Updating with final stats for the 17-18 season. My takeaway for each player (excluding a couple who played minimal minutes):
Mark Alstork - His offensive ability didn't translate to the B1G level. As we've seen in the past, it's not easy for guys to duplicate their success from lower leagues. By the eye-test, his on-ball defense was solid, which isn't really reflected in the metrics.
Leron Black - Our best player, both in the analytics and from the eye-test. He's a quality rebounder and go-to guy when we needed a bucket (team leader in 3P%!!!). Fouling continues to be his achilles heel, he also doesn't add much rim protection.
Greg Eboigbodin - I was impressed. His mobility and rim protection were something no other big gave us. Will he ever be an offensive force? Probably not, but someone who can set screens, finish at the rim, block shots, and rebound is always useful. Like a lot of freshman bigs, he needs to stop fouling.
Michael Finke - Analytics have a higher opinion of Finke than I think most have via the eye-test. He's not a great rebounder or defender, but he doesn't take bad shots, which helps his efficiency (team leader in 2P%).
Aaron Jordan - His season stats are boosted by his hot shooting start, but he is a fairly efficient player regardless (3rd in PER). His slow shooting release hurt him in B1G (33% in B1G play), but remains a good rebounding guard and solid role player.
Te'Jon Lucas - TJL's limited offensive game means he'll never be an analytics darling, but after getting out of BU's doghouse he came on strong as a team leader with his defense, ball movement, and scoring off the drive.
Kipper Nichols - A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. An analytics darling—he's a capable shooter, good rebounder, and a guy that has plus measurables on D. Analytics can't measure how often a guy loses his man on defense or takes plays off on offense.
Mark Smith - Analytics are rough on Mark, and perhaps fairly so. Mark looked like a guy that had never played without the ball in his hands. He didn't shoot it well, isn't a great rebounder, and doesn't rack up a ton of defensive measurables. That's not a recipe for great analytics. The eye-test says he can improve a lot, but will it be enough?
Trent Frazier - The kid can score, and his shooting efficiency improved a ton over the course of the season—but early struggles still weigh that down somewhat. His AST/TO needs to take a jump next year, but he led the team in steals and really improved his on-ball defense by the end of the year.
Da'Monte Williams - Rebounding jumps out, the kid is a great rebounding guard. His efficiency took a big hit because he didn't shoot it well this season, but he has the stroke to improve those numbers.
Until next year...
