2024/2025 Lineup

[pdub]

Do you think Hunter will ever play in 25 NBA games?

Maybe.
We are talking about college basketball though.
Wayne Simien barely played in the NBA at all and is still one of the greatest bigs to ever play for Kansas.

[BiggDick]

we are.

But NBA potential is still something to consider in the context of college basketball.

[BiggDick]

Hunter had 18 PPG on 55% FG shooting last season.

This is an illy move - try to argue something by pointing to a peripheral stat, if that.

Yea, Hunter scores a lot of points, but physicality and athleticism are things that aren't directly measured in box scores.

He scores most of his points in the post and in no small part ( pun ) because he is physically bigger than the players he's playing against.

yea, he is.

As has been mentioned, he's 7 foot 2!

Just for fun real quick, imagine if Dok was that tall.

[pdub]

We have a 7 foot 2 All American center who we constantly feed in the post for him to get high percentage shots but apparently we aren't physically exploiting anyone.

Tell that to the coaches who have to figure out how to guard Hunter.

[pdub]

This is an illy move - try to argue something by pointing to a peripheral stat, if that.

Yea, Hunter scores a lot of points, but physicality and athleticism are things that aren't directly measured in box scores.

He scores most of his points in the post and in no small part ( pun ) because he is physically bigger than the players he's playing against.

yea, he is.

As has been mentioned, he's 7 foot 2!

Just for fun real quick, imagine if Dok was that tall.

WTF are we doing here?
Why do posters do this - it's ridiculous.
"Hey imagine if Mike Tyson was 4 foot 9, he wouldn't be as good at boxing would he!"

[BiggDick]

yea, but what's Tyson's wingspan?

For real tho it's a goofy hypo/s.

The point is, while of course Hunter gets most of his points in the paint because he is physically bigger, I dunno if it comes in that borderline-automatic exploitative way like it did with Dok.

Pretty sure Hunter was doubled more last year than Dok, but also pretty sure Dok was still good even when double teamed himself.

For as big as he is, it seems like Hunter's game is comparatively more finesse or something, rather than physical (and certainly athletic) exploitation.

[BiggDick]

Oh, and remember senior year when Dok showed up moving his feet way better, and could actually switch on a guard better and stuff?

Here's to hoping Hunter enjoys a similar development this year.

If he does, maybe he'll even get drafted and play 25 games in the league!

[pdub]

I just want to sum this up before I get back to work.

Ous thinks a guy who is an All American and could be a 1st team All American and B12POY this season, who has a been on a defensive 1st team ( in a power 5 conference ), and is an excellent defensive rebounder, wouldn't be as good on a college basketball roster as a dude ( a very lovable dude mind you ) who didn't start his senior year and eventually, after playing for years overseas, got into 25 games in the NBA.

He also thinks being 7 foot 2 with a long wingspan discounts you from being able to easily score because, well, I guess it's not physical enough, despite the huge advantage of being 7 foot 2 with a long wingspan being physical.

There's other stuff there but that's the gist.
Have at it everyone.

[BiggDick]

Yea.

But it’s not just that.

It’s that despite all that, he still plays soft, is still more a liability than he should be particularly in D, and has never been a part of an actual contender of a team.

But I realize having a crush on someone is less about recognizing things like that and more about emotions and hormones and such.

[TDub]

I can't believe this argument is still going on. amazing.

yea, it IS amazing.

the hoops bored was dead without me!

it was the offseason


now it's only partially readable

[KUTradition]

i’ll never understand the need to so regularly shit on the team someone is supposedly a fan of

criticism is one thing, but going out of one’s way to tear down program guys is something else altogether

[BiggDick]

you're always able to ignore me.

And yet, you won't.

You refuse to, even!

[mjl2]

DH
Moore
Coit
Mayo
Griffen
Storr
Kj
HD
Bidunga

That's 10 guys.

I disagree

[BiggDick]

i’ll never understand the need to so regularly shit on the team someone is supposedly a fan of

criticism is one thing, but going out of one’s way to tear down program guys is something else altogether

I only mean to be critical, and don't mean to "shit" on the team.

For me, it's fanboy pessimism. After the core of guys who ended up getting their asses kicked on the reg last season ended up being the same core of guys we returned and are building around this season, it's just the first season since becoming a KU fan I don't feel confident we could enjoy the highest of expectations.

But, if I can try for more cautious optimism, maybe we'll see the right combo of development from the returning core and also significant contributions from the newcomers, to do big things after all.

And, ok, I'll admit. I suppose it's a certain pride thing of my own, but...when other posters engage me not simply with arguing different points or disagreeing on the substance of the discussion, but also with personal attacks and condescension, I can't help but feel some instinct to at least try and stand up for myself.

[KUTradition]

blah, blah, blah

[BiggDick]

yea, it's exactly that kind of shit.

imho it's light years worse than even the "shit on the team" kinda stuff.

Please, be better than that.

[jfish26]

I just want to sum this up before I get back to work.

Ous thinks a guy who is an All American and could be a 1st team All American and B12POY this season, who has a been on a defensive 1st team ( in a power 5 conference ), and is an excellent defensive rebounder, wouldn't be as good on a college basketball roster as a dude ( a very lovable dude mind you ) who didn't start his senior year and eventually, after playing for years overseas, got into 25 games in the NBA.

He also thinks being 7 foot 2 with a long wingspan discounts you from being able to easily score because, well, I guess it's not physical enough, despite the huge advantage of being 7 foot 2 with a long wingspan being physical.

There's other stuff there but that's the gist.
Have at it everyone.

(When you have pdub defending a NIL superhero...)

[jfish26]

At the 4 KJ is a net positive defensively and a net negative offensively.

At the 5 KJ is a net negative on both sides of the ball.

Defensively Bidunga almost certainly is superior to KJ at the 5, even with limited experience.

I'm not HAPPY about it, and certainly there are 40 or so games to prove this wrong, but - it seems like the most likely conclusion is that KJ's body and the things KJ is good at just don't really, at the contender level, work together as anything more than a role player.

[twocoach]

i’ll never understand the need to so regularly shit on the team someone is supposedly a fan of

criticism is one thing, but going out of one’s way to tear down program guys is something else altogether

I only mean to be critical, and don't mean to "shit" on the team.

For me, it's fanboy pessimism. After the core of guys who ended up getting their asses kicked on the reg last season ended up being the same core of guys we returned and are building around this season, it's just the first season since becoming a KU fan I don't feel confident we could enjoy the highest of expectations.

But, if I can try for more cautious optimism, maybe we'll see the right combo of development from the returning core and also significant contributions from the newcomers, to do big things after all.

And, ok, I'll admit. I suppose it's a certain pride thing of my own, but...when other posters engage me not simply with arguing different points or disagreeing on the substance of the discussion, but also with personal attacks and condescension, I can't help but feel some instinct to at least try and stand up for myself.

If we returned 6+ contributors from last season then I too would have some concerns about "the same core of guys we returned and are building around this season" but I don't consider returning a total of just 3 scholarship players from last season to be a concern. It would be nearly impossible to return LESS contributors.

[twocoach]

At the 4 KJ is a net positive defensively and a net negative offensively.

At the 5 KJ is a net negative on both sides of the ball.

Defensively Bidunga almost certainly is superior to KJ at the 5, even with limited experience.

I'm not HAPPY about it, and certainly there are 40 or so games to prove this wrong, but - it seems like the most likely conclusion is that KJ's body and the things KJ is good at just don't really, at the contender level, work together as anything more than a role player.

Agreed that he is a role player. He isn't skilled enough at offense to be a featured player, which is fine as we need a dirty work guy who is a constant threat to smash an alley oop on their head if the leave him to double a shooter. That is is best contribution in my opinion. He can't be ignored, which is more than I can say about Harris without the ball in his hands.