So some concerns I’m having...

[mdn82]

As far as concerns go, I get that most people are looking big picture, but my biggest is Justin Smith.... Dude is so athletic, has all the physical gifts, but holy ****, PLEASE stop turning the ball over and making Freshman mistakes. It is unbelieveable how many times he makes an errant pass that goes off a fingertip or goes in soft for a rebound in traffic. ESPN is telling me 2.4 TO's per game, which is attrocious for your 6'7 Forward, but I think if you add in all the deflections and just poor decisions, I bet Smith is to blame for at least 5 TO's a game. 

Agreed. I have plenty of concerns. The offense (purpose?) is my biggest. Individually I thought JS would be the third best player on this team coming in. He definitely gave more effort last game on the defensive end and rebounding. I am just surprised how soft he is with the ball in his hand.


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[DJ Candypants]

47 minutes ago, rcs29 said:

He hesitates everytime he is about to go up for a layup/dunk. Way over thinking it. His mental conundrum reminds me a little of Newkirk last year. Can't get out of his own way in that regard.

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That's what I see as well. He is thinking too much before he takes an opening. He probably needs to strengthen his core a bit more as well, he is getting bullied right now. Effort on defense last game was drastically improved however, so that is a huge step in right direction. Love his potential and I hope he shows us more confidence moving forward. Look forward to seeing his growth.

[NRT137]

This whole thread is based on one guys concerns


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[MikeRoberts]

If someone dont think we played better the last half of last season then i wouldn't waste my time. They obviously didn't watch and are just going by the losses

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Nobody said they didn’t. They played their best ball in a stretch in the middle of the season.

Frankly there was nowhere but up from how we started and things started to come together mid season only to peak there


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[Walking Boot of Doom]

If I have to tell you where the love button is.....we better send you back through Elementary Sex Ed

He comes out of hibernation from his cave in the dark, cold wilderness but once a year to lay down pure fire on unsuspecting city guts primed to bust upon hearing his latest quip.

That’ll do, Alaska. That’ll do.


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[RaceToTheTop]

My biggest concern is a fan base overreacting to Miller because of things that happened prior to when he was here.

[Whoozhers]

I like Archie a lot. But, he’s dangerously getting close to being booed clinging on to Smith IMO. Much like Crean did when he was gonna put a guy in that was NOT preforming. Can’t remember his name.... That was embarrassing. Don’t be that guy Archie.


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[Brass Cannon]

1 minute ago, Whoozhers said:

I like Archie a lot. But, he’s dangerously getting close to being booed clinging on to Smith IMO. Much like Crean did when he was gonna put a guy in that was NOT preforming. Can’t remember his name.... That was embarrassing. Don’t be that guy Archie.


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That or he needs to at least do some PR and explain why he keeps playing him

[SlamaJamaSisley]

5 minutes ago, Brass Cannon said:

That or he needs to at least do some PR and explain why he keeps playing him

You don't honestly think he has to worry about doing PR regarding his coaching decisions, do you?  Really?  I just don't see that as being Archie's style.  

[mdn82]

Man, can anyone here imagine the response if someone from the media questioned RMK on a personnel decision? That would have been epic.


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[Whoozhers]

I hope better for Smith. I know we all do. But ...the way he’s playing right now and the stock the coaching staff puts into him, at a minimum, is a real head-scratcher. I hope JS erases any doubt why he’s on the court tomorrow. He has all tools. [emoji106][emoji459]
GO HOOSIERS!!


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[schoosier]

47 minutes ago, Whoozhers said:

I hope better for Smith. I know we all do. But ...the way he’s playing right now and the stock the coaching staff puts into him, at a minimum, is a real head-scratcher. I hope JS erases any doubt why he’s on the court tomorrow. He has all tools.
GO HOOSIERS!!


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Agree and we all want him to succeed. His handling of the ball has become a disaster in the making. He doesn’t dribble well unless it’s with a purpose with one or two towards the basket. The problem there is his finishing skills haven’t improved as his defenders know he won’t pump fake. His passing is lackadaisical and again never utilizes a fake pass. He cannot set screens up top as he’s really not much of a scoring threat either when he has to create his own shot. Rebounding is his saving grace at the moment, but I don’t think that’s not enough to garner as much playing time as he has been getting. I would love for Juwan to slide over in his slot and give our post minutes to Deron, Clifton and Race. Clifton played well last game and Deron can bang with opponents and is an actual threat when he gets the ball on the low block. I’m a fan of Jakes motor and think he could provide a short spark off the bench. Fitzner doesn’t Shot fake unless it’s from 3 land and has been a non factor since Marquette. Along with Smith and Green, Fitzner has been my biggest disappointment so far.

[Hillsdale87]

Smith has been extremely disappointing, but with Thompson and Hunter out, McRoberts just coming back, and Davis still unable to play big minutes, I don't know what the other options are. Moore looked decent the other night, but he's also still clearly got a long way to go, especially with understanding defensive rotations. Once we get guys back and Archie has more options, I don't think he'll stick with Smith as long as he's been doing.

IMO, the biggest concern should be the shooting, especially from the guards. Unfortunately, the guards are not a threat from distance, and it really impacts the offensive ceiling. Teams don't need to fight through screens at the 3 point line because our primary ball handlers (Romeo, Rob, and Devonte) aren't really threats to pull, which then impacts spacing. Romeo hasn't been shy, but he's shooting 25% from distance. I doubt he'll come back for another season, and he's really incredible as a slasher and inside 8 feet, but he's not going to be an effective NBA 2 guard until he becomes a more consistent shooter. IMO he lets the ball get just a bit too far back in his release. The guards have been generally very good in other areas, but my concern is that we need shooters as we play the top teams.

Archie is obviously pulling in great recruits, but assuming Brooks commits, that'll be 9 recruits signed by Archie, and only one, Damezi, is really a knock down shooter. By all accounts Franklin is going to be a good 4 year player, but the skill he's weakest on is shooting. It's becoming more and more clear every year that teams need to shoot the 3 effectively, and it would be good to see Archie prioritize it.

[HoosierAloha]

I’m fine with Smith being on the court if he can rebound, defend, and NOT turn it over at the current rate. We will also need another player to step up and be that third option, Durham has improved his outside shot and Phinisee has shown he can get to the rim. If one of them can be that consistent third scorer Smith can be that role player that does all the little things.


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[mdn82]

I’m fine with Smith being on the court if he can rebound, defend, and NOT turn it over at the current rate. We will also need another player to step up and be that third option, Durham has improved his outside shot and Phinisee has shown he can get to the rim. If one of them can be that consistent third scorer Smith can be that role player that does all the little things.


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I think the problem with Smith right now is we already have McRoberts and they are mostly the same player minus the turnovers. They can’t be on the court for long periods together and I trust McBob more. Now if Archie had Justin working the ball screens or rolling off screens I think he would be useful offensively. But his straight line drives are killing us. Anymore than 2 dribbles is too much. He really can’t shoot efficiently. He doesn’t have good vision and is a step slow when passing. We will see. These upcoming cupcakes will be huge for him imo.


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[Baltimore Hoosier]

Anddddd then Smith goes and has one of his best games of the season....

[mdn82]

Anddddd then Smith goes and has one of his best games of the season....

Yep it was needed and look how huge his contributions were. We lose without him. He can make a huge difference the next 10 weeks. The things I was hoping Archie did with him. I liked him coming off of screens diving at the rim instead of having him out top making decisions. I think he will be hugely valuable if we can keep doing that.

 

 

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[Baltimore Hoosier]

1 minute ago, mdn82 said:

Yep it was needed and look how huge his contributions were. We lose without him. He can make a huge difference the next 10 weeks.


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If Archie can get him to play with some fire, passion, and straight up anger and aggression, he will be hard to stop around the rim.

[mdn82]

If Archie can get him to play with some fire, passion, and straight up anger and aggression, he will be hard to stop around the rim.

Agreed. My biggest issues with him has been too much dribbling and decision making. The UL game he was coming off of screens going to the rim. So much more valuable that way. I really like how he was utilized this last game.

 

 

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[Baltimore Hoosier]

1 minute ago, mdn82 said:

Agreed. My biggest issues with him have been too much dribbling and decision making. The UL game he was coming off of screens going to the rim. So much more valuable that way. I really like how he was utilized this last game.


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Absolutely. It almost looked like Justin Smith had a Rookie of the Year moment on Saturday after that dunk (when the kid fires the ball from the outfield of Wrigley Stadium to the pitcher's mound after his injury, and is in disbelief of what he just did.) Smith needs to realize who and what type of player he is.