him a below average PG, it makes him an inconsistent PG. He is at his best when the rest of the team is doing well because he does not believe he had to do it by himself and he plays within himself and in control.

On another note, the 2nd foul on C yesterday was pathetic. How can you draw a charge on someone that is going sideways through the lane and the defensive guy is set up to draw the charge from the top of the fall line? X run into his side, not into him and ghat was easily a foul on the defender.

Well, if 40% of the time, you are one of the top PGs in the league and 60% of the time, you are one of the worst, overall you are below average.