WOW...this is a complete shocker...

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Jamil

I had banned by myself but watching your posts over transfers and recruiting caught my eye. I now understand your thought process much better and no longer confused on what direction you want for the program.

Lol, whatever ya say, big guy. 

[GoldenDieners32]

It depends on the roster and the matchup — plus how far Sam develops in the offseason.

Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder and Lazar Hayward were all undersized big men at Marquette. But they had the strength and skill to play both the low and high post on both ends, not just the perimeter.

Sam's listed at 6-7, 225, very similar to Jimmy at the same point in his career. Right now he has the size to guard most college 3s and 4s, even some 5s. He has the frame to add more muscle. And at 19 years old, a growth spurt isn't completely out of the question. But he needs to get quicker (something Jimmy worked on throughout his MU career) and improve his defensive technique (positioning and footwork).

If he can do that, while gaining more confidence in his mid-range game and driving to the basket, I have no problem whatsoever with Sam playing significant minutes at the 4 spot.

Sam Hauser is the next Jimmy Butler

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

But the point is that someone like Cain or Bailey may able to guard a 2.  And Sam *can* serve in the role of a traditional spot up shooter on offense, while Cain may be more of an driver.  Simply put, if one or more of these wings *can* guard a two, it is a non issue.

Well said. And I think it's easier to add muscle than quickness, which is why I see Sam as a 3/4. Natural position would be as a 3, but has the ability to play the 4 situationally.

I agree with both of these posts. Situationally, I have no problem with Sam playing the 4. But with the way our roster is going to be made up the next few years, I think we'll only see Sam playing in front court when we go "small".  My belief is that he mainly played the 4 out of necessity this year. 

[Goose]

Jamil

For the record, hardly impressed with your thought process or path that thinking would take the program. I wish you were an avid UWM Panther fan, over avid MU fan. Your thinking would go hand in hand at UWM.

[wadesworld]

I'm all for getting your 5 best players on the court as much as possible.  If that means 2 sub 6 foot guards have to play the point and off guard, then I'm all for it.  So if Sam and, just theoretically for argument's sake, 2 of Froling/John/Heldt are 3 of our 5 best players next year, I want Sam at the 3 and hopefully Froling at the 4 with John or Helt at the 5.

Having said that, I think Sam creates a lot more of a problem for other teams at the 4 than he causes problems for MU being at the 4.  And I think he creates more problems as a 4 than he would as a 3.  The only game where I thought he got burned as a 4 for MU this year was the second Butler game.  Otherwise I thought he was probably our best defender, and offensively he drew a post out to the perimeter and made that person guard in an area he wasn't comfortable guarding most of the time.

I will believe Froling can play the 4 for us when I see it.  If he is truly athletic enough to guard 4s and really can step out and consistently spread the court offensively then even better, just a bigger Sam and then Sam can be a big 3.  But I have my doubts about it and think Froling probably plays the 5 along with Heldt and John and Sam get the 4 minutes.  We'll see.

Sam Hauser is the next Jimmy Butler

Sam Hauser's game is absolutely nothing like Jimmy Butler's.

[brewcity77]

I agree with both of these posts. Situationally, I have no problem with Sam playing the 4. But with the way our roster is going to be made up the next few years, I think we'll only see Sam playing in front court when we go "small".  My belief is that he mainly played the 4 out of necessity this year.

I'd agree. And situationally, I can see him, Cain, and Bailey having to fill in that type of role in the years to come. I just think it's more likely that if those three guys are playing together, forcing someone to defend out of their traditional position, it's more likely they'll do so as a 4 than a 2.

That said, being able to throw a zone out with those three, Elliott at the point, and a shot blocker like John could be devastating.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Jamil

For the record, hardly impressed with your thought process or path that thinking would take the program. I wish you were an avid UWM Panther fan, over avid MU fan. Your thinking would go hand in hand at UWM.

What in the world are you talking about?  Wanting MU to recruit top notch players makes me a UWM fan? Got it. 

In other news, in no way shape or form am I here to impress you.  I couldn't give two sh*ts what you think.

[GGGG]

Jamil

For the record, hardly impressed with your thought process or path that thinking would take the program. I wish you were an avid UWM Panther fan, over avid MU fan. Your thinking would go hand in hand at UWM.

You probably should just go ban yourself again Goose...

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

You probably should just go ban yourself again Goose...

Glad I am not alone.  Not sure what he is trying to pin on me here. 

Clearly I hurt his feelings calling him out for wanting MU to be SLU.

[Goose]

Jamil

No hard feelings on my part from anything you have said or posted.

Sultan

Thanks for the reminder. Had some time to kill before a meeting and should have known better.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

I'd agree. And situationally, I can see him, Cain, and Bailey having to fill in that type of role in the years to come. I just think it's more likely that if those three guys are playing together, forcing someone to defend out of their traditional position, it's more likely they'll do so as a 4 than a 2.

That said, being able to throw a zone out with those three, Elliott at the point, and a shot blocker like John could be devastating.

Fair enough.  Make sense.  Definitely depends on where our last 2 scholarships go this year.  If one goes to a guard transfer, all this talk is fairly moot.  Or if we land a guard in our 2018 class along with Bailey and (hopefully) Joey, it is also moot.

[MU82]

I'm all for getting your 5 best players on the court as much as possible.  If that means 2 sub 6 foot guards have to play the point and off guard, then I'm all for it.  So if Sam and, just theoretically for argument's sake, 2 of Froling/John/Heldt are 3 of our 5 best players next year, I want Sam at the 3 and hopefully Froling at the 4 with John or Helt at the 5.

Having said that, I think Sam creates a lot more of a problem for other teams at the 4 than he causes problems for MU being at the 4.  And I think he creates more problems as a 4 than he would as a 3.  The only game where I thought he got burned as a 4 for MU this year was the second Butler game.  Otherwise I thought he was probably our best defender, and offensively he drew a post out to the perimeter and made that person guard in an area he wasn't comfortable guarding most of the time.

I will believe Froling can play the 4 for us when I see it.  If he is truly athletic enough to guard 4s and really can step out and consistently spread the court offensively then even better, just a bigger Sam and then Sam can be a big 3.  But I have my doubts about it and think Froling probably plays the 5 along with Heldt and John and Sam get the 4 minutes.  We'll see.

Sam Hauser's game is absolutely nothing like Jimmy Butler's.

Jeesh, wades, I'm agreeing with you a lot these last coupla days. We both must be smarter than hell!

There was a post a few days back about our biggest surprise of the season. Sam's D wouldn't qualify as a top-5, but I was pleasantly surprised. I knew nothing about the kid, but he really took to D. Often battled much stronger guys to a standstill and did a nice job on quick, smaller kids on more than a few occasions.

If every Warrior had his "want-to" and fundamentals on D, we'd be a much better defensive team.

[Marcus92]

Sam Hauser's game is absolutely nothing like Jimmy Butler's.

Jae Crowder, Jimmy Butler and Lazar Hayward were three of the greatest players to wear a Marquette uniform in the past 25 years. They were each unique in what they brought to the court.

That said, I think you can draw some comparisons with Sam Hauser.

Size
Physically, Jae was an absolutely beast at 6-6/240. But Sam (6-7/225) has a remarkably similar physical profile to Jimmy (6-8/220) and Lazar (6-6/226). And that's comparing a freshman with the pre-draft measurements of two seniors; Sam has years to improve his strength and agility.

For now, let's set Jae aside and focus on Jimmy, Lazar and Sam.

Immediate impact
As a sophomore junior college transfer, Jimmy Butler played in all 35 games — one of 5 players on the roster to do so — averaging 5.6 ppg (5th on the team) and 3.9 rpg (4th) in 19.6 mpg (5th). He was tops on the team in offensive rebounding percentage (12.7%).

As a freshman, Lazar Hayward played in all 34 games — one of 7 players on the roster to do so — averaging 6.6 ppg (6th on the team) and 3.6 rpg (5th) in 16.3 mpg (7th). He was 2nd on the team in offensive rebounding percentage (12.5%) and 3rd in defensive rebounding percentage (13.2%).

As a freshman, Sam played in all 32 games — one of 5 players on the roster to do so — averaging 8.8 ppg (6th on the team) and 5.0 rpg (2nd) in 26.5 mpg (1st). He was tops on the team in defensive rebounding percentage (17.9%).

Ability to stretch the floor
Jimmy wasn't known for his 3-point shot while in college, taking fewer attempts during his entire Marquette career than Sam did in his freshman season. Nevertheless, he was a very good shooter (36-94 from 3-point land, or 38.3%) that defenders had to respect from the perimeter.

A similar story for Lazar, who could hit from outside the arc (he was 169-473 or 35.7% from 3-point range for his career), pop from mid-range or drive to the basket.

Neither Jimmy nor Lazar come close to matching Sam (63-139, 45.3%) for long-range shooting. While Markus Howard may shatter every one of Steve Novak's three-point records, Sam won't be far behind. He's a deadly sniper with immaculate form. That ability to draw out defenders will be all the more dangerous if Sam can develop his offensive game in terms of mid-range shooting (12-15 feet), post-ups and drives from the wing.

Efficiency
In his 3 seasons at Marquette, Jimmy posted offensive ratings of 131.2, 128.5 and 121.2. He shot better than 50% from 2-point range every year. And he hardly ever turned the ball over.

Lazar doesn't quite match up to the same standard, posting offensive ratings of 100.5, 109.8, 114.1 and 107.1 in his four seasons. But his usage rate was quite a bit higher than Jimmy's. If anything, Jimmy was possibly too selective when it came to shooting.

Sam's efficiency was nearly off the charts, finishing with a 127.8 ORtg in his freshman season. He shot better than 50% from 2-point range, with the vast majority of his attempts outside the arc. And, surprise, surprise, Sam led the team in protecting the ball (with a turnover percentage of just 10.8%).

Final notes
Remember, Sam's coming off his freshman year. It took Jimmy and Lazar years to develop into All Big East players. But Sam's performance on the court so far compares favorably. His progress next season should tell us a lot about how high his ceiling is.

[tower912]

I think you will see a lot of Sam and Cain playing next to each other at the forward positions and switching lots of ball screens.    I think Sacar and Haanif at the 2 will lead to a whole lot of defensive looks where the 2-3-4 are switching everything.     Next year, when Heldt's man sets the high pick and then rolls while Matt is hedging the ball screen, the weakside wing will be Cain or Hauser, a couple of 6'7 guys who can actually contest down low.   

[brewcity77]

Sam's game is still nothing like Jimmy's. Offensively, Sam isn't as assertive (at least not yet), isn't as effective on the drive or attacking the rim, isn't as good at creating his own shot, but is a better shooter, which led to his excellent efficiency. Defensively, Jimmy was stronger, quicker, and used his length better, though Sam is a better and more commanding rebounder.

Sam could become all conference, he could become All American, but I'd be floored if his game ever resembled Jimmy. That's not a bad thing, they are just different players.

[Marcus92]

Sam's game is still nothing like Jimmy's. Offensively, Sam isn't as assertive (at least not yet), isn't as effective on the drive or attacking the rim, isn't as good at creating his own shot, but is a better shooter, which led to his excellent efficiency. Defensively, Jimmy was stronger, quicker, and used his length better, though Sam is a better and more commanding rebounder.

Sam could become all conference, he could become All American, but I'd be floored if his game ever resembled Jimmy. That's not a bad thing, they are just different players.

Don't forget what Jimmy's game was like as a sophomore.

He wasn't some amazing athlete or high flyer. Almost nobody recruited him out of high school or junior college (Joe Fulce was initially considered the better athlete and better overall recruit of the two.) Jimmy played tough defense, chased down offensive rebounds and got most of his points off putbacks. He didn't make a single three-pointer his sophomore year. But you could see the tools: he played within the offense, was a willing passer, took open shots and had good form when he did.

He also had an incredible work ethic — one that allowed him to dramatically improve nearly every aspect of his game over the next two seasons.

I see a lot of the same tools in Sam. He plays tough, knows the game, sees the court and moves well without the ball, is a willing passer, takes good shots and is one of the purest shooters I've seen at Marquette.

I'm not saying that Sam will become an NBA All-Star or future draft pick. But it is rare to see that combination of talent and performance in a freshman (or first-year player in Jimmy's case). It's all the more rare in the front court. If Sam puts in the work, I think he could develop into a very special player.

[brewcity77]

Don't forget what Jimmy's game was like as a sophomore.

He wasn't some amazing athlete or high flyer. Almost nobody recruited him out of high school or junior college (Joe Fulce was initially considered the better athlete and better overall recruit of the two.) Jimmy played tough defense, chased down offensive rebounds and got most of his points off putbacks. He didn't make a single three-pointer his sophomore year. But you could see the tools: he played within the offense, was a willing passer, took open shots and had good form when he did.

I remember Jimmy as a sophomore. My roommate and I felt at the time that he and Wes Matthews were the two best NBA prospects on the team. The athleticism and quickness was evident then. He didn't have the physical development, but he had the frame. I'd argue Sam was better offensively in his first year, but regardless they were very different players.

I'm not saying Sam isn't a good player, but as far as style, athleticism, and quickness, he and Jimmy are not at all alike. Again, that's not a bad thing, but if you were to watch games with the players blacked out, you would never, ever confuse Sam and Jimmy.