Illini in the Pros (Basketball)

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#176      
jamarvelous31
Fly Illini Fly! said:
This is really a useless line of thought because we can do it with every team.

2022 -- if Adam was still here, would Plummer get the same opportunity??

2023 -- if Kofi was back, do we still get Terrance? And even if we do, then is he as good with Kofi clogging the middle?

2024 -- if we got RayJ, is Marcus getting the same opportunity?? Also, is Terrance that good too?

2025 -- If we get Egor Demin do we get KJ??

2026 -- If Morez stayed do we get Mirk? If we got Sarr or Dix do we get Andrej? If we got KJ and Riley back, do we get Andrej and is Keaton the same player?

(Slight note on Andrej/Riley -- we got Andrej's commitment before Riley's decision deadline, and if he wanted to come back due to falling draft stock, we had a bag waiting for him just in case. It was said by Insiders all along. It's moot, since he went on to be a lock 1st rounder.)

2027 -- Almost certainly will be tied to Blackwell in some way, shape, form.

.....

Every team just has its own journey and makeup. Analyzing these "what if" scenarios are just brainrot.
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I know, but we're all so very very bored.

Need more practice vids..
 
#177      
logjam
Tyler Underwood getting good pub on CBS Sportsline today...article on on next college coaches to the pros...didn't specify head coach or offensive coach but good pub none the less...
 
#179      
Chillinini
It’s one game…..the first game…..of summer ball…..where the defense can hound you all night…..with endless amounts of fouls! Summer league is just a joke. 10 foul limit on an individual player, one free throw to determine two.
KW will adjust accordingly and be fine.
 
#180      
ChiIllini75
I think one game simply reinforces what most people assumed, Keaton will need to get stronger. Summer league has infinite fouls, but they weren't always fouling. He will adjust and find his opportunities.

Pace will be something for him to work on as well, many of the Clips possessions didn't get moving until there were 5 seconds on the clock, again an adjustment to make, not an indictment on ability to ever get there.
 
#181      
Goillinikobd
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
It looked like the speed of the game bothered him. We played super slow, so that was okay at Illinois. In the NBA, it'll be a lot faster.

Also, his lack of athleticism is real. His 2pt percentage at Illinois was bad. It was literally, his only weakness.

Overall, I'm not sure he's the primary ball handler for an NBA team. His floor is quite high, since he can be great as a secondary playmaker and off ball shooter. From that standpoint, it's hard to see him as a bust candidate.

Is there as much star potential as a guy like Acuff? No.

But the shooting and size should eventually pan out. He was a top 3 shooter in the whole draft.
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To quote an earlier post, “ he (Keaton) was graduating HIGH SCHOOL 13 months ago.”
 
#185      
the juiceman cometh
I-L-L 1318 said:
Other 1st rounders are all hunting their shots, Keaton lets things come to him. Dont think he will be a guy to put up 20 shots
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Bu that's kind of what you're supposed to do in summer league. It's a showcase, nobody cares who wins.

He will adjust and learn how to showcase his abilities. Based on post-game comments, he knows he needs to be more aggressive. Hope he can just tune out the noise and do his thing. He's got a great attitude the mental side of the game has always been one of his strengths, and that will serve him well at this point in his career where being a Keaton Wagler hater/doubter seems to be very much in vogue.
 
#186      
FrankNitty30
#188      
Fly Illini Fly!
the juiceman cometh said:
But that's kind of what you're supposed to do in summer league. It's a showcase, nobody cares who wins.

He will adjust and learn how to showcase his abilities. Based on post-game comments, he knows he needs to be more aggressive. Hope he can just tune out the noise and do his thing. He's got a great attitude the mental side of the game has always been one of his strengths, and that will serve him well at this point in his career where being a Keaton Wagler hater/doubter seems to be very much in vogue.
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I very intently watched TSJ's summer league games, each of his 2 years.

First year was a brutal watch. There were so many ball hogs on the team. TSJ would keep passing to them and they'd never pass back. He still put up numbers, but as an observer, it wasn't very pretty.

Second year, alot of those players were gone. The basketball played was a lot more fundamental / better. It felt very different compared to the previous year.

With Keaton, he's just not the type to jack up lots of bad shots. Wouldn't be too quick to judge since it's just one game, but if he's playing alongside such players, he'll likely see those opportunities dwindle. I do think he can be more aggressive overall, but there's obviously levels.

When he does get those shots though, he needs to knock them down. His shooting is his superpower, IMO.
 
#190      
I-L-L 1318
the juiceman cometh said:
Bu that's kind of what you're supposed to do in summer league. It's a showcase, nobody cares who wins.

He will adjust and learn how to showcase his abilities. Based on post-game comments, he knows he needs to be more aggressive. Hope he can just tune out the noise and do his thing. He's got a great attitude the mental side of the game has always been one of his strengths, and that will serve him well at this point in his career where being a Keaton Wagler hater/doubter seems to be very much in vogue.
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Agreed, just will be an adjustment for Keaton. He just plays winning basketball…summer league stat chasing isn’t winning basketball.
 
#192      
Fr8trn16
March2TheArch said:
I think people need to remember that Keaton was drafted for his processing and shiftiness.

It was apparent vs. rugged defenses last year that his handle and finishing were a major work in process as he continues to fill out his frame.

Look at Ayo now vs. even at Illinois. He’ll get there. He was graduating high school 13 months ago. Not everyone comes into the league like LeBron. Yaxel is 24. That’s 5 years from now for Keaton.
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To be fair, Acuff had at least 3 summer league games under his belt before yesterday's game compared to Waglers first. Rusty and battling double teams all night with only one turnover in 27 minutes of play. Played very good defense on Acuff leading to his 6-20 fg shooting. I think Wagler will be fine.
 
#193      
RabidDawgClassic
IMG_5613.jpeg

Goode, Dainja and Coleman… but one notable exception.

Also,…this is perhaps the worst Ai generated version of the Vegas Strip I’ve ever seen.
 
#195      
EyeoftheIllini
Chillinini said:
It’s one game…..the first game…..of summer ball…..where the defense can hound you all night…..with endless amounts of fouls! Summer league is just a joke. 10 foul limit on an individual player, one free throw to determine two.
KW will adjust accordingly and be fine.
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Agree with all the sentiment that it’s his first game in summer league and the rough outing doesn’t mean all that much. At the same time, if he had 23 points on 5 of 8 from three, plenty on the board would be head over heels positive.

Going to take some time. Good thing is from the little I think I know of him, he’ll keep things on an even keel and keep working. Probably a little unfortunate his first game came against Acuff, but that’s life in the NBA.
 
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