Oso planning to go pro
I can't disagree with this. But that's an almost impossibly high bar -- one no Marquette freshman has possibly ever lived up to. All three were Wooden award winners. Zion and AD were #1 overall picks in the NBA draft (KD was drafted #2).Again, I don't really disagree with any of this. But as a freshman, Joey performed on a level equal to or better than a number of recent Marquette greats -- including about a half-dozen who ended up in the NBA. I'd say Dominic was better, Markus was probably better, and I somehow left Henry (who was clearly better) off my list. In my eyes, that's more than decent for a freshman. Yes, Joey was inconsistent. Yes, there's plenty of room for improvement in his game. But that's true of most freshmen, even very talented ones.Apologies if it seems like I'm fixating on the word "decent." But I don't think Izzo would be interested in giving up a scholarship for a year to bring in a "decent" player. My guess is that he believes he's getting someone special in Joey, a player that's only begun to tap his potential.
Is this what the narrative of the 2018-19 season is gonna be? That we were really good until that cancer Joey Hauser and his brother Sam tanked the season? And that Wojo did everything right and/or that nothing could be done by him to fix the sinking ship? Seems pretty convenient. The Hausers definitely played their part in the collapse, but it's wishful thinking to believe they were responsible for all of it. Otherwise, why would two coaches who are a heck of a lot more successful than Wojo want to take them on?
not exactly what i meant, but i think the youngest hauser infected the team, including his older bro. sam is going to be ok. if coach Izzo sees something in the youngster, go for it. i would expect joey to have a pretty good couple of years for michigan st. for 2 reasons: 1) he will have no choice but to do as coach Izzo says and 2) he's going to be playing with a chip the size of gibraltar on his shoulder. regardless, we are all better off. i feel bad for sam because i think he was caught in the middle. he and markus were really good friends until someone had the gall to tell joey he wasn't doing everything right. note, we haven't lost anyone else since the day after markus declared he is staying. yes, i heard there were a few others who might have left as well, but...they didn't
I posted this a few weeks back.Top 5 candidates listed for the 2020 Cousy AwardCassius Winston: 44.8 assist rate/17.5 Turnover rateMarkus Howard: 27.2 assist rate/18.4 turnover rateTre Jones: 24 assist rate/14.7 turnover rateAshton Hagans: 27 assist rate/28.4 turnover rateAnthony Cowan: 26.1 assist rate/18.6 turnover rateAll those guys played with players as talented, probably more talented than Joey and Sam. Tre Jones is a likely first round pick in the 2020 draft. That’s good company Markus is in for a point guard and his assist rate is quite similar to the best returning point guards save the unicorn, Cassius Winston
USG%:Cassius Winston 28.6Anthony Cowan 26.0Ashton Hagans 17Tre Jones 15.1Markus Howard 37.4
Rocket, you’ve made some good points in your posts....I will add that had Markus “corrected” any other 4-star Freshman, though the target’s reaction may have been the same, you’d have to think Sam would’ve been behind Markus, even if he agreed with a couple points the young man made to his elder teammate. I would bet Sam himself understands that to outsiders it sometimes appears Markus is playing “hero ball”..... when in actuality it is within the ridiculously extended “green light” Wojo gives his star guards. If Markus steps back while closely guarded and creates four feet of free space out of thin air before launching a three....is it really a worse shot than Joey or Sam spotting up with the nearest defender four feet away? Markus’s defender is likely unbalanced, all on his heels, trying to re-close that gap while Sam or Joey’s defender is running full speed with arms extended at them. Yes, the BroHaus’ release is quick and they are taller than Markus, and yes they are used to point guards finding them exactly in rhythm ..I’m just saying Markus creates crazy separation in the blink of an eye....that’s his game...and playing to it has earned us tremendous national media coverage and a recruiting bump. I was watching the Villanova game at an off-track wagering bar with a couple assistant HS coaches in the Northern Chicago burbs and one of them felt Markus was indeed taking bad shots. The other coach adamantly disagreed with him, that Markus is not the prototypical point guard and is playing within the flow and game plan of Wojo, and more importantly...using his individual skillset to disrupt the defense. We were at an OTB so I’m not naming names...I will say that the coach critical of Markus is involved in guard-specific training in the off-season, and one of his biggest focal points for point guards is finding shooters with well-timed crisp passes. I would bet Markus is working on remedying his weaknesses as we speak. I agree with most everything you have pointed out, Rocket. However, I truly feel it is Markus who will be playing with the Gibraltar-sized chip on his shoulder. Joey will use the year off to reflect on his handling of everything and with some introspection and help from Coach Izzo, I look for him to grow leaps and bounds from a maturity and attitude standpoint. He is going to be a heck of a ballplayer. Sam will be just fine. The poor kid was caught in the crossfire. With the injuries he has played through so valiantly, this year off is a blessing for him.
Considering the differences in usage - and that Markus is not a pass-first PG (let alone the fact he is more naturally a 2G) and that Wojo doesn't structure around a pass-first PG - his TO% is great compared to the others and probably what should be expected for assists
--his 3.9 tpg was more than Junior or Derrick ever had despite Howard's 18.4% TO Rate being better than either of those two ever achieved--the amount he turns it over is generally fine.
To be fair. It was hard for Derrick to turn over the ball when all he ever did was dribble 4 feet from half court.
I’d want Markus’s usage to be about double what Cowan, Hagans, and Jones had. Those 3 are not even the same stratosphere offensively as Markus.
So between 30.2 and 52? I'd prefer something between 28 and 34. And bTW, I didn't pick these guys - Uncle Rico did.