Marcus: Gopher basketball early projected lineup


My thought isn't that Oturu is going to be great or anything. I'm thinking that our frontcourt is Murph/Curry against most teams. Murph is probably playing 32 mns a game again and Curry around 28 with about 8 of those at PF and 20 at C. If Oturo can give 15 mns a game that leaves 5 for Stockman. If Stockman is better than that then great but he doesn't have to do a ton. If Oturu stinks then maybe Curry can give a few more mns at C (or even Murphy if we want to play Jarvis or even Hurt at the 4 for a while). Point is against most teams we should have enough size in the rotation to get buy even if Stockman isn't providing much

I think Oturu will be good. My only point is that we may need Stockman more than we might have thought for awhile. I also think that Pitino likes to use tall centers when he can so while I can see Curry playing there regularly, I think Pitino will like to see if Stockman can do the job. Now, maybe he doubts already that he can but I hope that isn't the case.
 





Plus some of the examples he found don't even support his point. The initial post referred to big men (I wouldn't really consider Sims a big man, more of a stretch 4 or even a 3) and Sims wasn't even very good last year, averaging 5.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 18.5 mpg. That's not exactly a big impact, which again was the initial post's point.

I'm also not sure where he saw Lauri Markkanen listed at #68. He was a 5 star on 247 and ESPN, unranked on Rivals probably because he was international, but given 4 stars, and was #36 in the 247 composite. Zach Collins was also a 5 star on Rivals and 247 and #30 in the 247 composite. They were higher level recruits than Oturu. I'm hopeful that Oturu will at least be able to play some solid defense and rebound and not get in the way of Murphy trying to score down low, maybe finish on a couple entry passes from Washington.
 

With a healthy Curry and Oturu I'm hoping Stockman is essentially the 3rd center. Curry can also play the 4 so there may be lineups with him and Oturu in at the same time. Shoot I'm not sure Jarvis can't play the 5 in a pinch. If Stockman can bring something then great. If not he's a big body (or at least a long one) with 5 fouls to give which isn't a bad thing to have

I'd be somewhat surprised if Stockman wasn't the backup center and Oturu wasn't the backup PF.
 

I'd be somewhat surprised if Stockman wasn't the backup center and Oturu wasn't the backup PF.

I think we'd have to be surprised if Matz doesn't get an extensive opportunity to play early in the season. AND, If he does not earn continued playing time that is going to be a big disappointment to Richard, Rick and Matz.
I got nothing but that to suggest common sense says he's going to be able to help the Gophers. Both Pitino's had to see something in him to tie up two years.
 

I'd be somewhat surprised if Stockman wasn't the backup center and Oturu wasn't the backup PF.

ehhh.... If Oturu is at the 4 with Stockman at the 5 that's 2 non shooters out there. I think Pitino wants to spread the floor a bit. Not only is it 2 non shooters but 2 non scorers as I doubt either is going to be creating much O on their own next year. I'd guess about 35 of the 40 mns at the 4 will be taken by Murph/Curry if not all 40. Maybe Jarvis gets a few mns here and there too
 



ehhh.... If Oturu is at the 4 with Stockman at the 5 that's 2 non shooters out there. I think Pitino wants to spread the floor a bit. Not only is it 2 non shooters but 2 non scorers as I doubt either is going to be creating much O on their own next year. I'd guess about 35 of the 40 mns at the 4 will be taken by Murph/Curry if not all 40. Maybe Jarvis gets a few mns here and there too

They may or may not play at the same time but I think they both play a lot and be in the rotation. They may not be able to stretch the floor but I expect both of them to have a better post game than Fitz, Bakery and Gas had last year. It would be awfully tough to score in the paint with those two guys out there at the same time in fact I would say those two will definitely provide better rim protection than Murphy and Curry.
 

ehhh.... If Oturu is at the 4 with Stockman at the 5 that's 2 non shooters out there. I think Pitino wants to spread the floor a bit. Not only is it 2 non shooters but 2 non scorers as I doubt either is going to be creating much O on their own next year. I'd guess about 35 of the 40 mns at the 4 will be taken by Murph/Curry if not all 40. Maybe Jarvis gets a few mns here and there too

One of Murphy or Curry should always be on the floor.
 

Plus some of the examples he found don't even support his point. The initial post referred to big men (I wouldn't really consider Sims a big man, more of a stretch 4 or even a 3) and Sims wasn't even very good last year, averaging 5.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 18.5 mpg. That's not exactly a big impact, which again was the initial post's point.

Uhhh FWIW I couldn't find a single minute Sims played at the 3 last season, and as to the stretch 4 point, he attempted exactly one 3-pointer the entire season and his greatest offensive strength is dunking. I'm not saying your point is incorrect, but your parenthetical is misguided. He's definitely not as "true of a center" (whatever that means to you, in my mind it's basically rim protection skill) as Oturu though.
 

Uhhh FWIW I couldn't find a single minute Sims played at the 3 last season, and as to the stretch 4 point, he attempted exactly one 3-pointer the entire season and his greatest offensive strength is dunking. I'm not saying your point is incorrect, but your parenthetical is misguided. He's definitely not as "true of a center" (whatever that means to you, in my mind it's basically rim protection skill) as Oturu though.

Where do you find a listing of minutes played on a positional basis?
 




Where do you find a listing of minutes played on a positional basis?

I use Kenpom and just dive into all the most frequent lineups used - he includes positions for each player in those. I couldn't find Sims at the 3 anywhere. He was almost exclusively at the 4, and was used at the 5 in only a couple lineups.
 

I use Kenpom and just dive into all the most frequent lineups used - he includes positions for each player in those. I couldn't find Sims at the 3 anywhere. He was almost exclusively at the 4, and was used at the 5 in only a couple lineups.

Cool, I'll have to check that out - thanks. Stretch 4 is probably inaccurate, but either way I wouldn't consider him a post player like Oturu will be.
 

It's definitely fair to point out that they're different types of players. In another thread I said an optimistic / hopeful projection for Oturu would be Daniel Gafford. Of course, his stats are helped by Arkansas' pace and nature of play, but he was an awesome rim protector and solid rebounder who basically made shots at the basket as a freshman. He played about 56% of available minutes for Arkansas.
 

I use Kenpom and just dive into all the most frequent lineups used - he includes positions for each player in those. I couldn't find Sims at the 3 anywhere. He was almost exclusively at the 4, and was used at the 5 in only a couple lineups.

I watched him a few games, aside from a couple monster dunks, Sims had an average freshman season, at best.
 

I believe we are going to be sneaky good this year. I think too many of the Debbie Downers are forgetting how bad our lineup was at times last year. When we were decimated with injuries and had a little foul trouble, we sometimes had to play with Konate at center, Fitz at power fwd, Hurt at small fwd, and Harris at shooting guard. Are you kidding me? If people don’t see the upgrades this year from top to bottom, they are blind.


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I believe we are going to be sneaky good this year. I think too many of the Debbie Downers are forgetting how bad our lineup was at times last year. When we were decimated with injuries and had a little foul trouble, we sometimes had to play with Konate at center, Fitz at power fwd, Hurt at small fwd, and Harris at shooting guard. Are you kidding me? If people don’t see the upgrades this year from top to bottom, they are blind.


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Correct!


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I believe we are going to be sneaky good this year. I think too many of the Debbie Downers are forgetting how bad our lineup was at times last year. When we were decimated with injuries and had a little foul trouble, we sometimes had to play with Konate at center, Fitz at power fwd, Hurt at small fwd, and Harris at shooting guard. Are you kidding me? If people don’t see the upgrades this year from top to bottom, they are blind.


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We have a winner! Good post.
 

Are you kidding me? If people don’t see the upgrades this year from top to bottom, they are blind.


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No they’re not blind just realistic about expectations. It seems some of this basically guaranteed a tourney spot is purely based on emotion.


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No they’re not blind just realistic about expectations. It seems some of this basically guaranteed a tourney spot is purely based on emotion.


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lol
 

Just jumping into this kinda late but is Washington a lock at the starting position if Carr is eligible? Also is Stull only a shooting guard or is he a combo guard? I saw some article that said he was a PG and 247 says he is a SG. Sorry about the ignorance.
 


You can LOL all you want but there is absolutely no way this team is a NCAA tourney lock.


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No team is a lock. Injuries, suspensions, and crazy things can happen to any team. And sometimes, teams just fall short of expectations for no apparent reason. On paper though, this team should be considered a tournament team. It's possible we will fall short for various reasons, but there is absolutely no reason to EXPECT us to miss the tournament. Makes no sense with the roster we have.
 

Just jumping into this kinda late but is Washington a lock at the starting position if Carr is eligible? Also is Stull only a shooting guard or is he a combo guard? I saw some article that said he was a PG and 247 says he is a SG. Sorry about the ignorance.

Stull is more of a swing 2-3. Basically another wing. Maybe he’ll be able to put up minutes at PG but I don’t think it’s a natural position for him.


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People should really calm down with all the chatter about Carr being declared eligible...the odds are very, very small.
 

No team is a lock. Injuries, suspensions, and crazy things can happen to any team. And sometimes, teams just fall short of expectations for no apparent reason. On paper though, this team should be considered a tournament team. It's possible we will fall short for various reasons, but there is absolutely no reason to EXPECT us to miss the tournament. Makes no sense with the roster we have.

There absolutely are reasons to EXPECT this team to miss the tournament. Makes total sense with the roster the Gophers have.

This team has more than their share of question marks.
 

No team is a lock. Injuries, suspensions, and crazy things can happen to any team. And sometimes, teams just fall short of expectations for no apparent reason. On paper though, this team should be considered a tournament team. It's possible we will fall short for various reasons, but there is absolutely no reason to EXPECT us to miss the tournament. Makes no sense with the roster we have.

So if you're expecting the Gophers to make the Tournament - what happens to Pitino if they don't?
 




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