Buchanan isn’t yet a rim protector (blocked shots) and got annihilated on the boards some by Micah/2 ft rebounds for Micah. Also no 3pt shooting as of yet and needs to get way better at both finishing at the rim and free throws. But man ceiling is the roof.
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I really want Buchanan taking every elbow jumper the opponent is willing to give him. He’s got great touch. Could absolutely see him continuing to expand his range
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Yeah, iirc, that and the turn around mid-range are shots that he worked on a ton over the last two years. Just another reason I was so thrilled to get him. He’s a hard-worker who is dedicated to improving his game all the time.
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Blake is not at this offensive level yet, but he is the first big we’ve had in a while who has had Anthony Gill vibes. I think it’s mostly the agility and super high motor, as Gill was an absurdly good finisher and Blake hasn’t shown that yet (in college Game #2 lol, I know it’s early). But man, TB hasn’t had a true big guy with footspeed for a minute now.
On Dunn, he is still only at 15% usage, which is an uptick from the 12% he had last year, but not much more. In last year’s draft, the only underclassmen drafted with usage in that ballpark were Lively (rim running bigs are typically low usage), and then in the second round, Jordan Walsh, Andre Jackson Jr, and Chris Livingston. None of those guys had the kind of defensive productivity in college that he has, certainly, but might be worth noting.
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A bigger picture question I’ve been thinking about with regard to player retention. Is it harder now for Tony to keep guys because NBA draft evals are smarter? Prioritize different things? Cat is out of the bag on underrated Virginia guys in the NBA w/ proven track record?
It does seems like scouts have gotten better at identifying potential that matters + they are prioritizing skill sets that some of our guys possess.
Two hypotheticals that bring this home for me: If third year Reece is the PG on our 2016-2017 four seed team, does he get close to first round buzz? My sense is no. Or, if third year Malcolm is on our team now and we get a 2 seed, what does he grade at? Probably pretty solid. First round lock maybe. But I don’t remember much if any draft buzz for him after his third year. And it took him having a Herculean 4th year on a 1 seed to get picked early second round.
Is that right?
If so, is it …
- because people pay more attention to Tony’s players given their track record in NBA?
- because NBA evals are smarter now? For example, prioritizing Reece’s defense.
Or a mix of both, or something else.
(Again, this is just my sense. I might be totally off. It does scare me for our prospects of getting back to elite, though.)
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No pressure Buck. After two games we expect you to hit every elbow J. Take some threes. Get every offensive rebound AND never foul. Welcome to the ACC and You Da Ho!
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My answer is a qualified “Yes, but…” because I think:
- Teams getting smarter about draft evals also means other teams get guys drafted before they reach peak college production too. I don’t know if this has especially hurt our team more so than others.
- It’s better in the long run for the program to get guys drafted because it a crucial factor in maintaining the talent pipeline.
- While the 2014-2019 run was punctuated by some real deal NBA guys, those teams had high level rotation players who haven’t been NBA guys (your Darions, Akils, etc) but did develop over time. I think those guys are still findable and can develop.
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Agree with @AdventiveQuasar - think there’s a correlation of that across the country. Including prospects from mid-majors!
I do think our program reputation/development though helps the 4-year player get an NBA contract or opportunity who may not have the perceived upside otherwise.
Maybe this is the more specific argument. Something about how Bennett manages the roster, establishes the pipeline, uses the portal, etc etc means it’s hurting us more. For example, the deference to experienced guys and playing the guys who will minimize mistakes. I don’t know I totally buy it. at the same time, trying to picture a roster for 3rd and 4th years Anderson, Brogdon, Gill, Tobey again … hard to imagine.
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About right so far IMO. Definitely can move up as the season progresses and he gets more opportunities on offense.
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Random question but let’s say Dunn comes back, do you think we look to add anyone in the portal this offseason?
Obviously if he goes we look for a replacement
I think you look for a grad transfer 5, you’ll have BB as the starter and ARob as the backup but will need at least one more body in the frontcourt. Preferably someone who identifies as a shot blocker and rebounder.
We will have Cofie coming in which helps, but to me he’s more of a 4 if we’re talking traditional positions. Could use someone with a Salt/Caffaro type build.
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A “stretch 4” might be hard for the staff to resist.
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Looking at some AP ballots that people have put out. Looking unlikely that we’re going to be ranked, which I’m perfectly fine with. What I’m not fine with is the fact that JMU is going to be ranked ahead of us, which is just wild to me.
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A stretch 4 with like 1-2 years left (so thaat Cofie still sees opportunity long term) or someone like TJ Power.
I am also of the opinion that we also need a more established shooting wing but thats more of a my want as opposed to “need” (I like sharma a lot but no idea if he plays next year and Taine tbd if he can give us anything)
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Taine has already more or less reached his potential. We know what he can provide. Instant Sharma could be a Woldo and that would be welcome.
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I think Cofie is going to play early. Not sure that precludes us from pursuing a stretch 4 but could get somewhat crowded in the frontcourt.
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Why do we need to go 3 deep at C? That seems like an inefficient use of roster spots, especially if Blake is solidly the starter next year as many expect.
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The only reason I’d ever go 3-deep at 5 is if one is a redshirting, extremely raw but athletic project who was recruited with the expectation they’d redshirt (like an ARob. Who is cooking fast enough to maybe make me question this). Still, the team should never have 3 active 5s. I’d rather have Groves playing the 5 a few minutes/game than bring on a 3rd active 5.
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I think we are more likely going to try to replace Groves than Dunn. How is Virginia gonna replace Dunn in the portal anyway? Besides, we may already have his replacement in Bond.
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