Woods Impact next season...
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Only player we got that can create his own shot!!..hope he sees the majority of the bench minutes along with Bradley!!
Do I dare make comparisons to Vince Carter? Of course not, but I remember Vince struggling mightily his Freshman year. I see Woods doing the same. In time, I think he'll be a great player at UNC
haven't talked to him in months, but i've put expectations on him since he was in 8th grade...not even going there anymore.
however, he better learn to be aware of great players around him and against him.
however, he better learn to be aware of great players around him and against him.
His greatest contribution next season may be on the practice court, Seventh has the quickness, speed and defensive prowess that will push the upperclassmen to be better players. I have no doubt he'll be a pain for somebody in practice everyday . .
and as another poster has already noted, there will be a learning curve for the young man, always seems to be in Roy's system.
Playing time might diminish some when ACC season arrives, but, he'll get some very good minutes early on, as Coach will see to that.
and as another poster has already noted, there will be a learning curve for the young man, always seems to be in Roy's system.
Playing time might diminish some when ACC season arrives, but, he'll get some very good minutes early on, as Coach will see to that.
My fear with an aggressive, super athletic kid is that they try to squeeze 25 minutes of making plays into 5 minutes of PT. If he can focus on defense and let the opportunities on O come to him (KW did a great job of this) he could be an asset late in the year to give us depth and flexibility.
Really hard call right now if I am being honest, he will have the shot at solid PT but it is to what he can pick up quickly, I think it will take him a while to get a little court time.
He will be in that mix to play at the 2 s well as back up Joel at the point and right now I don't think he would be in the lead for either role. He could get there but it is going to be uphill a bit. It is gonna be really hard for him to displace Nate as the back up for Joel, initially he may even trail Stillman for 3rd PG option but I do not expect that for long.
At the 2 I think Nate is the lead candidate to start and it could be Theo but I see Theo more as backing up the wing and the 4 (lot of PT there for him). You have kenny, who I think will emerge from this group, Nate, BRob, and 7th. I suspect Nate settles back to being Joel's primary back up and with Theo baqcking up the 3 and 4, leaves kenny/BRob/7th to claim at least starter type of minutes even if they do not begin the game.
Of those kenny IMO is the best combination of defender, shooter, experience of the 3. BRob as opposed to 7th, BRob IMO is the better shooter and more lengthy defender. 7Th is big time athletic. Maybe the better defender as the season gets deep in ACC play, and may be the best of the 3 in the open court running game as a finisher, not just for the position but maybe for the team as a whole. Defense could push 7th slightly above BRob, BRob IMO may fit the wing better than at the 2 but doubtful to see much time there now that Justin is back.
Thing is as much as we love the wide open running game we play a ton of half court offense and that means we really need big time scoring pop from our 2 guard spot unless Justin & Theo really take things to a new level of scoring. Means we need a pure shooter at the 2 IMO and looking at it that way I like kenny Williams and I like BRob as shooters more than 7th, more than nate to actually.
He will be in that mix to play at the 2 s well as back up Joel at the point and right now I don't think he would be in the lead for either role. He could get there but it is going to be uphill a bit. It is gonna be really hard for him to displace Nate as the back up for Joel, initially he may even trail Stillman for 3rd PG option but I do not expect that for long.
At the 2 I think Nate is the lead candidate to start and it could be Theo but I see Theo more as backing up the wing and the 4 (lot of PT there for him). You have kenny, who I think will emerge from this group, Nate, BRob, and 7th. I suspect Nate settles back to being Joel's primary back up and with Theo baqcking up the 3 and 4, leaves kenny/BRob/7th to claim at least starter type of minutes even if they do not begin the game.
Of those kenny IMO is the best combination of defender, shooter, experience of the 3. BRob as opposed to 7th, BRob IMO is the better shooter and more lengthy defender. 7Th is big time athletic. Maybe the better defender as the season gets deep in ACC play, and may be the best of the 3 in the open court running game as a finisher, not just for the position but maybe for the team as a whole. Defense could push 7th slightly above BRob, BRob IMO may fit the wing better than at the 2 but doubtful to see much time there now that Justin is back.
Thing is as much as we love the wide open running game we play a ton of half court offense and that means we really need big time scoring pop from our 2 guard spot unless Justin & Theo really take things to a new level of scoring. Means we need a pure shooter at the 2 IMO and looking at it that way I like kenny Williams and I like BRob as shooters more than 7th, more than nate to actually.
7th is reportedly a tenacious defender. He is uber athletic but a streaky shooter. BRob is also supposed to be a good defender, good quickness and very long. He has a high, quick release and can make treys off the dribble or while stationary.
Theo may play some SG, but like Dave, I like him more at the SF spot, swinging down to PF when we go small. I like Nate coming off the bench in relief of Joel.
For these reasons and because I think we need perimeter scoring from the SG spot, I hope to see either Kenny or BRob getting most of the minutes at SG. Kenny has already shown he's good enough defensively, but his perimeter shot must drastically improve. If not, I think BRob is good enough to play immediately. He shot 57% from downtown last year and possesses the length and quick release to get his shot off in college.
7th will amaze with his athleticism but may be a year away from making a major contribution.
Theo may play some SG, but like Dave, I like him more at the SF spot, swinging down to PF when we go small. I like Nate coming off the bench in relief of Joel.
For these reasons and because I think we need perimeter scoring from the SG spot, I hope to see either Kenny or BRob getting most of the minutes at SG. Kenny has already shown he's good enough defensively, but his perimeter shot must drastically improve. If not, I think BRob is good enough to play immediately. He shot 57% from downtown last year and possesses the length and quick release to get his shot off in college.
7th will amaze with his athleticism but may be a year away from making a major contribution.
Stutter-Step, quick-on-quick, Great handle in open court, plays good "D", and is the most underrated guard in the freshman class, that comes into the ACC next season. Then again, he is not Jalek...
Guys, Pinson will start at the 2. He will be the alpha dog leader of the team. Nate subs in for Berry and Kenny subs in for Pinson. Joel will shoot 5-7 more outside shots this year and Justin will have a breakout like Brice this past year. Rememer that Roy started Pinson when Paige was out last year. Love Nate, but he will continue to be the microwave off the bench.
With a loaded backcourt Woods may find it difficult to get a lot of PT. He knew that coming in but chose to come anyway. Love him for that! Think he will become a fan favorite as early as next season.
His moxy will be a great addition to that of Joel & Theo for sure but those 2 guys to me define moxy and they were not missing last season. I do agree, prior to last season the level of Moxy was down.
JJ starts at 2 and Pinson at 3! KW is backup at 2 and Nate is backup at 1.
Starting 5: JB. JJ. TP, Hicks. Meeks. Perfect combo of shooting, speed, and power.
BRob, and 7th will get plenty of chances to earn PT and one will break out. 7th is in the perfect system to take advantage of his athleticism, but KW will be getting starter level minutes by ACC time and so will Bradley.
Fun lineup: JB, KW, JJ, TP, Hicks! This will be the track team that is annoying on D. Put in BRob , Bradley, and/or 7th and run them into the ground.
Starting 5: JB. JJ. TP, Hicks. Meeks. Perfect combo of shooting, speed, and power.
BRob, and 7th will get plenty of chances to earn PT and one will break out. 7th is in the perfect system to take advantage of his athleticism, but KW will be getting starter level minutes by ACC time and so will Bradley.
Fun lineup: JB, KW, JJ, TP, Hicks! This will be the track team that is annoying on D. Put in BRob , Bradley, and/or 7th and run them into the ground.
You may be the first to suggest JJ at the 2, not sure I can see that considering how many guys we have looking for PT at the 2. I personally think Nate starts the season at the 2 with Theo backing up at he 3 and the 4 spots (getting starter level minutes) and I think Nate will have a hard time holding on to as his minutes as the season progresses. I think Nate will settle in as Joel's back up thou 7th could make some noise there by mid season. I honestly think most of the PT at the 2 will go to Kenny and BRob or 7th. I like Brob maybe to sneak out 7th because that kid can shoot and he is a long defender, will depend on how well he can guard college 2 guards and that is TBD.
What you call the fun line up is our small ball rotation and yes I LOVE the way we played from that look this past season and I think Roy will go to it early season with Justin back. Justin & Theo on the court together just really compliment each other and if Theo can steady up a jump shot then it takes lethal to a brand new level. How often we go to this look IMO depends on how well Meeks can play and how quickly Tony develops. My expectations for now are higher for Tony than they are for Meeks. Our small ball look protects our big men from as much foul trouble, you don't foul if you are on the bench.
I was trying to figure out what you do with both JJ and TP. How can you put either one on the bench? Nate is one of my favorite Tar Heels, but I think he has a bench mentality. (like Hicks last year) Some peeps are happy and effective from the bench and some are more suited to be starters. I figure TP will feel he paid his dues and I agree. I also like the contrast between our very big lineup and the ultra quick fun bunch! The X factor will be the maturation of KW to me. I fully expect him to become a starter level player and to provide the shooting and ball handling that Roy wants. JJ, JB, Hicks, and Meeks will start, so the only question is at the wing. JB and JJ provide the shooting and hopefully JJ has upgraded his ball handling. I also expect to see some 3 guard lineups with some combo of JB, Nate/KW, 7th/JJ. JB, KW, and Nate with Bradley and Hicks might be fun to watch too!
These are great problems to have!
These are great problems to have!
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Think you may be overlooking BRob a bit. I won't be surprised if he's starting at SG by the second half of the season, especially if Williams' perimeter shooting doesn't improve by leaps and bounds. We need outside shooting from that spot, there's a reason it's called the shooting/scoring guard position.
Think you may be overlooking BRob a bit. I won't be surprised if he's starting at SG by the second half of the season, especially if Williams' perimeter shooting doesn't improve by leaps and bounds. We need outside shooting from that spot, there's a reason it's called the shooting/scoring guard position.
The guy in the recent past that most reminds me of Woods is Dexter Strickland. A whole lot of people expected that he would take over the PG spot from Larry Drew by midseason if not out of the gate. That didn't happen but despite disappointing shooting, he became a solid SG and backup PG and a big factor in Marcus being able to hang in there and turn the corner as a frosh.
For those who don't see much similarity, what I see is an athletic combo guard with good D, a strong drive, and erratic but sometimes dazzling scoring. Dex had all that coming out of HS, even if the shooting took a long time to show up (and then he was injured).
From comments here, I'm expecting 7th to be better than Dex, but in a similar mold.
For those who don't see much similarity, what I see is an athletic combo guard with good D, a strong drive, and erratic but sometimes dazzling scoring. Dex had all that coming out of HS, even if the shooting took a long time to show up (and then he was injured).
From comments here, I'm expecting 7th to be better than Dex, but in a similar mold.
I think 7th is more athletic, although the preinjury Dexter was certainly athletic. Both had erratic jumpers coming out of high school. Dexter's never improved appreciably, probably due to terrible mechanics. 7'th has better mechanics and will eventually be a decent shooter, IMO.
I think 7th is a better defender right now than Dexter was as a senior at UNC, night and day in their attitude toward defense.
I think 7th is a better defender right now than Dexter was as a senior at UNC, night and day in their attitude toward defense.
Understood Tp and agree, Pinson will not be left out of starter minutes, I just would not begin the game with him now that Justin is back. Now maybe if Kenny/7th/Brob ALL show they are not ready for this level of play, I could consider Theo at the 2 to start. But first I do not think that will be the case, I think all 3 can play and contribute but kenny IMO will be the most ready, from what I have been told from practice all last season. When you factor in Nate to the 2 guard mix you see way to many guys able and available to play the 2 than to put a true wing at the 2. Roy started Theo at the 2 when Marcus was out early last season but kenny was not ready then and Nate ended up getting a lot of that time in the game. Theo would have to amazingly transform his shooting to start at the 2 IMO, I see him improving on that but not to the level he woul dneed to be at in order to start at the 2.
I see near if not over 30mins a game for Theo backing up the 3 and the 4 (in small ball). We have a respected freshman big man and who knows how he will play for us, we expect great but we don't know for fact till we see. We have meeks that has gone in to a second half of the season swoon over the last 2 seasons so we can not exactly expect a full season of solid stuff from him, and we have all talked about Hicks and the foul troubles. The solution and a solution we know works because we saw it so often late in the season and in post season is Theo at the 4 with Justin at the 3 with one of our big men. Just because Theo may not begin the games does not mean he does not get starter minutes is my point and the minutes count more than who begins. Joel James started a couple games for us last season, he didn't get starter minutes.
I agree with you with Pinson. The kid not only has paid his dues, but he was upfront at the Final Four busting into those press conferences. The kid is just a natural leader. He should not have jumped into those press conferences, but it showed me that the kid is a natural leader and the alpha dog the team needs to put the Heels over the top. I think the players get along well, but I see some friction on the team if Pinson does not get the start. I don't think you will have any compliants from anyone if Pinson gets the start. He has earned it. He started when Paige was out last year.
As I have said, I think Nate will get the start at the 2, at least to begin the season, he has shown that he is more game fitted at the 2 than at the point. I strongly believe Roy saw enough of our starting a wing at the 2 over the last 2 seasons.
The telling thing is not who Roy started for those few games marcus was out to begin last season, the more telling thing is what Roy did when Marcus came back. He did 2 things, first he put Marcus at the 2 and not the point, that should settle the dispute on the other thread about who was the PG unless we know more than Roy does (finally, I get to use that phrase
. We as well saw Nate backing up Marcus, not Theo but Nate, isn't that more telling, especially later season against stronger opponents? If Theo was the guy Roy was gonna consider as marcus's replacement then would Theo not have been the natural first guy off the bench to replace marcus later last season? That would be a big ole YEP...LOL
Friction typically comes from 1 of 2 things:
1) A player has a over estimation of his own game and feels he should be the go to guy more than someone else. Just the exact case of larry Drew, wasn't it.
2) A player that feels he should is just not getting the minutes he feels he "deserves" and is more in to himself than what the team really needs. Now I am sure Theo feels he deserves solid minutes, he may even feel he deserves to be a starter but the truth is the minutes are what matters, not who begins the game. And Theo will get a ton of minutes, starter like minutes no matter if he begins the game on the floor or the bench. We need his leadership and production and it coming off the bench is not a bad thing at all.
Theo is to much of a team guy to be a chemistry killer, I love his way of keeping his team mates loose and they enjoy being around Theo, Roy enjoys Theo, we all enjoy Theo!
Why do we feel that TP is a better 2 than JJ? They are both wings to me. (one has better handles/passing {TP} and one has better shooting/rebounding {JJ}) AND if many peeps think TP will not start, then who does? JJ, JB, HIcks, and Meeks are locks to start, Britt is a logical choice too and KW is an outside shot, but I feel it will be TP. I think TP is a natural 3 who can slide to the 2 or 4 when needed. I think JJ is a natural 3 who can handle the 2 as long as we have an extra ball handler at 3 with him. I am optimistic by nature and I expect Meeks and Hicks to figure out what it takes to be true Tar Heel starters. I expect KW to make a leap, especially considering the signs he already showed last season. I expect Bradley to provide enough post punch to back up both Hicks and Meeks without a major drop off, especially on D. I expect JJ to transform his shooting and handle as he prepares for the pros. I expect TP to find a regular form for his shots and to tighten up his unforced TOs. Eventually KW and TP both will have starter minutes, Bradley will be just below this, and either BRob or 7th might be close depending on development.
Roy loves versatile peeps and JJ and TP are both perfect fits for Roy. (BRob, 7th fit this mold too) I bet we play with 2 wings and call it a day. If we need ball handling, then add Britt or KW to the line up and replace either TP or JJ depending on match ups. This is a good problem to have!
Roy loves versatile peeps and JJ and TP are both perfect fits for Roy. (BRob, 7th fit this mold too) I bet we play with 2 wings and call it a day. If we need ball handling, then add Britt or KW to the line up and replace either TP or JJ depending on match ups. This is a good problem to have!
I tend to agree with you on most of your comments accept for Nate getting the start at the two. I may have overstated the decention issue. I will back off that. Thus, lets agree to disagree on who gets the start...Pinson or Nate. I think Nate is a good role player and in some ways reminds me of Leslie McDonald in how he plays in the clutch. I was really thinking that Nate would really take that jump to the next level last year but if just didn't do it. I don't think he hit any outside jumpers in the final 5-7 games down the stretch. I'll let some of the stat gurus jump in, but Pinson may have hit more outside jumpers in the last few games. I do recall Nate hitting a couple of twisting layups in the final game. Paige outside shooting was not that good during the regular season. I think Justin and Berry can offset Paige's production from ouside the 3 point range.As I have said, I think Nate will get the start at the 2, at least to begin the season, he has shown that he is more game fitted at the 2 than at the point. I strongly believe Roy saw enough of our starting a wing at the 2 over the last 2 seasons.
The telling thing is not who Roy started for those few games marcus was out to begin last season, the more telling thing is what Roy did when Marcus came back. He did 2 things, first he put Marcus at the 2 and not the point, that should settle the dispute on the other thread about who was the PG unless we know more than Roy does (finally, I get to use that phrase
We as well saw Nate backing up Marcus, not Theo but Nate, isn't that more telling, especially later season against stronger opponents? If Theo was the guy Roy was gonna consider as marcus's replacement then would Theo not have been the natural first guy off the bench to replace marcus later last season? That would be a big ole YEP...LOL
Friction typically comes from 1 of 2 things:
1) A player has a over estimation of his own game and feels he should be the go to guy more than someone else. Just the exact case of larry Drew, wasn't it.
2) A player that feels he should is just not getting the minutes he feels he "deserves" and is more in to himself than what the team really needs. Now I am sure Theo feels he deserves solid minutes, he may even feel he deserves to be a starter but the truth is the minutes are what matters, not who begins the game. And Theo will get a ton of minutes, starter like minutes no matter if he begins the game on the floor or the bench. We need his leadership and production and it coming off the bench is not a bad thing at all.
Theo is to much of a team guy to be a chemistry killer, I love his way of keeping his team mates loose and they enjoy being around Theo, Roy enjoys Theo, we all enjoy Theo!
Steat buddy, like I freakin really know, man, I would be willing to bet ya $1,000 right now that Roy himself does not know who he will start at the 2 spot next season today. I am only speculating but I have heard some things that indicate to me that kenny is a solid canidate for starter PT at the 2 no matter who begins the game. I am also hearing that all 4, being Kenny/Nate/7th/BRob will all be given the chance at good PT at the 2 and that Theo is looking more at being a 3/4 for us unless his shooting becomes a dramatic change for the better. That does not mean that Theo will not at times facillitate from the wing, he did that a lot in our small ball look last season, the opposing 4 decides to not go with Theo up top and gives Theo the clean look at a pass, yeah, Theo will snap it off.
On Nate, I felt he was way improved last season but most of that improvement was not where fans tend to look, it was IMO mostly on defense that I saw strong improvement. Totally agree, his shot did seem to fade out as the season got deeper in but his PT reduced and it is hard to be a solid shooter when you minutes are reduced. Nate played mostly the 2 when he was in the game and mostly it seemed he paired up with Marcus. Marcus didn't see as much defensive attention when he was mired in that shooting slump so it looked to me like Nate's shots were more contested where as when marcus was a must stay in his grill shooter nate was able to get cleaner looks.
But this is May, season does not begin till Nov, long time between now & then and things change. For example, don't be shocked if you see Nate not the primary back up for Joel and that job go to 7th Woods, that is not expected right now today but don't be shocked to see it happen in Dec or Jan.
Gonna be interesting Dave. Betting against you would be suicide...lol. At least we have something to discuss. We have some options.
The injury really hurt Dex's lateral movement as a senior. Before that, his D was excellent. He was shooting 57% from the field before the injury. He'd learned to stop shooting treys, and his mid-range jumper was very good.
My hope is that 7th will be quicker out of the gate (although with our depth he doesn't have to be) and will avoid injuries. He should be a good one.
The problem with Dexter early on was that he never really needed to work on his shooting stroke to score, he was an athletic slasher and guys used to back way off him playing him for the drive and you give most any kid such a clean look at a jump shot they will hit more than 50%, I bet Theo or JP in a empty gym would hit over 50% of their treys, lot harder when guys challenge the shot and Dexter learned that really early in that frosh season.
I agree, his mid range jumper did become money but he just could not stretch it out to the trey distance.
I do think the transition will be slightly easier for 7th because he already has improved his jump shooting so that is working now as opposed to being a work in progress between frosh & soph seasons as was the case with Dex. I think 7th will be a more in your face defender than Dex was, Dex was more rangy with those long arms but never struck me as a in your grill defender. 7th LOVES to defend, same kinda passion to defend I see in Theo and Joel, I see some of that in 7th as well, love that to BTW.
Big thing with 7th is the kid is a gym rat, would live in the gym if they let him. And coachable off the chain, kid is like a sponge, Kenny Williams has some of that as well FYI. Our back court, man, if you loved the way we defended this past season in our bAck court then just wait till you see what is coming!
Right now I see 7th as a crossover between BReese, BPhelps and a bit of MJ thrown in. He will be better than some here may now think (jmho)...
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