Should Morris Start Over Thomas?

[Thompsonclone]

Thomas has been good in all the games that there was no hype. He has been bad in all the games with a lot of hype, except for the 2nd half of the BYU game. He also is a defensive liability IMO.

He is averaging 12.8 ppg and shooting 17/34(50%) in games against UNC Wilmington, Texas A&M-CC, UMKC, and Auburn.

He is averaging 6.0 ppg and shooting 9/28(32%) in games against Michigan, BYU, UNI, and Iowa.


Monte is the same way. Playing well in games with no hype and not playing well in games with a lot of hype. He takes great care of the ball, and like someone else said we need a PG that comes off the bench in case Kane needs a blow or gets in foul trouble.

He is averaging 10.8 ppg and shooting 11/23(48%) in games against UNC Wilmington, Texas A&M-CC, UMKC, and Auburn.

He is averaging 3.0 ppg and shooting 4/16(25%) in games against Michigan, BYU, UNI, and Iowa.


Naz on the other hand is playing great in games with little hype, and playing well in games with a lot of hype. He also plays above average defense and he hit big time shots in the Michigan and Iowa games.


He is averaging 11.5 ppg and shooting 16/26(62%) in games against UNC Wilmington, Texas A&M-CC, UMKC, and Auburn.


He is averaging 9.3 ppg and shooting 12/23(52%) in games against Michigan, BYU, UNI, and Iowa.



At this point I think it's a no brainer that Naz should be starting.

Naz had 5 points against BYU and 3 against UNI. Not sure I'd include those when saying he averaged 9.3 against those 4. Basically he only played well in 2/4. Thomas played good at BYU and was a little better than Long against UNI. I'm not ready to say Naz plays above average defense. He gets beat to the hoop a lot. Thomas has been more consistent in his points per game. Thomas has 5 games where he was in double digits and Long has 4. Thomas has also been a much better rebounder. Going forward who do you think has a better chance of maintaining this/improving? Answer is Thomas. Long is at such a high percentage right now that he's due to fall a little bit. Thomas on the other hand hasn't even got into his groove yet. I like Long and he's been great but we are 8-0 and I see absolutely no reason to change what we've been doing.

 

[CloneCone10]

Long starting over Thomas makes more sense to me. But I like how it is now just fine.

Long is so much more comfortable than Thomas, I'd be surprised if he doesn't get at least a start out at this tournament there going to

 

[moforisu]

Thomas just needs to relax and let it fly when open. That's what we need him to do. If he's not going to take the open shot then I think Fred will sit him like he did against Iowa. Not quick enough to guard the perimeter. Either way I think he will be ok in the long run and look forward to his 4yrs as a Cyclone.

 

[trevn]

Thomas is a solid player that is just searching for some consistency in his shot. He usually makes the safe/smart play and you can tell he has a high basketball IQ. This team doesn't NEED him to be spectacular most nights. They just need him to make the smart plays and knock down shots when he's open.

Morris is great at the backup PG role and his minutes will get more important as the season unfolds because Kane will definitely find himself in foul trouble.

Naz is a great spark off the bench and seems to be the only person to hit the 3 consistently, but he sometimes gets too amped up and out of control. I like Naz as the 6th man.

So you've got a great 6th man in Naz and much needed depth at the PG position with Monte. Thomas is the easy choice to be the 5th starter then.

 

[CycloneVet]

MT will be fine, needs to get a slightly quicker release (he will), he seems not quite used to the quicker closeouts of D1 defenders. Once he gets that he will light it up. Remember when Niang didnt start last years Iowa game but had a great game, i feel MT will do that soon. He needs gym time and will get it with this long break.

 

[MIClone]

I could definitely see starting Naz or Morris over Thomas right now, given how they are playing. But I think you need to be really cautious in making a change like that. It is clear that Thomas has the skills, he just seems to lack the confidence. At some point, he is just going to GO OFF. If you "punish" him by sitting him, you might shake his confidence even more. But then again, maybe you'll turn on a hunger and he'll play a little more aggressively. It is hard to tell. Certainly Fred is in the best position to determine what is best, and I think we all trust him to do that. The great thing is that we have 7 players that I could totally see starting right now.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

Why are people ripping on Thomas. No one is bashing Kane cause he only scored 5 or whatever it was. Thomas had a steal for an assist and a steal for a run out lay up. He crossed over out of double teams, 0 turn overs he played fine. Leave the kid alone.

 

[Rural]

Fred's got this.

 

[MontanaClone]

Thomas played fine against Iowa, they exposed his defense a little but he certainly wasn't the only one I could say that about. My opinion on the OP is no, leave the rotation as it is, because as many of you have said, we need MT to build his confidence, not have it shaken. Say he doesn't start...he's the first or second off the bench in the rotation, so he still has to play meaningful minutes, and Fred would be asking him to do it after being demoted from the lineup early in his freshman season. Keep starting him, keep Naz as the instant-offense type off the bench, and let Matt continue to adapt to the high-major pace of play.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Why are people ripping on Thomas. No one is bashing Kane cause he only scored 5 or whatever it was. Thomas had a steal for an assist and a steal for a run out lay up. He crossed over out of double teams, 0 turn overs he played fine. Leave the kid alone.

I'm going to end up regretting that I posted this I think, but....

Judging by how some posters here talk about how Iowa has a bunch of white guys when talking about how we're better, I wouldn't be surprised if some posters just assume Thomas isn't as good because of that. I'm not saying that is the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Some people think that white basketball player somehow equals inferior talent.

I think Monte will be great for us in the future, but I think he makes a lot more freshman mistakes than Thomas does as well.

 

[Wesley]

Thomas is averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and only .6 turnovers while playing 27.9 minutes per game and people want a change? All Thomas needs to do to be even better is shoot it without hesitating. For whatever reason he doesn't seem confident yet and he's still averaging almost 10 points per game. Thomas should and will continue to start.

Statwise MM is doing better per 40 minutes than MT. The intangibles about helping the team cannot be categorized as easily.That said, NL is doing more than either of them as he shoots less but for a better percentage. Worse free throw shooters are NL, MT, TE, and SDW.

 

[Wesley]

MT will be fine, needs to get a slightly quicker release (he will), he seems not quite used to the quicker closeouts of D1 defenders. Once he gets that he will light it up. Remember when Niang didnt start last years Iowa game but had a great game, i feel MT will do that soon. He needs gym time and will get it with this long break.

He needs to establish how he can fake the three, drive to middle and shoot mid range. He then becomes more aggressive. He can do that, he just needs to take more chances.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Statwise MM is doing better per 40 minutes than MT. The intangibles about helping the team cannot be categorized as easily.That said, NL is doing more than either of them as he shoots less but for a better percentage. Worse free throw shooters are NL, MT, TE, and SDW.

It's so crazy that arguably, three of those four are our best 3 point shooters.

 

[Clonefan32]

This is not at all an indictment on how Matt has played, as I think he has played great, but at some point I think Fred may need to look at a different starting lineup to avoid the slow start. It seems like every game we find ourselves down 7-10 points right off the bat. If these starters can't set the tone a little better Fred may need to think about mixing it up a bit.

 

[erikbj]

Thomas will start 4 years at ISU as well he should.

Book it.

Next year may be a question mark.............If Nadar and McKay are as good as advertised and we find a way to land RV. Thomas may be coming off the bench............but that is a REALLY GOOD problem to have.

 

[CoachK]

Morris is good driving to the basketball and distributing the ball. But I believe for the Cyclones to reach there full potential, Thomas has to be that other guy we look to too knock down a 3. I know Ejim and Georges can knock em down but you don't want those taken 3's as a majority of there shots. Nas #1 3 point threat and hopefully Thomas can be the #2.

 

[Gibbon]

As others have probably stated, Thomas gives our starting 5 a more dynamic personality than does Morris starting. Monte may be playing better so far this season as a freshman, but I think we need Thomas's 3-point aptitude in the lineup to start the game. Also, Kane is our best guard, and Monte's game is a little too similar to his for them to both be on the floor at the same time, IMO.

 

[jkclone]

Why are people ripping on Thomas. No one is bashing Kane cause he only scored 5 or whatever it was. Thomas had a steal for an assist and a steal for a run out lay up. He crossed over out of double teams, 0 turn overs he played fine. Leave the kid alone.

I think both are good and we probably won't and shouldn't see a change unless it is to get rid of the slow starts. The reason people are ripping on Thomas is not because of his performance but more because he will be open for three but won't take it. I would rather see him taking to many bad shots than not taking the shots. You have to take it to make it. Eventually he will get it figured out, but he is really laking the confidence to take the shots right now and that is a liability.

 

[19210]

I think at this point Morris should get the nod. He adds that extra speed and can make things happen with his quickness and ability to see the floor, which leads to assists.

I don't remember his assist to turnover ratio, but some of our passes are really lazy.

This might take some pressure off Thomas and let him be a great sixth man that can find his groove behind the arch.

 

[State43]

I think at this point Morris should get the nod. He adds that extra speed and can make things happen with his quickness and ability to see the floor, which leads to assists.

I don't remember his assist to turnover ratio, but some of our passes are really lazy.

This might take some pressure off Thomas and let him be a great sixth man that can find his groove behind the arch.

His 0 points and multiple missed wide open 3s cemented it for me....
he offers nothing Thomas can't provide with exception to defense. He can nab some steals.