PLayer +/- Hicks !!

[DSouthr]

Next in line for +/- look is Mr Hicks! One thing I do want to say before I do the +/- is last season I felt extremely comfortable when Hicks was on the floor, being honest, just as comfortable as I did when Brice was on the floor. I love how Roy has brought this kid along, again being honest, kinda feared we had a buster in him as a freshman but this kid has just really come on like gang busters rather than buster brown.

+ side

1. If anything he looks even stronger this season than he did last and last season he may not have broken out but if not he at least emerged so he can break out this season.
   
2. Went from a oh no, not Hicks at the free throw line to a really rock solid free throw guy. Amazing turn around in that aspect last season IMO.
   
3. Showed off some nice jump shooting in that late night scrimmage, how much more of that will we see this season? He has not shown a lot of that so far and it would be that next step.
   
4. Combined with he and meeks or Tony, I think we will rebound really well, maybe as wel or better than last season.
   
5. He is our most physical big man and the guy most likely to play thru contact and get to the foul line.
6. Love that he has taken Tony under his wing to mentor him, shows senior leadership. Lets his actions speak louder than his words.
   
7. For such a nice and laid back kid off the court, he plays with a lil touch of nasty on the court. He isn't about showing celebration gestures, he is about going back down to the other end and acting like he has been there before.
   
8. Many times last season when Hicks came in for Brice, I didn't feel much if any drop off until he got in to foul trouble. I think he is more physical than Brice was, clearly IMO physically stronger.
   
9. I think Hicks will rebound on par with what Brice did. rice got a lot of rebounds from free runs to the basket, means someone else was doing a heck of a job blocking out. Give Hicks those same runs to the rim and he will snag a ton of bounds as well IMO.

- side

1. Fouls, clearly he has to reduce them to stay on the floor more, I feel strong that he will but it is a concern until we actually see it.
2. Can he go from complimentary 6th man to a go to star? Again, I think he can but we have to see it.
   
3. Can he step to the soft part of a zone and nail the mid range jumpers consistently, he showed he could in the late night scrimmage but we need to see that in games, especially big games. Rule of thumb for me is a big man that is solid at the free throw line tends to be a solid mid range jump shooter as well and Hicks IMO is at least as solid at the line as Brice was.
   
4. Rebounding, has not really showed a lot of great rebounding numbers but IMO has the traits you love in a rebounder.

Really, for minuses that is about all I have.

 

[Archer2]

Agree on all counts, plus and minus.

I would stress foul issues. Isaiah is our best big man by a long stretch, one that could play a long time at the next level. But he must realize he can't help us if he's sitting on the bench with foul trouble. If we're to replace Brice's double double, Isaiah is going to have to play a major role, both with increased scoring and on the boards. If he and Kennedy can each average 28 MPG(and I'd love to see Isaiah average 32), versus their 39 MPG combined last year, we can return to the FF. If not, that puts a ton of pressure on Tony and Luke to compensate, pressure you'd prefer not to put on inexperienced players.

IMO, Isaiah is second in importance only to Joel on this team. He, Joel, and JJ must all be stellar for us this year.

 

[ACokeForRoy]

Agree totally. I also believe teams will come at him get him into foul trouble knowing there isn't much behind him. I know the foul issue is a real issue but sometimes when it gets talked about a lot especially in the media the refs pick up on it. I would hate to see a lot of fast whistles on Hicks just because they are anticipating him fouling. That would not be good at all and will make for a long season.

 

[Archer2]

Agree totally. I also believe teams will come at him get him into foul trouble knowing there isn't much behind him. I know the foul issue is a real issue but sometimes when it gets talked about a lot especially in the media the refs pick up on it. I would hate to see a lot of fast whistles on Hicks just because they are anticipating him fouling. That would not be good at all and will make for a long season.

Well, he doesn't argue a lot of calls so I don't worry too much about him getting a "reputation for fouling", at least not to the extent it would affect the way refs view him. I think it's key that he move his feet better on defense, reach less, and most importantly, let his man go if he's beaten. I can't tell you how frustrated I got watching him hedge on picks and pick up silly fouls 18-20 feet from the basket. It took Brice till the end of his Junior year to learn this and he did much better last year. It is crucial that the light bulb comes on for Isaiah and he is able to stay out of foul trouble. It's not rocket science and he's a freakin' Senior.

Perhaps the loss of Brice, a starting role, and the desire to impress NBA scouts will be the additional incentive he needs to learn this critical lesson.

 

[heels05champs]

Hicks staying out of foul trouble is critical to the team's success this year. Previously, we could've went small with Theo at PF when Hicks got in foul trouble. Now without Theo, you are relying on Luke to fill those minutes or going small with JJ at PF. Nothing wrong with the latter two options but I'd feel better late in games with Hicks on the court.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Hicks didn't seem to have a "rep" for fouling last year and I don't expect him to get one this year either. I think he just fouled a lot! I agree that he isn't a whiner and he seemed to get somewhat better at keeping his hands to himself as the year progressed. I also noticed he was tentative and hesitant at times on the court. I chalk this up to the bench mentality. He looked to the bench for approval and to make sure he could stay in and this got him out of rhythm. Starters hardly ever have to worry about mistakes or quick hooks so they can play with natural abandon. If he combines his natural aggression and confidence in his role with improved footwork, Hicks could be a 30 min/game monster! I do not heap Brice-like stat expectations on him at first (Brice was a league leading monster in rebounds and points!), but I expect him to have a similar impact on the game. I expect him to skew the opponents D and command primary attention on O. This will be plenty for us to excel if other peeps hold up their own part of the bargain!

 

[Archer2]

Nice, and I agree for the most part. This team belongs to Joel, Kennedy, Isaiah, and Theo, we should once again have great leadership. And that is what will enable us to once again overcome the superior talent of dook, synergy.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

It's hard to know what to expect from Isaiah until we see what adjustments Roy has made to adapt to his skills (and the skills of others) now that Brice is gone.

Last year's front line offense was definitely tweaked to emphasize Brice's skill set. And while Isaiah did fine coming off the bench, his skill set is different. I expect Roy to change things not just to minimize fouls but to take advantage of Isaiah's strengths.

As a consequence, I expect Isaiah's rebounding numbers to go up and his fouls to go down. IF his fouls go down, I would expect to see Isaiah playing closer to the basket than Brice did - just because he is physically better able to bang inside. That alone should improve his rebounding and his already-good scoring percentage.

I'm glad to hear he has been working on his mid-range jumper. That will keep defenders honest when he drifts away from the basket and should let him be a zone buster inside the key like Brice was. But the truth is that I expect Justin to be doing most of that kind of work - and to be devastating at it.

If Kennedy stays slim and healthy, and has finally adjusted to his lighter body, I would like to see some switching of him to PF. We know Kennedy is a good passer and that he struggles to elevate inside. And we know Isaiah is strong enough to play the post and does not struggle to elevate. So this would seem to be an option Roy could exploit. Moreover, since most expect Tony to play center and only center, if Kennedy can move to PF effectively, then Kennedy and Tony can be on the floor at the same time. Just think about that for a minute and you'll smile.

 

[Archer2]

Don't know that Kennedy has the foot speed to guard PF's.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Don't know that Kennedy has the foot speed to guard PF's.

But they have to get around him, so it's a trade-off. I think he's pretty light on his feet, actually, when he isn't fatigued. Even carrying the extra weight, he was decent.

 

[Archer2]

I've said numerous times that I wish Roy would move Kennedy to the high post to take advantage of his jump shooting ability as well as his ability to pass the ball. It would also negate his lack of lift and prevent his shots being blocked so often. It would also create more space in the lane for drivers. Unfortunately, I don't expect to see Roy employ Kennedy in the high post, since we haven't seen him do it up to this point. I really think we have failed to use Kennedy in the most effective manner.