2024 Transfer Portal

[tower912]

Shiny new thing.  D2 player fixes everything.

[jfp61]

If we could go into the transfer portal and get a Milwaukee-area kid who averaged 11 ppg for a Sweet 16 team, shooting 36% career from 3 including 40% in 2022-23, improving defensively as he gained experience, all while having the reputation as a great teammate, there would be a lot of excitement here.

But those are David Joplin's numbers, and several Scoopers have decided he's no good.

People being hot and cold with Joplin makes perfect sense. That is who he is as a player.

He was 5th best player on our team last year. He was a better defender than Kam and Gold, but that is pretty much it for the 7 contributors. He contributes more the "defensive box score" than he does the defense itself, pretty much the opposite of Oso. He gets defensive boards and blocks sure fine, but the overal team defense with him out their is less than ideal. His Adj. Team Def Efficency when on the court was 91.5, only Gold and the freshmen were worse. Whereas Oso is at 86.7. It doesn't help that he is the player in our starting lineup who is constantly being picked on for 1v1 situations. Look at how NC State was picking on him late in that game.

Offensivly, Joplin is a pretty frusturating player too. His personal, offensive efficency is really low at 101.9. The 4 other starters are at 117.2 or higher. It feels like every time he drives the ball it will be unsuccessful. Only Chase Ross shot a lower percentage inside the arc than joplin did among contributors, including sean. He is very inefficent for how well he shoots the ball from three and his height. He shoots it great from three though, so as a fan, you can simply see that he would be a better player as an exclusive spot up shooter. And so picturing his game next year without Kolek, it is understandable why people are even less enthused empowering him as a player.

Its clear to see the talent he has from a skill standpoint. However, it feels like year after year, the coaching doesn't fully take to him. He hasn't yet made the leap that it feels like is there for him to make. He feels like a player that should be a guy, but he just really isn't.

I expect him to improve minorly yet again, but I don't know if that will be enough for next years team to come close to sustaining the level they have been at the past two year. He doesn't feel like a top 3 player on a Big East contender.

[Pakuni]

If we could go into the transfer portal and get a Milwaukee-area kid who averaged 11 ppg for a Sweet 16 team, shooting 36% career from 3 including 40% in 2022-23, improving defensively as he gained experience, all while having the reputation as a great teammate, there would be a lot of excitement here.

But those are David Joplin's numbers, and several Scoopers have decided he's no good.

What if we were to get a kid who was 8th on his team in TS%, 7th in eFG%, 8th in TRB%, 9th in Win-Shares per 40, 8th in ORtg and 6th in DRtg?
You'd probably say ... meh.

I've never been a Joplin basher, he is who he is, but I certainly understand the frustration he engenders.

[The Sultan]

What if we were to get a kid who was 8th on his team in TS%, 7th in eFG%, 8th in TRB%, 9th in Win-Shares per 40, 8th in ORtg and 6th in DRtg?
You'd probably say ... meh.

I've never been a Joplin basher, he is who he is, but I certainly understand the frustration he engenders.

Yep. Inconsistent and not a great athlete.

[Zog from Margo]

IMO, Joplin's ideal role is as a 6th man. He is too small to be a 4. He doesn't play with the power of someone like Crowder. He is not quick enough to be a 3. That said, he has a fairly unique talent to score in bunches, which is ideal for a 6th man. I give him a lot of credit for his improvement over the years.

[The Sultan]

Joplin has developed into a decent defender. He's strong no doubt.

[MU82]

What if we were to get a kid who was 8th on his team in TS%, 7th in eFG%, 8th in TRB%, 9th in Win-Shares per 40, 8th in ORtg and 6th in DRtg?
You'd probably say ... meh.

I've never been a Joplin basher, he is who he is, but I certainly understand the frustration he engenders.

Thanks for those advanced stats (and to jfp61, too).

And to answer your question ... folks would probably be fairly happy to get a player even with those metrics who could average 11 ppg while being a threat from 3. Because he'd be, as tower said, the shiny new thing.

I totally get the frustration with him at times. He has a good game, a bad game, a great game, two mediocre games, a bad game, a good game, etc, and that's tough to watch sometimes.

IMO, Joplin's ideal role is as a 6th man. He is too small to be a 4. He doesn't play with the power of someone like Crowder. He is not quick enough to be a 3. That said, he has a fairly unique talent to score in bunches, which is ideal for a 6th man. I give him a lot of credit for his improvement over the years.

I like this take, but I don't think he'll ever be a 6th man again at Marquette so it's moot.

[Zog from Margo]

I like this take, but I don't think he'll ever be a 6th man again at Marquette so it's moot.

I agree, but one can dream.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Is Hawkins from Illinois entering the portal or going pro?

[lawdog77]

Is Hawkins from Illinois entering the portal or going pro?

[#UnleashSean]

IMO, Joplin's ideal role is as a 6th man. He is too small to be a 4. He doesn't play with the power of someone like Crowder. He is not quick enough to be a 3. That said, he has a fairly unique talent to score in bunches, which is ideal for a 6th man. I give him a lot of credit for his improvement over the years.

Strange take.... he's too small to be a 4, fair. He's too slow to be a 3.... Fairish

But coming off the bench he plays a 3 or a 4, which changes nothing honestly.

[Pakuni]

Is Hawkins from Illinois entering the portal or going pro?

He said he was hoping to go to "another level." I assume that means pro.

Fun fact: Hawkins scheduled an official visit to Marquette in September 2019, but it was canceled after Oso committed.

[tower912]

Bullet dodged.

[marquette20]

Former recruit Carey Booth in portal. Potential big to look at. 3 years of eligibility.

[Pakuni]

Bullet dodged.

Really??
I know he's had a penchant for some boneheaded plays, but he'd have looked a really nice next to Oso in the front court this year. Would have been an upgrade, tbh.

[Zog from Margo]

Strange take.... he's too small to be a 4, fair. He's too slow to be a 3.... Fairish

But coming off the bench he plays a 3 or a 4, which changes nothing honestly.

I disagree. If you bring him into the game and he is hot, he can give the team a scoring lift. You are not relying on him to be the primary defender/rebounder at the 4 for the entire game. He also might be lining up against the opponent's rotational players. It won't happen, but I think it's a better role for him. He obviously excelled at it as a sophomore.

[The Sultan]

Why are we defining players by traditional positions now? Players have roles and can be mixed and matched for all sorts of reasons.

[wadesworld]

Former recruit Carey Booth in portal. Potential big to look at. 3 years of eligibility.

He's a big I'd be interested in.

[MuggsyB]

He's a big I'd be interested in.

Yes.  Definite upside. 

[GoldenEagles03]

Vlad Goldin from FAU into the portal.

Maybe the Top Transfer for some.

[wadesworld]

Vlad Goldin from FAU into the portal.

Maybe the Top Transfer for some.

Welcome to Ann Arbor, Vlad.

[CountryRoads]

Vlad Goldin from FAU into the portal.

Maybe the Top Transfer for some.

Lot of good bigs in the portal for anyone looking to scoop one up.

[tower912]

Assume for a second that TKo and Oso are not coming back.   Assume for a second that everyone else IS returning.   Therefore there is 1 (1) one  uno scholarship available.   

Choose carefully.

[wadesworld]

Assume for a second that TKo and Oso are not coming back.   Assume for a second that everyone else IS returning.   Therefore there is 1 (1) one  uno scholarship available.   

Choose carefully.

Don't really get to choose, so you can be interested in a lot of different names.  Shaka/staff will contact more than he has scholarships available.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Shaka recruited Booth in the past, so there's an established relationship.