QA from M-live UM B-Ball
But that title is incredibly misleading. The QA isn't with Beilein, rather a mailbag with Brendan Quinn (who is a great asset to the bball beat BTW). Still an excellent read.
in particularly on his view of JB's offense. Yes, it has a big guy who set picks, rebound and play defense, but Jordan Morgan is very limited offensively. Horford has better offensive game but is still limited. Only McGary showed more diversity in his game as a 5 but weren't able to see it for the full season.
If any, JB has shown willingness to evolve his offensive system while not losing the integrity of his system. Doyle is a true post player who can shot midrange. Donnal has range that extends to 3 pt line. Only Beifeldt fits Quinn's description but apparently can shoot 3s.
I expect to see an evolution of the system and could see 2 bigs because of his desire to compete with B1G team's physicality down low while still having a stretch 4 aka Wilson.
There is a reason why JB targeted big guys who can bang down low but still has the ability to pop out and make shots. He wants a big guy who can shoot. Yes, Morgan did well in the offense in his role, but if you have 5 players on court who is a threat to score at anywhere, it's a real weapon and should open up the driving lane for LeVert, Walton and Irvin to drive through.
Beilein simply has never really played two bigs together--here or at WVU. Now a stretch 4 is a different animal (Smotrych and Pittsnoogle being examples)--and by all accounts Donnal may well end up there. But this year he will be likely playing the 5 almost the whole time.
Beilein has little interest in playing "2 bigs" with the stretch 4 caveat. It simply doesn't fit his offense.
I am also a little more cautious about both Donnal and certainly Doyle. If Donnal is as good as some believe here (and I suspect he will be fine), then it is unlikely he would have been red-shirted--as we needed another body at the 4 this past year.. And Doyle is an atypical Beilein player and strikes me as a project. Slowish, played low level Florida basketball, has very little AAU experience and is rated between 125 and 150. I trust the coaches see something they can work with. But I'm thinking Horford.
not at PF.
JB has stated his desire to have 2 bigs at the same time. It was wiped out when McGary got hurt before the season started and had to play limited minutes. He does want to have 2 bigs for his offense, a true stretch 4 with a big body. This is where DJ Wilson comes into play.
like Wilson, who does not and will not have a big body--he will provide 2-3 more inches than GRIII. But you won't be seeing Donnal and Doyle on the court together--certainly not this year.
I agree that Beilein was trying to play Mitch some at the 4--in part, because he likely promised him he would do so, to prep him for the pros. But it was clear that Beilein had already abandoned it even before Mitch got hurt. If Mitch continued at the 4, who do you believe would have been benched--GRIII, Caris? And I don't belive for a second that Caris would have ended up at the point.
And Pittsnogle was a Beilein proto-type 4. When you spend most of your time standing behind the 3 point line, you ain't a center, no matter what they may call you.
you said there's no game experience amongst bigs then you named Chatman and Wilson who has zero experience as well.
All indications say Beilein & Co. are using these summer months as a clean slate. When I asked Beilein about this during his off-season press conference in early June, he quickly responded, “I think this is a great time to start at ground zero and build everything up.”
I know we've talked about how one of the neater facets of Beilein's system is how it seems to recombine and reinvent itself as players depart or experience injury, but it seems like there is a lot of raw statistical production to replace this season, particularly the absence of Nik Stauskas. I would imagine that "building everything up" is simply a way to describe this "morphing phenomenon", if you will, so I am intrigued to see who steps into the Stauskas, GRIII and McGary (or what a healthy McGary can bring) gaps.
I think LaVert, Chatham, Wilson, etc give an upshot in length/speed.
I can't see Beilein scrapping the offense much. It was #1 in the country in efficiency 2 years in a row. The ball screen is popular in the NBA. Meanwhile our defense has been poor. I think they tweak the defense, perhaps with more zone, and try to develop a shot blocker.
Who is LaVert? I know of a Levert.
If you are going to correct someone, at least get it right.
Caris Levert was almost redshirted last year and is a potential lottery pick for 2015.