IDK, pretty darned sure he was brought here as a lead 1. Perhaps they were slanting it as him being more of a combo out of the 1, more of that Newton role, but he was brought here to play the 1.
Way I see it is you go out and get a tiny guard in this system, he’s got to be an amazing handle/penetrator. I’m not seeing that. That said he’s only a frosh.
He has barely played this year and is a Freshman. He actually improved from his last out aaginst Xavier as he had 0 turnovers and was pressed even harder. It is hard to prove a lot in 3-5 minute stints when you are a Freshman. He needs to get the majority of the backup minutes for Diarra as has been talked about to death Mahaney isn't a PG and shouldn't be used as one. If you want him to come off the bench as a shooter then that is fine but let's develop Nowell for this year(Limited backup minutes) for next year. Mahaney is a JR. so he pretty much is who he is at this point of his career and hee is clearly overmatched playing PG with little room for improvement due to his skills and physical abilities.
Nowell needs more time to improve there. Unfortunately we are in the meat of the season so up against a rock and a hard place giving him that time big games. I still think he can carve out 4-6 minutes a game to give Diarra a rest.
That would be funny....but I wonder if his style of play only works for a very deliberate style offense...like he was used to @ St Mary's. He could never get up to the speed of the Uconn offense, and it ground to a halt with him pounding the ball. He had more 10 sec calls or almost calls than I've ever seen..and he only played sparingly after the first few weeks
You watch him now and there’s no urgency, so methodical. Everything he does looks overly calculated versus free flowing and instinctual, so really does look like a system mismatch as he hasn’t adjusted to pace or physicality at all. I mean he dribbles in place constantly with no intention other than a leisurely swing pass to another perimeter player. Half the time we are starting the offense with him out there we’re already under 20 on the SH. An entirely boring watch to top it off. Maybe he does go right back to StM.
I think it’s fine to admit now that the guy who shot 38% from the field in a mid major conference wasn’t a good player. He also couldn’t be projected to ever be a positive on one half of the floor either.
He was extremely good during his AAU seasons. Drove with authority, hit outside shots, passed well, saw the court and has a very good handle.
He shouldn't be the initiator. Let him be Solo's backup.
You're not wrong on how he's performed, but it was great to see how energized and happy he seemed when we went on the 27-6 run. No moping on the bench. Genuinely happy for the team.
He's way too small to play 2G effectively anywhere defensively. He is a small, slight guy. Especially if he had any consideration of playing at a next level. Bigger dribble penetrators dust him or physically impose themselves on him. I for one think the reason he came here was to be tutored into a PG situation in an intricate offense, a good opportunity for someone of his stature/skill. It makes a ton of sense for him. I'm sure the staff saw an interesting profile of a guy that played some PG, takes to coaching and had unique shot creating traits they could use similar to how we used Newton.
Not sticking up for Mahaney in any way but Diarra does the same thing pounding the ball. they hardly ever get into their offense before there are 15 seconds on the clock. And they hardly ever get any easy fast break points.
Not hating on Nowell but he isn’t skilled enough to help us. He does nothing well and he’s undersized. He isn’t the answer.
