MoCo_Vol
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The other thing he has over our other posts is he is far and away the best back to the basket low post scorer when the floor is properly spaced. IMO, that’s his best asset to the team that can pay dividends as the season progresses. But, it’s up to JP to quit making stupid mental errors in order to get significant playing time. He’s in his 3rd year in the program and I’m sure CRB’s patience for freshman type mental errors is very short. Ament has been disappointing, but to me JP has been my biggest disappointment this season. He can make a huge difference this season if he could lock in mentally.Estrella is what he is. Needs more physicality. The one thing he has over our other bigs is the ability to shoot from the perimeter. When he sets a high ball screen and then pops out instead of rolling the other team has to guard him since he’s made a few 3s. If any of our other posts do it, the big guy guarding them just stays in the center of the lane clogging everything up. Florida’s big guys all can shoot but didn’t bother to guard ours out there. Good gameplan. He’ll get better. Learn to go up with 2 hands to rebound also.
Ament was guilty of it. Too much ball watching on both ends. Our spacing has always frustrated me at times. I don’t like 3 players on one side of the court in today’s game. Too many defenders to help, reach and too easy to recover.I have noticed that on several occasions, when the ball is in the corner, we have 3 other players outside the arc with one in the opposite corner. That player has to flash to the free throw line. Otherwise, his defender can double down low without any consequences. Our spacing is horrible.
He had season ending surgery on his foot last year. Freshman year he spelled aidoo and guarded Zach Edey pretty well in the elite 8 game (as a freshman). Better than Aidoo anyway. This year he was out with a bone bruise for 1 weekWhen is he not injured? Seriously, it seems like he's had something to deal with since he arrived on campus.
I remember Ament, and Henderson.Ament was guilty of it. Too much ball watching on both ends. Our spacing has always frustrated me at times. I don’t like 3 players on one side of the court in today’s game. Too many defenders to help, reach and too easy to recover.
I also believe we don’t have an offensive identity. We can’t be the same as the past few years. We either need to feed the post or operate in a more flex style offense (or whatever they are calling it nowadays) but we aren’t a dribble drive or high ball screen team. We don’t have the guards for that.Ament was guilty of it. Too much ball watching on both ends. Our spacing has always frustrated me at times. I don’t like 3 players on one side of the court in today’s game. Too many defenders to help, reach and too easy to recover.
JP looked bad in the A&M game. To me it looks like he is playing scared. If he makes a mistake he is probably going to the bench. If he makes two mistakes he is probably out for the half. It is hard for a player to gain any confidence in that kind of environment. I remember at the start of that game there was an air ball that fell right into Okpara's hands. He bobbled it out of bounds and I remember thinking that if JP had done that he probably would have been benched. Well, it's a good thing Okpara wasn't benched because he went on to have perhaps his best game ever. Maybe CRB should show a little confidence in JP and let him play through a couple of mistakes. As this point I would not be surprised to see JP in the transfer portal at the end of the season.Wonder if his foot is giving him issues again?
He didn’t look comfortable on the court last night.
Not to mention his man beat him down the court in transition the previous game, Barnes mentioned that in the presser as well. I see JP as being slow and lazy,I don't think there is anything wrong with him.
He is a talented offensive player. But playing for Rick Barnes is hard. And he will bench you if you don't play how he game planned.
For instance, in the presser last night, he talks about how frustrated with the JP turnover where he got his pocket picked from behind because they covered that thoroughly in practice about how the press is actually most dangerous in the open court getting your from behind, not the ball pressure on the throw in.
Getting beat down the floor and bobbling a ball out of bounds are two entirely different mistakes. Nothing wrong with the environmentJP looked bad in the A&M game. To me it looks like he is playing scared. If he makes a mistake he is probably going to the bench. If he makes two mistakes he is probably out for the half. It is hard for a player to gain any confidence in that kind of environment. I remember at the start of that game there was an air ball that fell right into Okpara's hands. He bobbled it out of bounds and I remember thinking that if JP had done that he probably would have been benched. Well, it's a good thing Okpara wasn't benched because he went on to have perhaps his best game ever. Maybe CRB should show a little confidence in JP and let him play through a couple of mistakes. As this point I would not be surprised to see JP in the transfer portal at the end of the season.
The lengths some people will go to blame Barnes for taking a players out of the game when they’re playing like crap never ceases to amaze me. It’s like you all want us to lose basketball games.JP looked bad in the A&M game. To me it looks like he is playing scared. If he makes a mistake he is probably going to the bench. If he makes two mistakes he is probably out for the half. It is hard for a player to gain any confidence in that kind of environment. I remember at the start of that game there was an air ball that fell right into Okpara's hands. He bobbled it out of bounds and I remember thinking that if JP had done that he probably would have been benched. Well, it's a good thing Okpara wasn't benched because he went on to have perhaps his best game ever. Maybe CRB should show a little confidence in JP and let him play through a couple of mistakes. As this point I would not be surprised to see JP in the transfer portal at the end of the season.
He’s such a nice dude, He has to be pissed off or on by Coach to get him to play up to his potential imo. Until he can start the game like either of those two already happened he’s gonna be what he’s been so far.What worries me most about Estrella is how mentally checked out he’s seemed when he comes in since SEC play started. Every game, almost immediately, he’s gotten pushed around on the glass and scored on. He’s always been someone that’s an emotional spark plug and instant offense when he gets on the court, so it’s been odd to see him this way. Whatever’s going on, I hope he gets it figured out. We need him back locked in like he was in Vegas.
