Jaland - Can basically lump him and Ish together. I've been very optimistic about this backcourt. To the tune that I think this can be the best tandem in the conference. Jaland looks quicker to me this year. Very assertive and you can see the confidence. He is not the quickest guard there is, but his length and instincts (along with being lefty) just give him such an edge. There is nothing that stands out about him athletically, but yet he can basically get past any defender. Such a unique player. Everything about his game looks good. Primed for a huge year.
Leggett - Ish just being Ish. He is this team's best rebounder. No question about it. He looks like a safety that just picked off a pass and is finding his way to the end zone through traffic. He has such a knack for operating in small spaces. Can go to either hand. Incredible balance and good strength. He just punishes defenders. When he is making threes, he becomes un-guardable basically. Ish should have a lot of fun this year playing more minutes and alongside Jaland. Just a perfect situation for him. Just need the outside shooting around him to hold up.
Dunn - Solid piece. I think the best lineup is Dunn (or eventually Amsal) at the 3. The three guard lineup seems to function best under Capel and I don't think this year is any different. Watching Dunn on defense was surprising. He was playing WAY off at times. Like helping off and showing extremely far from his guy. It never came back to hurt him last year, but something to watch. Extremely aggressive in that sense. He seems to have some Leggett and Burton to his game. Old and mature player that can function at all levels. Not at a high level but very competent. Think it will take him some time to feel things out around the back court.
Guillermo - Looks about the same to me. Maybe a little more comfortable at the four. His best asset right now is outside shooting. Given his length and position, he can basically get a good look from three at any moment. That is where he thrives. The drives are okay I guess, but it just doesn't look great to me yet. He gets bent over way too low and I doubt it works well against better competition. He also has a tendency to finish low relative to his length. The rebounding and defense terrifies me still. There is still no anchor or base at all. It isn't used against him as much at the four, but it is a huge problem around the rim.
Corhen - Big upgrade offensively. He is as advertised. Nice touch from the midrange. Athletic. Has decent enough moves around the rim with space. He seems to struggle when it is congested, but he is talented. When he is one on one with space, he is very tough. Going to get a lot of lobs and finishes this season. Similar to the rest of the front court, I worry about the rebounding and defense. Cam is stronger than the twins, but he also seems to struggle with his base. He should not be getting backed down at this stage. Cam also doesn't seem to rebound out of his area at all. There are a couple of things to worry about, but I really like what he brings offensively. Overall, it is a big upgrade from last season. Also, his weaknesses aren't typically exploited at a high rate in today's game.
Austin - Probably the top reserve. Jorge could be inserted first in some games as well. Zack looks good physically but I am not sure how much his game has developed. Not much to go off of last night. He is probably best utilized against teams with true small forwards. Otherwise, he tends to get lost in a guard's game. At this stage, I would probably lean to starting Dunn. Or if you wanted to have two guard reserves, Austin is fine. At the end of the day, I think minutes are going to be tough for Zack. You don't really want to take Jaland or Ish off the floor in tight games. You have to keep the pedal down more than ever. You have to be all in each season because each year is so different and you can't take anything for granted.
Jorge - Same thing here. We are going to see a three player rotation up front for now. Jorge can sub for either. The twins will move between the 4 and 5, while Cam is strictly at the 5. All three are really in the same boat. They bring a lot offensively and are fun, but I worry about rebounding and defense with the trio. If you are not going to get much on the glass and defense with them, we may see Amsal featured at the four in a smaller Blake Hinson type of role. It would make sense to get him more time since the concerns are the same but I think Amsal brings more offensively minus the length.
Cummings - Maybe the most confident freshman I have seen enter this program. Other fanbases are going to hate him for years. Such a flair for the game. He is wired to score. Despite being so thin, he can get through almost anything and score. Nice outside shot, he has the midrange and floater action. Crafty in the paint and over larger players. There will be plenty of turnovers, but I think he just needs to feel out help defense at this level. The primary defender won't give him much trouble. It is when help and length arrive. Can he anticipate that and make a play for someone else? That will dictate his minutes early on. Also have to worry about his defense and lack of strength. However, a very exciting player that has a chance to be special.
Amsal - I think he will have a chance to be a starter even once he is healthy. Regardless, I think he rounds out the nine-player rotation. Cummings likely will have a limited role to start, but I think he can provide a real scoring punch if he is allowed to work through some things.
Kante - Just not ready. I think there is something there long term, big picture. This season, I am not sure I see a role. The game just seems to be moving a bit fast for him. He also does not seem to have the base or leg strength to hold against any action. He has some touch and there is length, but I would not be comfortable with him right now.
Ndiaye - Very nice athlete. Coming in, think most people looked at him as a thin and undersized center prospect. That does not seem to be the case. He seems like a 3.5 right now basically. Just an explosive athlete that has no clue what he is doing yet. I know for a fact that he can make a play here and there that makes you jump out of your seat. Just think he is too raw to be able to show even that at this time.
Barnes - Just nothing there yet. Do not see him earning any minutes this season. It is hard to play more than 8 or 9 players in college, and I feel pretty good about the top 9.
This team can be good. Offensively, they are a lot of fun. Once Amsal is healthy and running, I think there will be enough shooting. There are at least 3 guards that can break you down off the dribble. One of the best point guards in the country. Leggett can do it all. There is plenty of length and depth. The ceiling of this team will come down to how well the bigs can defend and rebound. As well as how the three spot settles. That includes what they do with Amsal and where they fit him. Someone is going to be squeezed. It also depends on how much they trust Cummings in high leverage situations. If they don't, it would make sense to try Zack at the 3 with Dunn as main guard reserve. If they do trust him and are all in, then it can make sense to go with Dunn or Amsal at the three and slide the guards around. I have concerns about rebounding and interior defense. In today's game though, I would rather give up post field goals around the rim than threes. Offensively, I don't have many concerns at all. Going to be a fun year.
Leggett - Ish just being Ish. He is this team's best rebounder. No question about it. He looks like a safety that just picked off a pass and is finding his way to the end zone through traffic. He has such a knack for operating in small spaces. Can go to either hand. Incredible balance and good strength. He just punishes defenders. When he is making threes, he becomes un-guardable basically. Ish should have a lot of fun this year playing more minutes and alongside Jaland. Just a perfect situation for him. Just need the outside shooting around him to hold up.
Dunn - Solid piece. I think the best lineup is Dunn (or eventually Amsal) at the 3. The three guard lineup seems to function best under Capel and I don't think this year is any different. Watching Dunn on defense was surprising. He was playing WAY off at times. Like helping off and showing extremely far from his guy. It never came back to hurt him last year, but something to watch. Extremely aggressive in that sense. He seems to have some Leggett and Burton to his game. Old and mature player that can function at all levels. Not at a high level but very competent. Think it will take him some time to feel things out around the back court.
Guillermo - Looks about the same to me. Maybe a little more comfortable at the four. His best asset right now is outside shooting. Given his length and position, he can basically get a good look from three at any moment. That is where he thrives. The drives are okay I guess, but it just doesn't look great to me yet. He gets bent over way too low and I doubt it works well against better competition. He also has a tendency to finish low relative to his length. The rebounding and defense terrifies me still. There is still no anchor or base at all. It isn't used against him as much at the four, but it is a huge problem around the rim.
Corhen - Big upgrade offensively. He is as advertised. Nice touch from the midrange. Athletic. Has decent enough moves around the rim with space. He seems to struggle when it is congested, but he is talented. When he is one on one with space, he is very tough. Going to get a lot of lobs and finishes this season. Similar to the rest of the front court, I worry about the rebounding and defense. Cam is stronger than the twins, but he also seems to struggle with his base. He should not be getting backed down at this stage. Cam also doesn't seem to rebound out of his area at all. There are a couple of things to worry about, but I really like what he brings offensively. Overall, it is a big upgrade from last season. Also, his weaknesses aren't typically exploited at a high rate in today's game.
Austin - Probably the top reserve. Jorge could be inserted first in some games as well. Zack looks good physically but I am not sure how much his game has developed. Not much to go off of last night. He is probably best utilized against teams with true small forwards. Otherwise, he tends to get lost in a guard's game. At this stage, I would probably lean to starting Dunn. Or if you wanted to have two guard reserves, Austin is fine. At the end of the day, I think minutes are going to be tough for Zack. You don't really want to take Jaland or Ish off the floor in tight games. You have to keep the pedal down more than ever. You have to be all in each season because each year is so different and you can't take anything for granted.
Jorge - Same thing here. We are going to see a three player rotation up front for now. Jorge can sub for either. The twins will move between the 4 and 5, while Cam is strictly at the 5. All three are really in the same boat. They bring a lot offensively and are fun, but I worry about rebounding and defense with the trio. If you are not going to get much on the glass and defense with them, we may see Amsal featured at the four in a smaller Blake Hinson type of role. It would make sense to get him more time since the concerns are the same but I think Amsal brings more offensively minus the length.
Cummings - Maybe the most confident freshman I have seen enter this program. Other fanbases are going to hate him for years. Such a flair for the game. He is wired to score. Despite being so thin, he can get through almost anything and score. Nice outside shot, he has the midrange and floater action. Crafty in the paint and over larger players. There will be plenty of turnovers, but I think he just needs to feel out help defense at this level. The primary defender won't give him much trouble. It is when help and length arrive. Can he anticipate that and make a play for someone else? That will dictate his minutes early on. Also have to worry about his defense and lack of strength. However, a very exciting player that has a chance to be special.
Amsal - I think he will have a chance to be a starter even once he is healthy. Regardless, I think he rounds out the nine-player rotation. Cummings likely will have a limited role to start, but I think he can provide a real scoring punch if he is allowed to work through some things.
Kante - Just not ready. I think there is something there long term, big picture. This season, I am not sure I see a role. The game just seems to be moving a bit fast for him. He also does not seem to have the base or leg strength to hold against any action. He has some touch and there is length, but I would not be comfortable with him right now.
Ndiaye - Very nice athlete. Coming in, think most people looked at him as a thin and undersized center prospect. That does not seem to be the case. He seems like a 3.5 right now basically. Just an explosive athlete that has no clue what he is doing yet. I know for a fact that he can make a play here and there that makes you jump out of your seat. Just think he is too raw to be able to show even that at this time.
Barnes - Just nothing there yet. Do not see him earning any minutes this season. It is hard to play more than 8 or 9 players in college, and I feel pretty good about the top 9.
This team can be good. Offensively, they are a lot of fun. Once Amsal is healthy and running, I think there will be enough shooting. There are at least 3 guards that can break you down off the dribble. One of the best point guards in the country. Leggett can do it all. There is plenty of length and depth. The ceiling of this team will come down to how well the bigs can defend and rebound. As well as how the three spot settles. That includes what they do with Amsal and where they fit him. Someone is going to be squeezed. It also depends on how much they trust Cummings in high leverage situations. If they don't, it would make sense to try Zack at the 3 with Dunn as main guard reserve. If they do trust him and are all in, then it can make sense to go with Dunn or Amsal at the three and slide the guards around. I have concerns about rebounding and interior defense. In today's game though, I would rather give up post field goals around the rim than threes. Offensively, I don't have many concerns at all. Going to be a fun year.
