Basketball Snowflakes
The past 10 minutes and OT were a clinic on how not to coach a basketball team. We played Tschetter way too much, horrible end of game sets, and missing a free throw on purpose when we didn't have to yet.
It's a toss-up between Amaker and Ellerbe for how far back you'd have to go to see a team so hapless in game deciding moments.
Or it's a function of not really having a guy on the team who can drive. You have Kobe who the defense knows can only go one way, Jett who can't get by anyone, Dug who can't finish in the lane on a set defense, and Dickinson who needs to be fed in the paint. Defenses just play over the top on everything so Hunter/Jett/Kobe can't pop free for open jumpers, and nobody can make them pay by driving. The only advice I could give Juwan is to not call timeout and hope the defense is scrambling or mismatched more than they would be after a timeout. Because against a set defense, we're going to struggle.
Why was Hunter on the perimeter shooting a 3 pointer with the game TIED and the shot clock off? There wasn't a single person in the paint for the last 10 seconds in regulation.
One thing Juwan has shown at the end of games, if we need 1 or 2 points to win the game, he will go for 3.
Yep should have been down low. Everyone was on 3pt line except Tarris and we only needed 1 point to win. Made zero sense..
He set up in the high post and was looking for the ball but Dug and Howard didn't get it to him.
Why was Hunter on the perimeter shooting a 3 pointer with the game TIED and the shot clock off? There wasn't a single person in the paint for the last 10 seconds in regulation.
Did you miss the previous few possessions when Indiana sat on Hunter's off-hand and pounced on him after receiving the entry passes? That created like 2-3 turnovers and Indiana capitalized on each of them. Jesus christ people on this blog are brain dead about basketball.
Come on man! They aren’t brain dead. They just have brain fog from long covid.
This is a great point. In recent years we had guys like Franz, Iggy, even Simpson for that matter (later in his career) who could take the ball to the basket.
Another reason we struggle vs set defenses, IMO, is related to what you said. Our only dependable source of offense near the basket is Dickinson. (Thats the related part.) And if he misses, it's almost always an empty possession. Reed is really the only one who's any good at offensive rebounding but he's so bad on putbacks. I guess Dickinson gets a few offensive boards too but he also misses a lot of putbacks.
This team has collectively the worst basketball IQ you can have.
At least 3 crucial moments where they don’t even get a shot off. This team is painful to watch.
You won't have too much longer.
Exactly. They simply lack situational awareness.
Kids played their hearts out.
This hurts. Can’t imagine how they feel.
Welp you beat me to it. Here's my take:
1. Pray to the basketball gods they win 2 games in the BTT
2. Absolutely nobody should leave this team for the NBA
3. Find a fucking 4 in the transfer portal and tell Michigan admissions to fuck off
4. Run it back in 2023 w a loaded squad
5. Storyline next year will be about how the team learned to become clutch in big moments after struggling this year.
The thing is, Kobe, Jett, and Hunter have individually played well enough to leave.
To quote Coming to America, I have never before seen a basketball team that is “good and terrible.”
Hunter could play to his absolute ceiling and not be an NBA prospect. No offense to him or his effort, he's just doesn't have NBA athleticism. He would've been gone after year 1 if he did.
He could play overseas though. My guess is he will move on.
This team needed two more weeks and they would have started closing games like that. It just took them too long to settle into their identity that they couldn’t progress to being confident down the stretch.
They could win the BTT, though. Would it surprise me? Yes. Shock me? No.
Kobe is probably a second round pick if he leaves now.
Jett is a good shooter but his decision making and lack of defensive effort likely don't make this a huge loss if he leaves as long as Howard finds a decent replacement in the portal.
You realize Jett was the second leading freshman scorer in the league right? I will never understand the Jett hate. He also played a good game today.
I like Jett. But the role he plays has to include “the closer” and he just disappears. I think that is why people are so frustrated. His game is that of an Alpha but he isn’t when it really matters.
My biggest issue with him is he just tried to shoot 3s all game and does very little beyond that. Yes he's not going to take every guy off the dribble but he's a big guy and is athletic enough to get some momentum going toward the hoop, draw some fouls, and hit some jumpers. Instead he's shot 18 3s to 6 2s the past two games and UM has lost be a collective 5 points.
I think he's got an NBA future but "guy who shoots a lot of jumpers and can't get to the hoop or defend" doesn't feel like a 1st rounder to me who'll work out in the end.
I feel like he could be working a bit with his back to the basket.
Absolutely. He can get his shot up over basically anyone who'd try to defend him at this level. And it would suck in defenders, opening up shots for guys on the perimeter. I know that it would mess somewhat with Dickinson at times but this version of him is just a black hole offensively with low upside.
This is not just some random option either...it is basically his current NBA scouting report.
I feel like a lot of the reports I've read are "he can shoot so the NBA will teach him defense" and I swear NBA GMs keep believing that's possible despite AMPLE examples of it not working.
He absolutely can play defense in the league; he's not a Duncan Robinson-type who physically can't hang with guys. But he's gotta to at least try out there and it feels like he floats way too much on that end of the floor. And in the NBA he'll be stapled to the bench until blowouts if he can't stay in front of guys he's supposed to guard.
Jett's also a freshman. He came in as such a good jump shooter (with NBA size/length) that the expectations were instantly increased for the rest of his game. If he comes back, I wouldn't be surprised if it looks like Stauskas from year one to two -- where he adds the ability to score off-the-dribble and get to the rim to finish or get fouled.
Absolutely. He's a better shooter than I expected but he's become an extreme perimeter player and that's hurt his overall efficiency. If he came back it would be great because he'd likely add some muscle and develop some quickness going toward the hoop. Look no further than Bufkin, who was almost unplayable last year and is now close to, if not already, a 1st-rounder.
And the OSU freshman was great and they are a bad team. Jett does not play within the flow of the offense. The ball stops when it gets to him and he dribbles and gets nowhere. He is bad at defense and rebounding. Points scored does not tell the whole story. He has the skills and if he was a better defender/rebounder and played more within the offense he would be great. He can score no doubt but that does not make you great and if you are lacking in other areas you can still be a net negative. The frustrating part with Jett is that he has all the skills to do these things unlike a guy like Cheddar.
Freshman. Exactly.
My issues with Jett are that he's a rich man's Just a Shooter at this point, doesn't play good defense, and doesn't so much else beyond shoot the ball. The fact he's the second leading freshman scorer in the league is nice but mostly because he plays 32 minutes a game. Caleb Houstan had a better O rating in conference play than Howard had this year and he was a disappointment.
Again, I don't wish ill will toward Howard but this team is overall better without him out there, at least in games where he's just going to sit outside the 3 point line and not defend or rebound effectively
He needs to work on his back-door passing as well. That pass he attempted today was heinous.
What, a one bouncer-one hander from between the circles wasn’t getting there?
Yeah, I just blocked that out.
jett has talent, but his defense is:
Hmm. If I were an NBA GM, I'd feel good about taking Kobe. That's it. Jett would be all potential- right now, he's a hot and cold shooter who doesn't rebound, doesn't defend, and doesn't move all that well. Hunter doesn't fit the modern style of play. He's a really good low post player who's not all that quick and unreliable outside the paint. Now, as a fan, I think its a travesty that it has come to this in the NBA. But here we are.
From a non-team standpoint, evaluating only their ability to compete at the next level, Hunter, Kobe and Jett are probably good enough to leave and fend for their future somewhere in the pro ranks.
Whatever that arc is.The only question is: what would be the point of leaving early if they would only tread water?
I don't know how you measure development through the G-League or overseras and whether leaving with eligibility for the sake of turning pro to skip the drudgery of school is always the answer. Looking ahead, I wish them all well whatever they choose.
But one more year playing together might help them professionally even while they get another year of learning as college players. What importance is staying for a Michigan degree if your draft status tells you otherwise?
It depends on issues none of us can know or really appreciate. Good luck in the tournament.
You probably need to win the BTT to get in. They're not going to let a team in that's maybe 5/6-11/12 in Q1 games. I really don't think they'll let in a team that loses that maybe Q1 games.
Maybe, but UNC has an awful record in Q1 games and yet they're sniffing around the bubble. If UM gets to the BTT finals maybe they sneak in but beyond that they blew two great chances to secure a bid this week.
They also have no Q3/Q4 losses to overcome.
2 wins in the BTT only gives them a better draw in the NIT. They would need a minimum of 3 wins to be back in the NCAA tournament conversation.
Honestly, at this point I'd rather see them make a run and get more practice/experience in the NIT. They'd be very lucky to win a single game in the tournament.
I actually feel like if they had managed to get into the tourney they could have done some business. That is why this has been so frustrating.
Loaded. K.
Here is another possibility:
1) Lose their matchup in the BTT in 4 OT’s after losing leads of 7 in regulation with under two minutes to go and leads in every over time frame.
2) Everybody of importance (Jett, Kobe, Hunter) leave even though they are late first or second round picks or are deemed not draft worthy.
3) Fail to acquire necessary components via the portal due to admissions or general incompetence.
4) Start next season with Tarris Reed and (insert name here).
5) Storyline will be how close Michigan was in the 2022-23 season but just couldn’t finish games when it counted and now have to completely start from scratch in 2023-24.
I think they beat Rutgers and then lose to Purdue in hilariously annoying fashion, then at least 2 of those guys leave. I think they pick up some guys from the portal but no game-changers. But combined with Reed, Dug, Llewelyn, etc. that's maybe a team that scratches around the tourney. Not unlike 2015,2016 seasons where they missed the tournament and then snuck in via Dayton. But yeah, my kingdom for some year-to-year continuity with this team.
This is honestly the worst team I've ever seen in crunch time.
And I thought pre-2021 Harbaugh teams were bad in crunch time. Yikes.
You mean barely getting off a shot at the end of regulation and not getting a shot off at end of OT is bad?
We had four very winnable Q1 games this season -- @ Iowa, home IU, @ Illinois and @ IU. In all of them we derped away late leads. Win just ONE of those games and we are likely a last 4 in despite the BTT results. So damn frustrating. I said earlier in the season that losing Llewelyn wouldn't make or break the season. I am going to walk back that comment and say that one of those losses may have been a win had he been in the lineup.
Incredibly poor execution down the line. I don't know what the reason is but every play out of a timeout is an absolute disaster.