Kansas Crimson

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:46 am

ousdahl wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:40 am The potential is there, but I dunno.

He needs to show he can do something at an elite level. He’s a really good college shooter, but I dunno if elite. He hasn’t shown nba range, and is still prone to leaving shots short.

And while he’s a really good athlete and does other things well, I just dunno if he’s displayed a comprehensive skill set or intangibles to really get the attention of GMs.

You had me until the comprehensive skill set thing. Och's path is clearly 3 and D. Comprehensive skills or the total package only really matters for the franchise changing Top 3ish picks.

Otherwise we wouldn't have Joe Harris signing $75m contracts and Corey Kispert projected lotto.

Following Monday’s loss to Baylor, McCormack has a season offensive rating of 100.7 and a usage rate of 29.0 at KenPom. In layman’s terms ... he’s been a below-average offensive option, while compounding that issue by taking on an unnecessarily huge offensive load.

[...]

Playing through McCormack has an opportunity cost too. Force-feeding the big man not only has moved KU away from an early-season five-guard epiphany that saved the Jayhawks in a few close games, but it’s seemed to crater the production of Jalen Wilson, who looked like a surefire All-Big 12 first-teamer before this stylistic change contributed to a sapping of his aggressiveness and confidence.

All this isn’t to say that McCormack shouldn’t have a role on this year’s KU team; that’s not true at all. But a quick glance to the advanced stats should be sounding alarms that even national writers are beginning to clamor about: KU should not be running its offense through a big man who has made 43% of his twos against D-I competition while not drawing an overwhelming number of fouls.

[...]

There seems to be a better path forward. KU needs its big man to fit its other four players, not the other way around. It needs better defense from that 5-spot too, with Baylor and Oklahoma State both using simple ball screens to put KU’s defense in conflict when McCormack was unable to stick with offensive players in space.

This gameplan, in other words, has had time to work, but it just isn’t.

Perhaps Self still will be proven right. Maybe McCormack will improve and turn into the player the coach has believed in all along.

The danger, though, becomes if that doesn’t happen.

Because it wouldn’t be McCormack sinking KU’s chances at a higher ceiling then; instead, it would be Self.

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:03 pm Newell's been reading the board . . .

sdoyel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:19 am McCormack is 53-123 (43.1%) on the season. That is terrible.

If Self is going to stand by McCormack as our best player, figure out how to get him better looks. He should absolutely be shooting above 50%!

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:45 pm The staff and players need to take a lesson from Collins, Tyshawn, Graham, and Newman and stop sulking over the loss of Azubuike and Dotson. It's their team now, move on and kick some ass.

ousdahl wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:40 am The potential is there, but I dunno.

He needs to show he can do something at an elite level. He’s a really good college shooter, but I dunno if elite. He hasn’t shown nba range, and is still prone to leaving shots short.

And while he’s a really good athlete and does other things well, I just dunno if he’s displayed a comprehensive skill set or intangibles to really get the attention of GMs.

randylahey wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:49 pm

sdoyel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:19 am McCormack is 53-123 (43.1%) on the season. That is terrible.

If Self is going to stand by McCormack as our best player, figure out how to get him better looks. He should absolutely be shooting above 50%!

do you guys not realize that other teams think mccormack is our best player too? not just self. how often do you see och braun garret or wilson get double teamed or create their own offense? every time mccormack touches the ball the opposition sends help

CrimsonNBlue wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:56 pm

randylahey wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:49 pm
do you guys not realize that other teams think mccormack is our best player too? not just self. how often do you see och braun garret or wilson get double teamed or create their own offense? every time mccormack touches the ball the opposition sends help

That's not true at all about Dave being double teamed every time. It also makes nearly zero sense to double team a perimeter player against a team that plays 4 out.

PhDhawk wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:01 pm
And I disagree that you can blame Dave for Wilson's struggles. There was never a drastic shift in McCormack's minutes. He's played a little more in conference than non-conference cause he's played better, but that's a change of a few mpg. I mean, that's as dumb as saying Wilson was the reason McCormack struggled early on.

PhDhawk wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 3:01 pm I agree with Jesse that McCormack's usage is way to high.

Here's the problem, yes McCormack has a very pedestrian ORtg of 106.9 (according to: https://www.sports-reference.com)

But, who are you gonna bench him for?

Enaruna 96.1
TGF 92.7
Thompson 89
Harris 100.2

randylahey wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:49 pm

sdoyel wrote: ↑Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:19 am McCormack is 53-123 (43.1%) on the season. That is terrible.

If Self is going to stand by McCormack as our best player, figure out how to get him better looks. He should absolutely be shooting above 50%!

do you guys not realize that other teams think mccormack is our best player too? not just self. how often do you see och braun garret or wilson get double teamed or create their own offense? every time mccormack touches the ball the opposition sends help