Based on what we have, I would prefer we add size even if it means a sacrifice in overall talent. Not sure if that's a hot take or not. I would not mind a 4 guards + Lindo lineup for stretches (and hope we do see that at times) but I'm just not fully sold on the shooting from the guards to want to see it most of the time. Adams and Harris are bad shooters. Bishop an okay one, but largely hot and cold. I know CC tried his hardest to add shooting to the backcourt and he did a decent job on that front although Max hasn't played a minute in college and EJ wasn't a high usage guy. Hopefully those additions force opponents to get out of a zone. Even though EJ is taking a big step up in competition, I liked the fact that his FT rate was high. Definitely refreshing after watching last year's squad seem afraid to take the ball to the hoop consistently and get to the line.

If we are going to go out and try to get as many wins as possible this year (which feels like the case given we didn't start the rebuild this year) we need Ricky to stay healthy and more importantly need to give him some help in the rebounding department. I'm sure Ricky wants to showcase his offensive game a bit more without having to sell his body on defense/rebounding all the time. That would mean playing another player from group 2, as I get the sense Max is the only real above average rebounder for his size from the guard rotation. Brendan can maybe help out a bit as well.

I hope Edwards and Harvey (maybe Noel as well) get a good number of minutes partly based off the fact that they may have the chance to return beyond next season. I know Keegan is far from a finished product, but I just look and see what Miami/CC did with Sam Waardenburg as a stretch big to create interesting looks on offense and hope to see Keegan do something similar (maybe on a smaller scale initially).

We lose Joe and Brayon and bring in Max and EJ. I think everyone here realizes that a dip in production is inevitable based off that, so where can we make up the difference? Of the main guys returning from last year, it definitely feels like Ricky is the guy who can take a step forward in scoring, but I wouldn't necessarily count out the post guys being more productive because I'm still of the belief they can do more than what they showed last season. Does the guard rotation have more talent? Perhaps, but imagine us actually trying to run plays for our bigs on offense instead of just telling them to screen all the time and watch the guards launch jumper after jumper.
 

Ricky was often the only one really scrapping for rebounds. He needs to do that this year, too, but he also needs real help.
However, Amir is a big guard and has the inclination to help rebound down low at times, so that would
help a guard-focused lineup.
    It's an intriguing idea, but until we see what we get from Max and EJ, we're not exactly rich in fully
productive guards, as pointed out above. Qanzi sees himself as a very big guard shooting-wise, but we need him on the boards possibly more.
   While all the big men are not the ones who CC chose, we should be able to get some help out of the combination of those who are not Ricky. Noel and Hunter can be productive at times, and hopefully, at least may make a leap this year under CC. No idea what Jabari and Keegan will bring to the table, but at this point, there certainly is a possibility they could help in some way--or more, if we get really lucky.

I expect we will see a lot more of Daniel Nixon this year. 

One possible exception to this theory: Noel Brown has been playing very well in the Kenner League, scoring 21 points in his last outing. There is no substitute for good size!

Big minutes for Adams, which is a big problem.

I think that Brendan Adams is a pretty solid two-way players whose perception suffers here for a few reasons.  First, he's a former UCONN Huskie who was not given much of an opportunity to flourish.  Now, you can easily say that the reason for this is that there were players in front of him who were deemed to be better players and that's fair.  The one stretch where Brendan performed well was when James Bouknight was lost for about 6 games or so to an injury.  Adams was of course no Bouknight but more than held his own during this stretch.  So, the faulty logic is that if he was good enough to play for UCONN, he ought to dominate in the A10.  Keep in mind though that when you are playing alongside several players who also were recruited, and in many cases, played for major programs, it becomes that much more difficult to become a dominant player.

The other big issue concerns Brendan's three point shooting.  For some unbeknownst reason, GW promoted Brendan's arrival to as a long last three point sniper.  Fine if this were true, but there was nothing in Brendan's past shooting numbers at UCONN to suggest that he would become some kind of three point shooting savior at GW.  Nevertheless, he was very much given the green light early on in the season, and to his credit, became more selective regarding his three point shooting selection as the season progressed.

So if we're willing to overlook the disappointment that he's not the outside shooter that was advertised, there is still plenty to like.  He is a consummate team player with a very high basketball IQ.  He's a good rebounder for his size.  He often makes the right play.  He has enough lateral quickness to defend virtually any wing player.  He keeps his body between his man and the basket as well as anyone on the team.  He drives well, and is also one of those guys who consistently scores based on being at the right place at the right time.  Guys who do this are not relying upon sheer luck; there are usually good reasons why they atre in the right spot at the right time.

Therefore, I think that most of Brendan's skills were brought out last season.  If he can become a reliable perimeter shooter, that would be a huge plus.  Nevertheless, there's still a lot to appreciate about his game.

"For some unbeknownst reason"...the reason is JC sold us a bill of goods (plus, he couldn't coach very well.).

Well, it is not Brandon's fault, he is not that good of a deep threat.  They could advertise me as a deep threat, but you would see me throw up an air ball or two, its not my fault, I just plain old suck.

Gwmayhem wrote:

I think that Brendan Adams is a pretty solid two-way players whose perception suffers here for a few reasons.  First, he's a former UCONN Huskie who was not given much of an opportunity to flourish.  Now, you can easily say that the reason for this is that there were players in front of him who were deemed to be better players and that's fair.  The one stretch where Brendan performed well was when James Bouknight was lost for about 6 games or so to an injury.  Adams was of course no Bouknight but more than held his own during this stretch.  So, the faulty logic is that if he was good enough to play for UCONN, he ought to dominate in the A10.  Keep in mind though that when you are playing alongside several players who also were recruited, and in many cases, played for major programs, it becomes that much more difficult to become a dominant player.

The other big issue concerns Brendan's three point shooting.  For some unbeknownst reason, GW promoted Brendan's arrival to as a long last three point sniper.  Fine if this were true, but there was nothing in Brendan's past shooting numbers at UCONN to suggest that he would become some kind of three point shooting savior at GW.  Nevertheless, he was very much given the green light early on in the season, and to his credit, became more selective regarding his three point shooting selection as the season progressed.

So if we're willing to overlook the disappointment that he's not the outside shooter that was advertised, there is still plenty to like.  He is a consummate team player with a very high basketball IQ.  He's a good rebounder for his size.  He often makes the right play.  He has enough lateral quickness to defend virtually any wing player.  He keeps his body between his man and the basket as well as anyone on the team.  He drives well, and is also one of those guys who consistently scores based on being at the right place at the right time.  Guys who do this are not relying upon sheer luck; there are usually good reasons why they atre in the right spot at the right time.

Therefore, I think that most of Brendan's skills were brought out last season.  If he can become a reliable perimeter shooter, that would be a huge plus.  Nevertheless, there's still a lot to appreciate about his game.