Missed Nicholson layups
- Thread starter PlowKing2
- Start date
He’s a work in progress. Great effort and determination from MN. He’ll only get better. Staff is working him in gradually. Probably still a year away. We will need him to accelerate his development if we hope to make the dance this year. We’re all rooting for him. Some more than others.
He has two more years of eligibility (fixed that), yes? Probably a year away from being a real weapon, but the athleticism is apparent and the development continues to be positive. This season is probably where the lack of reps last year hurts a little, but he's going to be a good asset for the Cats the next two and half years.
Last edited:
Sure, needs work, but it's great to have that effective seal-off inside. I also really like his game sense--doesn't panic when he has the ball up top but patiently waits for the open man to pass to, and actually set some working screens today. PLUS he's all of a sudden making free throws. Had no idea what to expect of him this year, but so far he's been a pleasant surprise.
And in terms of finishing, I have the sense that his percentage of missed layups is lower than Young's was.
And in terms of finishing, I have the sense that his percentage of missed layups is lower than Young's was.
That's really a you problem. Rooting against a kid because of things people say on a message board is a bad look.
He’s put on a lot of muscle during last offseason. Positioning is night and day compared to last year. He’s a good defender and has learned how to wall up extremely well using his height advantage. Needs some work offensively… gotta hit those layups when you’re 7 ft. Ft are improved compared to earlier this year. Kid hustles hard. Has the potential to be a very solid player.
Collins insists Nicholson is now 7-1, 270. He's still developing his game. His confidence is growing.
It’s coming together. He’s now able to dribble out of light pressure in the backcourt. And his teammates don’t hesitate to pass to him, whether it’s on the perimeter, on the block or off the pick and roll. I’m impressed by his improvement.
Hunger is athletic but a couple times this year he’s been surprised by how quickly defenders recover. He’ll get there.
Hunger is athletic but a couple times this year he’s been surprised by how quickly defenders recover. He’ll get there.
Young’s percentage on “close 2s” the last 2 years: .637 and .635
Nicholson this year on those after today: .625
Hunger seems to be less bothered by contact on the offensive side of things but if MN can work on contact finishing we may have something in B10 play this season.
It's equally cheap to smack him down for something he's already admitting.
Thanks for the honesty, JournCat.
What was that campaign, exactly? Still can't believe the attacks on Nicholson from last year.
That's a terrific point. Please allow me to amend that to "Almost rooting against a kid because of things people say on a message board is a bad look."
If you want to give him extra credit points for admitting to something that is dickish, that's a different strokes for different folks kind of thing. I'll happily take the demerit for telling him that the thing he admitted to is lame. Doesn't make him some awful person or anything, but it's a bad look.
Last edited:
While we are confessing our sins, I must admit that I stole two coffee mugs from the Flying J restaurant in Limon, CO in 1988.
I'm no expert but it seems to me that he drifts too far under the rim and then he can't get back out side to make the dunk with out drawing a charge. Now, maybe he wouldn't draw a charge but but testing how much you can muscle around underneath comes with experience. I think Young drove out and up expecting that it would be a blocking foul rather than a charge.
Two things Nicholson needs to improve on are touch plays (some of the missed layups look like he was throwing them at the backboard) and using his weight and size more effectively on the offensive end. He doesn't really move people, particularly when positioning for rebounds.
I suspect that “close 2s” includes dunks. In that event, Nicholson has a ton of those (which are good!) while Young did not. Young’s touch around the rim seemed a ton better to me.
Last edited:
H
Have to remember that this was his first start. He has not got a whole lot of minutes yet. Glad it did not matter but hopefully he gets more proficient at layups. Whole team needs to as they only hit about 40% of layups
Young had a nice touch and could use the dribble a bit to set up a shot. MN has a bigger presence and by next year will offer more rim protection and old school center presence. He is on an upward path and the added playing time he gets with Young leaving has turned into a positive.
Last edited:
WIth that defense we already will. It is outstanding. Lowery has made a huge difference. #1 in BIG in opponents FG% and in the top 5 in three other Defensive categories. It is amazing to see a guy get by a defender only to have his path blocked by another defender. Held Depaul 30 pts below their average. The O was great to see but D was what won the game
Last edited:
There were no attacks on Nicholson. Not even last year. Saying that he was not ready for a major role is not an attack on him
I don't watch that much college hoops, but it certainly seems that every game I watch, there are a noticeable number of missed bunnies, putbacks and layups. Maybe it's just hard to sink those types of shots when there is lots of traffic (usually the case), or guys are coming in at Mach 5 and trying to lay it gently off the board.
You don’t have to wait under next year, Big Matt is already a better rim protector.
Very good point and your suspicions are correct, Young had a total of 4 dunks the previous 2 seasons. Nicholson has 17 dunks already this season, but is only 8 for 23 on close non-dunks. So he has not been a good finisher when he isn’t throwing it down with 2 hands.
That's a pretty incredible stat. Touch around the basket should be the focus of his development. I pray they aren't spending time working on his face-up jumper at this point.
He should work on a face up jumper from the foul line. He I s a decent shooter from that range. That is player development, would help him if he plays over seas professionally.
Also should be doing the mikan drilll every day and shots from each block.
Should focus on his inside foot being above the block when posting up.easy jump hook if he turn towards the backboard. Curls toward the middle of the lane will be easier and can use the rim to shield the defender.
Has improved his footwork with regard to lobs off of screens with the guards
Have to think about his career after NU. That's what the coaches should be doing and the new staff seems to get that.
Also should be doing the mikan drilll every day and shots from each block.
Should focus on his inside foot being above the block when posting up.easy jump hook if he turn towards the backboard. Curls toward the middle of the lane will be easier and can use the rim to shield the defender.
Has improved his footwork with regard to lobs off of screens with the guards
Have to think about his career after NU. That's what the coaches should be doing and the new staff seems to get that.
He should do the Mikan drill everyday with some grad assistants pounding him with those blocking pads. I think he anticipates contact and panics a little.
I remember Evan Eschmeyer used to get pounded during practice like that. Probably would be a good drill for Matt. Like others said, his hands need work too, he fumbles the ball at times, even on rebounds. But his free throw shooting has improved significantly.
He's got plenty of time in college to develop a face up jumper from the free throw line, but IMHO that has to come after he has gotten substantially better at the rest of your post. There are only so many hours in the day and he's got so many other more important things that need significant work to reach his potential. The coming summer is a great time to start work on that shot, but it isn't really even a point of emphasis in the pro game.