DJO

[AZWarrior]

During the first half, DJO had the ball on the right wing.  He faked a jump shot then drove the baseline (he's a lefty, right - so he drove with his non dominant hand) and then scored on a reverse spin layup.  I said to myself, that was an NBA move.  So count me in the "DJO will play in the NBA camp"   

Remember, he's only a sophomore!

[NersEllenson]

During the first half, DJO had the ball on the right wing.  He faked a jump shot then drove the baseline (he's a lefty, right - so he drove with his non dominant hand) and then scored on a reverse spin layup.  I said to myself, that was an NBA move.  So count me in the "DJO will play in the NBA camp"   

Remember, he's only a sophomore!

+1, agreed.  Pretty amazing that he can use both his left and right almost equally well..off the bounce, and shooting.  And one poster here recently said he seemed "uncoordinated."  Seriously??!!

[Clam Crowder]

Don't get too excited. It was rutgers after all, if he does that against UCONN's length and talent then I'll buy into him being a stud on the drive. Right now all I can say is he's a great shooter

[AZWarrior]

Don't get too excited. It was rutgers after all, if he does that against UCONN's length and talent then I'll buy into him being a stud on the drive. Right now all I can say is he's a great shooter

Its not like its the first time he's done this.  Have you watched other games, against other big east teams, where he's penetrated and finished well?  He's a multi-threat.  Not just a great shooter.

[ultimate]

+1, agreed.  Pretty amazing that he can use both his left and right almost equally well..off the bounce, and shooting.  And one poster here recently said he seemed "uncoordinated."  Seriously??!!

I would say he can look a bit uncoordinated at times - MUCH DIFFERENT from actually being uncoordinated.  

I get a bit scared watching DJO dribble in the open court (he's not a point guard), but, YES!, he does an absolutely amazing job of protecting the ball and reacting to the defense when driving to the basket.

[ATWizJr]

DJO has become a crowd fave.  Able to get his own shot, able to shoot the 3 or slash for a layup, he has all the tools.  Defense is above average.  Could improve on his FT %.  Great addition!

[TheButlerDidIt]

It WAS against Rutgers, but they DO have Ndiaye (think I spelled it wrong) who was blocking 4.3/game before last night. I think DJO made about three of those reverse layups last night. IMO, the layups were a good way to use the rim and to neutralize an aggressive shot blocker (as long as DJO keeps making them).

[Freeport Warrior]

Funny story. I'm getting bball shoes at Champs last week and the guy helping me sees I have an MU fleece and says, "You gotta love my boy Dwight Buycks. Dwights's one of my boys from high school. He's definitely gonna make it to The League." I said to him, "He's pretty good, but the only league he's making is in Turkey or Greece." He looks at me and says, "You serious?" I said "Watch the other guy, DJO, he definitely has a shot." If DJO works on the defensive end, I definitely think it's possible. Certainly fun to watch.

[PJDunn]

Dwight might just make it...stranger things have happened.  Copa got more than a cup of coffee in the NBA and no one saw that coming.  Heck, he might get into the league by virtue of his hair alone.

[JWags85]

Gleason and Kelley were extremely impressed by his finishes on the reverse.  Kelley commented on how it was an excellent use of spin and his body control was remarkable.

[PE8983]

He reminds me of a shorter Michael Redd.  Both great left handed shooters, but not overly athletic.  IMO - he's going to need some PG skills to get to the league.

[jaygall31]

I think sometimes he just looks awkward. He's so explosive, sometimes he just has to harness that and know when to go, and when to shoot it. And I cant knock the dude, he's playing EXTREMELY smart and his becoming quite the diamond in the ruff of this years bunch.

I think they sky is the limit for DJO, and I'm glad he's on our team.

[Blackhat]

Single-handedly tempered the mini Rutgers run to start the second half...   DJO is for real. 

[DJO's Pump Fake]

He reminds me of a shorter Michael Redd.  Both great left handed shooters, but not overly athletic.  IMO - he's going to need some PG skills to get to the league.

Really?  When is the last time Michael Redd did anything but throw up threes?  DJO can drive and finish with both hands regularly as a SOPHOMORE.  Just wait until he is a senior.  Michael Redd is garbage.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

He's my favorite player right now... but his NBA chances are probably a long-shot given his height and skill-set.

Not impossible, but not probable.

Still, I think he's going to be a fantastic college player and I look forward to watching him play the next 3 years.

[StillAWarrior]

He's my favorite player right now... but his NBA chances are probably a long-shot given his height and skill-set.

Question for those watching in person or seeing DJO on campus:  how tall is he?  Is he a legit 6'2" or are they adding a couple of inches?

[HoopsMalone]

It would be hard to imagine him guarding a Kobe or Wade at the 2 or Derrick Rose or Chris Paul at the 1.   He does have a lot of work to do to get to the NBA, but he is definately a great catch for Buzz.  Very high skill level and I don't even know if he has completely figured out how to dominate a game offensively yet.  I'm looking forward to see if he and Dyson match up this weekend and if Dyson is able to cover him.  He is going to be a tough, tough matchup for the next two years.

[Clam Crowder]

I saw him in the AMU yesterday. Looks like a legit 6' 2"

[Jacks DC]

Really?  When is the last time Michael Redd did anything but throw up threes?  DJO can drive and finish with both hands regularly as a SOPHOMORE.  Just wait until he is a senior.  Michael Redd is garbage.

Really?  People need to calm down a little.  Are we talking about the same guy who went 2-9 with 4 turnovers against DEPAUL?  Don't get me wrong, I love DJO and he is a great find by Buzz, but he is too small to play anything besides PG in the NBA, and, like McNeal, hasn't shown any PG skills.  He definitely needs to improve his defense and free throws.  By the way, when Michael Redd was a sophomore, he was averaging nearly 20 pts a game for a Final Four team.  Its really not much of a comparison and Redd was only a mid second round pick.

[bma725]

Really?  When is the last time Michael Redd did anything but throw up threes?  DJO can drive and finish with both hands regularly as a SOPHOMORE.  Just wait until he is a senior.  Michael Redd is garbage.

Michael Redd could do all of that as a sophomore as well.  In fact he could do it better.  He didn't become the lazy jump shooting guard he is now until he was already with the Bucks for a year.

[DJO's Pump Fake]

Really?  People need to calm down a little.  Are we talking about the same guy who went 2-9 with 4 turnovers against DEPAUL?  Don't get me wrong, I love DJO and he is a great find by Buzz, but he is too small to play anything besides PG in the NBA, and, like McNeal, hasn't shown any PG skills.  He definitely needs to improve his defense and free throws.  By the way, when Michael Redd was a sophomore, he was averaging nearly 20 pts a game for a Final Four team.  Its really not much of a comparison and Redd was only a mid second round pick.

I will give you the points per game average Redd had, but don't forget as a freshman and sophomore Redd shot free throws in the 60 percent and never once in his 3 years at Ohio State did he have better than a 34 percent 3 point%.  Also, DJO has 1.3/1 A/T ratio.  Redd's best was 1/1

[ErickJD08]

Really?  People need to calm down a little.  Are we talking about the same guy who went 2-9 with 4 turnovers against DEPAUL?  Don't get me wrong, I love DJO and he is a great find by Buzz, but he is too small to play anything besides PG in the NBA, and, like McNeal, hasn't shown any PG skills.  He definitely needs to improve his defense and free throws.  By the way, when Michael Redd was a sophomore, he was averaging nearly 20 pts a game for a Final Four team.  Its really not much of a comparison and Redd was only a mid second round pick.

Does Nate Robinson ring a bell?  I don't think SG is completely out of the question.  Ben Gordon isn't that tall either.

[hdog1017]

Nate Robinson and Ben Gordon were a lot better at basketball than DJO.  DJO has tons of work to do to get to that level. 

[ErickJD08]

Nate Robinson and Ben Gordon were a lot better at basketball than DJO.  DJO has tons of work to do to get to that level. 

You didn't read the bolded statement from the quote.  Someone said that he is too small to play anything but PG.  As far as his size goes, he could play SG and there are plenty of players around his size that play SG in the NBA.  As for as skill goes, he obviously has alot of work to do but that wasn't my point.

[Jacks DC]

Redd was also getting more than 6 rebounds per game.  Anyway, there are always exceptions to the NBA prototypes.  But most players drafted to play the 2 in the NBA are taller than 6'2".  

As for the Ben Gordon comparison, yes, if DJO goes for 20+ ppg next season, leads MU to the NCAA championship, leads the NCAA tournament in scoring and sets a record for scoring in the BE tournament, he will probably have very good NBA prospects.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

You didn't read the bolded statement from the quote.  Someone said that he is too small to play anything but PG.  As far as his size goes, he could play SG and there are plenty of players around his size that play SG in the NBA.  As for as skill goes, he obviously has alot of work to do but that wasn't my point.

I think the Ben Gordon comparison is pretty good (size wise and basic skill set), I didn't even think of him.

With this said, I don't think their are "plenty of players" out there who play SG at close to 6'. It can be done, but it's a pretty small group.

[Henry Sugar]

No insight into DJO's NBA prospects, but I would like to point out that he currently has an efficiency of 110 with a usage of 23%.  If it holds, that would qualify him as a first year "stud" according to being above average on both usage and efficiency.

As covered previously in October, DJO would be one of only five JUCOs in the revised BE to fall in this category.  In fact, very few JUCO players even count as quality role players in their first year.  

Also, DJO's first year contributions to this point are better than any of the Three Amigos or Lazar.  He has the highest first-year efficiency of any of them, and more usage than any except James.  

Finally, as much as I dislike Buycks' game, he is right there too (99.9, 19%) as being either a quality role player or even a stud.

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/10/jucos-in-big-east.html

[Jacks DC]

If you want to make a case for DJO's draft prospects, I think a good comparison in terms of size and skill set might be Jack McClinton.  He was drafted by the Spurs last year (although later waived and now in Turkey).  Pretty similar statistical profile - DJO a slighty better shooting %, McClinton much better from the line though.  Both viewed as undersized SGs by NBA standards, they can defend with quickness and anticipation but not really lock-down on the ball defenders.

[MUrugger]

I'm a big DJO fan and have spoken enthusiastically of his upside from my perspective, but I think we need to be a little cautious about the NBA.  I remember similar talk about all three of the 3 Amigos here early in their career and only one of them has made it.

Also, Ben Gordon was on occasion the point guard for an NCAA champion and was the #3 pick in the entire NBA draft.  And he still can't dribble.  I would also bet that he is closer to 6'0" than the 6'3" that he is listed at.

DJO has a long way to go before he is seen in the same light as Ben Gordon by the NBA.  And I don't think he will ever be considered as a point guard.

[boyonthedock]

Ben gordon is short, but he is also a historically great 3 point shooter. he is in the top in 3pt% in NBA history

[PE8983]

"DJO can drive and finish".
Yeah, once in while.  He uses the glass well (sometimes on reverses) when he can create enough separation.  But, alot of the time (especially in BEast play), he is getting blocked or turning over when he doesn't get that separation.  BEeast officials are also not bailing him out and calling a foul due to his size.  He will have alot harder time finishing in the pros, where they are even bigger and more skilled.

[rocky_warrior]

Whoa.  I think many need to realize that when people here say DJO will play in the NBA, they mean "I think DJO will be NBA material after 3 years at MU".

I don't think anybody is saying he's ready right now.  Just that based on 1/2 a season, they think he'll be ready in 5 more 1/2 seasons   Sure you can pick out all the things he doesn't do well now, but he has plenty of time to get better.

BTW...count me in the DJO has NBA potential camp.

[NersEllenson]

IF DJO sees how hard Jimmy Butler and Lazar Hayward have worked this past off-season, and DJO does the same thing - I see no reason why he can't be NBA ready by the end of his senior season.  Keep in mind he has only been in MU's program/strength/conditioning for about 7 months - he's got about another 30 months in the program to improve and evolve.  He is a much more explosive athlete than Jerel McNeal - McNeal could barely dunk, whereas DJO can throw down with some fierce authority.  Keep in mind D-Wade is only about 6'3" and was thought to be a "what position does he play in the NBA" guy...I don't think DJO will ever be quite as laterally quick as Wade, but I can see his vertical and strength being about equal by the time he leaves MU.  He's already a better shooter than D-Wade ever was at MU.  Now....not even trying to say he'll ever be D-WAde good in the NBA, just pointing out some similarities.

[reinko]

Ben Gordon sucks.

[shaquilvaine]

DJO shot 7-14 yesterday. He shoots an incredibly high percentage.  If you watch the replay, what is even more impressive is that he often passes up many good looks, only to find a better shot.  There is no doubt in my mind that with the game on the line, the ball should be in his hands.  He can get a shot at will.  Brute Force said earlier in the year that DJO should never pass.  I think he will be our leading scorer next year with the offense focused on him.  I love the prospects of Blue and love Butler's game, but DJO has unique ability.  Hopefully he can continue to improve other areas of his game, most notably defense.  When he has games like Depaul where he shoots 2-9, we are in trouble.