r/wde • u/Rich_Excuse_5359 • 2d ago
Basketball Thoughts After Exhibition
Biggest thing we have to figure out is who will be the third scorer after Tahaad and Overton. Was hoping Dowd would prove he could be that guy, but he was non existent last night. Was not looking to score whatsoever. If Mantas can get eligible maybe he could be that guy, or when Freeman gets healthy he can provide a down low scoring threat. Without an inside scoring threat our season will fluctuate on a game by game basis based on how well Overton and Tahaad are shooting. Overton had an off shooting night and the offense struggled. Olsen and Kimble looked good, but I think Olsen is going to get targeted on defense in SEC play. Big men showed some rim protection upside, but got dominated on the boards. They are never going to be inside scoring threats, but need them to at least get rebounds and block shots. I don’t know how other people feel about this, but I don’t think Tahaad is at his best when playing PG. To reach our ceiling I think we need Overton, Kimble, or maybe Williams to be the lead ball handler and just let Tahaad focus on scoring. I think we have more depth than last year and more defensive upside, but if we don’t find inside scoring we’ll be living and dying by the three and have an up and down year. I think we’ll make the tournament, but SEC is going to be a blood bath this year.
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u/SauceDab 2d ago
Hoping for Dowd to be one of your leading scorers is setting yourself up for failure. Dowd is a dirty work kind of guy. That’s how he makes his mark on the game, we shouldn’t be looking to just give him the ball and let him work. We’ll probably have to lean on Williams as another scorer.
Kimble can possibly be impact scorer too
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u/Rich_Excuse_5359 2d ago
Yeah I’ll admit I didn’t know a ton about his game outside of just seeing his stats. Was hoping 14 ppg on high efficiency at a lower level would translate to some type of slashing or post up scoring ability in the SEC. Not looking like that will be the case.
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u/ThePlainsReport 2d ago
Well we've got the bigs we were missing last year but any sort of offensive or rebounding capability seems to be lagging behind. Ponder truly bodied us on the boards.
I hope one day my first thought isn't "no" or "don't" when Overton gets the ball 15 feet behind the 3 point line. 42 threes is just insane.
Kimble and Olsen were definitely bright spots. Missing three legitimate rotation players last night too. Glad to have hoops back!!
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u/Top_Boss6285 The Gulag 2d ago
Mantas isn't an inside scorer. He's a high % 3 pt shooter, so don't get your hopes for inside scoring unless Freeman has a resurgence.
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u/Rich_Excuse_5359 2d ago
Watching his highlights he seems like a solid slasher. Not necessarily a post up scorer, but can drive and score over and around big men in the paint.
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u/quadraticcheese 2d ago
Nepo baby does what nepo baby does
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u/Much_Protection_9850 War Eagle! 2d ago
Lol good take /s come back with something more productive next time you post. Thanks! 😊
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u/quadraticcheese 2d ago
He's unqualified, that's why we're losing
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u/Much_Protection_9850 War Eagle! 2d ago
Bro it is an exhibition game what are you on about lmao. Bruce quit on us last year of day one of practices. These comments are why the fan base is so toxic to new coaches and drives stars away 😂😂😂. Cheer up butter cup
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u/bham089 2d ago
This is definitely SPs team. There is a lot more upside this year than last season. It will all depend on if the coaches can bring them together. Last night was a lot of “me” basketball and not team ball. Turnovers need to be cleaned up. Way too many 3’s were taken. Driving and dishing needs to be more of a take to disrupt opposing defenses flow. Overton struggled mightily at times it seems, but I think he’ll get it together quickly.