Xavier vs DDJ
What do you do here if you’re Coach Howard?
One guy is the vet, experienced etc but is so deficient on offense it’s crippling at times. The other guy might make dumb mistakes but when he gets hot, look out.
Is it any coincidence that Michigan’s best spurts on offense came with DDJ on the floor in this game? This also happened in the Bahamas when the team was locked in.
This especially becomes an issue if Brooks is back to being Bahamas Brooks.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:10 AM ^
Teske is just so bad.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:13 AM ^
Come on Franz, you can’t talk about your teammates like that. What would your mom say?
January 18th, 2020 at 9:42 AM ^
She's right here. I'll ask her when she wakes up.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:12 AM ^
Crappy takes: they’re not just for football anymore apparently.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:16 AM ^
X being a liability at times is not a crappy take.
Unless he’s Ben Simmons, it’s hard to be consistent on offense without a jump shot. Shit even Simmons drives people up a wall with how asinine his shot chart is.
January 18th, 2020 at 1:50 AM ^
Xs inability to hit a jump shot off the dribble is absolutely limiting. He gets to the rack great and passes the ball with precision. He can now hit the open three set shot which helps.
its much less painful if you have Livers in the lineup. X is a great player. No doubt about it. But having a point guard that’s a threat to score anytime anywhere is something I miss seeing.
January 18th, 2020 at 8:16 AM ^
I think Howard has began to manage it more effectively. My only complaint at this point is that he doesn’t get DDJ into the game earlier enough to get into the flow in either half. I would get him in no later than the 15 minute mark of either half. He doesn’t need to play “more,” right now, I just think he needs to play earlier, IMO.
January 18th, 2020 at 5:20 AM ^
How is that crappy takes ? 100 % correct
January 18th, 2020 at 12:13 AM ^
I play the two of them with Franz as the four, and Johns/Brooks fighting each other for minutes. FTWsmallball.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:25 AM ^
Couldn't do that when they had Garza, Weskamp, and Kriner in.
Foul disparity was bad but we weren't really making many foul inducing plays on offense. Mostly shooting threes and they weren't really contesting shots in the lane.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:15 AM ^
DDJ is slowly getting better. Offense could be very explosive with him next year.
Simpson is having a great year though. Can’t sit him too much.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:15 AM ^
So you bench the senior co-captain who was the starter on a national runner up and is currently second in the nation in assists for a talented shooter who can go on hot streaks but also takes some incredibly dumb shots sometimes. Also defensively it's not close.
Guys, projections have us as a 5 seed before tonight. We're losing close games on the road in a semi-rigged league while our best player is out injured.
This fanbase, especially the ones on this board, are the most immature, impatient, whiny, arrogant motherfuckers. It's ridiculous.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:19 AM ^
Xs defense isn’t as good as it was in the past. Probably due to more offensive burden?
DDJ has his lapses, but the offensive potential is there.
The question isn’t straight benching one for the other but how to balance the 3 when Brooks is actually on. X has to take the back seat in these situations.
January 18th, 2020 at 1:38 AM ^
His defense is still really good. Winston and Pritchard had success against him, but those are elite point guards and they had to earn their points. I could be wrong, but I don’t think any other players have done a lot of damage against Simpson.
January 18th, 2020 at 3:43 AM ^
Uh...yes. You can’t claim he was on a final four team 2 years ago as your reason for playing him. That team had more talent around him, guys who could get their own shot. We need someone like DDJ out there. It showed when he kept us in the game at the end of the first half. Then X comes in and that spark is gone. I get the love for X, but he has to be one of the most overrated players ever. He plays good D and occasionally makes a hook shot. That senior captain you speak of tried a pick and roll down 7 with 20 seconds to go. lol, what a leader.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:09 PM ^
This is just a crazy overreaction in the other direction though. It looks more like you are panicking on the season and going all out to convince yourself that things are good more than other people in here.
It is a question about how to best utilize personnel, not a take that Simpson should be benched. We got a lot of open shots last night but that is because Iowa does not play defense, at all. Against teams that play defense our offense does, and has for two years now, lapsed into comas for long spurts with Simpson running the show.
It should be noted that the lineup that got us back into the game yesterday when we were about to get pummeled featured DDJ as did the spurt in the second that got us the lead. DeJulius looks like he could possibly be a huge plus player right now and it is a discussion worth having as to how that should balance out.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:25 AM ^
Two coaches (Beilein and Howard) totally trust, and rely on, Simpson as the floor general. Bill Raftery and every basketball analyst praises Simpson's leadership, and basketball IQ. Simpson has led a team to the Final Four, and is generally regarded as Michigan's "Head of the Snake". Simpson is currently FIRST in the NATION in assists per game! And, someone is asking a question regarding whether the coach should bench him? Fucking UNBELIEVABLE!
January 18th, 2020 at 12:27 AM ^
No jump shot in 2020. Good luck not having people question you. Non-shooting PGs are extinct like the midrange jump shot in modern basketball.
Give me functional Brooks and DDJ in a tight game over X all day. Whether it’s at the free throw line or offense.
January 18th, 2020 at 1:00 AM ^
When did non-shooting PG's become extinct? Was it in 2018 when Simpson started in the Final Four? Was it extinct when Virginia won the title last year with a guy who shot .435 from the field, and under 40% from 3?
You must think there is only one way to win a basketball game. Outside of Steph Curry, give me the shooting point guards who were the focal point of their team and won titles in the last 20 years? Rondo? Derek Fisher? Tony Parker? Mario Williams? Mario Chalmers? Kyle Lowry?
Non shooting point guards aren't extinct. They're just not exciting.
January 18th, 2020 at 1:26 AM ^
Rondo, maybe Parker and Chalmers who gets masked by Lebron are non-shooting.
Derek Fisher was shooting 40% from 3 and 45% from 2 on about 16 attempts back in the early 00s. This goes without mentioning the times he bailed Kobe’s ass out in the playoffs on big shots.
Look at the current league instead of quoting players from 20 years ago. Dame, Harden, Luka, Trae, Ja (needs some development but will eventually be one), Rose, Kemba, Kyrie etc.
UVA’s brand of basketball is slow af and needed an offensive overhaul after losing to a 16 seed. Now if you think Michigan can start containing teams to 40-50 pts a game, be my guest. This team doesn’t have the horses on d and it doesn’t help having PG who can’t be relied on to space the floor for a team that is already strugglecity from beyond the arc, problematic when you’re more than likely going to have to outscore your opponent.
January 18th, 2020 at 4:39 AM ^
This is all true but I'm not sure how that's relevant?
If we had a PG that could do what those guys could do then hell yeah I'd bench Simpson. Your disdain for Simpson is so strong that you fail to realize that DDJ is literally worse than him at everything other than shooting, and again, he isn't even a good shooter per se. You write all of that as if DDJ is anything close skill-wise to those NBA stars.
If you insist on using NBA comparisons, it would be like Rajon Rondo starting, but with a G-League PG behind him who is a better shooter but worse at everything else; sure Rondo can't shoot, but I'd still start him over the G-League PG. The fact that your bitching about our best player because there's less support around him now is honestly just so mindboggling and shallow to me.
January 18th, 2020 at 4:32 AM ^
We are better defensively AND offensively with X on the court.
You might take it for granted, but his playmaking ability is a big reason other guys are able to get open look from 3. DDJ has shown very little of this. Literally the only thing he is better than Simpson at is shooting, and he isn't even that great of a shooter either.
I'll wait until you can tell me what other things DDJ can do better than Simpson that would warrant your statement. You base so much of this on the small samples of performance from DDJ as a reserve, as if if you were to thrust him into X's role he would be much better. The ONLY reason Simpson is getting more hate this year on offense is because he has significantly less support, which requires a higher usage from Simpson. Being so shallow as to blame that on X is delusional.
X has been a massive component towards our success the last 3 years. Now some people act like he's some veteran player whose physical skills are on the decline or something. Sure he has limits, but despite them he's PROVEN and has LED us to our success the past 3 years, and you want to bench him now based off of a few games? You'd think he's regressed with the way you're speaking but he's still the same exact player.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:33 AM ^
It's just back up qb syndrome. The position with the most attention also gets the most criticized as their strengths are taken for granted. People wanted Henson over Brady, a qb more mobile than Henne, a better passer than Denard, etc. X's abilities as a passer and defender are taken for granted because he has obvious offensive flaws when the game is in crunch time and he has to perform. It doesn't help that the two point guards before him were literally some of the best hero ball players in Michigan history (Glen Rice still the best tho)
January 18th, 2020 at 12:36 AM ^
He did just great defending against Pritchard and Winston x4. Overrated on defense this year stemming from his work last year.
Do you really think jump shooting capability = assist = defending? One is worth a lot more than the others.
If that wasn't the case then Iowa wouldn’t be able to field a competent basketball team.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
That is a crazy take. That is not what the OP asked. The outrage crowd is strong in the thread.
January 18th, 2020 at 12:56 AM ^
You're getting shit on for all the generic reasons but his limitations persist. +/- with Z on vs off the floor would be interesting because from my memory it was much better offensively with Z off the court (whether it foul trouble or resting). The lack of a shot is so harmful. He distributes well at times, yes...but cannot shoot nor get to the hoop and finish unless a big gets a huge wall off/lane clear, which is not a common thing. It's tough. End of game I was calling for DDJ and Z off the court and I'm not sure how one can even argue with that .
January 18th, 2020 at 1:05 AM ^
Yeah, maybe he should have been off the floor late in the game against Purdue, as well. And, with as bad of a +/- as you perceive Simpson having, how in the hell did he get the team to a Final Four, another Sweet Sixteen, currently leading the nation in assists, AND is damn near never taken off the floor by two consecutive Head Coaches?
January 18th, 2020 at 4:52 AM ^
Simpson can't get to the hoop and finish? How do you think he averages 12 points a game? If he can't shoot and can't get to the rim, how does he score then?
I'm fairly certain Simpson both attacks the rim and finishes at an elite efficiency despite defenders sagging off, but here are posters claiming that it's actually a weakness. And saying "he distributes well at times" is borderline insulting. Guy is averaging the most (or second most?) assists in the NCAA and he only does it well "at times."
Of course he has a sever limitation, but despite it, we have won consistently over his time here, and Simpson has only improved offensively every year. There's literally no reason to shit on him more this season compared to previous seasons. People's opinions are being skewed by the comparative ineptitude of the team that's around him, which is really the reason for this year's decline.
January 18th, 2020 at 1:27 AM ^
Michigan is softer than Charmin in the paint and this is the topic? Giving up 30+ points to some average big man from Purdue, then Owu-whatever his name is, and now Mr.Unibrow Garza and people want Dejulius over Simpson? Michigan is just not very good without Livers, but it wasn't the offense tonight.
January 19th, 2020 at 12:56 PM ^
I wouldn't mind seeing DJ play more minutes and see what it turns into, but it'll never happen. Regarding those two big men, and I'm not trying to defend Teske, but those two are 1 and 2 in the entire NCAA in 20 and 10 games this year. So, your "whatever his name" is take, is a little misleading.
January 18th, 2020 at 2:07 AM ^
Neither of them are good enough.
Juwan really needs to re-haul this roster.
January 19th, 2020 at 12:56 PM ^
Fab Five 2.0 is on the way.
January 18th, 2020 at 5:13 AM ^
It's such a massive misconception that Simpson is "deficient" on offense. He's a positive factor on offense on this team just like he is on defense (except I would argue he's actually overrated defensively).
There's one thing he can't do: shoot. He would be a massive negative in the NBA offensively, especially if you have someone capable behind you. However, there's a sever "shiny new tow" syndrome with DDJ right now.
I am very confident that this team, with DDJ running it, would have a lower offensive rating compared to if Simpson was running it. DDJ may very well turn into an inefficient "chucker," and even if he's coached against being that, he hasn't shown to be a good enough play maker to involve the rest of the team. DDJ is better at shooting, and that's literally all, and he's not even a particularly good shooter. If you're talking about who takes the last shot, I'm taking DDJ, but running the offense, I'm taking Simpson 10 times out of 10, because he helps the team to a higher points per possession.
Logically, just think: do you believe that this year's DDJ in Simpson's place, would've improved the teams from the past two years? The answer is 100% no (you'd be delusional to think otherwise). So if Simpson is literally having his best season yet, how in the world does DDJ make this year's team better compared to Simpson? Sorry if this comes off pretentious, but it just seems so counterintuitive and extremely present biased to believe that DDJ is a better option than Simpson.
January 19th, 2020 at 12:58 PM ^
I don't know that they'd be better with DJ or not, but I don't share your confidence that they wouldn't be. Considering that I don't see this team making a deep run and Simpson is gone after this year, I'm okay with Howard prepping DJ for taking over next year, with more minutes this year.
January 18th, 2020 at 7:52 AM ^
You can’t take X of the floor. If anything you start DDJ over Brooks. Brooks had a big game tonight, but he clearly isn’t going to shoot like that all the time and he can’t score against better defenses.
X can get to the hole, but it takes a lot of dribbles and craftiness, and a lot of times a very difficult finish.
DDJ on the floor brings the only guy on the team that can truly just blow by guys with one dribble. This will open up his step back as well as open looks for teammates when he gets cut off on help. The downside to this is that he isn’t great at finding open teammates yet.
January 18th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
Howard has him in for a reason, and he knows more about basketball than any of us do. I trust him to do what’s best for the team.
That being said, I’m definitely interested to see how DDJ progresses and then to see what Zeb can do when he gets on campus next year.
January 18th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Time to roll with DDJ. This team is a bubble team at best anyway so we are really prepping for 2021 now
January 18th, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
The basketball knowledge held by most, here and in general, could rest comfortably upon the head of a pin. Just because ignorance holds the majority opinion does not make it valid. Basketball is a deeply nuanced game where play is intricately woven on the fly by the players on the court. freelion, if nothing else will satisfy the bevy of Simpson enablers, your point here should at least hold some merit. One can call it pretentious, counterintuitive and biased but it is simply a very difficult lose-lose situation for the coaching staff...they are doing their best to squeeze blood out of this turnip. Without Livers on the court this team desperately needs more shooters. With Simpson on the floor, under the current scenario, what little shooting they do have suffers immeasurably. Those who chose to argue otherwise are hopeless partisans who simply have no clue regarding the reasons things happen on the court. Nowhere is the difference between winning and losing smaller than what happens on a basketball court.
January 18th, 2020 at 9:41 AM ^
So instead of the layups that X creates, you want more DDJ 20’ bricks? Also, you guys complain about foul disparity, but then want more DDJ. 11 of his 12 shots were jumpers or floaters. No trying to get contact.
This team wouldn’t make the tourney without Simpson.
January 18th, 2020 at 10:01 AM ^
Also, where are you seeing offense as a problem? We have the 2nd best offense in league play behind Iowa. Defense is the issue. X is a senior and above average defender. CJ Frederick has nearly all his points with DDJ in him last night, incl
January 18th, 2020 at 12:40 PM ^
Stop it
January 20th, 2020 at 10:35 PM ^
You must be joking. There is nothing DDJ does better than X. Nothing. Including scoring. But you know more than Howard, Izzo, Painter and Few among others who love love X.