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Stuhoo

Xavier Johnson - Commits to IU (PG)

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No wrong answer here.  People can look at his numbers and have concerns about certain parts of his game and others can look at his numbers and feel he is an upgrade from what was here before.   Always hard to see how other players will do when they go to a different team.  All you can do is hope it works out for the better.   If you would of told me McClung would of became they defensive player he became and more efficient on offense at Texas Tech then he did at Georgetown I would of laughed at you.   He proved me wrong and became a heck of a team player at Tech.    I’m not sure how it will work out for Johnson but 2 final 4 teams this year wanted him and he put the rest of his career in the hands of a 12-15 team with a new coach.    Adding a player with over 50 ACC games and a 1000 point scorer has to be a plus in my opinion but I have 0 problem with people who have concerns with adding him. 

Thank you.

And just to be clear, I have ZERO problem with adding Xavier. I am 100% for it.

I just have concerns about how good he will be here. I don’t think he automatically fixes our guard problem and he could struggle here given his past at Pitt. I feel like that is a valid concern.


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You said: 

“He has turnover problems, isn’t a shooter, and has had issues with technicals and coaching. There are plenty of reasons for concerns.”

He averaged 1 more turnover a game than Franklin last season while averaging 3.6 more assists. If turnovers are an issue for you when it comes to Johnson, why aren’t/weren’t they for Franklin? Franklin averaged more turnovers than he did assists. 

 

As for technical fouls... “Technicals hadn’t been a problem, at least not to this glaring extent, for much of Johnson’s college career until the past few weeks, making his recent lapses all the more confounding and concerning. In his first 78 games with the Panthers, Johnson had four technical fouls and never finished a season with more than two. In just 19 days, that career mark has nearly doubled.” 

 

Technical fouls were an issue for the entire Pittsburgh team.

“After Wednesday’s game, the Panthers have been called for nine technicals this season, seven of which have come in the past five games. The next-closest ACC team, Boston College, only has four and the conference’s other 14 teams have combined for 21. Of those 21, five came in games against Pitt.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2021/02/18/pitt-panthers-basketball-nc-state-wolfpack-technical-fouls-xavier-johnson-jeff-capel-femi-odukale/stories/202102180167

For the vast majority of his college career, technicals weren’t an issue for him. 4 techs in 78 games isn’t a cause for concern. That’s a technical every 19.5 games. 3 techs in 3 weeks, during a period where the team as a whole was having technical foul problems, says as much about the situation he was in as it does about him personally. Jeff Capel sounds like the problem in Pittsburgh, not Xavier Johnson. Capel has went 15-38 in the conference and has had a number of players transfer. 

 

He shot 79% from the free throw line last year. A team that finished 299th in the country in free throw shooting could use some of that shooting. He also finishes very well at the rim. His three point percentage, while not great, was higher than our team average. He shot better from 3 than Phinisee, Lander, Leal, and Galloway.  

Two of the four teams in the final four, including the national champion Baylor Bears, wanted him. They did their their due diligence and thought he could help their teams. We were lucky enough to get him instead of them. 

Again, I am not against adding him. But there are reasons he could struggle here. You named a few.

 

Aren’t you the same guy that thought Tom Allen should be fired and started an entire thread about it?? Not sure you should tell people what is reality and what is not...

 

 

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13 minutes ago, IUc2016 said:

Again, I am not against adding him. But there are reasons he could struggle here. You named a few.

 

Aren’t you the same guy that thought Tom Allen should be fired and started an entire thread about it?? Not sure you should tell people what is reality and what is not...

 

 

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I sure was! And guess what, Allen went on a tear after I posted that thread (after the Michigan State loss in 2019, if anyone is curious) and I’m thrilled about it. I could’ve deleted that thread but I left it up because I’m not afraid to admit when I was wrong and I have no reason to hide from it. If you want to dig through my posts and find things I was wrong about, go for it. You’ll find a lot of things. But that doesn’t change your particular take on this particular topic. You had a bad take and instead of owning it you’re deflecting. 
 

Stewart is the one replacing Franklin in the starting lineup. Johnson is replacing Phinisee. Last year Johnson averaged twice as many points and twice as many points per game as Phinisee. He shot 8% better from 2, 7% better from 3, and 15% better from the free throw line. Johnson got a few technicals. Phinisee had three games where he didn’t score and five games where he didn’t hit a field goal. That’s more damaging to your team than technical fouls. We still have positions of need to fill, but we substantially improved our starting point guard. 

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Thank you.

And just to be clear, I have ZERO problem with adding Xavier. I am 100% for it.

I just have concerns about how good he will be here. I don’t think he automatically fixes our guard problem and he could struggle here given his past at Pitt. I feel like that is a valid concern.


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In general, I think system, coaching, and confidence building will make more if a difference than getting any one player.

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I sure was! And guess what, Allen went on a tear after I posted that thread (after the Michigan State loss in 2019, if anyone is curious) and I’m thrilled about it. I could’ve deleted that thread but I left it up because I’m not afraid to admit when I was wrong and I have no reason to hide from it. If you want to dig through my posts and find things I was wrong about, go for it. You’ll find a lot of things. But that doesn’t change your particular take on this particular topic. You had a bad take and instead of owning it you’re deflecting. 
 
Stewart is the one replacing Franklin in the starting lineup. Johnson is replacing Phinisee. Last year Johnson averaged twice as many points and twice as many points per game as Phinisee. He shot 8% better from 2, 7% better from 3, and 15% better from the free throw line. Johnson got a few technicals. Phinisee had three games where he didn’t score and five games where he didn’t hit a field goal. That’s more damaging to your team than technical fouls. We still have positions of need to fill, but we substantially improved our starting point guard. 

I didn’t deflect anything.

But I will laugh my @$$ off when Phinisee starts right next to Xavier Johnson. Don’t act like you know who will/won’t start.


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36 minutes ago, IUc2016 said:


I didn’t deflect anything.

But I will laugh my @$$ off when Phinisee starts right next to Xavier Johnson. Don’t act like you know who will/won’t start.


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Instead of explaining why Franklin averaging more turnovers than assists doesn’t bother you but Xavier averaging more assists than turnovers does, you bring up a thread I made two years ago about a completely different sport. Maybe Phinisee will start too! I wouldn’t count on Woodson starting a 6’1 guy who shoots 26% from 3 and isn’t particularly athletic at the 2, but who knows. You’re right, we don’t know who will start. That doesn’t change the fact that Phinisee was our starting point guard last year and we brought in a significant upgrade in Johnson. Even if every concern of yours ends up being true he’s still better than what we had last year. Dude has started 81 games and scored over 1100 points at the P5 level. 
 

The portal isn’t a build a bear workshop. We can’t walk up to it, press a few buttons, and pop out the perfect player. We had a lot of needs going into the off-season. You don’t go 12-15 if you don’t. We needed shooting. We needed playmaking. We needed quickness. We need toughness/aggression. Johnson isn’t a great 3 point shooter. But just because he doesn’t fit one of our needs doesn’t mean he doesn’t fit a bunch of other ones. Every player we add doesn’t need to fill every need that we have. We have two more scholarships open to bring in shooters, and we have the next 7 months to develop shooting in the players we do have. 

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4 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Xaviers game will be different from what it was at Pittsburgh in a way.    He was asked to handle the ball, be a playmaker and shot maker on a bad team.   The reason he had high assists and high turnovers was because he had the ball in his hands all the time.    He is best as a playmaker for his teammates.  IU hasn’t had a guard that can create space and use his quickness to get in the lane and find teammates in a long time.  With lander and Rob he shouldn’t have the burden to carry the load at all times.  He can play off ball if he needs to and can play the 1 if asked.   If he can trust his teammates and share the load he could have a big year.  Looking forward to finding out how this shakes out 

Similar for Parker at UT Martin.

He was asked to have the ball in his hands AND be the primary scorer, only for him it was largely from 3pt.

 

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2 hours ago, Uspshoosier said:

No wrong answer here.  People can look at his numbers and have concerns about certain parts of his game and others can look at his numbers and feel he is an upgrade from what was here before.   Always hard to see how other players will do when they go to a different team.  All you can do is hope it works out for the better.   If you would of told me McClung would of became they defensive player he became and more efficient on offense at Texas Tech then he did at Georgetown I would of laughed at you.   He proved me wrong and became a heck of a team player at Tech.    I’m not sure how it will work out for Johnson but 2 final 4 teams this year wanted him and he put the rest of his career in the hands of a 12-15 team with a new coach.    Adding a player with over 50 ACC games and a 1000 point scorer has to be a plus in my opinion but I have 0 problem with people who have concerns with adding him. 

True dat!

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1 hour ago, Uspshoosier said:

Xaviers game will be different from what it was at Pittsburgh in a way.    He was asked to handle the ball, be a playmaker and shot maker on a bad team.   The reason he had high assists and high turnovers was because he had the ball in his hands all the time.    He is best as a playmaker for his teammates.  IU hasn’t had a guard that can create space and use his quickness to get in the lane and find teammates in a long time.  With lander and Rob he shouldn’t have the burden to carry the load at all times.  He can play off ball if he needs to and can play the 1 if asked.   If he can trust his teammates and share the load he could have a big year.  Looking forward to finding out how this shakes out 

 

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

Similar for Parker at UT Martin.

He was asked to have the ball in his hands AND be the primary scorer, only for him it was largely from 3pt.

 

Yes. These guys are different than Michigan’s two transfers from this past year, but you can look to Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown for examples of how much context matters.

Somewhat like Smith at Columbia, Johnson was asked to do a lot on offense at Pitt. Hopefully, like Smith, a narrower role can lead to better efficiency — fewer forced passes and late-clock heaves that kill his shooting and turnover numbers.

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14 hours ago, Uspshoosier said:

Xaviers game will be different from what it was at Pittsburgh in a way.    He was asked to handle the ball, be a playmaker and shot maker on a bad team.   The reason he had high assists and high turnovers was because he had the ball in his hands all the time.    He is best as a playmaker for his teammates.  IU hasn’t had a guard that can create space and use his quickness to get in the lane and find teammates in a long time.  With lander and Rob he shouldn’t have the burden to carry the load at all times.  He can play off ball if he needs to and can play the 1 if asked.   If he can trust his teammates and share the load he could have a big year.  Looking forward to finding out how this shakes out 

Quoting your post for emphasis -- X is a combo-guard, he's really not a "point guard" it's more that he's fully capable, as he demonstrated, of playing a primary on-ball role. 

We have an uber-stud young gun true point guard in Lander. The extent of his role remains to be seen, but he has all the talent in the world, it's about how ready he is now with a year's growth and experience and development.

We have a veteran point/combo-guard in Rob, we all know what he can do and that he hasn't been consistent for whatever the reasons but that he can be a strong on or off-ball player. 

And now we have a strong combo-guard in X who has demonstrated a top flight assist ratio/ability and dribble-penetrating scorer who brings in in-your-face toughness we've been needing.

I don't see X taking anyone's "spot" I see a talented group of guards who can play on or off giving the team a dynamic we didn't really have last season. AF and Al brought a lot, but I think our on-ball play will be stronger.

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Very good discussion lately in this thread about the abilities of the point guard for IU.  To me, it is the biggest question.  Rob P is the experienced PG for IU.  But the fact is that it hasn't really been ideal.  The questions surrounding Rob P are pertinent. Is he really a combo guard?  Will Lander, thank goodness he is here, step into the PG position and begin to hit, and not turn over the ball?  Will Xavier J, as a combo guard, be capable and not turn over the ball like he has when he has been asked to be the ball handler for the team?  

Will Phin begin to recover his oomph and quickness and shot and etc.?  

Well, the very exciting thing is that there are many options there.  All of them need some development, repetition,  and prime time on court action with this team.  

One of them will excel.  Others will complement and/or compete.  That is exciting.

Interested in following this group of IU players.  4 new significant players: XJ, PS, TB, and MK.  Competition for the starting 5 just got serious.

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49 minutes ago, Dave from Dayton said:

Very good discussion lately in this thread about the abilities of the point guard for IU.  To me, it is the biggest question.  Rob P is the experienced PG for IU.  But the fact is that it hasn't really been ideal.  The questions surrounding Rob P are pertinent. Is he really a combo guard?  Will Lander, thank goodness he is here, step into the PG position and begin to hit, and not turn over the ball?  Will Xavier J, as a combo guard, be capable and not turn over the ball like he has when he has been asked to be the ball handler for the team?  

Will Phin begin to recover his oomph and quickness and shot and etc.?  

Well, the very exciting thing is that there are many options there.  All of them need some development, repetition,  and prime time on court action with this team.  

One of them will excel.  Others will complement and/or compete.  That is exciting.

Interested in following this group of IU players.  4 new significant players: XJ, PS, TB, and MK.  Competition for the starting 5 just got serious.

I think Rob can be a shooting guard offensively if he returns his touch.....defensively we are better if he guards the point and Xavier guards the 2.  I think likely whenever Lander or Phin are in at the same time as X, Johnson will guard the 2.

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I like Rob. Seems like a good kid.

However, he has a small frame, he doesn't go strong to the goal and his layups are not infrequently blocked. He has no mid-range game. He is a mediocre passer. He shoots it poorly from outside.

For people saying if his shots improves, etc., etc. Sure, but the same can be said of any player. 

I hope the coaching change does him wonders because I want him to succeed. It's just a stretch as of now to imagine him as a starting 2 guard. 

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39 minutes ago, ziggyiu said:

I like Rob. Seems like a good kid.

However, he has a small frame, he doesn't go strong to the goal and his layups are not infrequently blocked. He has no mid-range game. He is a mediocre passer. He shoots it poorly from outside.

For people saying if his shots improves, etc., etc. Sure, but the same can be said of any player. 

I hope the coaching change does him wonders because I want him to succeed. It's just a stretch as of now to imagine him as a starting 2 guard. 

The difference with saying “if robs shot improves” is that unlike other players Rob looked like a straight up stud for the beginning of his freshmen year.  An Injury and too much time with Archie led to that turning inconsistent.  

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Just now, Brass Cannon said:

The difference with saying “if robs shot improves” is that unlike other players Rob looked like a straight up stud for the beginning of his freshmen year.  An Injury and too much time with Archie led to that turning inconsistent.  


And Rob Phinisee is an excellent on ball defender at the point. That’s a big deal skill.

 

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