Starting 5 and rotation

SCISUFAN

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Pleta's last stint was in their best pro BBL league which produced 2 NBA first rounders. Now he only played about 4 minutes per game, but even practicing against that level of competition will give him a great advantage over regular freshman. I think by BIG12 schedule he will play major minutes. Fran stated the following of the video of Pleta in the Pro league...
Fran Fraschilla

@franfraschilla
Jul 17

All of those teams on video would’ve beaten Florida by 20+
 

KennyPratt42

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I'll be shocked if Heise doesn't start. He very well might be a 20 to 25 minute a game starter, but unless Bateman, Toure, or Nelson are so good that any one of them need to be on the court 30+ minutes a game I'll be surprised if they supplant Heise as the starter. By the same token, if Heise shoots like he did from 3 the final third of last season he might play 30+ a game.

The upside if two out of Bateman, Torre, or Nelson are good enough to warrant double digit minutes per game is that we can limit Tamin's minutes some. He's always been around a 30 minutes per game guy and it would be nice to keep him there for his health/intensity.
 
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MJ271

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T.J. only runs an 8 man rotation. He’s stated it multiple times over the years. 8 guys will play regularly. The other guys will be emergency/garbage time guys. Only one freshman will see significant time.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again--last season was the first one where Otz showed a clear preference for 8 specific guys to be in the rotation over the course of the whole season. If you look at the rest of his tenure during conference play, the 9th guy has gotten relevant minutes more often than not.

Now, what does that mean for this year? I don't know. But I'm venturing to guess that if guys #7-8 aren't head and shoulders above #9-10, that guys #9-10 will at least be getting their chances. I think last year was more of a product of a clear delineation between Heise and Watson than it was about TJ only ever playing an 8-man rotation.
 

jackson_pence

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I think you are all undervaluing these freshman guards in Jamarion Batemon and Killyan Toure. The way that Otz talks about these two is very similar to how he talked about Tamin and Milan as freshman. They both are elite on ball defenders and the fastest way to get on the court at Iowa State is to be a great defender.

I can definitely see a possibility of Batemon playing north of 20 minutes per game this season. Maybe not right away, but it wouldn't shock me if by late January he is. For Toure, he feels like the guy who will spell Tamin Lipsey. The nice thing is, Tamin shouldn't have to play 35+ minutes a game when you have a guy like Toure that can hopefully come in and run the offense like Tamin does.

Just my read,
Jackson
 
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KennyPratt42

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My biggest question is what does the lineup look like for the 10 minutes or so that Jefferson isn't on the court. Are we able to have two out of Buchanan, Mulder, and Pleta on the floor at the same time consistently or do we play more of a small ball lineup with three guards, Milan, and one of the posts.
 

cykadelic2

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For Toure, he feels like the guy who will spell Tamin Lipsey. The nice thing is, Tamin shouldn't have to play 35+ minutes a game when you have a guy like Toure that can hopefully come in and run the offense like Tamin does.
The rotation utilized is going to be driven by two things that are TBD:

1) Who replaces Tamin when he is out? Will that be Toure or will someone else emerge (Batemon, Nelson or Heise) who can adequately facilitate the offense along with Jefferson when Tamin is on the bench. If Batemon, Nelson or Heise can handle it, then Toure's rotation PT may be limited.

2) Can Pleta play extended minutes at the 5? If he can adequately defend 5s, then Mulder's rotation PT will likely be limited.

So if Toure is the only or best option capable of replacing Tamin and if Pleta isn't good at defending 5s, then Otz may end up playing a 10-man rotation.
 
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KennyPratt42

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Why do people think Toure is likely to be a primary ball handler behind Tamin? Heise, Nelson, and Bateman all seem significantly more likely to be primary ball handlers when Tamin is off the court. I'm excited about Toure and think he might be able to crack the rotation this year, but have I missed something that makes people think he's an on ball player (particularly as a freshman)?
 

OscarBerkshire

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best 5 should start but that doesn't happen anymore in this age of NIL. top 5 highest paid will start. which i assume is tamin, jefferson, milan, heise, and buchanan. Which might be our best 5 but I am bullish on the freshmen
 
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jackson_pence

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Why do people think Toure is likely to be a primary ball handler behind Tamin? Heise, Nelson, and Bateman all seem significantly more likely to be primary ball handlers when Tamin is off the court. I'm excited about Toure and think he might be able to crack the rotation this year, but have I missed something that makes people think he's an on ball player (particularly as a freshman)?
Heise is not a point guard. But I agree that Batemon and Nelson should be ball handlers some this season. But all three of those guys are better off ball. Especially Heise and Batemon. Nelson is a different story. He in my opinion is a lot like Keshon Gilbert.
 
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CascadeClone

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Guards-
Lipsey, Heise, Nelson and Batemon OR Toure (one will thrive, one will not see court, idk which)

Bigs-
Milan, Jefferson, Buchanon, Pleta (I suspect Mulder is a practice body and insurance policy)

I think the returning guys will start generally-
Tamin, Heise, Milan, JJ, Buchanon
 

Cyclonepride

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T.J. only runs an 8 man rotation. He’s stated it multiple times over the years. 8 guys will play regularly. The other guys will be emergency/garbage time guys. Only one freshman will see significant time.
Hard to second guess the guy, but I still wish it was 9. Save wear and tear on the heavy minute guys and gives another player a reason to stick around.
 
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Ankency

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best 5 should start but that doesn't happen anymore in this age of NIL. top 5 highest paid will start. which i assume is tamin, jefferson, milan, heise, and buchanan. Which might be our best 5 but I am bullish on the freshmen
No way does TJ base starting lineup on $. Or Jones would have started last year. He will start whatever combination he believes is best for winning games. He doesn’t care about the “salaries”
 

jackson_pence

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Guards-
Lipsey, Heise, Nelson and Batemon OR Toure (one will thrive, one will not see court, idk which)

Bigs-
Milan, Jefferson, Buchanon, Pleta (I suspect Mulder is a practice body and insurance policy)

I think the returning guys will start generally-
Tamin, Heise, Milan, JJ, Buchanon
I would put Milan in the hybrid category. He plays both but I would almost lean towards putting him in the guard category.
 

LLCoolCY

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Hard to second guess the guy, but I still wish it was 9. Save wear and tear on the heavy minute guys and gives another player a reason to stick around.
I don't think the staff has a strict rule, if 9 players deserve to see the floor they will work it out... if it is 8 then it is 8. Last year was the 1st year with actual depth on the team and even then due to the injuries to Milan & Gilbert forced them into a limited rotation. I think the staff will adjust to the talent they have available.
 

Peter

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-Buchanan, Jefferson, Tamin, and Milan will for sure start.

-The two guard is up for grabs. Probably Nelson, because of his athleticism and ability to attack and make plays, but big minutes for Heise off the bench.

-The staff loves the two freshman guards. I think we'll see them both early, but probably only one down the stretch in conference play. My guess would be Bateman because of his ability to shoot.

-Mulder will rotate in as the third big. Everyone will wonder why Pleta isn't getting more minutes. If you listen to the staff talk about Pleta now, they keep saying the word "potential" and talk about how he is adjusting to the speed and physicality of the game. Doesn't seem they think he is ready. I'm sure we'll see him in the early part of the season but probably not much in conference.

-I think we are going to see Jefferson facilitating a lot of the offense. Kinda of Jokic role where he is passing out of the post or from the top of the key. You'll have Milan and Bateman roaming the 3-point line, getting up shots, and Heise doing backdoor cuts. When JJ doesn't have the ball, Tamin and Nelson will be attacking the paint relentlessly for layups or finding the spot-up shooters on the perimeter. Occasional isos for Milan. The bigs will be there to catch lobs and putbacks.
 

KennyPratt42

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Heise is not a point guard. But I agree that Batemon and Nelson should be ball handlers some this season. But all three of those guys are better off ball. Especially Heise and Batemon. Nelson is a different story. He in my opinion is a lot like Keshon Gilbert.
Heise led UNI in assists his last year there and had the ball in his hands a fair bit. I agree he is far from a traditional point guard, but we don't really have one on the roster outside of Tamin. Batemon and Nelson are definitely more dynamic creators, but I could see them using Heise to initiate the offense and get it to Jefferson or Milan in good spots for them when Tamin is out. If either Batemon or Nelson can be primary ball handlers along with Tamin that is our best case scenario for the season, but its still to be determined if they can do that at the Big 12 level.
 
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GoodOleDays

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Heise led UNI in assists his last year there and had the ball in his hands a fair bit. I agree he is far from a traditional point guard, but we don't really have one on the roster outside of Tamin. Batemon and Nelson are definitely more dynamic creators, but I could see them using Heise to initiate the offense and get it to Jefferson or Milan in good spots for them when Tamin is out. If either Batemon or Nelson can be primary ball handlers along with Tamin that is our best case scenario for the season, but its still to be determined if they can do that at the Big 12 level.
Batemon said in his interview last week that he expects to be off ball most of the time because we have good on ball guards.

Toure plays point guard now and is a known thriving playmaker, but of course not at big 12 level.
Nelson can handle the ball and dribble drive, but he's gotta prove that he can do it with a lower turnover rate. However, he's the guy we got after Rohde a point guard, went to Wisconsin.
I haven't seen Heise handle the ball much but maybe there's something I'm missing.

Definitely see Nelson and Toure in the running for ball handling minutes. Maybe Heise. Worst case maybe those guys help JJ get up the floor then JJ creates.
 
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