What are your thoughts on this, can Issiah nearly or totally replace what Brice gave our team this past season or do you see a strong drop off now that Brice is gone? And maybe you see Tony as being the guy that can replace Brice more so than Hicks? I want to see other opinions on this before I share my own, my opinion may surprise you...
Can Hicks replace Brice?
- Thread starter DSouthr
- Start date
Fill the void by committee. Meeks and Hicks will both need to improve along with Bradley being ready to give 18-22 MPG and Maye improving as well.
Reason I say this is Brice had the highest PER in college basketball last season of any serious 1st round prospects entering this upcoming NBA draft. His PER was 35.3
Draft Express lists all of their mock draft prospect PER. Scroll thru the list and Brice is above every other prospect.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/
Reason I say this is Brice had the highest PER in college basketball last season of any serious 1st round prospects entering this upcoming NBA draft. His PER was 35.3
Draft Express lists all of their mock draft prospect PER. Scroll thru the list and Brice is above every other prospect.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/
Last edited:
I do not. I think Issiah is really good but look at Brice's numbers last year. They were incredible.
Honestly, I waited for him to come back down to earth until the last 4 game in conference. He was a beast and that is hard to replicate. Hicks will have plenty of value next year, especially if he can stay on the floor and yet keep his aggressiveness on the offensive end.
I also think we won't require as much from him as we did Brice last year at least from point production. Between Berry, Jackson and possibly Williams shooting with Berry and Theo's penetration, there will be plenty of offense and I haven't even mentioned Meeks chipping in 10 - 16 from the post. Everyone will truly be a threat. Three point efficiency could become an asset to this team next year.
Issiah be really successful if he 1. Rebounds well. 2. Plays defense without fouling. 3. Stays aggressive to the rim on offense.
Honestly, I waited for him to come back down to earth until the last 4 game in conference. He was a beast and that is hard to replicate. Hicks will have plenty of value next year, especially if he can stay on the floor and yet keep his aggressiveness on the offensive end.
I also think we won't require as much from him as we did Brice last year at least from point production. Between Berry, Jackson and possibly Williams shooting with Berry and Theo's penetration, there will be plenty of offense and I haven't even mentioned Meeks chipping in 10 - 16 from the post. Everyone will truly be a threat. Three point efficiency could become an asset to this team next year.
Issiah be really successful if he 1. Rebounds well. 2. Plays defense without fouling. 3. Stays aggressive to the rim on offense.
He will not replace Brice defensively (rebounding and shot blocking). Period. He can be better than Brice offensively if he can reduce the fouls. Will he? No. He's improved across the board each year in every category except one - fouls. I don't think he can stay on the floor for more than 24 min a game next year (Brice gave us 28). Best case I expect something like 13/7 next year out of Hicks.
CC
No one can "replace" Brice Johnson. There's only one Brice. The team will manage, I'm sure. Hicks is not Johnson. But, Hicks will make his mark.
On numbers alone, no. On overall productivity, no. Attitude and will to win, no. Hicks doesn't need to "replace" Brice. Hicks just needs to be the best he can be and that will be plenty. His numbers will improve if he stays out of foul trouble but Brice meant more to this team than just numbers. Berry will be the one that will replace the loss of leadership and refuse to lose attitude that Brice had. Brice's defense will be missed most of all.
No and a big no. Remember all the threads here about starting Hicks over Johnson in mid season. Those were incredibly silly then and even more now. If Hicks can work with that NBA player West like he did summer which elevated his game then maybe we can see him bust out like Johnson did from his junior to senior year but RIGHT now to answer the question in one word: NO
As Montana Heel mentioned:
"Issiah be really successful if he 1. Rebounds well. 2. Plays defense without fouling. 3. Stays aggressive to the rim on offense."
I agree 100%. Kid has huge upside for a senior year. Work hard over summer, do what the staff asks, go test yourself again and again against some of the guys in pick up. If he does then Montana's 3 things will be handled well and in order.
"Issiah be really successful if he 1. Rebounds well. 2. Plays defense without fouling. 3. Stays aggressive to the rim on offense."
I agree 100%. Kid has huge upside for a senior year. Work hard over summer, do what the staff asks, go test yourself again and again against some of the guys in pick up. If he does then Montana's 3 things will be handled well and in order.
I think people need to remember that Brice didn't put all of it together until his Sr season. He was far from a defensive juggernaut his first 3 seasons.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/brice-johnson-1.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/brice-johnson-1.html
Hicks and Meeks were both too inconsistent this past season. When they were good they both were very good. But they both went thru month long stretches of poor play. Luckily they didn't happen at the same time. Won't have that luxury next year. If all 4 of the post guys can each make up for 1/4 of what Brice gave the team last year UNC will be really good again. Jackson(assuming he comes back) and Berry are going to run that team and get the bulk of the shots. Seventh Woods needs to become the scoring punch off the bench. Pinson just needs to play to what he does well. Defend and attack the rim. A better Jackie Manuel. If those things can happen they could be just as good next year?
I think what you are saying the brice we saw as a Jr was not nearly the player we saw as a senior? That maybe we saw progression each year and in his final season we saw what we got this season.
I could and ya may want to go ahead and expect me to, make the argument that the career arches of Brice & Issiah are freakishly similar up until now and would question why now it would stop?
"By Committee" will be the only way.
Very anxious to see just how this team does with no Marcus-Brice & James and adding Bradly-Woods-Robinson.
Very anxious to see just how this team does with no Marcus-Brice & James and adding Bradly-Woods-Robinson.
It's really simple: The past two summers Hicks dedicated himself to developing an NBA offensive arsenal by working with pros. It showed in his sometimes spectacular offensive displays. His biggest challenge now is being able to stay on the floor for more than 20 minutes a game. This summer needs to be dedicated to learning to play defense with his feet, maintaining balance and verticality, and using positioning and anticipation to preclude the giveaway fouls.
My opinion only of course but when remembering that Hicks first year can really not even count against him due to his placement on the court, I believe his last two seasons have been incredible. Brice until this season was in the same "foul with feet nailed to the floor situation". This year could be huge without Brice and Hicks getting the nod. Just a thought.
I think Hicks will improve. More minutes will help.
Not gonna put a ceiling on him but I don't think you see a guy improve from junior to senior and even during a season like we saw in Brice. That was something to witness.
We will all be pulling for him that is not in doubt.
Not gonna put a ceiling on him but I don't think you see a guy improve from junior to senior and even during a season like we saw in Brice. That was something to witness.
We will all be pulling for him that is not in doubt.
Often pays to think positive.
Indeed it does Mike, my mantra to a tee. A negative attitude never helped to achieve anything. It's the main reason that even though I'm a realist, I'm a proud member of the oft maligned Sunshine Boys.
That's exactly what I was alluding too! I like what Hicks is capable of giving us next season
gary and Jah, yes exactly! I kinda wanted to see others feelings on this before I laid out my own because I really didn't want to influence how anyone else would have considered this question.
First, I don't know that any one could say Hicks can not replace most or all of the production Brice gave us this past season. While I would agree Hicks did have more foul trouble than Brice did AS A JUNIOR, I attribute a LOT of that to the FACT that Brice started as a Jr, Hicks did not. As I offerred guys off the bench pick up fouls quicker than starters tend to because they come in cold looking to make something happen. The difference with Brice as a senior as it applies to fouls is Brice understood we can not afford to have you commit those silly first half fouls and sit so you have to focus more on not putting yourself in the position of picking up that silly hip check 30 feet from the basket, at times you may have to let a guy score in the 1st half that you will challenge late in the game, not picking up that second 1st half foul is more important to your team than those 2 points your guy scores on that play. I think Hicks will as well come to understand that he no longer has the Brice security blanket, it is now on him to learn the same thing Brice did.
If you consider, in the limited PT Hicks had due to fouls, had he been able to give us a consistent 30mins a game, I am not sure his numbers and those that Brice game us this past season would be much different? If anything I think Hicks finishes thru contact better than Brice did as a Jr, he IMO is not as solid with the mid range as a jr as Brice was as a senior. But recall, Brice as a Jr was not solid in the mid range, he tended to use more jump hooks. Also recall, Brice up to his senior season was not a sure bet at the free throw line but look how much he improved his free throw % as a senior! Well up to this past season Hicks was not good at the free throw line either but IMO was MUCH BETTER at the free throw line as a Jr than Brice was, both hovered arou7nd the high 80's this past season and free throw shooting does give you a glimpse of a kid ability to knock down jump shots, Brices free throw shooting increased and his mid range jumper showed up. Hicks came to UNC with a better rep as a shooter than Brice did, so how far does it tax the imagination that Hicks can hot those mid range shots from the middle of zone defenses like Brice did last season?
Rebounding, Hicks IMO is a better physical re-bounder while Brice was the longer re-bounder but rebounding is more about positioning and establishing position physically. Again, if you extrapolate Hicks over an average of 30mins of PT his re-bounding (without stats to prove) would be VERY impressive as would IMO all aspects of his game. Also keep in mind, when we had Brice and Hicks in together on the defensive end it was most often Hicks stepping outside to guard the stretch 4 or wing playing the 4 and that was a bad match up for him, was bad for Brice as well but we preferred Hicks to risk that foul more than Brice.
Defense, yeah, Brice IMO elevated quicker than Hicks and maybe slightly higher as well but from what I saw the difference really was not huge. Brice was more of a off side shot blocker as opposed to the physical guy that held off big men catching the ball deep on him. Personally I think Hicks is physically stronger than Brice was/is and I think another off season in the weight room wil not hurt that at all! LOL
Lot of folks saw Hicks as a poor defender, I see that mentioned in this thread and while I do agree he does need to work on moving his feet and sliding better I don't really feel Brice was that much different this past season, just felt Hicks tended to get more the defensive assignment of a small quicker guy and those fellas are hard for guys like Hicks to defend out in space, more guys drove on Hicks as Brice sat back on the off side looking to come over for the off side shot block. If it was a big man that could put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket and Hicks was in the game it tended to be Hicks with that defensive assignment so he was at more risk of picking up the foul. I would suggest it may not be that way this season with Brice. Hicks big bad habit was not so much reaching as it was those silly hip checks to bump a guy trying to drive on him, sometimes you just have ot let the guy go if your feet are not in position and realize the foul cost your team more than allowing that one basket does.
MORE, at times I wondered this past season, no offense to Brice because he was fantastic but how much of that was Brice being a fantastic player and how much of it was the combination of the offensive system we play and the FANTASTIC play of our guards that looked to get Brice the ball in positions that he could finish within the sweet spot of his game? IN saying that I look specifically at Joel berry, Berry did not start as a freshman and to often it was JP feeding the post and even Marcus as the PG I would suggest marcus was a solid passer but not at the level of Joel IMO (because IMO Marcus was always a combo guard where Joel has always been a pure point guard). amazing isn't it Brice goes from lucky to be 1st round draft pick to NCAA 1st team AA and what was the difference, Joel berry was our starting PG.
Ask yourself, how long ya been a Tar Heel fan, how many great players have you seen come & go and the next season someone else steps up. That guy who could never be replaced was replaced and the band plays on. Can Brice be replaced, not only can he but he will be, can that be by Hicks, we don't know for sure but I think he can replace the Lions share of that lost production but maybe it is Tony, maybe it is Meeks, but it will happen and we will march on (hopefully all the way thru March).
Now that he doesn't have to overthink every move he makes for fear of being pulled out, he is going to flat out dominate some games next year. Hicks is going to pick up right where Brice left off. He will be a man on a mission and will be the first big we go to when we need a bucket in the paint. He will play himself into a mid first round pick next year. Mark it down.
Let's be honest. Isaiah was the primary reason he didn't start and play 28-30 MPG this year. He'd get a silly reach in or hip check foul just walking on the freakin' court. And he'd get another one when he had 3 fouls early. He simply has to be smart enough to know he's beat and let his man go. He picks up way too many silly, ticky tack fouls.
He has NBA level talent but I question his basketball IQ frequently. I expect him to curtail his silly fouls. If not, he's going to cost himself beaucoup de bucks.
I'm not sure we should compare Isaiah with Brice. Very different styles.
Brice really put it all together as a senior. And Roy modified team play to take advantage of what Brice was good at. Not huge changes, but changes that suited Brice's game.
Isaiah should get the benefit of having the offense more tailored to his strengths next season.
I don't think it's realistic to expect a Brice-like breakout, but I do think Isaiah will be really good.
Brice really put it all together as a senior. And Roy modified team play to take advantage of what Brice was good at. Not huge changes, but changes that suited Brice's game.
Isaiah should get the benefit of having the offense more tailored to his strengths next season.
I don't think it's realistic to expect a Brice-like breakout, but I do think Isaiah will be really good.
Yes, Yes he will ! He will come back his sr. yr. and be the man like Brice. Mark my words , it will happen !
Yes he did!
But he also needs to work on those feet. Realize there are far more Blocks called now than Charges and be patient under the rim and time his blocks.
Hicks can't replace Johnson but I think he has the skill set to improve drastically and be a force for us next year.
The main thing he needs to work on is his basketball IQ. He did some really stupid stuff this year on the defensive end. His court awareness is lacking on the defensive end. He gets lost and watches the ball. I think he will improve.
The main thing he needs to work on is his basketball IQ. He did some really stupid stuff this year on the defensive end. His court awareness is lacking on the defensive end. He gets lost and watches the ball. I think he will improve.
