In Reply to: My two cents. posted by Cachorro on October 31, 2024 at 11:50:47
I was very pleased to see how Mara played. Last season he usually looked lost on the floor. In this game he acted with purpose. He knew where to be and what to do. I don't know how he will match up against big, strong B1G centers, but he as definitely improved.
I have no idea why Dom Harris played only 6 minutes and only 1 minute in the first half. I also wonder why Dylan played only 13 minutes and 3 in the second half. Both Mack and Trent seemed just fine out there, although Trent's on-ball defense need some work. Mack looked better than last season.
Speaking of defense, we did a great job of stealing the ball, but we got beat off the dribble too much and did a bad job of defending the three, particularly in the first half. In the second half they shot the three at a higher rate, but more of those were difficult shots, rather than wide-open shots from the corner.
As Cachorro mentioned, William Kyle's performance was a bit disappointing. Daily was great, but we aren't going to be able to play small against everyone, and I worry about Mara aginst centers like Oumar Ballo. And I hate William Kyle's form on his free throws. He was only 58% from the line last year, and the shot-put motion doesn't help.
On offense, I would like to see fewer cross-court passes.
In three years at USC, Kobe Johnson averaged 2.3 assists per game. I think he will be quite a bit higher at UCLA. He will probably lead the team in minutes played.
Skyy Clark will be a REALLY good player this season. Eric Freeny will be a REALLY good player, but not this season.