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Basketball Team Has Potential for Greatness
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:24 am
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:24 am
I know, it's not even July, but I can't help but get excited when I look at the roster for next year and see so much talent from one end to the other. Definitely overwhelming offensive talent. If they can be taught to play team defense the sky is the limit.
CWW's biggest problem will be rotations and who gets the playing time. He has sung the praises of transfer Bigby-Williams as a shot blocker/rim protector so he will probably be a certain starter. The other big will be either Naz Reid or Emmit Williams. Naz is big and has moves and Williams can jump out of the gym and dunk with the best. So it is possible that both start and we go with a two guard rather than a three guard team.
But there is so much talent at guard also. Starting with our two point guards Waters and Mays. Tough guy Daryl Edwards who can play D and shoot. Rachal who can give you D and rebounding from a guard position off the bench.
And then there is Ja'Vonte Smart who has won three state championships and is rated a 5star recruit at point or shooting guard.
And then there is the depth as Sims, Days, Cooper and Kingsby will all see playing time at some time or another.
This rivals the Shaq/Jackson team as the most talent ever assembled in an LSU basketball team. Can they rise to their potential unlike that team? Time will tell but we have a coach who will do everything possible to make it so.
CWW's biggest problem will be rotations and who gets the playing time. He has sung the praises of transfer Bigby-Williams as a shot blocker/rim protector so he will probably be a certain starter. The other big will be either Naz Reid or Emmit Williams. Naz is big and has moves and Williams can jump out of the gym and dunk with the best. So it is possible that both start and we go with a two guard rather than a three guard team.
But there is so much talent at guard also. Starting with our two point guards Waters and Mays. Tough guy Daryl Edwards who can play D and shoot. Rachal who can give you D and rebounding from a guard position off the bench.
And then there is Ja'Vonte Smart who has won three state championships and is rated a 5star recruit at point or shooting guard.
And then there is the depth as Sims, Days, Cooper and Kingsby will all see playing time at some time or another.
This rivals the Shaq/Jackson team as the most talent ever assembled in an LSU basketball team. Can they rise to their potential unlike that team? Time will tell but we have a coach who will do everything possible to make it so.
13
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:26 am to Tom Bronco
after the 2015-2016 basketball season I will hold back my excitement and expectations... but with that being said having wade instead of JJ is a huge plus which could lead to a big year
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:28 am to Tom Bronco
I dont think Days belongs in the same category as Sims, Kingsby, and Cooper - who will possibly redshirt. Days will be a big contributor this year. I’ve heard he’s the best all around basketball player in this class
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:29 am to RoyalLSU
quote:
I’ve heard he’s the best all around basketball player in this class
That would be Naz Reid.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:30 am to cajuntiger1010
I really wasn’t excited about Bigsby-Williams when I saw his ppg stats and then I saw his video highlights and I changed my opinion immediately
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:32 am to Tom Bronco
We have guys at the end of our bench who would have been starters on several of our teams the past ten years or so. It is truly amazing that Wade did this in the time frame he had to work with. Now he has the time to focus on top recruits at maybe 3 or 4 positions every year instead of retooling an entire team. Should mean even better results imo. Every move he has made has been pretty darn impressive.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:34 am to RoyalLSU
quote:
Days will be a big contributor this year. I’ve heard he’s the best all around basketball player in this class
Reid is definitely best all around. He's 6'10, 250-260, can handle the ball, pass, drive, shoot (some), rebound, protect rim.
Days wont be a big contributor this year, but I would suspect he plays more than Sims and Cooper in the front court for sure.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:39 am to Tom Bronco
Having been around the staff at practice last year WW is big on clearly defining roles for each player. This will help them know what’s expected of them and who they will be sharing that role with. Bigby W has practiced with team for sessions and never took a shot. He knows what his role will be. As it always does our success will be determined by guard play. Waters, Mays and Smart will have to make plays in crunch time to win the close games to get where we want them to be. I’m def ready to throw it up. 
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:43 am to thunderbird1100
Reid is the best when he wants to be, which I’ve heard he’s lazy. Days has the motor that WW loves so much. He will 100% be a contributor this year. He’s probably the only true “3” we have on this roster.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:45 am to RoyalLSU
quote:
Reid is the best when he wants to be, which I’ve heard he’s lazy. Days has the motor that WW loves so much. He will 100% be a contributor this year. He’s probably the only true “3” we have on this roster.
He's not a 3 at all yet, they want to mold Days into that, but it's not going to happen overnight.
Reid is still the best overall effort level or not (most skilled in the class) and you're confusing Days with Williams who has the big time motor.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:46 am to rilesrick
quote:
Bigby W has practiced with team for sessions and never took a shot. He knows what his role will be.
I love hearing things like this. I hate seeing bigs jack up shots trying to prove to scouts that they have a jump shot. It’s the kind of structure they have at Duke. I don’t think I ever saw the Plumlees take a shot beyond a few feet from the goal.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:47 am to Tom Bronco
Offensive efficiency was not a problem for LSU last year and as long as Waters is running the point, I don't see it being an issue. He can completely control a game from the PG spot. The only "concern" is that now LSU will have more offensive options than they had last year. So the question is can Waters find the right balance of selfish (because he's still a great scorer) and unselfish play.
What killed LSU was defense and rebounding. It is expected that KBW will fill that void and the fact that he is (a) an experienced senior and (b) Wade has seen him in action vs. college talent, gives him the starting nod. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think we'll see KBW, Reid and Williams on the court together all that often. Reid can step out on the perimeter on offense, but he's vulnerable there on defense. E. Williams probably can guard the wing if need be, but I think he is better inside trying to block shots and grab rebounds. Individually they are all good players. But the sum of the parts might not be LSU's best line-up.
I'm interested to see how Wade fits the new pieces. Smart can be a dominant scorer with the ball in his hands, but I think Waters is just too good to take the ball out of his hands often. Can Smart (who isn't a great spot-up shooter) get comfortable playing mostly the 2 guard? Also, Wade likes 3's and Edwards may be the best spot up shooter on the team. With (presumably) so much individual talent on the court someone will be left open on most possessions. If Edwards (or whoever) can show they can knock down 3's with consistency, it will be hard to leave them on the bench (Think Hornsby when teams had to focus so much on Martin/Mickey)
Reid is very skilled on offense for his size. The concern is effort and defense. Can Wade get him to play with max effort all the time on the defensive end? That will be the biggest key to him playing huge minutes because...Emmitt Williams is probably going to be the toughest and most energetic guy on the team. I think he fits EXACTLY what Wade was desperate for last season. There will be times he's out of control and picks up unnecessary fouls, but you'll never worry about his effort. He's going to be very tough to leave on the bench just because of his sheer desire.
What killed LSU was defense and rebounding. It is expected that KBW will fill that void and the fact that he is (a) an experienced senior and (b) Wade has seen him in action vs. college talent, gives him the starting nod. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think we'll see KBW, Reid and Williams on the court together all that often. Reid can step out on the perimeter on offense, but he's vulnerable there on defense. E. Williams probably can guard the wing if need be, but I think he is better inside trying to block shots and grab rebounds. Individually they are all good players. But the sum of the parts might not be LSU's best line-up.
I'm interested to see how Wade fits the new pieces. Smart can be a dominant scorer with the ball in his hands, but I think Waters is just too good to take the ball out of his hands often. Can Smart (who isn't a great spot-up shooter) get comfortable playing mostly the 2 guard? Also, Wade likes 3's and Edwards may be the best spot up shooter on the team. With (presumably) so much individual talent on the court someone will be left open on most possessions. If Edwards (or whoever) can show they can knock down 3's with consistency, it will be hard to leave them on the bench (Think Hornsby when teams had to focus so much on Martin/Mickey)
Reid is very skilled on offense for his size. The concern is effort and defense. Can Wade get him to play with max effort all the time on the defensive end? That will be the biggest key to him playing huge minutes because...Emmitt Williams is probably going to be the toughest and most energetic guy on the team. I think he fits EXACTLY what Wade was desperate for last season. There will be times he's out of control and picks up unnecessary fouls, but you'll never worry about his effort. He's going to be very tough to leave on the bench just because of his sheer desire.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:47 am to Tom Bronco
No doubt. This should be a great and exciting basketball season.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 10:54 am to thunderbird1100
I wanna see Rachal develop a little elbow J. He improved a lot over the course of the year, hate we lost him for the postseason.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 11:12 am to Tom Bronco
I'm just waiting, very impatiently, for season tickets to go on sale.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 11:21 am to thunderbird1100
quote:I was also going to say that Williams is an incredible athlete who can get up and down the court very fast and then jump out the gym. He will be a popular player with the crowd with his dunks. I have seen him catch rebounds with one hand high above the rim and throw it down. Needless to say we will have some plays where we throw him a high lob and let him slam it.
Reid is still the best overall effort level or not (most skilled in the class) and you're confusing Days with Williams who has the big time motor.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 11:43 am to Tom Bronco
quote:
CWW's biggest problem will be rotations and who gets the playing time.
You say “problem,” I say luxury. I’ve said before and will continue to say that one of the biggest assets Wade has with this roster, besides the depth of talent, is the diversity of talent. Wade has a roster, which is critical to today’s game that will allow him to matchup with just about any type of opposing roster. If an opponent likes to play “big,” and is good at it, then Wade has the frontcourt to compete. If an opponent goes “small,” then LSU has the players at 1-3/4 to play that style as well. And of course, Wade has the talent level to dictate to many of the opponents the style that LSU wants to play as opposed to simply reacting to the other team’s game plan.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 11:45 am to thunderbird1100
quote:
Reid is still the best overall effort level or not (most skilled in the class) and you're confusing Days with Williams who has the big time motor.
The thing that is intriguing about Reid (and why NBA scouts like him) is that he has guard-like skills for a really big man. However, I hesitate to say he is the best "all around" player until I see him defend and rebound. Certainly his size alone should allow him to be effective in those areas around the rim, but will he play with the effort to be great on that side of the ball? We won't know until November. You have to be good on both ends of the court to be a great all around player IMO.
I can see why someone might think Days is the best "all around" player. He doesn't wow you with pure athleticism (like E. Williams) but he just finds ways to get the ball in the basket. He can score inside and out at 6'6'/6'7 and can step out and guard a wing. He also has enough size to help defend inside. He might not do one thing great. But he does everything well.
Reid clearly has the highest ceiling because his size/skill combination is rare. I'm just not sold yet on if he will fully buy in defensively.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 11:50 am to TigerIT
quote:
I'm just waiting, very impatiently, for season tickets to go on sale.
I'm curious to see how much attendance goes up. I've had two season tickets since Trent Johnson's second year and it's always up for the big games. I just wonder how it will be for the rest of them. That's part of the reason I was disappointed with the home OOC schedule.
Posted on 6/19/18 at 1:00 pm to MoneyShot
before the end of the season , BB tickets will be as scarce as hen's teeth .
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