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Baylor 82, Illinois 69 Postgame
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<blockquote data-quote="TheFameProtector" data-source="post: 1560641" data-attributes="member: 517079"><p>Re: Curbelo, I could not agree more. He's making a lot of mistakes now but seems like a cerebral player that should improve dramatically as the year goes on. I was reassured by some of his play against Baylor, since a lot of freshmen look good over the first couple teams against bad competition but quickly fade when the quality ramps up -- based on an extremely small sample, he doesn't appear to be one of those freshmen.</p><p></p><p>As for Ayo, I don't want to appear to be ragging on him since I love everything he has been for us since he got here, but I continue to be skeptical of his NBA-level ability, particular at the PG spot. His speed is not as elite when measured up against the better backcourt players, which is the type of competition he'll see every night at the next level. His handle is decent but too high, and he doesn't have many moves outside of a so-so crossover and behind the back dribble -- he mainly relies on ability to blow by guys, and that ability shrinks as the competition gets better. He does a ton of stuff really well, don't get me wrong, but its his weaknesses that stand out when he plays against the type of competition he would see at the next level.</p><p></p><p>I alluded to it in another post but Ayo needs to be thinking and playing like more of a SG/CG, or even a wing. He's got great size and slashing ability, and is a decent shooter when given space. He is not good at setting the plate for an entire team and picking apart the entire defense imo, but is way better as the guy a PG passes to who then slices into the defense and looks for his shot or makes the simple pass to an open shooter. In other words, he's best as a secondary playmaker that is more score-first oriented (which also fits the closer role well too). That role should also make it easier to rely on his blow-by ability since defenses are not set up to stop you at the point of attack/top of the arc. Being realistic, that is his role, at best, in the NBA, and I think he'd be better off showing that he can excel in that role now rather than trying to prove he's a do-everything scoring PG that can run the whole show. As far as this season, he would have just as much opportunity to lay out his case for being an All-American and would still rack up stats, but the initiation of the offense would look a tad different.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Never apologize for the long-winded posts!!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheFameProtector, post: 1560641, member: 517079"] Re: Curbelo, I could not agree more. He's making a lot of mistakes now but seems like a cerebral player that should improve dramatically as the year goes on. I was reassured by some of his play against Baylor, since a lot of freshmen look good over the first couple teams against bad competition but quickly fade when the quality ramps up -- based on an extremely small sample, he doesn't appear to be one of those freshmen. As for Ayo, I don't want to appear to be ragging on him since I love everything he has been for us since he got here, but I continue to be skeptical of his NBA-level ability, particular at the PG spot. His speed is not as elite when measured up against the better backcourt players, which is the type of competition he'll see every night at the next level. His handle is decent but too high, and he doesn't have many moves outside of a so-so crossover and behind the back dribble -- he mainly relies on ability to blow by guys, and that ability shrinks as the competition gets better. He does a ton of stuff really well, don't get me wrong, but its his weaknesses that stand out when he plays against the type of competition he would see at the next level. I alluded to it in another post but Ayo needs to be thinking and playing like more of a SG/CG, or even a wing. He's got great size and slashing ability, and is a decent shooter when given space. He is not good at setting the plate for an entire team and picking apart the entire defense imo, but is way better as the guy a PG passes to who then slices into the defense and looks for his shot or makes the simple pass to an open shooter. In other words, he's best as a secondary playmaker that is more score-first oriented (which also fits the closer role well too). That role should also make it easier to rely on his blow-by ability since defenses are not set up to stop you at the point of attack/top of the arc. Being realistic, that is his role, at best, in the NBA, and I think he'd be better off showing that he can excel in that role now rather than trying to prove he's a do-everything scoring PG that can run the whole show. As far as this season, he would have just as much opportunity to lay out his case for being an All-American and would still rack up stats, but the initiation of the offense would look a tad different. Never apologize for the long-winded posts!! [/QUOTE]
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