re: I really wish Brandon Sampson had stayed

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Mays is just so out of control sometimes and isn’t a great shooter.

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Mays was really no worse a shooter than anyone else on the team last year that returned this year. He shot 35% from 3, Waters was 35%, Edwards 37%.

He also was definitely more in control than many others, including Waters. So while Mays maybe had memorable charge calls, it's not like he was playing more out of control than Waters was. Waters had a turnover every 11.4 minutes to Mays 1 every 18.3 minutes. Naturally the primary ball handler will have most turnovers, but it still shows Mays really wasn't "out of control" very often. It seemed to come in spurts and that's what sticks in people's minds (2 or 3 charge calls in 1 game, but then wouldn't have one for 5 games after that).

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He also was definitely more in control than many others, including Waters. So while Mays maybe had memorable charge calls, it's not like he was playing more out of control than Waters was.

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I don't know if I would go that far. When Mays was the primary ball-handler on a possession many times he was a black hole and ball movement was largely non-existent. He would just dribble to try to create a lane for himself, or eventually someone else. The problem is LSU was easy to guard in that setting because the ball never moved.

Still, Mays does have enough savvy to create driving lanes. Unfortunately, what people remember most was the numerous missed chances right at the rim. I think that has something to do with the fact that he's just not quite an explosive athlete. He could get to the rim, but didn't have that late explosion to consistent finish.

Now, I think he is still a very vital part of the team. He's tough. Plays hard and isn't afraid to take a big shot. On more than a few occasions last year he buried a 3 when LSU absolutely needed a bucket. I also think he's a great example to the other players. There are FAR worse guys you can have on your team than Mays. He's has some deficiencies, but ultimately makes you a better team.

Mays problem was partly tunnel vision and not simply lack of control. When he made the decision to go to the rim, there didn’t seem to be a backup plan. I think that’s why it was easy to draw a charge against Mays. I think that will improve this year as the game slows down for him.

100% agree I think the kid got some grit to him and is going to defend.

If WE defend WE WIN!

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Mays was really no worse a shooter than anyone else on the team last year that returned this year. He shot 35% from 3, Waters was 35%, Edwards 37%.

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Waters is so much better overall though, so the shooting is negated and Waters will improve, he was a freshman.

Mays would constantly drive to the lane and not finish well. Someone mentioned tunnel vision and I think that's accurate.

I like Mays and pumped to have him back, so don't get me wrong. I just think Waters and Javonte are both much better all around basketball players. Just my opinion, they'll all play a ton.

Sampson had trouble getting minutes when he came back from injury last year
At this point, it's time to give those minutes to the newcomers like Smart

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Sampson realized he would’ve been a role player at best

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but this doesn't have to be the case. if he had played up to his potential this past year, he could be an absolute star this year

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I like Mays and pumped to have him back, so don't get me wrong. I just think Waters and Javonte are both much better all around basketball players. Just my opinion, they'll all play a ton.

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Here is the trap that I believe most fans fall into when evaluating basketball players. A few posters have said that they feel Smart is the better all-around player compared to Mays. However, when most people make this kind of statement and the statements used to back it up, it is in reference to their offensive game, never mentioning the defensive game or ability to rebound on both sides of the ball. When looking at the offensive game, it is likely Smart does have the better all-around game compared to Mays, although I'm not sure that can be said at this present moment. But Smart certainly has the higher ceiling. But I don't believe I read much on Smart as being known for his defensive prowess or rebounding in high school/AAU ball. Does he have the athletic ability and work ethic to become good at defense, I certainly believe he does; but comparatively at this moment and time, you cannot dismiss the fact that Mays has 2 years of starter level experience playing in the SEC compared to Smart's 0. Mays was averaging nearly 2 steals/gm towards end of season last year (equal to that of Waters who was near top of the conference) and becoming a dependable defensive player. He also rebounds well for a guard on both sides of the ball. Additionally, his ability (or inability) to "finish at the rim" and "playing out of control" gets overblown. And I'll admit, I was one of those fans who has said that about him in the past. But as Thunder said, we tend to focus on something when a player has had a run or string of doing it, disregarding the several games after where the problem doesn't exist. The myth of Mays not finishing comes from the first 7 games in conference play last year, where he had a string of horrible games in that aspect (33% bad). However, we forget that he was nearly 75% in non-conference play at finishing at the rim, which is an elite level stat. Plus, the next 5 games after those bad conference ones, he was 87.5% finishing and continued at a high percentage through the remainder of the season. So Mays is not as bad at finishing as most fans think he is (myself included at one time) and he will likely see another increase in shooting percentage this year with continued focus and practice on it.

At the end of the day, offense was not LSU's problem last year (they were 3rd in PPG and 6th in FG%), nor will it likely be an issue this year. Defense was the problem and is something that will need to be corrected this year. Experience and a willingness/desire to be a strong defensive player is what makes a team great at defense, not just athletic ability. We all believe Wade has found players that possess that desire to be good at it; but the experience to be great still has to be developed for the new players. This is what will likely put Mays in a position to start over Smart, especially at the beginning of the season, b/c Mays has the experience, offensive game, defensive game, and rebounding to make him a truer all-around player at this point. But as has been said many times on here, Mays and Smart likely finish the season averaging around the same amount of minutes/game; so it doesn't really matter which of them starts.

He was injured last year.. and I don’t think Sampson would’ve started this year, who the hell do you start him over??