Right,
He also said that they are working with him on some of the other skills he will need to succeed as a point guard at this level, such as protecting the ball, and distributing to teammates.  I don't recall if he mentioned defense but you could probably throw this in since it's usually one of the challenges for any college freshman.  These are the skills that need to be mastered for prospective young point guards like Johnson and Spears.  It's great that they both seem to have the ability to score; that gets them in the door; but now we need to see the total game before we can judge their value as point guards.  

CLK wrote:

WashPaRick wrote:

Coach said Jackie Johnson is one of the best shooters in the country.

Wow, that is a statement from coach.  Anyone who has watched Hargrave full game videos on Jackie could tell that this kid is special.  Sure there are things that he needs to work on.  That can be said of any freshman on any team including 5 star recruits.  The good news for the Dukes is that no matter which combination of guards they play they will always have at least two point guards on the floor at all times,  
 

I only watched 1.5 Hargrave games along with a bunch of highlights. I also watched a game from JJ's Kansas days that cut off 2 minutes into the 4th quarter. All this made me a believer. 

Based on what has been written & said,  I expected the scoring/shooting to be noteworthy. It was/is. I was more so impressed by the defensive effort, penetration/playmaking, leadership, & general athleticism. I may have to eat crow on this but, I think he may already be a better all-around player now than Dereck Colter was at the end of his sophomore season.

I am also excited by the idea that, at least at PG, there is enough other talent on the team so that JJ isn't immediately thrown to the wolves for 35 minutes per game. He will both get the chance to learn by watching & be forced to address his weaknesses by the competition for minutes.

He is the only the 2nd player of the KD era that I think has the chance to be "A-10 great". (After his freshman year, I felt that way about EW.)

 

Last edited by phil95 (11/05/2021 4:47 pm)