I am not sure he won't help us win a game or two this year.
I was going to wait a few games for this comparison but what the hell - see some Hoiberg in him.
*** Official MVSU vs #5 IOWA STATE Game(Day) Thread ***
- Thread starter CycloneRulzzz
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I was going to wait a few games for this comparison but what the hell - see some Hoiberg in him.
One of the first things I noticed about Fred was that it looked like he belonged there the moment he stepped on the court. Nojus has that same air about him. He has skills that definitely translate to this level and is physically ready too.
Our new bigs struggled a little with their defensive rotations. We need to clean that up if we are gong to trap like previous years.
Ya he's ready to help now but imagine him with a year in the weight room. He already drives the lane pretty hard. Gonna be some serious dunking in his future.
Our defense just requires them to move a lot/cover a lot of space, just takes getting used to. One of the things I though BRE was great at, especially his senior year.
Overall, I think we increased our potential in the front court. Joshua Jefferson is a dude. Lipsey/Gilbert/Jones/Jefferson/Momcilovic might be the best 5 man combo ISU has ever had. Looked a bit rusty on offense and the rotations were a bit slow on defense, but that's all to be expected.
There's not a lot to take away from last night, but I generally agree with others. It seems to me like the defense might take a small step back, with Jackson and Chatfield not being as quick as Jones and Ward (plus taking a bit to get adjusted to the system). The offense, however, should be improved. All three of the big men transfers are more comfortable with the ball in their hands than the players they're replacing. I'm most excited for Jefferson, as I think he's better able to take advantage of mismatches consistently than King could. Also, we saw flashes of his ball handling and playmaking ability last night, and it'll be fun continue to see that from his spot.
Playing time and lineups will be interesting. I don't think it's a slight to MM that Jones started over him. We are still likely to end up with Lipsey, Gilbert, Jones, and MM all averaging about the same number of minutes. I was surprised to see Nojus get the minutes that he did. He can make an impact, but we'll have to see if he's ready for P5 opponents. I was a bit surprised to see Watson's very limited time. He might just be beaten out, or Otz might mainly want to get Heise and Nojus more playing time since they're new to the system. Remember that last year Watson looked to be pretty much out of the main rotation until they got to conference play, then he was back to being the 8th man.
Playing time and lineups will be interesting. I don't think it's a slight to MM that Jones started over him. We are still likely to end up with Lipsey, Gilbert, Jones, and MM all averaging about the same number of minutes. I was surprised to see Nojus get the minutes that he did. He can make an impact, but we'll have to see if he's ready for P5 opponents. I was a bit surprised to see Watson's very limited time. He might just be beaten out, or Otz might mainly want to get Heise and Nojus more playing time since they're new to the system. Remember that last year Watson looked to be pretty much out of the main rotation until they got to conference play, then he was back to being the 8th man.
DJ looked bigger, stronger, and slower than BRE. Interested to see how that shakes out wrt the defense.
I also think we are going to wish we had 1 more big to eat some fouls thru the course of the conference season. Although maybe those games you play "small ball" with just one big and Milan at the 4, with 3 guards.
Edit - forgot about Chatfield, although he looked really slow and not as big as you'd want to make up for it.
I am concerned, but not panicked, about the bigs situation.
One of the many great things about TJ. Last year there were times where Watson and Pavs were out of the rotation. Then there were critical games where they played big minutes and made big contributions to win.
There are going to be games where there's largely an 8 man rotation and some of these guys don't step on the floor. But there will be moments they're called on depending on injuries, matchups, and foul trouble. This is important for all these guys to remember, and I have no doubt the staff reminds them every day. It's one thing to stay fully engaged in practices to be a great teammate. It's another thing to stay engaged in practices because even if you're not in the regular rotation, you know you will be called on at some point to play.
It will be interesting to see how the rotation shakes out.
I think with the absolute grinder that the Big 12 will be depth is imperative. Even beyond injuries, you'll have to really keep an eye on keeping guys fresh. Of course you will have your core 6-7, but I think once you get deep into conference play you'll see TJ give some guys needed rest. You just cant play this hard, against this level of competition for a full season and not have an empty tank in March.
I won't be angry because it would probably mean that Heise and Nojus are just better. But I'd be disappointed that Watson's offense still just hasn't developed. When it gets to competitive conference games, I think Otz defers to the guys he trusts most, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Watson has proven to be trusted and able to jump in at a moment's notice, regardless of how much he's played in that game or the games prior.
Yeah might not have been the best shooter, but did so many different little things that just helped the team overall. Hopefully someone will slide into that role more as the year goes along.
Really?
The way things had been going that loss fit right in.
I personally never dwelled on it but any weirdness from those those two last seasons were wiped out in Feast Week '21.
