Illinois Basketball 2016-2017

Bomb Squad 217 · May 24, 2016

TCTORNADO said:
Kipper Nichols will play before AJ and DJW see the floor. KN has versatility, is a good defender and a good rebounder. As I stated before I saw both KN and DJW live in HS and KN is definitely the better of the 2. To me, AJ has a ways to go to prove he can play in the B!G.
I go back to Hill's comment about Nichol's practice play and I don't know how that can be discounted.
We'll see.
P.S. Haha, WVC, it looks like we disagree.

Im excited to see him play. I think a lot hinges on if he gets the waiver.

Bomb Squad 217 · May 24, 2016

CAHALL15 said:
AJ knows where the weight room is.

IAmChrisFarley said:
Fletcher knows what he's doing!

No kidding. Aj looks weighhh bigger.

IlliniHeisenberg · May 24, 2016

TCTORNADO said:
Kipper Nichols will play before AJ and DJW see the floor. KN has versatility, is a good defender and a good rebounder. As I stated before I saw both KN and DJW live in HS and KN is definitely the better of the 2. To me, AJ has a ways to go to prove he can play in the B!G.
I go back to Hill's comment about Nichol's practice play and I don't know how that can be discounted.
We'll see.
P.S. Haha, WVC, it looks like we disagree.

This silent crowd seems to be getting louder, but I still need to see AJ demonstrate that he can play at this level consistently before I buy into any of the board hype.

IlliniDent · May 25, 2016

Hopefully AJ can either redshirt or at least be the type of player that can hit the open 3 when need be. Something was off with him last year and I think a redshirt year would go a long way for a player like him. Would allow the game to slow down a bit, he would really know the system and would be that much more improved. Also would balance out the class a little.

ChiefIllini · May 25, 2016

IlliniDent said:
Hopefully AJ can either redshirt or at least be the type of player that can hit the open 3 when need be. Something was off with him last year and I think a redshirt year would go a long way for a player like him. Would allow the game to slow down a bit, he would really know the system and would be that much more improved. Also would balance out the class a little.

Agree fully. Not only do I think a RS year would do him wonders, but it's beneficial to both the team in terms of Scholarship balance and playing time. My only concern would be our SG depth now that we really only have JCL and AJ as true SG's. (I don't count AA cause I hate watching him play

)

ILL in IA · May 25, 2016

Id like to see what a healthy roster could look like. Nichols and AJ could find a nice role that they can succeed in. When Groce got here the talk was about having a deep bench and being able to play with pace and a lot of guys. Injuries and a short bench have prevented that.

We may not have liked it, but last year AA had a role on defense. I have to think KN can do that, and bring more to the game on offense. AJ looks jacked. Maybe a little more bounce and quickness with it? What can that do, and a year of experience do to his game.

Like most May/June I have hope. We will see come December.

Tevo · May 25, 2016

Robert Bennett said:
We basically have the same team as last year when KN missed the first 8 Games what was our record again in those games ?

Well, the entire team is more experienced (aside from Lucas), so it better not be "the same team". Same players, all with more time practicing, working out, working together, improving skills, etc.

If we really think the same roster, a year old, will be the same team, we should fire Groce right now.

Second and Chalmers · May 25, 2016

IAmChrisFarley said:
Fletcher knows what he's doing!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We're 2 for 2 on offseason pictures being like "whoa".

That's a good sign.

Tevo · May 25, 2016

ChiefIllini said:
Agree fully. Not only do I think a RS year would do him wonders, but it's beneficial to both the team in terms of Scholarship balance and playing time. My only concern would be our SG depth now that we really only have JCL and AJ as true SG's. (I don't count AA cause I hate watching him play )

I think you would play Hill at SG a bit, and get more time for DJW or Kipper at SF, or you play two PGs, if it's clear we have two that can both be productive. Abrams can easily play the SG, if it looks like Tate or Lucas will be effective at point.

TCTORNADO · May 25, 2016

KN had 75 three's (team total 277) last year. I would guess we have to be looking for somebody that can shoot a 3.

Illiniguy13 · May 25, 2016

Tevo said:
I think you would play Hill at SG a bit, and get more time for DJW or Kipper at SF, or you play two PGs, if it's clear we have two that can both be productive. Abrams can easily play the SG, if it looks like Tate or Lucas will be effective at point.

Not a shabby idea. I'm all for Hill playing his natural position, but having 2 of Hill, DJW and Kipper on the floor at once would create some mismatches. I think in some scenarios, a lineup of Hill, JCL, Kipper/DJW, Leron/Finke and Thorne would be a handful.

Joel Goodson · May 25, 2016

TCTORNADO said:
KN had 75 three's (team total 277) last year. I would guess we have to be looking for somebody that can shoot a 3.

Jordan has a great opportunity to step up. Hoping he takes it.

Newman · May 25, 2016

Joel Goodson said:
Jordan has a great opportunity to step up. Hoping he takes it.

Abrams and Lucas will surely make a decent amount more than Tate/Lewis.(Abrams had about 30 in his last year). I would expect Finke to make more than the 40 he had last year too. I'm expectng Hill to shoot at a higher % from the perimeter, and surely Jordan will as well. We won't have a single player replace Nunn but a team effort could definitely replace the production.

I have a feeling that this should be and will be moved to the 2016-17 thread though, but it's a good discussion to have.

urbanite · May 25, 2016

TCTORNADO said:
KN had 75 three's (team total 277) last year. I would guess we have to be looking for somebody that can shoot a 3.

If JCL had shot the same rate and percentage while averaging the minutes Nunn did, he would have made 30 more threes last year (117). I'm not suggesting JCL will replace 40% of Nunn's three production simply by playing more, but I expect he'll replace some of it.

Also, this might be a good time to post this; per-40-minute stats for Nunn and JCL during the conference (and tourney) portion of last season.

jrichisamazing · May 25, 2016

Second and Chalmers said:
We're 2 for 2 on offseason pictures being like "whoa".

That's a good sign.

I'm drawing a blank. Who was the other whoa picture?

TownieMatt · May 25, 2016

Was brainstorming what our rotation will look like now without Nunn. It's going to be interesting to see how things shake out given our depth. Here's my best guess for mins/game if everyone stays healthy:

Joel Goodson · May 25, 2016

jrichisamazing said:
I'm drawing a blank. Who was the other whoa picture?

Nichols.

rtbritt · May 25, 2016

TownieMatt said:
Was brainstorming what our rotation will look like now without Nunn. It's going to be interesting to see how things shake out given our depth. Here's my best guess for mins/game if everyone stays healthy:

I do not have a clue how Black and Finke will shake out at the 4 over the course of the season, but I just think Finke is going to average more mins per game than 15 (if only based on he will get at least 25 probably the first 6 games, and I doubt it will be a drastic drop-off as soon as Black is back. IF Black someone overtakes the starting role eventually, I don't see Finke only getting 15 mins a game....IMO of course.

EDIT: With that being said, I think you have a very reasonable allocation of minutes overall!

I just think Groce has proven very loyal over time, and I can't see him drastically dropping Finke's minutes, IF he is productive.

CAHALL15 · May 25, 2016

TownieMatt said:
Was brainstorming what our rotation will look like now without Nunn. It's going to be interesting to see how things shake out given our depth. Here's my best guess for mins/game if everyone stays healthy:

Pretty good overall. I'm just guessing, but I think Kipper will see more than 5 minutes per game. I'm basing this on never seeing him play and looking at Instagram pictures and internet articles so take it with a grain of salt.

Chipatsj23h · May 25, 2016

TownieMatt said:
Was brainstorming what our rotation will look like now without Nunn. It's going to be interesting to see how things shake out given our depth. Here's my best guess for mins/game if everyone stays healthy:

No way Black plays 20 minutes a game. He isnt good enough to play 20 minutes a game at this point in his career. Not only that, but with his fouling tendencies, I dont think he could even last 20 minutes a game, hacks too much. I could see 13-16 mins a game, that would be ideal. Besides that and Nichols seeing more minutes, everything looks pretty accurate.

Illiniguy13 · May 25, 2016

jrichisamazing said:
I'm drawing a blank. Who was the other whoa picture?

LaTulip. And Mav had some noticeable changes in his physique this year. Fletcher got Thorne shredded. Guarantee they won't be the last. Our boys will fill out nicely this off season. Fletcher's a great hire.

AnticipatedSerendipity · May 25, 2016

Chipatsj23h said:
No way Black plays 20 minutes a game. He isnt good enough to play 20 minutes a game at this point in his career. Not only that, but with his fouling tendencies, I dont think he could even last 20 minutes a game, hacks too much. I could see 13-16 mins a game, that would be ideal. Besides that and Nichols seeing more minutes, everything looks pretty accurate.

Absolutes are never good (yes I realize the irony), especially in sports. People often refer to Black's freshmen season but what about the Europe trip? I'd give that guy 20 to 25 minutes

WesterveltVictoryCigar · May 25, 2016

Chipatsj23h said:
No way Black plays 20 minutes a game. He isnt good enough to play 20 minutes a game at this point in his career. Not only that, but with his fouling tendencies, I dont think he could even last 20 minutes a game, hacks too much. I could see 13-16 mins a game, that would be ideal.

Leron averaged almost 15 as a true frosh and it's reasonable to expected he'll increase that now that he's 2 years older. Not sure what the split between him and Finke will be, but they'll both play a lot.

Will be really interested in seeing what Groce does early on while Black is unavailable. Obviously Finke plays a lot, does he use DJW at the 4? Go with more "twin towers"?

Illiniguy13 · May 25, 2016

AnticipatedSerendipity said:
Absolutes are never good (yes I realize the irony), especially in sports. People often refer to Black's freshmen season but what about the Europe trip? I'd give that guy 20 to 25 minutes

I understand the concern regarding his fouling tendencies, but I don't understand how his Europe numbers and endless praise from Groce+co are being ignored. Leron added a consistent mid-range jumper last season pre-injury and was still grabbing every rebound in sight. I maintain if Black had been healthy last year, he very well could have been our 2nd best player. 20-25 isn't crazy at all.

Newman · May 25, 2016

Chipatsj23h said:
No way Black plays 20 minutes a game. He isnt good enough to play 20 minutes a game at this point in his career. Not only that, but with his fouling tendencies, I dont think he could even last 20 minutes a game, hacks too much. I could see 13-16 mins a game, that would be ideal. Besides that and Nichols seeing more minutes, everything looks pretty accurate.

By "this point in his career" you must mean 14 months ago, which was the last time you probably saw him play healthy. Correct?

Illinois Basketball 2016-2017

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