Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1900
Reg: 11-29-04
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11-25-23 12:15 AM - Post#359662
In response to Penndemonium
I would play Brown over Thrower all day right now. This is nothing against Thrower - but Brown seems better in terms of ball-handling, passing, and decision-making. He even seems better at shooting, which is Thrower's strength. He was better than I expected at defense and is taller too. Thrower isn't really a plus player against good competition. At least he looked comfortable at the FT line at the end of the game, though.
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Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
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Lafayette
11-25-23 12:38 AM - Post#359663
In response to Penndemonium
Thrower definitely makes a lot of bad decisions right now. Shooting off the dribble when you’re not Jordan Dingle is one of them.
Squared up on a 3 when the pass hits you chest high so you can release a shot with ease? Definitely. Dribbling into a drifting mid-range pull-up? No, you’re not skilled enough for that.
Edited by Chip Bayers on 11-25-23 12:39 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1900
Reg: 11-29-04
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11-25-23 03:20 AM - Post#359665
In response to Chip Bayers
Right now he is looking a lot like Jonah Charles. Making a splash in the first few games with some long range shooting, but not having enough dimensions to keep defenses honest when the scouting report comes out. I hope he can improve meaningfully, but my worry is less about his capabilities and more about his decision-making (nod to Chip). You can see him reading, a small delay, and then him reacting. The reason I'm high on Brown is that he seems to have a few options already in mind before he gets the ball. The ball is already out of his hands before the defense keys in on him. He also seems to have a few go-to cross-over step-back moves to create his own space. I can see him being a 3 point shooter off-the-dribble in the future. I do like the possibilities with him and Perkins for the next few years.
BTW, could you imagine how good Slajchert would be if he was a knock-down three point shooter? He's already really good. Kudos to him for his continued development over the years.
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Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1900
Reg: 11-29-04
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11-25-23 03:57 AM - Post#359666
In response to Penndemonium
One other thing to mention - aside from Slajchert's heroics, the unsung hero is Smith. He has a great looking shot - would love to see him taking more. He also seems to have ice cold water in his veins. I'd like to see him pick up a few more of the Thrower/Holland minutes. He adds solid D, a lot of physical strength, and composure to our lineups.
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Streamers
Professor
Posts: 8254
Loc: NW Philadelphia
Reg: 11-21-04
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11-25-23 10:12 AM - Post#359670
In response to Penndemonium
I too am impressed by what I’ve seen of Brown. He is confident with the ball and appears to have great court sense for a freshman. I have to watch him more closely on defense but his rep as a pure shooter is justified. Thrower still confuses me. Don’t know what to make of him but at this rate his minutes may continue to dwindle. I’m not as worried about Spinoso. I think he’s still adjusting to Martz’s absence on D. Give him time. Yesterday was like a matchup anomaly. Also I think Gerhart is developing quickly. He seems a lot more comfortable out there with each passing game.
This is a young team. We better get used to the high variance roller coaster. I do believe there is more talent there than many of us thought coming into the season.
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SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6413
Reg: 11-22-04
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11-25-23 12:20 PM - Post#359672
In response to Penndemonium
Yes, in the decisive run at the end of the game, we finally went small with Smith basically playing the 4. I think Steve played the matchups for a lot of the game thinking we needed to play big against Lafayette, and in the end the play was to go small.
Getting back to Brown/Thrower, my eyes see everything you guys are seeing. I see Thrower making some obvious mistakes, and I see Brown looking decisive on offense and better on defense than I expected. It’s the team results that give me pause. With Thrower playing a lot, we were 3-1 with our only loss a close one on the road to a top 100ish team. With Brown playing instead of Thrower, we have gone 1-1 against two bottom 50 teams, and our best half was the only one where Thrower played (1st half against Lafayette). Could just be luck in a small sample size, but so far we simply play better when Thrower is out there. And the defense has statistically been better when he is on the floor. Still early enough that it could just have to do with what everyone else is doing.
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AsiaSunset
Postdoc
Posts: 4361
Reg: 11-21-04
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Lafayette
11-25-23 12:39 PM - Post#359673
In response to SomeGuy
I agree with most of the comments on this thread. Like many, I’m reluctant to jump to too many conclusions this early.
I do think we will be challenged to score when both Nick and George are on the court together; that is, unless George stops being a reluctant shooter. The offense is already handicapped because Nick has given no team reason to guard him on the perimeter. What makes a team like Princeton interesting is that all 5 guys need to be guarded out there. That keeps the lane from being clogged for cutters. We’d be a lot better if Nick was a threat from deep.
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weinhauers_ghost
Postdoc
Posts: 2139
Age: 64
Loc: New York City
Reg: 12-14-09
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11-25-23 12:42 PM - Post#359674
In response to SomeGuy
The one thing I've seen Thrower do that Brown hasn't shown yet is the ability to get into the lane with the ball. His decision making still needs work, as you and others have pointed out, but that collapses defenses and creates opportunities elsewhere on the floor.
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Cvonvorys
Postdoc
Posts: 4484
Loc: Princeton, New Jersey
Reg: 10-11-06
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11-25-23 04:29 PM - Post#359682
In response to weinhauers_ghost
Question for this Board: Does Donahue get any credit/criticism for his in-game coaching? This game and others?
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Penndemonium
PhD Student
Posts: 1900
Reg: 11-29-04
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11-25-23 05:16 PM - Post#359687
In response to SomeGuy
Well, I don't think John Jay really counts, and Bucknell was far weaker than Lafayette (by my eye test only). Thrower definitely gets Villanova, but I can't remember the game flow well enough to know that he was a key part of it. I'm not trying to disrespect Thrower, who has seemed to be a really positive Quaker. It is a credit to Brown and Smith, and some acknowledgement that Thrower needs some time to adapt his game. Right now he reminds me of Jackson Donahue. He is a good enough shooter to help the team, but too one dimensional to create wider +/- impact. Eventually, with mainly a shooting skill, the clean shots get harder to come by and aggressive shooting becomes a liability. He still has plenty of room and potential to change that narrative. He can get into the lane, but he hasn't yet been able to finish. Slajchert had that problem his Freshman year and a bit beyond too.
Yes, in the decisive run at the end of the game, we finally went small with Smith basically playing the 4. I think Steve played the matchups for a lot of the game thinking we needed to play big against Lafayette, and in the end the play was to go small.
Getting back to Brown/Thrower, my eyes see everything you guys are seeing. I see Thrower making some obvious mistakes, and I see Brown looking decisive on offense and better on defense than I expected. It’s the team results that give me pause. With Thrower playing a lot, we were 3-1 with our only loss a close one on the road to a top 100ish team. With Brown playing instead of Thrower, we have gone 1-1 against two bottom 50 teams, and our best half was the only one where Thrower played (1st half against Lafayette). Could just be luck in a small sample size, but so far we simply play better when Thrower is out there. And the defense has statistically been better when he is on the floor. Still early enough that it could just have to do with what everyone else is doing.
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