I think Keels is in a position where he could get a big boost to his draft stock if he came back. He’s really more of a guard than a true wing. But he’s not great at anything the NBA wants guards to do these days. If he learns from Wendell Moore, he could get better and become a late lottery pick. He’s in a different position than someone like DJ Steward who wasn’t likely to improve his draft position, and also had better players coming in behind him. Keels can improve and if he comes back, he’s probably playing 35 min/gm next year.
GG Jackson….
- Thread starter bmbritt
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Completely agree. He could make some NIL money, come back, improve his shooting stats as well as improve his draft position. Doubt it happens, but I think it's worth pointing it out to him.
I hate the thought of players leaving not when ready. Most get lost in the shuffle or be G-League bound for life. Hurt and DJ imo are lifers of the g league or will be overseas players very soon... even more so Cassius Stanley. Even though he's on a roster I think he isnt a significant piece and will be shipped out whenever the team feels it benefits them. The NIL will benefit Keels and Moore so much. I've already been seeing both of different ads on Instagram... Moore is in a better position than Keels with the nba. Keels still needs more work. Both do imo. Plus If I'm Moore, I worked this hard, I would want my SENIOR DAY. THATS an HONOR I would love to have.
IMHO the NIL money is the only thing that might keep Keels around. I am not so sure he's all that interested in staying around though. It's just a hunch I guess, but it just feels like he is leaving no matter what just the way DJ and Hurt and others have. He's a very talented player, and I love his toughness. I would welcome him back for sure.
I would love Keels or Moore back. Conventional wisdom says say both go; but you never know. Keels did get to make the Final Four and experience that, so you have to wonder if he wants to start over with a new coach and a younger team. Moore could come back as well; he could improve his draft stock if he plays all next year like he did the first semester. But Moore is projecting late first round; who have we had that has come back when that was the case? Keels is projected second round but my gut says he's hell bent on declaring. Hope I'm wrong. I don't see either lasting in the league to be honest.
They're both gone, Chris. The sooner we all accept this the better. The entirety of our rotation is gone. Next year is going to be rough if we don't hit the transfer portal, and hard.
I just hate hearing "they have to go" for guys like Hurt and Stanley, and then they drop off the face of the earth. Keels may be like that.
I agree, Moore I’m really worried about never making the league
I know Hurt did not play great defense. But him scoring 15 a game off the bench would make us unbeatable and probably would result in him drafted. Oh what could have been.
Moore is predicted as an early to late first round pick he will make the league .
He’s a solid two way player .
Re: Moore I don't get all this "he's a 3 and D stud" talk. But I'm not a scout. He did improve this year, but he's pretty raw even after 3 years. Tended to fade into the woodwork at big moments. (We never saw a repeat of his freshman UNC heroics) He looked elite against lesser competition. Love to see him come back and work on his game, but if he's late first round I guess he has to go. I will be his biggest fan if he returns, but will understand if he goes. He did give us 3 years. Seems more like a guy who drops to the second round; he's hardly a sure thing for the NBA.
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As a junior Moore couldn’t outplay the guards for UNC, neither of which have yet to show up on NBA Mock Draft boards.
First, let me say I will be very surprised if Keels does come back. Having said that, there are some important differences between him and guys like Steward/Hurt.
1. Keels can definitely improve his stock by coming back. Right now, he has an NBA body but not NBA game. Hurt especially doesn’t have the physical attributes necessary to play in the league today.
2. There’s not a recruit coming in that will take his minutes away. Hurt wasn’t better than Paolo or Mark. He could’ve been the first big off the bench, but I think Theo fit that role better.
Having said that, I still think Keels leaves and spends a couple years in the G League.
1. Keels can definitely improve his stock by coming back. Right now, he has an NBA body but not NBA game. Hurt especially doesn’t have the physical attributes necessary to play in the league today.
2. There’s not a recruit coming in that will take his minutes away. Hurt wasn’t better than Paolo or Mark. He could’ve been the first big off the bench, but I think Theo fit that role better.
Having said that, I still think Keels leaves and spends a couple years in the G League.
Moore guarded a lot out of position and was asked to guard more then one position.
Give me Moore when he only has to stick to his player any day of the week . If y’all are saying Keels will go before Moore y’all need to watch more NBA . Moore is also a glue guy and not so much a leader on the floor .
Give me Moore when he only has to stick to his player any day of the week . If y’all are saying Keels will go before Moore y’all need to watch more NBA . Moore is also a glue guy and not so much a leader on the floor .
if Moore was our defensive guy why didnt we put him on Love for the second half? before he hit 22 pts in that half...Id rather we recruit a 3* player at PG who is quick off the dribble, can defend and can drive the ball to the basket and something to prove...most of the teams we play have a PG that can do that and gives us fits...we go for the scoring guard who is one dimensional the past few years. Probably just me but incoming recruits who are HS all stars seem to underachieve vs their hype for the most part. Give me one less star in the ranking and one more chip on their shoulder...those kids would be great
Because he was helping off with Manek and Davis and was are second highest rebounded that game next to Paolo. IMO Duke asked Moore to do to much and put him in a role he’s never had to play which is leader. It’s roaches team next year and I think he will build off this season but he’s not in a much better situation with all freshman coming in .
Moore is a great defender is right up there with Keels is a great shooter as the biggest head scratchers for me. Is he a decent defender? Yes. Is he better than our other guards? Yes, but not saying much. Is he an NBA level defender? No. But we never could get stops when we really needed to this year, despite having mark who was an elite rim protector. We had an elite offense which was enough to get us to the FF.
How so on Moore ? He only has to guard two spot in the league and that’s sg to pg . He doesn’t have to be the leader of the team doesn’t have to do more then he’s asked. You put an awful lot on Moore when no one else on the team could stop anyone that includes Paolo.
Moore has showed that he’s more then capable to shut down his man . We will see but I’ll agree to disagree on Moore and as far as Keels being called a great shooter. I never remember anyone but posters on here saying it the most . Keels was always know for trying to improve his three point shot and working getting to the basket . I remember both Brian and Clint saying they didn’t see a great shooter in Keels but the potential to be one .
Coach K said Keels was a great shooter several times. Maybe in practice he is. Not picking on Moore, i like him, I just don't think he has an NBA skillset. But the scouts think he does, or has the potential, so it doesn't matter what I think. He certainly has good size and length. Part of it is selfish; i want him back. But I also hate seeing our guys leave early every year and then wash out. Banchero is the only sure thing. Williams and AJ need to go, due to being first round locks, but I am unsure they will last in the NBA. I suppose AJ will, but that UNC game he looked scared.
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Which game ? Cameron or the final four? If Keels was such a great shooter it was in practice only ! Moore could have left after his freshman year but returned for two more. I think the nonstop roster turn over with him one of only possibly two upperclassman makes him make the jump to the league
if the staff compiles recent early entries and their outcomes vs players who have stayed and improved their pro careers ( Duke or otherwise) they would have a compelling argument for AJ/Keels/Moore to stay and improve their games
In all honest , I do believe Moore benefits the most coming back. With Whitehead and Mitchell coming in at SF’s and should Duke get a transfer big that allows him to stick to the pg/sg spot. If Scheyer is as high on Blake’s as he was saying early in the season with Schutt that’s more then enough to keep him fresh . But that also depends how Scheyer coaches .
Agreed but Ironically, Whitehead and Moore are very identical players. Both excellent defenders. Whitehead I think was playing PG for Monteverde this season and do a little of everything like Wendell. Both are identical in terms of shooting percentages. Never thought about it this way but Moore not coming back, we are literally getting the same exact player in Whitehead.
and the more I think about it, Keels may be the most important to return (assuming Roach does). Both not happening though I’m sure.
Except Whitehead is more athletic. I’d rather Whitehead stay at sf and Moore play sg . Why wouldn’t Roach return? It’s his team next season.
they aren’t identical at all. Whitehead is known for his offense and he did bring the ball up but he didn’t play pg. that’s another issue . Having players play out of position. Mitchell will be needed in the frontcourt should Duke not get a big man transfer and by frontcourt I mean pf . I’m trying to be smart about not wanting four freshman starting and Roach.
RE: Whitehead/Moore being similar - I see where you’re coming from but respectfully disagree. Both can play multiple positions, both great defenders, same FT %, most likely same shooting numbers, both have developing shots, both can slash, both athletic enough to play 35 mins a game, both high IQ, etc. Whitehead is not “known for his offense” - he’s actually known for his versatility, excellent defense, and developing offense. Nothing personal at all just my thoughts. If I had to guess, Dariq will be a 15/5/5 guy next year for us.
Agree on everything else. My Roach comment was poorly worded, fully expected him back but my context was lacking a little. Lastly, Mitchell would excel at the 4 spot if needed.
I watched Whitehead play his last two games and wasn’t wowed by his defense. The two coming into college Moore was bigger mass more college ready .the difference is Whitehead comes in as a sg/sf where Moore was simply the tallest person on his team at sf and people worried about how long it would take him to adjust at the college level and I don’t think we have seen Moore play at his highest potential. The thing about Whitehead and Mitchell for this point is that they are thin . They will need speed to get away with having to play physical at the college level.
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You’re absolutely right. Wasn’t wowed by his D either in the Geico Nationals. And he does have more twitch to his game than Wendell does. For some reason though I just see his numbers/impact similar to Dell’s junior season. Feels like his IQ will make up for being a freshman. Hell I hope he goes for 20 a game here. Time will tell!
Being a glass half full type of guy (not really) I’ll say this.
the UNC loss does not bother me as much as some . This isn’t a knock on Hubert Davis, think he’s a great person and will be a good Coach but these UNC players are still Roy’s ( I’ll give Hubert Manek but he’s a grad transfer) I want to see when he has four to five freshman.
jon is in the best case scenario outside of only having Roach and Blake’s being the only possible players returning . The incoming class is his , they will play his style of play . It’s on him to show what he can do .
the UNC loss does not bother me as much as some . This isn’t a knock on Hubert Davis, think he’s a great person and will be a good Coach but these UNC players are still Roy’s ( I’ll give Hubert Manek but he’s a grad transfer) I want to see when he has four to five freshman.
jon is in the best case scenario outside of only having Roach and Blake’s being the only possible players returning . The incoming class is his , they will play his style of play . It’s on him to show what he can do .
People called me a liar all day but…. 99 hurt worse for me
Me too. It’s gonna be what it is now Scheyer has some things to accomplish before the new frosh hit campus .
99 will always be the worst to me. I've made it no secret that is my favorite team ever. We were far and away the best team in the country, although UConn was pretty good as well. Brand and Battier are my two favorite players ever. There was just something about that team, and it came after some rough years in the mid 90's.
That 98 team was good. If Brand had not broken his foot, I think we cut the nets down. I know he played but he was not as dominant as he was earlier in the year. Brand was like Zion the first part of his freshman year. Just a force.
GG Jackson gets a second offer from Frank Martin
Former South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin is making a push for Jackson to come be the face of UMass hoops.
www.wltx.com
I’m hoping Roach, Moore and potentially Keels stays. I don’t see Keels jumping back up into the 1st round because he had 3 good half’s of play in the NCAA tournament. Think he’s a 2nd round pick, and if he comes back next year then he’s got a starting job at SG and continues to play with Roach.
Sounds like GG Jackson is definitely going to the Tarheels, however McKenzie Mgbako is making his commitment in the next week and all signs point to Duke with his final 4 schools are Duke, UK, OSU, and Memphis. Depending on what Jackson does from a reclassification perspective, Mgbako could be the new #1 recruit. On a side note, if we land Mgbako then we should have one hell of a shot at landing Nasir Cunningham who is Mgbako’s teammate.
