Hason Ward

[coolerifyoudid]

I can't get a read on Watson's handle etc. but I like him being that 3/4 type that can really screw up defenses.

The thing I love about Watson is that he always wants to make something happen while he's on the court. He is really athletic and quick off the floor. Sometimes he'll play too fast and get cheap fouls or a little loose with his handle, but that's just the result of being a freshman in the best league. As the game slows down for him, I REALLY like his trajectory over the next few years.

 

[moores2]

I don't think he's terribly aggressive at this point. I think he just goes out there and does what he does well (extremely well): defense and rebounding. Takes a shot when it is obviously there.

I am pretty sure the kid had like 3 blocks on the perimeter yesterday. That is insanely good D. Need him to become a knock down corner 3 shooter and you can just stick him in a corner/catch him on a cut to the rim for a dunk. I love the young man's potential.

 

[Clonefan32]

I've noticed lately that Lipsey has been more aggressive when teams back off on him. Hit a couple of midrange pull ups yesterday.

I also think our coaches have adjusted. Sagging off him his great, in theory, but it also puts you in a weird position for help defense and makes defending a pick-and-pop much harder.

 

[Big_Sill]

I am pretty sure the kid had like 3 blocks on the perimeter yesterday. That is insanely good D. Need him to become a knock down corner 3 shooter and you can just stick him in a corner/catch him on a cut to the rim for a dunk. I love the young man's potential.

I love his current contributions and his potential in those areas, but offensively right now he is a nightmare. He's good at uncontested dunks I guess. I'm not sure how to see it otherwise. The 2 threes at KU seem to be the outlier.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I've noticed lately that Lipsey has been more aggressive when teams back off on him. Hit a couple of midrange pull ups yesterday.

Baylor was laying off him. He responded by hitting two jumpers and rebounding his own miss off a three. Every Cyclone fan is watching him improve as the year goes on. Once he gains more confidence with his shot and improves that aspect....

 

[AuH2O]

I also think our coaches have adjusted. Sagging off him his great, in theory, but it also puts you in a weird position for help defense and makes defending a pick-and-pop much harder.

This is exactly why the hand wringing over “teams figuring Tamin out” was super dumb. The scouting report was out from game 1 against directional state tech. ISU hasn’t played a minute of basketball this season where the opposing coach was surprised that Tamin wasn’t a shooter. It just isn’t that simple.

 

[moores2]

This is exactly why the hand wringing over “teams figuring Tamin out” was super dumb. The scouting report was out from game 1 against directional state tech. ISU hasn’t played a minute of basketball this season where the opposing coach was surprised that Tamin wasn’t a shooter. It just isn’t that simple.

The scouting report was out yes, but it took teams a while to figure out exactly what worked against him and what didn't. (I think that is why we saw a stretch run where we struggled on offense quite a bit). We either figured out how to counter it recently, or Baylor doesn't have the defensive prowess to pull off the strategy.

 

[Cyientist]

I love his current contributions and his potential in those areas, but offensively right now he is a nightmare. He's good at uncontested dunks I guess. I'm not sure how to see it otherwise. The 2 threes at KU seem to be the outlier.

He's definitely not confident in his jump shot, but he is a good at timing cuts. That is an underrated offensive skill.

 

[Cyclones01]

I also think our coaches have adjusted. Sagging off him his great, in theory, but it also puts you in a weird position for help defense and makes defending a pick-and-pop much harder.

Definitely some coaching going on there. I remember a few times in the TT game where they were packing in the lane and nobody was within 10 feet of him with the ball on the perimeter.

He may not be a threat from 3 yet, but if he can take advantage of that space and hit the midrange shot consistently (like he did yesterday), that is really helpful.

 

[MJ271]

He's definitely not confident in his jump shot, but he is a good at timing cuts. That is an underrated offensive skill.

He's also a much better passer than I expected. Not that he's racking up a ton of assists (although he's had some nice ones), but he usually seems like he knows where the ball needs to go next before it gets to him. The main areas for him to improve offensively are definitely shooting and ball handling. I think that improvement is an X factor for next season, as his ability to be the 3 on offense consistently (at least with the current offensive style) really depends on how much confidence he has with the ball in his hands.