Illini in the Pros (Basketball)

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#326      
Fly Illini Fly!
EmeraldCityIllini said:
But, in today's NBA the centers are the anchors, so I'd say Mara probably. I think the defensive upside with Wilson is also immense - longer, quicker, bouncier, and even more switchable. He's a stud.
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Morez was way better than Wilson last year defensively. Way too many times Wilson got beat on off ball actions / back cuts.

The measurements for both are 6"9 barefoot, but Morez has a 7"3 wingspan compared to 7"0 for Wilson.

Wilson is more enticing because of his offensive game. Much better passer, shooter, ball handler. He could round into being a #1 option.
 
#327      
NarrowJ
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Morez is who connected Michigan's defense, and felt most indispensable.

Mara was a pure drop coverage big (and was very good at it). Yaxel was a tremendous point of attack guy.

Morez was kind of a blend of both their traits. His ability to switch and be versatile is what made them elite.
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Having that rim protection behind him may have helped. He got absolutely torched the other night by a nobody and its a good thing there are no DQs for personal fouls in summer league, because he had 7 of them. Its just one game, obviously, but we can probably slow down with 'best defender in the draft'.
 
#328      
3 point girl
NarrowJ said:
Dear Mr. Austin Brown and/or Aaron Mintz as the case may be:

Mara was better than Morez in pretty much every single defensive metric: blocks (by a wide margin), DBPM (also by a wide margin, Mara led the entire country), blocks (again, by a giant margin), DRtg, and even personal fouls while Mara was also just as good of a rebounder.

Sorry, but it isn't really close here and thus no real conversation to be had.
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The Mavericks were idiots not to pick him.
 
#330      
Illinirog1970
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Morez was way better than Wilson last year defensively. Way too many times Wilson got beat on off ball actions / back cuts.

The measurements for both are 6"9 barefoot, but Morez has a 7"3 wingspan compared to 7"0 for Wilson.

Wilson is more enticing because of his offensive game. Much better passer, shooter, ball handler. He could round into being a #1 option.
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Wilson was uncoached. Remember, he played for Hubert Davis at UNC, and was completely undeveloped. He's a blank slate for the Bulls and has shown it in the summer league.... All raw talent, little technical basketball skills. Now, if he had gone to the Beloved.... ;-)

He needs A LOT of "rounding."
 
#331      
Fly Illini Fly!
https://twitter.com/x/status/2077032647100878864

“Will Riley, G, Washington Wizards​

Riley measured above 6’8 barefoot at the combine ahead of the 2025 draft, and he’s reportedly gotten even taller since then. Now standing around 6’10, the 20-year-old wing showed off his deep bag of scoring moves with fearless takes to the rim, spot-up threes, and solid rebounding for his position in Las Vegas. Riley is really slippery off the bounce to beat the first line of the defense, and his long strides and extension finishes help him finish at the basket even with his thin frame. His shooting tends to run hot-and-cold, but he has real utility in his three-point shot both off the dribble and on spot-ups, and there’s no doubt he has NBA range on his jumper. Riley is just a really fluid athlete for his size with real shooting upside, and he has the awareness to relocate off the ball to put himself in a better position to score. There are suddenly a lot of mouths to feed in Washington, but Riley seems like a walking bucket who is just starting to scratch his long-term upside.”
 
#332      
Joel Goodson
Illinirog1970 said:
Wilson was uncoached. Remember, he played for Hubert Davis at UNC, and was completely undeveloped. He's a blank slate for the Bulls and has shown it in the summer league.... All raw talent, little technical basketball skills. Now, if he had gone to the Beloved.... ;-)

He needs A LOT of "rounding."
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"little technical basketball skills?" c'mon, Wilson looks like the full package. Bulls got extremely lucky that he didn't shoot 3s for Carolina. manna level
 
#333      
Fly Illini Fly!
Joel Goodson said:
"little technical basketball skills?" c'mon, Wilson looks like the full package. Bulls got extremely lucky that he didn't shoot 3s for Carolina. manna level
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Just shooting them isn’t that much of a difference if it’s not great efficiency.

Maybe he was a demigod shooter all along. Or maybe he drastically improved during the draft process. Or maybe it’s just the low-pressure summer league environment. Genuinely could be any of the 3.

I’m personally still not sure he’d be taken over Boozer. He had a historic college season. As polished as any one and done we’ve ever seen.

…..

The “what if” scenario no one talks about is what if Mullins shot didn’t go in? Duke would’ve absolutely had a shot at the title (they were the #1 overall).

If they won the natty, Boozer might have pushed AJ or DP.
 
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#334      
chiefini
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#336      
Joel Goodson
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Just shooting them isn’t that much of a difference if it’s not great efficiency.

Maybe he was a demigod shooter all along. Or maybe he drastically improved during the draft process. Or maybe it’s just the low-pressure summer league environment. Genuinely could be any of the 3.

I’m personally still not sure he’d be taken over Boozer. He had a historic college season. As polished as any one and done we’ve ever seen.

…..

The “what if” scenario no one talks about is what if Mullins shot didn’t go in? Duke would’ve absolutely had a shot at the title (they were the #1 overall).

If they won the natty, Boozer might have pushed AJ or DP.
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Boozer was a great college player, no doubt. and he's gonna be a VG pro. but how a kid fares in college means squat in the NBA. the list of college Gods who didn't come close that that level at the next level is pretty long
 
#337      
Fly Illini Fly!
EmpoweredIllini said:
he still cant guard well, had 7 personal fouls in 28 minutes the other night while his counterpart (who is a no-name undrafted guy) put up a monster game with 36 points
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EmpoweredIllini said:
going back to original comment of 'best defensive player in the draft' (which everyone knows is silly) --> just because you can kinda sorta guard a college sg/sf on switches doesnt mean youre going to be able to keep up with nba caliber initiators
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Sports Illustrated NBA draft article:

www.si.com

Which Defenders Have the Highest Upside in the 2026 NBA Draft Class?

There are multiple 2026 draft prospects who have the potential to be solid defenders in the NBA.
www.si.com www.si.com

“Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan​

Johnson helped Michigan win the national championship with an impressive performance on defense and as a rebounder.

The sophomore averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 62.3% from the field.

At the NBA Combine, Johnson measured 6-foot-9 without shoes and recorded a 7-foot-3-and-a-half wingspan while weighing 250 pounds. The former four-star recruit's blend of strength and mobility for a player of his size and stature make him an impressive precsence on defense.”

Others mentioned:

Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky​

Dailyn Swain, Texas​

Honorable mentions:

Allen Graves, Santa Clara

Aday Mara, Michigan

Kashie Natt, Sam Houston State

Ugonna Onyenso, Virginia

…..

Jay Bilas NBA draft superlatives article:


Best defender Jayden Quaintance, but very clearly mentions Morez:

“With a nod to defensive versatility and rim protection, there might not be a clear-cut choice in this category. Based solely on ceiling and measurables, I like Quaintance, but he did not play many games or minutes this season because of injury. Still, no prospect has more potential to be a game-changing defender than Quaintance.

Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr. isn't far off with his athleticism and ability to switch and pile up steals and blocks. Santa Clara's Allen Graves is attractive as a defensive option as well, although he does not have the athletic ability of Johnson. One player who will surprise is Peterson -- with his 6-10 wingspan and athleticism, Peterson can be an outstanding defender in the NBA.

The top rim protector in this draft is Michigan's Aday Mara. At 7-3 with ridiculously long arms that provide him a 9-9 standing reach, Mara set a Michigan record with 103 blocks last season, and opponents shot just 35% at the rim with Mara on the court”

…..

Bottom line — if he isn’t the best defender, he’s definitely not that far off, as almost all evaluators consider him amongst the best.

Making claims like “he still can’t guard well” are just random takes that hold little to no merit.
 
#338      
EllderIlliniFan
Just thinking about what an amazing year it must be for Keaton. Last year at this time he was scrimmaging with the Illini trying to establish himself on a team that might even be considering him for a red shirt. Just out of high school. A year later he is on the doorstep of the NBA with a multimillion dollar contract. Quite a bit to handle for an 18-19 year old. But he seems to be well up to the task both bball wise and with all the other aspects of the NBA spot light.
 
#340      
EmpoweredIllini
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Making claims like “he still can’t guard well” are just random takes that hold little to no merit.
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making claims that he's the best defensive player in the draft have even less merit when he goes out and commits 7 personal fouls en route to some guy who didn't even get drafted dropping 36 on him

did you read the article at all? dont think you even read the title/headline... theyre saying he has defensive upside, not that he currently is a great nba-level defender (because he definitely isnt)
 
#342      
NarrowJ
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Making claims like “he still can’t guard well” are just random takes that hold little to no merit.
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How do we reconcile what happened the other night? He clearly got roasted at a pretty crazy level vs some absolute nobody.

There's a lot of upside there, nobody denies that, and is what the article (the headline, actually) states.
 
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#343      
BretMyBeachHouse
NarrowJ said:
How do we reconcile what happened the other night? He clearly got roasted at a pretty crazy level vs some absolute nobody.

There's a lot of potential there, nobody denies that, and is what the article (the headline, actually) states.
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You reconcile it the same way you reconcile Keaton's first three halves.

Geez folks. It's summer league. There's plenty to be learned but there are a dozen reasons any guy on any different day doesn't look great.
 
#344      
NarrowJ
BretMyBeachHouse said:
You reconcile it the same way you reconcile Keaton's first three halves.

Geez folks. It's summer league. There's plenty to be learned but there are a dozen reasons any guy on any different day doesn't look great.
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And people voiced concerns over Keaton's start to summer league. I am always the guy on here harping about small sample sizes, so believe me this concept is not lost on me one bit.

But we probably are pretty safe in knowing that if a guy commits 7 fouls in 25 minutes and gives up 36 to some guy most people have never heard of, he's probably not a "great defender".

Seems its fine if we have concerns about Illinois player's game translating to the next level, but when we question Morez Johnson it is a Cardinal sin and there's massive pushback from (usually) the same two people?

If you go up in the search bar and type in "Morez" and hit enter, there are 8+ pages of posts from just within the last week or two. I just wish the obsession with Morez Johnson would die a fiery death.
 
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#347      
Illinirog1970
"little technical basketball skills?" c'mon, Wilson looks like the full package. Bulls got extremely lucky that he didn't shoot 3s for Carolina. manna level
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ummmm no... doesn't block out, rebound or play a controlled game. Were you not watching the last two games?? GREAT physical talent , I agree go back and look for SKILLS....

He'll get there...with some coaching and direction.

He's NOT Michael. What FULL package were you referring to? Manna level? Food from heaven...just not baked yet! ;-)
 
#348      
mysterio2525
pvaughn8 said:
I did that and 50% of those posts are by some guy named NarrowJ
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Well Done Laughing GIF

that was funny
 
#349      
bavanga3
ha, good one :)

Just checking the first 2 page of results there are 50 posts and 4 of them are mine

I have definitely have had opinions on this
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You spent an entire week crying and assaulting Morez's character because he said he felt his development would be better somewhere else. You are the reason Morez gets talked about.
 
#350      
BretMyBeachHouse
NarrowJ said:
And people voiced concerns over Keaton's start to summer league. I am always the guy on here harping about small sample sizes, so believe me this concept is not lost on me one bit.

But we probably are pretty safe in knowing that if a guy commits 7 fouls in 25 minutes and gives up 36 to some guy most people have never heard of, he's probably not a "great defender".

Seems its fine if we have concerns about Illinois player's game translating to the next level, but when we question Morez Johnson it is a Cardinal sin and there's massive pushback from (usually) the same two people?

If you go up in the search bar and type in "Morez" and hit enter, there are 8+ pages of posts from just within the last week or two. I just wish the obsession with Morez Johnson would die a fiery death.
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I was actually saying the same about the ridiculous takes on Keaton.

But no, we're not safe to say anything about a player based on one game. I don't care how bad.
 
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