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Post by PantherU on May 23, 2024 16:42:55 GMT -6
The shooting numbers are a bit worrisome as are the high turnover %. Hopefully being surrounded by the talent we have lessens the load. Although he played on some good Louisiana teams. The shooting numbers aren't great but they're not eye-poppingly bad. Yeah he shoots around 30% from three, but he does it on such low volume that it's basically irrelevant. 0.3 in 1.3 threes per game at 25.6% sounds bad but then you realize that's 10 out of 39. He makes 14 out of 39 and it's 36%, 15 and it's 39%. I'd be shocked if he comes in expecting to get the same or more shots up with the players we have coming in - and unlike the other recruits, he got to see all the players we have coming in and hear the most detailed pitch about his fit, so he should know he's not going to be "the man" scoring all the buckets. He's gonna be the floor general. If he had 6 apg a couple years ago, let's see if he can get 8 or more per game this season - 8 apg would lead the country, by the way. We haven't had a player come close to leading the country since we had Jordan Johnson at point guard and he was second to Kahlil Felder in assists per game. I'd like to see a Panther get that top spot.
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Post by mattg on May 23, 2024 20:46:36 GMT -6
]This coming year there are a ton of new additions...and admittedly while the talent increase is phenomenal...the lineup doesn't exactly jump out on paper aside from the 3 main returners. The other spots are up for grabs and there's no clear cut roles/pecking order or even guys you'd want to choose to play more than others based on Bart's style. There's a lot of guys who are sort of "samsies" stylistically except that all are equally unproven. Because of this I think there could be a learning curve and gelling period initially.
On top of that, the assumption is that KP and Pratt get the bulk of the offensive touches at the guard spots due to how they played last year without BJ. However if either of them come out and really struggle (especially if KP comes out and again can't remotely shoot the ball) that really could mess things up.
You're misunderstanding what I meant by "jump off the paper". I said the lineup doesn't jump off the paper, as in it's not completely obvious who the starting 5 should be. We can safely assume Fields starts at the 5, Jimmy is saying Fulks is the guaranteed starter at PG, McKee is clearly the best player on the team so he's at the 2, is it Pratt at the 3? Who are we starting at the 4 for sure? Is it Franklin? Are we going smaller/more athletic with Davis/Lovelace or is one of them the starting SF? Is Stillwell that guy at PF? Is KP for sure the 6th man or does he start for Pratt going super small? Or does McKee come off the bench as the 6th man energizing defender and lead guard since he's the newcomer? What if Jovanovich is actually just the best PF and was buried at Miami and hurt last year at UL? Where does TJ fit into all of this? Etc.
There's a ton of moving parts and guys that are going to want/need/deserve minutes. Double edged sword, hopefully the staff figures it out and the rotation sorts itself out quickly.
By the way, I like McKee a lot as a transfer, not sure he's clearly the best player on the team but he's definitely a huge part of the rotation either way.
Next year is exciting. My one caveat that I think could hold the team back is the coaching staff not being able to figure out lineups. It's been a consistent issue all of Bart's tenure here, he really struggles at figuring out the optimal combination of guys to play. Last year there were a few posters literally saying in November/early December the lineup that we needed to play and it took Bart probably another 10+ games to really figure that out. Obviously was an issue year one too with all the initial roster turnover they had.
I would like to point out that as fans we are limited in the information we know. We can see the skillsets of players, we can see if they're obviously tired, we can see how they mesh with teammates on the floor, but there are a litany of things to which we're not aware. We could tell there were possibly some behavioral issues in the fall this past season but we didn't necessarily know who was at the center of those. When Duffy got hurt later he told me and some other fans after the game he was OK and then he ended up missing extended time. How we choose to address the PG position does interest me greatly though. I know a lot of posters here love Themus Fulks...but count me as his biggest skeptic. He's legitimately absolutely atrocious at every single aspect of offense except for passing. Curious to see how we utilize him as I feel like he sort of creates a minutes crunch at guard and isn't a fit as a starter unless KP/Pratt/whoever at the 4 are all shooting the ball well.
Themus Fulks is your starting point guard. He replaces Elijah Jamison, who was the starting point guard based on his defensive assignment rather than passing. Passing is Themus' primary job, as it is with any starting point guard. We forget that as long as he or TJ is able to play this season, we'll be playing with a true point guard for the first time in Coach Lundy's tenure. Think about that. We've had a high-powered offense that was 32nd and 44th in Lundy's first two years at Milwaukee, and we did it without a true point guard. At the end of the day, how much are these real concerns and how much is it just trying to make sure those of us who are excited stay grounded?
Let's be real, it was obvious that Browning and EJ had the bad behavior and body language since the beginning of last year. Tons of posts in November about it already being awful/unacceptable. We may not know exact details of what was going on behind closed doors but what was visible on court was ridiculous. And this was before we became University of Milwaukee Tech(nical) Foul last season too.
Needless to say, I said the talent increase was phenomenal. I defended the Danilo signing more than anyone, I've seen him play extensively since he was a freshman in HS. Overwhelming surprised and excited to bring in Robinson. Thrilled about bringing in Lovelace. Stillwell, I don't know how much he contributes this year but can never have enough bigs. Fulks like I said, I'm not high on but maybe he adapts. Either way, the point is, there's A LOT of dudes to distribute minutes to, and multiple guys are gonna be left out (barring a worse scenario like a roster decimated by injury).
I know a lot of posters here love Themus Fulks...but count me as his biggest skeptic. He's legitimately absolutely atrocious at every single aspect of offense except for passing. I really want you to elaborate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjHVwGMqdz4That video pretty clearly shows it. Also just look at his basic efficiency. 47.9 TS% which is...abysmal, low FG and 3pt%. Beyond that just look at his shooting mechanics and the fact that he doesn't make layups at a high rate. Now maybe (hopefully) he can come in here and with less responsibility he turns the ball over less, brings the ball up and gets us into half court offense, and plays some defense, we do not want possessions ending with him attempting to score.
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 23, 2024 20:51:38 GMT -6
Great observations by all. What a fantastic board!
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Post by pantherfan21 on May 23, 2024 22:06:15 GMT -6
My observation is: it’s better to have these arguments than arguments if we’re gonna hit 10 wins or not. Panthers are back.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jun 27, 2024 20:46:41 GMT -6
Bart and the staff appear to have crafted our roster brilliantly. I can't wait to see what this looks like on the court!
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Post by sidzills on Jul 2, 2024 15:51:27 GMT -6
Hey all. The 2024-25 roster on the website is now up-to-date with all info and new head shots. Enjoy getting to know this team .. gonna be a great year.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 3, 2024 7:15:27 GMT -6
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Post by thetruth on Jul 3, 2024 9:09:30 GMT -6
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 8, 2024 9:29:42 GMT -6
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 8, 2024 11:19:38 GMT -6
Purdue Fort Wayne?!
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 8, 2024 12:07:21 GMT -6
Return 7 of the top 8 players including Rasheed Bello, Jalen Jackson and Quinton Morton-Robertson.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 8, 2024 12:32:57 GMT -6
Return 7 of the top 8 players including Rasheed Bello, Jalen Jackson and Quinton Morton-Robertson. Sure, but we swept them last year and SHOULD be much better this year.
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Post by milwsport on Jul 12, 2024 0:28:13 GMT -6
Wow. That's disappointing. Any idea on what happened?
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jul 12, 2024 6:19:01 GMT -6
Wow. That's disappointing. Any idea on what happened? Either better pay to play, the promise of more playing time or most likely both. In this era, you just shrug these off and move forward. I'm happy to have Esyah on the team.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jul 12, 2024 8:51:11 GMT -6
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