To me Nickel is going to be a very intriguing player going forward. If he can grasp the defensive side of the ball and match the upgrade to the competition level then he is going to be very interesting. He has that killer mentality and aggressiveness that Simeon Wilcher is going to bring to Chapel Hill. I’m very interested to see how all of our Freshmen do this summer in pick ups but I’m especially interested in how Nickel does.
Are We Done? Who Gets the Minutes?
- Thread starter What Would Jesus Do?
- Start date
I'm really looking at Shaver and Nickel to see which one or maybe even both can adjust to the level of play and contribute in their first year! I fully expect both to be significant contributor at some point!
It’s interesting in the highlights how often he pulls up going left. Typically you drive into your dominate hand and pull up same way. He actually seems to favor going towards his off hand and pulling up.
He does favor shooting while going to his left but he can also shoot while moving to his right as well as catch and shoot. I think we’re going to see some of the competitiveness that his namesake brought to the game. This guy has fire in his belly.
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I love how physical and willing he is as a defender. In the video he had 2 occasions where he defended initially; the opponent got the ball back; and he defended a 2nd time. On one he had 2 consecutive chase down blocks where his team got the ball! This is special for any prospect these days, especially one who is the Go-to scorer on his team! THis kid has a motor that will not be denied, great size/strength; and a +skill as a shooter! He will press hard for immediate PT and will eventually be a serious problem for opponents!
I realize it’s a highlight pack but I am encouraged to see him shooting off the bounce and not just another catch and shoot guy.
I don't think Nance will be a backup for Armando if he comes here. By the same token I don't think he'll come here if he thinks that might be his role.
No, if he comes here, he'll play 15-20 at PF in Manek mode and 10 in the post. That should appeal to him since it will give him more opportunity to enjoy shooting and playing on the perimeter. He was good at that at Northwestern, but only took about 25% of his shots from deep there (3.1 attempts from 3 per game vs 8.0 2-pt attempts).
For comparison, Brady took 6.2 shots from deep and 5.2 from closer in per game.
I'm assuming Nance wants to play more stretch. He'll get lots more opportunity to do that here.
I imagine he'll make good money next year. Just a question of where. If he doesn't think he'll get drafted, would he be better off with us and NIL or overseas?
Note that if Nance plays 15 at PF, that leaves 25 for our other guys (plus another 10-15 at SF). Plenty of minutes for some of our guys to shine now and to prepare to start next year.
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