Yes, Williams health is a wild card here. However, his ball handling would be needed to spell Lipsey.
Updated: Milan Momcilovic commits to ISU
- Thread starter RezClone
- Start date
Yes, Williams health is a wild card here. However, his ball handling would be needed to spell Lipsey.
I wonder if we see some development from Demarion Watson too. Could be he is a perennial 3 and D type, but wonder if we could see him take the ball on the bounce in the coming years.
Good analysis. I will supplement it a little.
-- I would definitely welcome any of the four COVID super-seniors back. Finding better players than them in the portal would be difficult, especially Grill (who has turned into an inconsistent scorer but a pest on defense who deserves to start for a good Big 12 team), Tre King (if he's as good as we've heard he should be), and Jones (who seems to be improving by the month). Ward has shown the least so far, but he has intriguing length and might be a good Osunniyi replacement as a rim protector if he can develop some more.
-- The logjam at forward might be relieved by playing "big." I would imagine wings like Tre King, Biliew, and Momcilovic could play the "3" if you have a roster that is relatively short on guards, leaving the 1-2 spot for Lipsey, Grill, and probably one more guy in the backcourt seeing significant time.
-- Losing both Kalscheur and Grill would be tricky to navigate. I would guess Grill comes back. He seems to be having a great time, clearly loves TJ and is loved back, and never played much as a freshman and then played in a COVID-shortened season as a sophomore. Having a healthy Williams back would help, but his injury is a nasty one and a hard one to come back from. I would rather not rely entirely on that.
Love Williams potential. Shot needs improvement but he had an excellent assist rate at Temple and was graded a 90th percentile defender by Synergy. A great add to maintain our defensive dominance and also facilitate to scorers like Milan and Omaha.
Again, I think by far the #1 portal priority is a shooting/scoring guard. And probably an experienced guy. TJ will need to go find the next Brockington/Holmes.
Lipsey
Grill
Biliew
Momcilovic
King
That's an awfully tough lineup to defend in the PnR game. 4/5 are also plus to great defenders.
Grill
Biliew
Momcilovic
King
That's an awfully tough lineup to defend in the PnR game. 4/5 are also plus to great defenders.
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Grill seems like a no-brainer returner. Will probably have some overseas opportunities but a somewhat limited professional future. Huge TJ guy and Cyclone fan. And we will want some experience mixed in with likely two freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup. Just seems like a perfect bridge the gap guy before TJ turns this thing over to Tamin surrounded by a lineup of Top 50-100 recruits. Hopefully he continues to improve as a player as well. I would ideally like him back in a 6th man role if we can attract a better shooting guard in the portal.
I really wish we had Osun for another year, ugh
Sig you make a great point about playing big. A lot of talent between Milan, Omaha, king, and Watson and Ward (lots of great flashes so far for those two). Those are the guys you’re gonna want on the floor more. We’ll have great flexibility with bigger guys that can play 3/4/5 instead of big guards that can play 1-4 like we’ve had in the recent past.
That's a nice roster that could use one upper class man scorer.
I like Ward but he seems most likely to get lost in the shuffle. I think TJ had ideas of him at the 5 but he just doesn't seem to be capable. TJ has been reluctant to play him there and when he has, we've gotten beaten up on the defensive glass, he's just an old school 4. He already lost minutes to Jones and Watson, when Tre King comes on board, there won't be enough minutes to go around. For next year, he'd already be behind 3 returning players and most likely the two frosh. Hard to see him coming back to be the 6th big on the roster, proving himself at the 5 looks like his only path to playing time, hopefully he figures it out.
Ward is just raw now. I'd think if he can put in the work like Jones did in the offseason, he (ward) could look completely different next season.
Seems like CW is always sick with something…. Hand foot and mouth, the plague, the clap… you name it. I wouldn’t bank on his health at all. ……
He arrived late but has tons of potential. I bet he keeps improving throughout the year. And give me Ward with a full Kyle Green off-season
Taking the scholarship chart as it is (as yes, I know it will change)...
And looking only at "true guards" (defining that as a player with the size of a 1-2 and a skillset focused on PG play, as a combo guard, a perimeter defender, or an outside shooter or scorer)...
They would have these guys...
Grill
Hamilton
King
Lipsey
Williams
All of them save Lipsey come with some significant question marks...
Grill could or could not take his COVID year.
Hamilton is a true freshman, and Eli King hasn't shown much yet (not giving up on him).
Williams is coming back from a nasty injury (and I hope he recovers to 100% again).
Might have to bring some guys in and/or revolve the "3" spot from a guard spot to a forward spot. There should be plenty of forwards next year who can orient their game to the perimeter.
I get what you're saying, but this seems too early too have this kind of assessment on him. As of right now, his best role is as a versatile defensive role player. But I think his ceiling is pretty high with the right development. Remember, too, that it took a long time to get him on campus because of visa issues, so he wasn't able to be with the team most of the off-season.
That is what it said on the package. We haven't seen enough of him to know.
Sometimes guys morph when they get to the realities of the college game.
Naz and Wigginton were supposed to be PGs.
Turned out they were both SGs/snipers.
Boy that's a pretty shot for a 6'8" dude. Like others said, I see some Niang in him. Very skilled. Doesn't appear to be a super athlete, but 6'8" and skilled is rare. SWEET!! Hope he can pass and develop vision like Niang.
I don't see the Niang comp. I see A TON of Doug McDermott.
