And Poa is just as bad. Imagine playing 30 min and only score 2 points
LSU 2024-2025 Season
- Thread starter CajunHusk94
- Start date
Adia Barnes and her philosophy of kitty development happened.
As demonstrated in the dirty tea yesterday the kitties could certainly use some offense.
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2024
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction Score
- 194
Personally a lot of LSU's issues come back to their HS recruiting the last two seasons and lack of making up for it in the portal cycle this past cycle.
2023 Class: Only Williams is producing (Kent transferred, Velez transferred, and ADR sits the bench).
2024 Class: Missing on every big recruit and only signing Jada Richard (borderline top 100 recruit) who doesn't even play
They lost Angel Reese and didnt even add a viable replacement big through the portal or HS ranks. They add Jersey who has never played post before and was always a massive project. That is a big reason LSU has zero post play beyond Morrow. Sa'myah seems to be struggling significantly coming off the ACL injury which makes things even more challenging.
PG spot is absolutely killing this LSU team much like last years team and frankly the biggest detriment to the team. Day Wilson has been a giant bust, she can barely contribute 3 points a game and is shooting 25% from the field and below 50% of the FT line while not really being a spark distributing the ball offensively. She is so bad that Poa (a nice player but not really SEC Caliber) is having to take over half the time.
LSU is talented but they are pretty selfish team often. They do not play team basketball (offensively specifically). 90% of the time if the ball gets into Flaujae or Morrow's hands, neither will make a pass back to anyone, its almost surely going to be a shot or a turnover. This alone stalls so many offensive possessions. Flaujae already has more turnovers less than midway through February than all of last season combined. If you watched the TX game, watch how many possessions LSU had where only one player touched the ball. Either someone tried to shoot a transition pull up jumper or one person would bring the ball up, get a screen from a big then jack up a shot. No attempt to move the ball.
Bench production, now this is 100% on Mulkey. The bench won LSU the TN game, and on the road at TX, Kim coached scared and reserved like the game at SC and did not play her bench at all outside of Poa. Gilbert and Sheppard (quality players) only played 6 min the entire game each (in spurts combined) while running the starters into the ground with each of Morrow, Williams and Flaujae accumulating over 37 minutes. They were GASSED in the 4th quarter and shots started to fall flat.
All in all even with the laundry list of issues. Its still a top 10 team in the country and ironically doing better than last years team in a STRONGER SEC conference this season. Last years team lost to unranked Auburn and Miss St while also getting run out the gym vs Colorado. This years team is not near as talented and only have losses on the road to SC/TX while having way less than and players to work with.
They will have to hit the portal hard for bigs and a AVERAGE at the least PG who can at least handle the ball. The HS class coming in is outstanding. If at least 2-3 don't come out of it as outstanding players, something is wrong
This is an interesting take. In general this board likes to pick on Mulkey. If you are the LSU Prez, AD and head booster, however, she is a great coaching hire!
They already have their natty! Mulkey keeps them newsworthy and relevant in top 3 of SEC and top 10 nationally, and they will at least be in the elite 8 again at ncaa this year. They sellout the Maravich center at home, and are a big draw on SEC/ESPN with 3 All-americans!
Personally, I think this is her best team. Reese/Morrow and Hailey Van Lith/Flaujae were duplicate players often getting in each others way. Now Morrow and FJ have perfect spacing, and Mikaylah Williams, as third star is complementary fit with these two!
Historically, teams with just 1 star: Clark, Plum, JuJu and a decent rotation could make a final 4. Teams with 2 stars do it regularly: Kitley/Amoore, Bueckers/Edwards, and 3 stars plus 2 role players is actually a very good team. Only in the year 2025 with newfangled 5 star player teams like UCLA, USC, SC, ND and UConn would '25 LSU end up a #2 seed.
The triad of Morrow, FJ and Williams holds up with any other trio among the big 7. Mulkey knows she has challenges at 5 and 1. She has been platooning Poa/Day-Wilson at 1 and Smith/Wolfenbarger at 5.
She also has an effective small ball lineup with Gilbert in at guard and Williams moving into front court with Morrow.
The solutions at 1&5 are not perfect, but they don't have to be with all-americans at 2, 3 &5! So far they have only lost to TX and SC on the road.
If you watch their games and player press, you'll note all the kids are happy, play with joy, and are bought in to the '25 plan. 1&5 keep improving, there is now even some depth behind with Richard and DelRosario. I'm eager to see how they play in SEC tourney rematch with TX or SC, and I don't want them to be my elite 8 opponent.
Next year. They really only lose Morrow. Strong class coming in. Could use finally, perfect transfers at 1 or 4/5. If that doesn't happen, look for Williams to move to #4. She is very underrated (for #2 in her class behind JuJu), able to play and defend 1-5, and would be an amazing stretch 4 similar to Sarah Strong.
Could be a line up of 1-Richard, 2-Gilbert 3-FJ 4-Williams 5-Smith/Wolfenbarger with incoming Freshmen/transfers pushing to start.
Again not perfect, but experienced, 2 all-americans and ready to enter the SEC schedule unbeaten after another soft OOC schedule. If 'Tennesee Gilbert' becomes the norm and Richard steps up, the refangled team can again be very good.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2022
- Messages
- 1,085
- Reaction Score
- 5,120
Great post, packwrap. I particularly agree with your assessment of Mikaylah Williams. I think she is one of the best players in the conference for sure, and quite possibly one of the most talented players in the country. The fact that many would consider her the third-best player on her team is a testament to how talented this LSU team really is. Johnson is a ball-heavy player, but not in a selfish way. It's her role. Morrow often gets her own with her uncanny rebounding ability. That sort of leaves Williams on the outside looking in from her wing position at times, though it seems I'm noticing the ball finding its way into her hands in crucial situations more and more often.
I don't see how anyone can deny Mulkey is a great coach. She has the record to prove it. That said, it mystifies me that she has gone two years now with sub-par talent at point guard, the one position you would think she would have dialed in above all others.
I'm far from a Mulkey or even an LSU fan, though. I find her sideline demeanor irritating. She just wins.
I don't see how anyone can deny Mulkey is a great coach. She has the record to prove it. That said, it mystifies me that she has gone two years now with sub-par talent at point guard, the one position you would think she would have dialed in above all others.
I'm far from a Mulkey or even an LSU fan, though. I find her sideline demeanor irritating. She just wins.
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2024
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction Score
- 194
2024-2025 team
1 Portal player/ Jada Richard/ Divine Bourrage (5 star 6'0 guard)
2. Flaujae Johnson/ Bella Hines (5 star 5'10 guard)/Kailyn Gilbert
3. Mikaylah Williams/Zakiyah Johnson (5 star 6'1 wing)
4. Grace Knox (6'3 Forward)/Sa'Myah Smith
5. Portal player/ Jersey Wolfenbarger/ ADR
I suspect they try to add at least one legit quality big who will start at the 5. I personally think Knox is a special talent and has the ability to be a major contributor day 1 at the 4 spot. PG spot is up in the air, I suspect they will portal in at least one guard to have a option In addition to Jada Richard and a very talented Divine Bourrge (top recruit) fight for playing time at that spot. The off guard/wings are just rich and filled with talent (if Kim does choose to play them)