I think you're confusing aggressiveness with good defense. I like the energy naz brings when he comes in, and I think at certain points in the game there's a time to be aggressive on d, but he picks up a lot of fouls when he doesn't need to by being overly aggressive. I think Thomas is already a better defender than Scott c was as a senior, and on the offensive side I like how selective he his with 4 other very capable scorers on the court.
Should Morris Start Over Thomas?
- Thread starter isucy86
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I think you're confusing aggressiveness with good defense. I like the energy naz brings when he comes in, and I think at certain points in the game there's a time to be aggressive on d, but he picks up a lot of fouls when he doesn't need to by being overly aggressive. I think Thomas is already a better defender than Scott c was as a senior, and on the offensive side I like how selective he his with 4 other very capable scorers on the court.
I think you're confusing average defense with bad defense.
I never said Naz was a good defender, but Thomas is our worse perimeter defender.
I choose to disagree with your defensive analysis just as I choose to disagree with the people that think the only freshman ranking in the top 10 in the big 12 in shooting % is struggling.
Why do you believe Thomas saw more time on the bench against Iowa, Akron, and even BSU?
Thomas, MM, and Long are all pretty much the same and I anticipate that their playing time to continue to converge.
Thomas opens up shots and driving/passing lanes that we don't even realize in the flow of the game. The other team's scouting report says don't leave #21 or give him any space. One of these days they're going to have to help off of Thomas and that's when he goes off. He's top 10 (#9) in the B12 in 3pt percentage and he's barely even scratched the surface yet
I am very high on SDW I think he's got a motor and size to be a weapon on both ends of the court.
Matt needs to move his feey better on defense. He tends to jab quickly out to his man on defense and this catches him in a spot with poor balance allowing his man to get a step on him. His defense away from the ball is much better.
Let matt start but get SDW about 5 more min a game or so.
Matt needs to move his feey better on defense. He tends to jab quickly out to his man on defense and this catches him in a spot with poor balance allowing his man to get a step on him. His defense away from the ball is much better.
Let matt start but get SDW about 5 more min a game or so.
When every recruiting service was talking about Matt Thomas being the best pure shooter in the class, I was probably expecting too much. I thought Jake Sullivan. He is not that. Jake shot nearly 45% from behind the arc his freshman year. Now the distance wasn't quite that great, but wow. And Kane can do for Thomas what Tinsley did for Sullivan. Thomas is just not quite the dagger shooter I thought we landed. I see him spot up and shoot thinking this is it, then clank. He seems to make in non-critical situations, while I would give the ball to Kane if we had to have a 3 at any given time.
He is making shots but he isn't taking shots. I think he has played well he just needs to get the shooters mentality that McGee or others had. While I don't want him to take bad shots I don't want him to pass up good shots. He is to conservative he needs to move towards the middle.
Is being #9 in 3pt % really that impressive in a 10 team league when your role is to be the knock down shooter on the team?
Hopefully the return to Hilton and a friendly matchup in Lubbock is just what he needs. We have a tough 1st month Big 12 schedule and need him to play well. Hopefully Naz has time to grow the faux hawk back too!
Hopefully the return to Hilton and a friendly matchup in Lubbock is just what he needs. We have a tough 1st month Big 12 schedule and need him to play well. Hopefully Naz has time to grow the faux hawk back too!
Lol I had to laugh at this a bit. Did you not see Boise State give Kane like 5 feet of space and dare him to shoot it most the game? No good team would play like that to a guy who is a consistently good 3pt shooter (Made 5 total prior to the game) Granted, he made them pay but that's because he was ****** nobody was guarding him and knew he had to knock a few down. Kane is not known for his 3pt shooting.
Also, how do you draw conclusions on a freshman who is just getting his career started and compare him to a four year player in Jake Sullivan?
Easy, by comparing Matt's freshman year to Jake's freshman year. Even as a freshman Jake was fearless.
See above for retort. Matt doesn't look confident taking the shots, at the 3 point line or the foul line for that matter, as evidenced by his poor FT%. A timid shooter is not a good thing in my book. Dustin Hogue should not be making a better percentage of his FT.
I can see comparing player's mentalities. I do think that having a fearless attitude as a shooter is important and something Matt needs to build on.
However, to compare freshman seasons through Matt's first 11 games is unfair. Thomas plays on a near top 10 team that hasn't lost a game yet with leaders such as Kane, Ejim, Niang.. etc. I'm going to wait until the end of the season, let alone until we get into conference play, before I jump to any conclusions on a player's ability. Especially one that has as pure of a shot as Thomas has.
If anything, it is unfavorable to Jake, not Matt. As has been popular here in masking our shooting, Jake's numbers include Big 12 play, whereas Matt's sample is inflated by only including the easiest part of the schedule. Matt's numbers could increase in conference play, but it is unlikely, at least enough to raise his numbers to the first year % of past shooters.
If you think Matt playing on a team that has not lost yet with a bunch of leaders is not different than Jake, you must be south of 16.
No one is saying Thomas should not play. A lot of recent freshman have come in and looked worse, but a lot of recent ones have looked better. A big part of that is the fact his meal-ticket is, and will be, elite shooting.
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Oh, great. Facts. Now what will we have to complain about? I know . . . why didn't you post these facts long ago?
Jake played on a much different team with different needs for scoring. I think you all are making way too much of this. I know this is tiring, but Hoiberg knows what he is doing, especially in the guard court. The people that we have on the team this year, the depth of talent, proves that. I still think if we have a problem this year, it isn't going to be in the guard court, we are much more vulnerable inside due to fouls.
Let's just say that Jake Sullivan was the exception, not the rule. Jake had a disorder (OCD) that contributed to his exceptional play right out of the gate. I'm not worried about Thomas getting there. I'm also not concerned about Fred giving a freshman the leeway to be a freshman.
Consider this: Fred is known for matchups. Maybe he should also be known for the combinations he puts on the floor. Perhaps he is starting one of his two freshmen he needs to contribute significant minutes so that he doesn't have both of the freshmen coming off the bench. It is easier to separate their minutes (that is have them on the floor together the least amount of time) if one comes off the bench and one starts on the floor. Many have stated, but it bears stating again; starting matters little, minutes matter more and many guys are getting significant minutes.
Consider this: Fred is known for matchups. Maybe he should also be known for the combinations he puts on the floor. Perhaps he is starting one of his two freshmen he needs to contribute significant minutes so that he doesn't have both of the freshmen coming off the bench. It is easier to separate their minutes (that is have them on the floor together the least amount of time) if one comes off the bench and one starts on the floor. Many have stated, but it bears stating again; starting matters little, minutes matter more and many guys are getting significant minutes.