Too late…..Caleb “the leader of men” Love can do it all. He can easily lead the ACC in assist from the 2 position. Can’t have RJ or Trimble playing the 2….they are too small and Trimble don’t have a good 3ball yet.
I have said all along he is a wing (3) but if he fits another position that he fits the 4 much better than the 2. Now guys play out of their best positions all the time on this team much of that will be driven by the depth numbers we have.
I think the way I would put it is that Caleb has the ability to be a really great defender but he is not always focused on that aspect, speaking in terms of ALL of last season. He looked to be a guy that needed his offense rolling before he locked in defensively and that has been a concern. I did get glimpses that his game may have matured this off season, loved his looking for the assist in this exhibition game rather than forcing something that was not there. I felt as if he defended more consistently than last season but that may not be accurate considering the opposition was so weak.
Love the way you ended that, " ensuring Nickel never has to play out of position at PF.", while trying to spin him as a 2? Kid is a 3/4, that is what he is, a 6'8" 220lbs wing 3 that can swing to the 4 if needed. Does that mean he never takes the court as a 2, no, he played a few minutes at the 2 fri night, he played out of position. PJ started second half of a season for us at the 4, want to try to convince me PJ was a 4?
Nickel is a stretch 4 already in my opinion…he ain’t no 2guard….his handles are not good enough to be a 2guard. He has length and strength and shooting ability to be a stretch 4.
Grover, you were doing great until you inferred JP was a shooter? Sorry but I just missed JP being a shooter, he was right there with Leaky as a jump shooter... I do think Trimble can shoot well enough to play the 2 backing up Caleb and I clearly prefer him at the point if RJ is not in there, thou again, Caleb did the best job at the point that I have seen from him in his time at UNC in that exhibition. I had been hearing that his time at Dame Lilliard's (I think this is the right NBA players camp) camp made a huge impression on him, showed him where he needed to expand his over all game, showing him his mindset needed to change in order for him to reach that next level of his game.
DSouthr…..I was saying Trimble cant shoot the 3ball just like his brother couldn’t shoot the 3ball. He inherited the leaping ability and the non-3ball shooting from his brother His release is a little weird.
If he does, and surely wish he will, I will be the first to say you are correct. 👏
I do think Seth will shoot it better than JP did, I think he has a pretty good feel as a shooter but needs to hone in on his mechanics. JP just didn't seem to me to have a great feel as a shooter, JP was more athlete than skill, I think Seth combines being the athlete with some basketball skill already (as ball handler, looks for the assist first, defender, good vision, ect).
I am curious about Nickel. He does seem to be a good shooter, but so was Kerwin and he couldn't get minutes. So I think HD does want more than just shot making. It'll be interesting to see if Nickel can contribute in other ways too.
I think Nickel is a much more confident player than Kerwin. That confidence will drive him to improve other parts of his game as well. I also think Nickel has a mean/nasty streak that will drive him.
Nance may be capable inside, but does him playing inside maximize our points per possession on offense? I have a feeling no, and Nance will be playing on the perimeter for the majority of possessions.
There might be a spot in the NBA for Manek, but come on y'all. I know you said "very poor man's" but still, Dirk was 7 feet tall and a great overall athlete. Brady was not particularly athletic even for college ball and is about 4 inches shorter.
Manek was great towards the end of the year. He shut down Banchero a bunch in our end of season run. I see zero qualm with my assessment.
Apples and grapefruits, gaucho. Kerwin was (almost literally) a one-trick pony.
If you read again what I described there's plenty of room. Dean Smith was flexing his Bigs in and out and utilizing their perimeter spot-up long before the shot-clock or 3-pt line. And today there's more space than ever due to the latter, which BTW is why his Zone Offense is more effective now than it ever was.
Except I know for a fact that the staff has played Nickel exclusively at the 2/3 in practice and they are grooming him to play exclusively on the wing. It's not an odd combination. It's not because of any of the excuses you came up with in your lengthy post. It's because the UNC staff has evaluated him and they feel he is exclusively a wing player, and not someone they ever want to ask to bang with a PF or rely on for rebounds.
Unfortunately he's been really struggling lately in Australia. I'm really pulling for him to turn it around.
The hi-low with Bacot and Nance is going to be an amazing offensive weapon this season. And there are so many wrinkles the staff is putting in to the ball screen action too.
Riddle me this Batman. Can Trimble shoot the deep ball with consistency? Peeps on here freak out when they watch one game against a team that my kids high school team would give a hard time. Nance has a less than stellar 3 ball night and people freak out. What’s your thoughts?
Nickel's handle is actually advanced for a frosh of his size. In contrast, I continue to believe both Puff and Styles are more effictive the closer they play to the paint.
Gary….Styles is a puzzle to me….all the athleticism in the world but somehow is still nervous dribbling the ball. Puff got the outside stroke but lacks strength but is a tough customer. If he can put on 20 pounds of muscle he will play at the next level. But back to Styles…he is more of a 3 man but the nervous ball handling will limit his playing time. Puff will get the minutes as Leaky’s backup. We need our 3 man to knock down the 3ball ,past the ball and play defense….Puff can do all three better than Styles…..but there is some Len Bias somewhere in Styles that itching to come out.
I think we all see that Styles needs to solidify his handle, but I think the larger issue is approach. He seems to have eschewed rim-rattling in favor of trying to be a perimeter guy. So ok, while it's good he's improved his stroke, Dontrez is ultimately a slasher with ridiculous athleticism, and that's where he could be a game-changer.
Well heck then, your saying you have a friend must be true, I read it on the internet...
