Where do you think Joel game will improve for next season. I feel Joel will play better defense next season and become the leader of the team
Joel Berry Improvement...
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I believe he will take it to the rack more often, and harder, with better results.
This is a tuff question for me, reason being O see comments like he will take over leadership of the team, kinda felt he did that this past season honestly, at least on the court. Off the court yes, the leadership was Marcus and Brice but on the court I felt Joel stepped up huge in to a leadership role, I felt Theo did as well. It to me is the guy that brings it every game that sets on court leadership and for me that was Joel Berry last season.; Other guys you kinda didn't know what they would bring from one game to the next but with Joel he was bringing it every game.
Maybe he can work on his fitness a little bit, felt he may have worn down just a little bit later season. Maybe he can start out the season shooting more than he did to start last season, he started taking more shots as the season moved on but may have tended to defer a little bit to other shooters early on. But these are little things more so than major issues.
Can he be a better defender, I guess but I really prefer to say not so much because I felt he was a very solid defender this past season, IN my opinion our best back court defender, he usually not only got the harder defensive assignment but did well with it. Maybe he can bag a few more assists but the passes were there this past season, we didn't always finish what we should have. Without brice & marcus to finish his passes, hard for me to say his assist numbers will go up.
As our starting PG he led us to the NCAAT title game, hard to beat that. He led us in shooting % from the outside, may take that up a tick or 2 but not sure I see that increasing enough to argue over. His ball handing looked really solid for me, he could go to the rack earlier in the season, did that more later season than earlier on but felt his ball handles were pretty strong this past season, not sure I see a lot of room to improve there.
I think if anything the perception of his game can increase strongly, he seemed to be a bit over looked nationally but I don't think the perception of how he played met the reality of how well he played. I think others need to step up but with Joel, just don't slide backwards and that kid doesn't seem to know how to take a step back.
Maybe he can work on his fitness a little bit, felt he may have worn down just a little bit later season. Maybe he can start out the season shooting more than he did to start last season, he started taking more shots as the season moved on but may have tended to defer a little bit to other shooters early on. But these are little things more so than major issues.
Can he be a better defender, I guess but I really prefer to say not so much because I felt he was a very solid defender this past season, IN my opinion our best back court defender, he usually not only got the harder defensive assignment but did well with it. Maybe he can bag a few more assists but the passes were there this past season, we didn't always finish what we should have. Without brice & marcus to finish his passes, hard for me to say his assist numbers will go up.
As our starting PG he led us to the NCAAT title game, hard to beat that. He led us in shooting % from the outside, may take that up a tick or 2 but not sure I see that increasing enough to argue over. His ball handing looked really solid for me, he could go to the rack earlier in the season, did that more later season than earlier on but felt his ball handles were pretty strong this past season, not sure I see a lot of room to improve there.
I think if anything the perception of his game can increase strongly, he seemed to be a bit over looked nationally but I don't think the perception of how he played met the reality of how well he played. I think others need to step up but with Joel, just don't slide backwards and that kid doesn't seem to know how to take a step back.
I agree Dave. I think he became the team leader on the court early last year and never looked back. He will resume that role next year.
He was rock solid in all areas of the game, I expect him to have an even better Junior year.
He was rock solid in all areas of the game, I expect him to have an even better Junior year.
Berry really doesn't need "improvements". He just needs to do what he does more this year and everything will be great.
Tweaks and adjustments, but not outright improvements are needed. JB is already right where he needs to be, he just needs to take over the entire leadership mantle and embrace being the face of the team! I'm excited by the idea that he will get better and opponents are afraid of the same thing. I expect him to drive to the hole more and finish even better since peeps will be afraid to back off of him on the perimeter now. I expect him to get rid of the few loose handles and unforced to's he made this year too.
He's already a piece of muscle and mentally tough--he'll continue to improve his shot, speed and handle which will come naturally to him. What a stud is he.
He won't be overlooked next season --- should get some preseason all-star and watch-list mentions. You're spot on about the leadership. He took on that role on the court all the while deferring to Marcus' earned status. But now --- and I've posted this before --- this is JB's team. I can tell you, our Bigs respect his toughness and the way he moves the ball. And we saw glimpses of his Lead-Guard scoring chops down the stretch. JB can create his own shot, finish under duress, and make the offense hum. I expect his scoring to bump up, as well as Assists if his teammates finish better, and he's already among the elite defenders in UNC annals.
This season's team finished with a historic all-time best Assist/TO ratio (and that's with Marcus and JJ going thru shooting slumps which hurts the Assist #s). That happened because Roy had the good sense to play Marcus and JB together, and hand the primary ball-handling PG role to Berry.
I fully expect Buckets to have a much stronger shooting year, and we return inside firepower. I expect Theo, KW, et al to step up their offensive proficiency as well. With 30+ minutes per game from the leader-dog JB we're gonna be pretty doggone good.
I also see him as a more of a vocal leader next season like Paige was in making teammates responsible for their actions...
He won't be overlooked next season --- should get some preseason all-star and watch-list mentions. You're spot on about the leadership. He took on that role on the court all the while deferring to Marcus' earned status. But now --- and I've posted this before --- this is JB's team. I can tell you, our Bigs respect his toughness and the way he moves the ball. And we saw glimpses of his Lead-Guard scoring chops down the stretch. JB can create his own shot, finish under duress, and make the offense hum. I expect his scoring to bump up, as well as Assists if his teammates finish better, and he's already among the elite defenders in UNC annals.
This season's team finished with a historic all-time best Assist/TO ratio (and that's with Marcus and JJ going thru shooting slumps which hurts the Assist #s). That happened because Roy had the good sense to play Marcus and JB together, and hand the primary ball-handling PG role to Berry.
I fully expect Buckets to have a much stronger shooting year, and we return inside firepower. I expect Theo, KW, et al to step up their offensive proficiency as well. With 30+ minutes per game from the leader-dog JB we're gonna be pretty doggone good.
Yeah gary, next season this is Joel's team and I am expecting a big step up season for JJ. The 2 things that JJ learned by testing the waters were 1, has to get stronger physically and 2, needs to jump shoot more consistently, expect those to be real focus points for the kid this off season.
As I have said, personally I am expecting a huge season from Kenny Williams, I honestly don't think UNC fans realize what we have in this kid. He is better size to play the off guard spot than Marcus was, size was a problem for Marcus many times last season. I think if you cornered Roy up he would tell you that one of his regrets from this past season is that he wished he had gotten Kenny more minutes than he was able to. I would not be shocked at all to see Kenny with more PT than Nate come ACC play and don't discount either BRob or 7th because both those kids have a chance to develop in to very special players for us.
Now with JJ back, I personally think Roy will go to our version of small ball much quicker, think he saw something special with JJ and Theo on the floor with 2 guards, not Theo at the 2, Theo more at the 4 is the look we went to for small ball. IMO, we played our best ball of the season from this look, we defended step put 4s much better, we defended the high screens much better, we ran much better from this look.
And really, when you think about it, I hate that we don't have marcus and Brice any more but but Marcus struggled to score much of this past season. replacing his scoring from this past season is not as hard to do as it may be to replace brice's, replacing marcus ability to hit that critical shot with the game on the line, that we will have to see about. But replacing the average of points coming from our 2 guard position last season I not only think is doable but I personally think we can strongly increase the numbers from that position over last season.
And Brice, as good as he was for us, many times I asked myself, is his increase on production because Brice really took a monster leap in his dedication to the game or was it because the guard play did a much better job of getting him the ball in positions he could finish? let's see, it was more Joel feeding the ball to Brice where the season before many times it was JP? Hmmm, how much was Brice and how much of Brice's season was because of the Joel Berry factor? Taking nothing away from Brice but I felt as comfortable most of the season with Hicks in there as I did Brice, unless Hicks was in foul trouble. I did NOT feel as comfortable when Joel was not in the game, just the way I felt personally. Brice stepped up huge for us and deserves all the kudos for sure but my point is that he got a lot of help from his lil buddy Joel.
So I am expecting Joel to be Joel next season, expecting JJ to shoot more consistently, expecting Hicks to cut down on the fouls. Because of that I am expecting much better complete seasons from JJ and Hicks.
Now I think we will see but can not expect it until I see it (call it one small level behind expecting, lets call it strongly think) Theo to score the ball better and actually develop a decent jump shot, at least enough that he has to be guarded for it and not dared to shoot. I think Kenny Williams will step up as a go to jump but not just limited to being a jump shooter, I expect him to defend and i THINK HE CAN DEFEND THE POSITION BETTER THAN IT WAS DEFENDED LAST SEASON. Not a dump on Marcus but Marcus was a small guy for the position IMO. I think either 7th or BRob will step up as freshmen and contribute more than expected.
I HOPE, not expect or strongly feel that meeks will emerge as a consistent scoring threat and hopefully move more up top and show off some jump shooting skills consistently. I hope Nate shows us as much improvement from Jr to Sr as he showed us soph to Jr, especially as a ball handler that will attack defenses. I hope 7th can earn the job as back up PG. I hope Tony comes in and can give us what Hicks gave us off the bench what Hicks gave us this past season. I hope we can have a relative injury free season so our kids can develop and learn to play together.
IMO, how these hopes come together with what I strongly think will happen and the expectations, we can be a final 4 team, I think if these do not meet, we should still be no worse than sweet 16.
This is the reason I am reluctant to peg Joel as the team leader: he has not been at all vocal on the court. Just leading by example of hard work and focus - things Joel does exemplify - doesn't make you a leader. For example, Tyler Hansbrough had both of those in spades, but he wasn't the team leader.
That doesn't mean he won't develop into the leader, of course. It would be great if he develops those chops and I can imagine him getting comfortable enough to do that. It's just that he hasn't shown them yet.
On defense, Joel got a whole lot better over the course if this past season. As a frosh and early in his second year, he was losing his man a lot - especially when the other team set screens. That wasn't happening much by the end of the season. Might still be the main thing he needs to work on though.
This isn't a lack of focus thing, as seems to be the case with Theo, but more of a reaction time thing.
This isn't a lack of focus thing, as seems to be the case with Theo, but more of a reaction time thing.
On offense I agree with those who would like to see him drive more. But we say that about a lot of guys who seem to have the ability to do so, yet few of them get good at it. Think back a year to JP, and a few more years to Barnes and PJ. They always seemed to have the physical ability to drive, but they were never that successful. A huge part of that, I think, is that Roy never ran plays to help them drive - or even to let them start their drive closer to the basket.
Lawson would just blow past people. Strickland, too, before his injury. But while Joel is quick, he isn't as quick as those guys.
My guess is that he'll get better at that this year but unless Roy actually runs plays that give him the needed screens and such, I doubt we'll see as much more of that as most of us want.
The improvement I'd like to see that I think is well within reach for Joel is inside passing. Two types. One is where he penetrates and dishes. I think we'll see a lot more of that this season. Partly because he knows the system better and knows his teammates better and partly because Isaiah's game is better for that than Brice's.
The other inside passing that I expect to see improve is more a matter of timing. Last season there were always a few plays per game when Joel would bring the ball up and a big would be open for the pass, but Joel didn't seem to recognize it quickly enough to act on it safely. I think of that as an experience thing. The extra experience and confidence of being a junior could be all the difference he needs between being too cautious or slow to spot those opportunities vs capitalizing on those early openings.
Lawson would just blow past people. Strickland, too, before his injury. But while Joel is quick, he isn't as quick as those guys.
My guess is that he'll get better at that this year but unless Roy actually runs plays that give him the needed screens and such, I doubt we'll see as much more of that as most of us want.
The improvement I'd like to see that I think is well within reach for Joel is inside passing. Two types. One is where he penetrates and dishes. I think we'll see a lot more of that this season. Partly because he knows the system better and knows his teammates better and partly because Isaiah's game is better for that than Brice's.
The other inside passing that I expect to see improve is more a matter of timing. Last season there were always a few plays per game when Joel would bring the ball up and a big would be open for the pass, but Joel didn't seem to recognize it quickly enough to act on it safely. I think of that as an experience thing. The extra experience and confidence of being a junior could be all the difference he needs between being too cautious or slow to spot those opportunities vs capitalizing on those early openings.
I see this a little differently. There's no doubt in my mind that Berry was the team leader last year. When Paige was injured and struggling with his shot, Berry took control of the team and never looked back. On most UNC teams, the PG, as an extension of the coach on the floor, is the natural leader of the team.
But don't doubt that guys like George Lynch and Tyler Hansbrough were great leaders on their teams. Leaders aren't always vocal, often the guys who play with the most toughness and tenacity set the tone for the whole team. Lynch and Hansbrough did that, so does Berry.
HST, I would like to see him be more vocal next year. I think we'll see that from Berry.
JP & Barnes were wings and wings do not put the ball on the floor as well as guards do and especially PGs. College wings IMO should never put the ball on the floor over 2 bounces before trying to finish or dish, more than that is a TO waiting to happen.
I didn't want to see Barnes nor JP looking to drive with the dribble for 40ft out, they did not need to be putting the ball on the floor that much, exact reason both got stripped so often.
There is one area I think Joel can improve on, using more of a hesitation dribble, Kendal was the master at that, it allowed him even being as slow as he was to get around quicker guys. I think Joel could really add that to his bag of tools and it really help him.
For me, the greatest area of improvement for Joel as a passer may be realize who you are passing the ball to, don't pass it to Meeks if he is so far under the basket that most anyone can block his shot. Pull him out a little bit and give him a couple steps to the rim and he is in a position to finish from multiple ways, deep under the basket he is limited and he can not explode up and thru, his mindset is not to attack a defender but to try to finess it around a defender. Meeks with more an aggressive mindset would for sure help Joel's assist numbers!
He led by example, but he was not the leader in other ways. He didn't direct traffic and he didn't pull players aside when they were struggling. On that team, Danny and Wayne were more likely to do those things. Close your eyes and you'll see them doing just that with Deon, for example.
There are vocal leaders and those who lead by example. Occasionally, you'll find someone capable of both. I tend to follow those who lead by example, who don't just talk the talk but walk the walk. That's more inspirational to me. It's why Worthy, Lynch, Hans, and Zeller are a few of my very favorite UNC players. They were all soft-spoken but all warriors at heart.
I agree that they are favorites for that reason. But setting a good example isn't really leading the team. It's more being a reliable teammate. Put a leader on a squad with guys who set good examples with their play, and then you have a great team.
Berry might have that gear. With Marcus gone, he'll get to show it and develop it.
We'll agree to disagree on the definition of a leader, WWJD. Setting the benchmark for the team's level of play day in and day out is the epitome of leadership to me. Many can talk a good game, far fewer can actually live up to that talk.
I said all along that as long as #2 came back to run the show we'd be pretty doggone good --- no matter what KM and JJ decided. Think about it, there was a time early last season when both of them leaving was almost a foregone conclusion --- now we get BOTH back to run with JB & Co.--- hot damn!.
And I thoroughly agree on JJ. @andrew jones made a great point on the front page about his assertiveness, i.e., that Buckets was more of an alpha-dog when Marcus was out and picked up a lotta slack, but sorta blended back in when Marcus returned. I see him coming in knowing his role and asserting himself right off the bat --- and I'm sure JB will make sure the rock goes in his direction.
As for KW, you're preaching to the choir there. I saw some things in Kenny's game this season that, infused with some second-year confidence, could foretell a breakout. I still believe, barring injury, Theo will start at the 2 --- but I also believe that with this many viable players Roy will tinker some early and I'm sure the Small lineup with Theo sliding to the 4 will make frequent appearances. With Kenny's defensive chops that could be fun for us and a nightmare for opponents.
Sorry bro, but you're missing the mark here. JB can create his own shot and can drive at will --- that's a lot of what made him an AAU legend. This season he played more the role of facilitator to make sure the ball was moving and our Seniors were getting touches. However, when he wanted and/or needed to score, he scored. With our Bigs being mugged with impunity in the championship game, he scored. You'll see more of that next season. (Oh, and he's a lot faster than you think. JB plays under control, but when he decides it's time to accelerate I don't see anyone keeping up with him.)
As for what you said about the defense, as I tried to explain before, JB wasn't losing his man as much as being hung out to dry by our Bigs on ball screens. THAT is what Roy was talking about when he kept harping on "communication" early in the season. When our Bigs communicated better, that problem went away. JB was a nasty elite defender from the outset and just got better as he learned he could trust his teammates.
I'm a little less certain about Kenny's learning curve than you two seem to be. I thought he proved a capable defender that could develop into a very good one. But his complete inability to knock down treys was worrisome to me, to say the least. What did he make, one all year long? We need perimeter scoring from the SG position. I think BRob will prove to be the better option.
The guys talk about how he makes everything in practice... just a matter of the confidence light coming on in games. You can't teach that release --- kid is a natural shooter. And his defense is already very advanced --- startlingly good in fact for a True Frosh. What I really loved was that his floor game was always solid, even when his 3 wasn't falling. I can't recall him making any significant blunders. Marcus coming back limited his minutes but KW is a player. Nothing against Robinson but I'll be shocked if he supplants Kenny's minutes.
Back to Joel.... I don't see him needing to improve too much, but the line-up is going to be very good for him. '
From the cheap seats it looks like the rising juniors: Joel, Theo and Justin are a super tight group who love playing together.
I personally believe the alpha dog scorer will be Justin. He deferred plenty when Marcus came back and this coming season he will be the man.
Theo will be Mr do-everything, running, jumping, handing out the odd 6-assist game etc.
Isaiah and Kennedy are both super capable up front as long as fouls and injuries don't impact playing time.
But the key to it all is Joel.
He was vocal last season... re-watch the game tapes, he's very much a talker, traffic warden, team leader in that respect
He can hit shots - and has ice in his veins
He can defend, relentlessly.
IMHO he should feature on pre season Cousy lists and be right in consideration till the end.
From the cheap seats it looks like the rising juniors: Joel, Theo and Justin are a super tight group who love playing together.
I personally believe the alpha dog scorer will be Justin. He deferred plenty when Marcus came back and this coming season he will be the man.
Theo will be Mr do-everything, running, jumping, handing out the odd 6-assist game etc.
Isaiah and Kennedy are both super capable up front as long as fouls and injuries don't impact playing time.
But the key to it all is Joel.
He was vocal last season... re-watch the game tapes, he's very much a talker, traffic warden, team leader in that respect
He can hit shots - and has ice in his veins
He can defend, relentlessly.
IMHO he should feature on pre season Cousy lists and be right in consideration till the end.
Truth. JB talks more than folks realize (even a little smack talk if an opponent wants to go at him). Not being as facially expressive as Marcus it often went unnoticed by fans. And he frustrated more than one opposing PG.along the way --- Demetrius Jackson screaming at the ref in Chapel Hill to "get him off me!" comes to mind.
I guess we will. To me the leader is the guy who gets the team to play best as a team. Sometimes that's the best player, but often it isn't.
The point guard is in the best position to be the leader, and certainly he's always instrumental in getting the team to play as a team. But he isn't always the leader, even when he's good at core PG skills.
Joel is in a position to step into that role. We'll see if he does. It also matters if he wants to be leader or is just leader by default. We'll be a better team if he wants the job.
Who else could be leader on this team?
Kennedy is too easy-going.
Nate doesn't play a prominent enough role.
Theo has the enthusiasm and expressiveness to do it but hasn't learned the system well enough.
Isaiah hasn't shown any leadership qualities yet.
It's unlikely that any of our frosh or sophs will be able to fill that role this early.
That basically leaves Joel and Justin. Both solid players with a good understanding of the game. Neither particularly demonstrative.
Either (or both as co-leaders) could get the job done, but I'd like to see more expressiveness, talking and directing traffic from them before I'd call them leaders. In their first 2 years, they have been very competent but very reserved.
We have several dark horse candidates:
If Joel had gone pro, I'd probably be picking Nate as leader. He shows good awareness of what his teammates are doing, especially on D. And he seems willing to talk to his teammates during the game. He might not be the best player - or even the 5th best player. Then again, neither was Jimmy Black.
If Kennedy revs up his motor by an appreciable degree, he could become leader because he is very outgoing and could probably chivvy his teammates into playing well. But he has to show he can play hard on a consistent basis first.
If Theo clicks on Roy's system, he might be the best choice of all. Enthusiastic, athletic, outgoing. But his injury and maybe his natural temperament have so far left him behind the leadership curve and playing as more of a lone wolf than we expect from a leader.
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