Is Jerel McNeal back on this team?

[wadesworld]

2/11 shooting from DJO? Consistently trying to force it through a 3 on 1 or even 4 on 1? If people think Blue touching the ball leads to bad possessions, wow. He makes the worst decisions ever and is the reason we will not win this game. It is literally like watching Jerel McNeal all over again. This is exactly why I prayed he would not average 20 ppg. He is not good enough to average 20 while our team still succeeds. He is not an All American and is not a BE POY candidate

[🏀]

Nice post.

DJO and Jae have squandered our attempts this game.

[buckchuckler]

This thread is stupid. 

[🏀]

This thread is stupid. 

Why's that?

[avid1010]

Until DJO and Crowder play a full game, MU won't beat a good team.  I'm starting to wonder if MU will ever be known as a team that not only plays hard, but also plays smart.

[skianth16]

Until DJO and Crowder play a full game, MU won't beat a good team.  I'm starting to wonder if MU will ever be known as a team that not only plays hard, but also plays smart.

+1

I wonder if this has anything to do with the way Buzz coaches or what he encourages in practice because it's really been a trend over the past few years. We get in our own way too often lately

[Sawsi]

DJO is good enough to put up 20 a game.  It's either he's too timid on offense for everyone on here or he's forcing it too much.  The happy medium can't exist when the other offensive options are not stepping up.

[wadesworld]

DJO is good enough to put up 20 a game.  It's either he's too timid on offense for everyone on here or he's forcing it too much.  The happy medium can't exist when the other offensive options are not stepping up.

Yeah he's good enough to put up 20 a game, but with that he has to take 25 shots and turn it over 7 times. I'd much rather he realize his strength is his outside shooting and he gets 15 a game on 9 shots and has 2 turnovers a game. He also needs to learn that when he's trying to get out on the break and nobody is with him and there are 3 defenders in front of him it's OK to pull it back and set up the offense. He has to learn how to let the game come to him and play within the flow of the game, get some control. He has none.

[avid1010]

DJO is good enough to put up 20 a game.  It's either he's too timid on offense for everyone on here or he's forcing it too much.  The happy medium can't exist when the other offensive options are not stepping up.

He comes in goes in dang near every game.  When he has been consistent at putting pressure on the other team for a complete game, MU has been much better.  Add the same from Crowder and we're in good shape. 

[MerrittsMustache]

DJO is the only guy on the team who can score consistently. Opposing teams are obviously very well aware of this and giving extra attention to him. Cadougan and Blue have shown the ability to get to the rim occasionally but neither is a very good finisher. Crowder scores primarily off of assists and can't create his own shot. Gardner can score but he's an undersized post player who often gets negated by bigger, more athletic centers. Mayo is an inconsistent freshman and I really don't know what Jamil brings offensively. Until someone else can step up and score, DJO will get his points and his efficiency will continue to decrease.

[Big Papi]

DJO is the only guy on the team who can score consistently. Opposing teams are obviously very well aware of this and giving extra attention to him. Cadougan and Blue have shown the ability to get to the rim occasionally but neither is a very good finisher. Crowder scores primarily off of assists and can't create his own shot. Gardner can score but he's an undersized post player who often gets negated by bigger, more athletic centers. Mayo is an inconsistent freshman and I really don't know what Jamil brings offensively. Until someone else can step up and score, DJO will get his points and his efficiency will continue to decrease.

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000

[avid1010]

DJO is the only guy on the team who can score consistently. Opposing teams are obviously very well aware of this and giving extra attention to him. Cadougan and Blue have shown the ability to get to the rim occasionally but neither is a very good finisher. Crowder scores primarily off of assists and can't create his own shot. Gardner can score but he's an undersized post player who often gets negated by bigger, more athletic centers. Mayo is an inconsistent freshman and I really don't know what Jamil brings offensively. Until someone else can step up and score, DJO will get his points and his efficiency will continue to decrease.

He's faded away too often in too many games.  I get the surrounding cast issue, but it's also DJO's job to make those guys better.  It's his job to get Crowder, Mayo, etc., open shots with his dribble penetration.  When JMFB wasn't scoring the ball well, he'd get a block, steal, rebound, put-back, get to the line, etc.  He needs to find a way to have an impact on this team for the full game.  I thought DJO was an NBA quality player, after watching him this season, I think we're seeing MU struggle a bit because this is the first year, in three years, that we haven't had an NBA caliber senior on the team.  I don't think you blame sophomores for holding seniors back. 

[buckchuckler]

Why's that?

Ever so many reasons.  Mostly the entire point it is trying to convey.  McNeal was a tremendous asset to the team and to MU basketball.  Same goes for DJO.

[JTBMU7]

Wasn't mcneal an all-american? Why is comparing DJO to him a bad thing? Would be nice to have the all-time scoring leader back on the team...

[MerrittsMustache]

He's faded away too often in too many games.  I get the surrounding cast issue, but it's also DJO's job to make those guys better.  It's his job to get Crowder, Mayo, etc., open shots with his dribble penetration.  When JMFB wasn't scoring the ball well, he'd get a block, steal, rebound, put-back, get to the line, etc.  He needs to find a way to have an impact on this team for the full game.  I thought DJO was an NBA quality player, after watching him this season, I think we're seeing MU struggle a bit because this is the first year, in three years, that we haven't had an NBA caliber senior on the team.  I don't think you blame sophomores for holding seniors back. 

I understand what you're saying but if no one else is much of a threat from the outside, defenses can sag off and there's no place for DJO to drive and even if he does drive there's only one, maybe 2, guys on the team who can hit outside shots with some consistency. Last year, MU had 4 guys capable of scoring 15-18 points on a given night and 3 of those guys could create their own shot. This year, MU has 2 and only 1 of them can create his own shot. MU needs to score points in transition to be successful.

Butler was a 6'7" future NBA 1st round pick. DJO is maybe 6'2" and maybe a late 2nd round pick.

The part I bolded in your post is right on the money.

[brewcity77]

Wasn't mcneal an all-american? Why is comparing DJO to him a bad thing? Would be nice to have the all-time scoring leader back on the team...

If DJO were playing four years, he would be the all-time scoring leader. He's already up to #25 and will likely finish between 6-13 on the scoring list depending on how far we go in the Big East and NCAA tournaments. If we play 3 BET games and make the Sweet 16 again, DJO would pass Diener into 6th place provided he averaged 19 ppg from here on out.

Of course, if we finish 5th in the Big East, make the Big East title game, and make the Final Four, and DJO averages 20 ppg (I know, pie in the sky) he would crack the top-3 all time.

[chapman]

Wasn't mcneal an all-american? Why is comparing DJO to him a bad thing? Would be nice to have the all-time scoring leader back on the team...

Second Team AA, First Team all-BE his senior year in what was probably a tougher conference.  'Rel was the man. He knew how to fill a stat sheet, even if the TO column had a few in it too.

[JTBMU7]

Second Team AA, First Team all-BE his senior year in what was probably a tougher conference.  'Rel was the man. He knew how to fill a stat sheet, even if the TO column had a few in it too.

No kidding. Selective memory is amazing. In the past two days I've read negative posts on Jerel, DJO and Jae, it's really hard to comprehend given their success at MU.

[bamamarquettefan]

2/11 shooting from DJO? Consistently trying to force it through a 3 on 1 or even 4 on 1? If people think Blue touching the ball leads to bad possessions, wow. He makes the worst decisions ever and is the reason we will not win this game. It is literally like watching Jerel McNeal all over again. This is exactly why I prayed he would not average 20 ppg. He is not good enough to average 20 while our team still succeeds. He is not an All American and is not a BE POY candidate

I do want to go back and look through lists of games with points and turnovers for Wade, McNeal and DJO.  These kind of players all have the big turnover games - even Wade who was the best in the history of MU - but their style is going to also leave them in games when you are yelling at them for getting stuck in the air and turning it over.

I haven't looked game by game yet, but will go back and do it.  But you have to have a DJO for teams to focus their defenses again in order to free up other players who are good on a limited number of shots (Gardner), but can't take the ball all the time.

[LON]

No kidding. Selective memory is amazing. In the past two days I've read negative posts on Jerel, DJO and Jae, it's really hard to comprehend given their success at MU.

I get frustrated because if they only played a little smarter at times - they could be even better.

[muzzwilliams]

DJO needs to have better composture. He drives to the hole so uncontrollably, its painful to watch.

[TJ]

Wasn't mcneal an all-american? Why is comparing DJO to him a bad thing? Would be nice to have the all-time scoring leader back on the team...

Thank you.  I was thinking exactly that, but didn't post because I didn't want to get in an argument about why the all time scoring leader at Marquette was actually a good player.

[ringout]

Didn't DJO hit the dagger shot against Cuse in the tourney last year?

[JTBMU7]

Didn't DJO hit the dagger shot against Cuse in the tourney last year?

doesnt DJO average 18 ppg?

Yes and Yes. 

Jerel and DJO are two of the best players we have had on the roster in the past 15 years. Any argument otherwise is just out of frustration and emotion over a few losses.

[buckchuckler]

Exactly why I felt this thread was so stupid.