I may be in the minority but I think Chet is going to struggle when they start playing teams like Duke and UCLA that has guys who can break Chet in half with a hard screen. Don’t think Texas or Alabama has the size to really beat up on Chet because the limited bigs they have will be focused on Timme. Both us and UCLA have multiple guys to run at both Timme and Chet. Looking forward to that game. Williams will need to start stepping up or Theo will get the starting gig to let Williams get a little healthier.
Keels(DUKE) is a mismatch every game...
- Thread starter jamsession3
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Paolo and Keels one could argue are better than that duo. At least right now. Hell I think they are better than that duo. Keels is as tough as Zion but can shoot and handle the ball. Along with his great pressure defense. I mean….Paolo is, well better than RJ in everything lol… with the size advantage! We also got to many guys that can hit 3s to be that team. We also just proved we can beat a pretty damn good Kentucky team being Kentucky with them hitting 3s and us not hitting 3s! 😂Gonna be tough to beat us if these refs continue to let college kids play…real tough
Shooting lights out….and never coming close again. Nowhere close to the same type of game lol. This Kentucky last night would have beat that Kentucky by 20 .Zion’s team also proved they could beat Kentucky
held Tre relentlessly in that game, that’s why he came back for his sophomore season to have covid end it smh
Say when AJ gets healthy, does he stay as a bench guy or does he enter the starting lineup. If he joins the starting lineup, who does he replace?
Id assume Roach right? Especially if his 3pt shot doesnt start falling soon. Its not like we relied on Roach to run the offense against UK, he is also the biggest weakness when it comes to the defensive end, mainly because of his size compared to the rest of the guys. Its also very obvious K loves Moore it seems like Moore is going to essentially be our PG this year. I could see a starting lineup of
Williams
Paolo
AJ
Keels
Moore
Being a terrifying lineup for college teams. The size, strength and athleticism with that lineup is ridiculous. The defense with that lineup has best in the country written all over it. The 3pt shooting is the biggest question mark, but again not really sure we lose any 3pt shooting ability with AJ coming in for Roach. If we arent going to use Roach as a PG on offense, I think this could end up being our best starting lineup.
Id assume Roach right? Especially if his 3pt shot doesnt start falling soon. Its not like we relied on Roach to run the offense against UK, he is also the biggest weakness when it comes to the defensive end, mainly because of his size compared to the rest of the guys. Its also very obvious K loves Moore it seems like Moore is going to essentially be our PG this year. I could see a starting lineup of
Williams
Paolo
AJ
Keels
Moore
Being a terrifying lineup for college teams. The size, strength and athleticism with that lineup is ridiculous. The defense with that lineup has best in the country written all over it. The 3pt shooting is the biggest question mark, but again not really sure we lose any 3pt shooting ability with AJ coming in for Roach. If we arent going to use Roach as a PG on offense, I think this could end up being our best starting lineup.
I personally would keep AJ as our 6th man/energy guy. If Roach gets benched he would lose his confidence and could effect Keels since they're really close being they played HS together. Also, due to AJ's size and strength , he can come in to guard multiple positions where as Roach can pretty much only guard the PG spot. But if Roach shits the bed against our next couple opponents this weekend and AJ gets back into basketball shape and plays well, then who knows what can happen.
It's early, but Roach looks like a guy who is a year away from putting it all together. Nothing wrong with that, but he looks like he has no idea what to do when he gets in the lane, unless he can lob it to mark. I say go with Keels Moore and AJ, once AJ gets his legs back. Roach can still get 15-20 minutes off the bench as our main guard off the bench. If the light bulb goes on for Roach this changes, but right now he's not playing like a starter on an elite team. Plus Keels can guard and handle, which changes things. Just my 2 cents, but I'm not the coach.
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Right now AJ is more a power forward and Roach looked fine he was just playing against experienced guards .
there really isn’t much you can tell from this game except Duke needs to hit some three’s, hit free throws, Keels is better then most thought and Mark needs to box out and stay confident
there really isn’t much you can tell from this game except Duke needs to hit some three’s, hit free throws, Keels is better then most thought and Mark needs to box out and stay confident
Keels up to 14 in latest mock draft. AJ and Mark late first round. Some are suggesting AJ could benefit from a second season. Would be nice but I assume AJ will show big improvement and then go. Keels and Banchero are the only pros that jump out at me, but its early. AJ has potential, but so far he looks like a rawer Winslow. He could bust out in a big way though.
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Ya to be clear Im not saying Roach is some bust. Sometimes it takes players longer to be impactful players, especially players like Roach who arent physically dominant.
And again this is predicated on a couple things.
1. Roach continues to struggle from the arc
2. It becomes real clear we are doing running the offense by committee.
If those 2 things continue as AJ gets himself into game shape and catches up with everyone else. I just think a more dynamic lineup would be AJ with the 4 locked in starters. If we arent going to use Roach as a PG on offense and he isnt hitting shots from beyond the arc, I just think AJ can probably bring more to the table. Bump Moore to the 1, Keels at the 2, AJ at the 3, Paolo at the 4, and Mark at the 5.
Ya offensively maybe not the most dynamic lineup, but again not sure we are losing anything offensively with AJ in there instead of Roach. But defensively that is a very dynamic lineup. That is best in the country kind of defensive lineup.
Now again if Roach starts to get hot from 3, or we start using him in the more traditional PG role on offense, Im all for keeping AJ as the 6th man. But if Roach continues to be a 30% 3pt shooter on low volume and we run the offense through everyone else. He might be better suited as the 6th man instead of AJ.
Most everyone is confident in Banchero and Keels, and very hopeful in Moore. We also seem solid with our bigs. Our title chance imo, depends on Roach.
Look back on all the title teams. Every one had a really good point guard.
That kind of depends on what we ask from Roach though doesnt it?
I wont be shocked if we dont ask him to run the offense at all this year. I think its pretty clear K trusts Moore the most on this team. He is the Junior, he is the captain, and it seems there is story after story for the talking heads to talk about how much K likes Moore. Add in if Keels is just even 80% of the player we saw against UK, he is going to get plenty of time with the ball in his hands. And I think as the season progresses, Paolo will see more and more time with the ball in his hands running the offense.
Im just not sure there is much of a role for a traditional starting PG with that lineup. I could easily see the scenario where Roach is 4th when it comes to handling the ball, I mean he was essentially the 4th ball handler against UK.
I just think the identity of this team is going to be versatility. Its not going to rely on a traditional PG. That is why I think if AJ can get into game shape and just be 80% of the player many thought he was coming into Duke, I think turning all in on the versatility would be the best way to maximize this team.
Keels being able to handle quicker, smaller guards on the perimeter is huge for us, positively answering one of our biggest questions heading into this season.
Theo's work on both ends, more than adequately taking over for Mark in a matchup that wasn't going our way is also huge for us going forward. Again, positively answering another question mark we had going into this season. Kept Mark from fouling out and let Paolo stay at the 4, where he was the mismatch instead of him having to fight Oscar.
Theo's work on both ends, more than adequately taking over for Mark in a matchup that wasn't going our way is also huge for us going forward. Again, positively answering another question mark we had going into this season. Kept Mark from fouling out and let Paolo stay at the 4, where he was the mismatch instead of him having to fight Oscar.
How was Keels rated that low in high school? He was known as a shooter; with that frame he could penetrate at will against high school guys. Seems like a top 10 guy to me. Not that it matters now. Plus he has elite athleticism. Steward looks like a little kid in comparison.
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His body wasn’t built that strong in high school. He still had a bunch off baby fat like Zion did coming out. It will be curious to see if his long distance shooting stays as a strong point for him. Seems like some guys who put a bunch of muscle on over a short time struggle with their shot. Obviously, Keels medium and short range shooting is still solid. Curious to see how he looks against Army.
