Three things stick out to me when I watch his AAU highlights:
The dude has handles. The way he can challenge a guy with his dribble from the three line and beyond is pretty fun to watch.
He does a great job of moving the ball around in the air while finishing at the rim. He never finishes a layup in the same spot which makes it very hard to block, and I think thatās an underrated skill to have.
Heāll be a reliable shooter. Heās got a confident stroke and unless we psych him out by telling him to āfind the best shotā I believe he will be a good shooter for us.
Agreed with observations on tape. But the freshman stats give rise to some concern. Iāll take 33% from 3 on decent volume. The assist rate isnāt bad, and the steal rate isnāt bad other. But under 70% from the charity stripe is lousy for a guard, a monster turnover rate, and literally doesnāt rebound at all. Anyone know how he is defensively? We had a need for a smaller quick guy
He had pretty similar efficiency stats to Hall in his RS FR season in 2015. I think everyone is being very harsh on a guy who was ranked top 100 by all 4 recruiting services two years ago, started 16 games as a true freshman for a decent Big 12 team and finished the season strong.
Jerome had a 22.9% TO rate in 2017. Freshmen often turn the ball over a lot.
A quick and aggressive bucket getter, Ames is a small guard who thinks scoring first. He scores in bunches from all ranges, is good with the ball in his hands, and excels at weaving through a defense to create a solid scoring opportunity for himself. He is a threat with his jumper off both the catch and the dribble. He has the ability to heat up and make shots from distance. Additionally, his tight handle is in full use when breaking down defenders and getting inside the paint where he is a crafty finisher. As a scorer, Ames can do his damage on or off the ball but he also is a willing passer who knows how to make the right basketball decision when the play is there.He is an energizer bunny on the defensive end where he competes with a chip on his shoulder. He pressures the ball for stops and initiates fast-break points by forcing turnovers.
I realize itās a risky add, but we have a chance to play four scorers at any point in time and have a couple ready to go on the bench. From an offensive stand point our big question is at the five, but if BB takes a step this season we are all good. We could also go small and play five guys who can consistently hit 3s. I like the upside here.
I know we all hate splitting out stats but in the 10 toughest games KSU played this season (the āAā games on kenpom), he playedā¦pretty well. 112.3 O rating, 62.3 TS%, 10-13 (77%) from the line, 15-27 (56%) from 2, 10-23 (44%) from 3. Obviously I donāt think heās going to be a 44% 3 point shooter but I do think itās promising that he seemed to have played his best against the best competition.
I think you will see some combination of Power, Saunders, and Cofie at the 5. Not counting out Buchanan or Robinson but I have a hunch weāll be seeking more offense from the 5.
Iām happy to have any player thatās willing to drive the lane, and he seems to do it pretty well despite not being the tallest guard. It looks like heād add some badly needed aggressiveness.
Yeah, I figure that is a possibility. I am probably in the minority and really like Blakeās upside, but I realize what we saw last year was very inconsistent. I just think he has the potential to put it together and be really good. But yeah that Power Saunders front court could really spread the floor out allowing Dai Dai (or Whaley when heās in) cause some havoc going to the basket.
Nice observation and example, people forget he was a freshman adjusting to college basketball that play in a very tough conference. If you watch his last 6 games he finally got his feet and the coaches was trusting him more, they and the fan base hated to see him go. I think he going to make alot of fans happy at the end.
To this point we have had very reserved leaders in the locker room. Dad Dai does not seem like he is going to just lead by example. He has the potential (stress potential) to be a vocal leader on the team which we have missed since Ty and KG left (and before them JA).
I kinda like the add. He had a so-so frosh season but with some flashes of nice play in a really tough league against really good competition. He played better as the season went along, including in tough road environments (like Phog). I will wait for Cuts deep dive before going out on any limbs, but I think it makes sense.
Obviously the Gertrude thing complicates everything. I might not love another add if we knew he was healthyā¦
Bottom line for me:
Top 75 kid who showed why he was top 75, but didnāt play awesome
He can touch paint.
Blissās size gives us some positional versatility, I think.
I think it says X is questionable at best for next for next year and I like the add. If Eli canāt play, we need the depth. If DD doesnāt produce, he gets the Dante.