Just my opinion. I think this is his last year in Ames no matter what. He’s going to pick it up here soon and be in a similar spot as last year.
Time to Start Wigg
- Thread starter Psiclone
- Start date
I hope you're right. Cyclones won't realize their full potential if he continues to play like he has
Wigginton seems to me like someone who is trying to put "team first" and struggling to find his place. He made a few passes Monday night that he would have never made last year (he would have just taken a tough shot instead). If anything, he is struggling with the fact that our team got pretty good without him. Breaking into the flow of this team is so fundamentally different than "being the flow" last year.
Thus, if it was my choice, I would start him. We need to let him get into the flow of the game from the outset, not off the bench. Perhaps this Saturday is a perfect chance as it "doesn't matter" nearly as much as conference games. This may be our "best last chance" to move him into the starting lineup.
I agree with this. He’s trying too hard to prove he can be a PG and it’s hurting his offense when he decides to shoot. He’s had a lot of good passes so that’s not the problem but we need his offense. Freshman Lindell is never passing that ball up in transition that led to the late turnover. He’s taking that hard to the hoop last year. So many people are saying he’s playing hero ball or not playing as a team but I actually think it’s the opposite. I’d like to see him be a little more selfish at times offensively.
I really think that Wigginton becoming the primary initiator of the offense is the best version of the team and he will get a starting spot soon.
I am not sure the best time to start him is on the road in an unfamiliar court/atmosphere after the KU game. Prohm doesn't do knee jerk reactions and there is a risk that Lindell tries even harder to make up for his performance Monday and not playing within himself. If that happens I am afraid what this thread will become.... Plus the takes on Prohms rosters.
Ideally i would have liked to see him start after the OSU game to build of the success he had. Now I think he'll get his first start back at the Hilton. Easier for the team to make the transition in front of the home crowd and he'll be set up to succeed the best.
I agree 100%. He is making some great passes, including some that I don't want him to make. I would prefer that he take his shots, especially when cutting into the lane.
One other thing I've noticed this year. Wigginton is not getting the foul calls when he drives to the basket. I'm not talking about the amazing clean block by Lawson on Monday. Last year, it seemed like he could get a layup or go to the free throw line just about any time he wanted by driving hard. This year, it seems that he gets far less than half of the fouls called that we was getting on the same plays last yer.
Well said and though it's fine to nitpick about specifics in the stats or metrics, I think it's simple that LW has come back and been effective passing the ball and very good at rebounding. His 3P shot selection has largely been good, so if he starts to hit those at the rate he hit them last year (certainly no guarantee) he will be extremely valuable for this team. He is struggling to finish in the lane and defend, which should not really be surprising for a player dependent on explosiveness coming off a foot injury.
My uninformed view coming into the season was that people were expecting too much out of Lindell, as he was not a very efficient player on a bad team with low expectations. That adjustment alone was going to be tricky even at full health and at the very least had a lot of uncertainty. On the flipside, I think he is not playing as poorly as many fans believe and he's close to being a productive player for this team.
I'm seeing this too. PG certainly doesn't come natural to him. It's nice to see him being unselfish and making sure his teammates are involved, but there is a line and he has been crossing it on occasion. I think he needs to become aware that he doesn't need to make Sports Center top 10 passes, or strain to get 10 assists per game. He just needs to slow down and let the game come to him. He is aggressive and assertive by nature, so this will be easier said than done.
I'm rooting hard for LW to pick it up.
If he wants to make 35k (7k/month) in the G league, that's where he's headed.
If he wants to make 35k (7k/month) in the G league, that's where he's headed.
I agree it's time to put him back in the starting line up. He shouldn't lose his spot because of injury. I'd take out Haliburton and bring him in after the first media time out for THT or NWB depending on the match up. Also would like to see Jacobson get a little more rest and limit his minutes to 25-28, there were times against Kansas where he looked gassed and seemed like it would have been a great time to let George come in and give them a different look in the paint.
I disagree with most of you. Not on LW's skills and abilities, but on his value as is to the team. It seems to me that he shows little to no patience within the offense. He isn't waiting for the game to come to him, but rather forcing everything because he feels he must. Our offense works extremely well in most part because each and every player will make the extra pass, even if they're open, to get a teammate an even better shot. It keeps the defense off balance, and having them chasing the ball can wear a defense down.
It seems to me that way too often that philosophy stops at LW. We are not the team that he needed to "star" for like last year. We have many capable options to score on any given possession. I understand that he is a very gifted athlete, maybe our best, maybe not, but our team is not and should not be an opportunity for him to showcase his talents at the expense of teamwork.
As a rule, a team's success reflects the success of all players contributing to the strengths of the others, and teammates reciprocating. We don't need James Harden, we need Steve Nash... Nash could put up gaudy numbers every night, but rarely did.
Magic Johnson proved during the NBA Finals one year when Kareem was injured, that he could dominate and take over the show, but he only did when it was necessary. The rest of the time he was one of the best in the game at involving teammates and getting them the ball where and when they could be the most effective.
It seems to me that way too often that philosophy stops at LW. We are not the team that he needed to "star" for like last year. We have many capable options to score on any given possession. I understand that he is a very gifted athlete, maybe our best, maybe not, but our team is not and should not be an opportunity for him to showcase his talents at the expense of teamwork.
As a rule, a team's success reflects the success of all players contributing to the strengths of the others, and teammates reciprocating. We don't need James Harden, we need Steve Nash... Nash could put up gaudy numbers every night, but rarely did.
Magic Johnson proved during the NBA Finals one year when Kareem was injured, that he could dominate and take over the show, but he only did when it was necessary. The rest of the time he was one of the best in the game at involving teammates and getting them the ball where and when they could be the most effective.
Especially since the G league seems to be getting more credible and guys are moving back and forth and getting chances.
I never really understood the "don't lose your job to injury" view. If either due to effects of the injury or just the opportunity it affords someone else, if the other guy that comes in helps your team win more, that's who you play. As a coach you owe it to the entire team to play the guys appropriate minutes that help you win games. The injured player should get plenty of opportunities to earn that spot back when healthy, but I don't think you just throw him back into the starting lineup once he's healthy if the guy that came in for him is playing better.
This thought that Wigginton doesn’t make the extra pass is crazy to me. I’ve seen him do it multiple times this year. As for forcing it, I don’t really agree with that either. He’s just missing the open 3’s that he made last year and that makes people start digging and trying to find reasons why he’s struggling. Seems like when a talented player struggles, fans always come up with reasons like they are forcing it or aren’t willing to be a good teammate. It can be as simple as him just missing a lot of time and not knocking down his shots yet. He looked awesome against OSU. Why? Because he made shots. He missed those same shots against KU.
Wasn’t Wigginton on some pre-season All-Big 12 first team lists? Now we have a 12 page thread arguing about if he should start or even play.
Crazy how things can change so quickly for people. This tells me we all just need to be patient and let it play out.
Have some faith that Lindell will turn it around here soon and find some consistency. Last year wasn’t a fluke.
Crazy how things can change so quickly for people. This tells me we all just need to be patient and let it play out.
Have some faith that Lindell will turn it around here soon and find some consistency. Last year wasn’t a fluke.
Agree re: him needing to slow down which may be affecting his outside shot as well as his drives to the hoop. He has been making some great passes, however, especially driving and kicking out.
Last year was last year. Hard to figure out what exactly is going on with LW, but he has not played well, period. Some of you guys just think that there is going to be some magic moment and he will suddenly be making shots, defending, etc. I sure hope he does for his and the team's sake, but so far he has hurt the team in close games way more than helped. Maybe he is trying too hard, or still hurt, or just is not confident in his shot, but it has mostly been ugly stuff. His FT attempts at crunch time at KU were not just misses, they were bricks. The whole thing remind me of Mike Warren.
Close win at OSU: Lindell was key.
Close win at TTU: Lindell made some important plays to help us win.
Win over KU: Lindell made 2 big 3’s to spread the lead to double digits.
Win over OSU in Ames: Lindell played well.
3 close Big 12 losses he struggled for sure.
Mike Warren comparison is interesting considering he didn’t play at all and Lindell is still helping us. Are you predicting that Lindell doesn’t play at all for us as a JR/SR? That’s the only way the Mike Warren comparison can be true. I’d say the odds of that happening are zero.
