Can’t believe I’m saying this…but Fernandes needs to take Simpson’s minutes

[RUInsanity]

Didn't Lou start this other thread like 3 weeks ago.....

https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/noah-fernandes.273621/

I know Austin Williams was hurt which is why Fernandes played. But once he comes back I hope he sits like Palmquist. He adds nothing in terms of ball handling, offense or defense. Maryland knew it too, and hounded him. 2 points four turnovers zero assists.

Or maybe we can just play thread roulette and rotate all of these intra-game?

Noah sucks so bad

Cold Hard Truth on Noah Fernendes

NOAH

Noah is a Bust

 

[mildone]

This thread. 🤦‍♂️

Reminds me of the truly dumb threads questioning why Caleb and Paul got so many minutes. Two players with Simpson-like inconsistency in shooting. Yet they were both part of the starting lineup that made it to the NCAAs. Hm….

The shallowness with which some fans see the game is amazing.

 

[RedTeam1994]

This thread. 🤦‍♂️

Reminds me of the truly dumb threads questioning why Caleb and Paul got so many minutes. Two players with Simpson-like inconsistency in shooting. Yet they were both part of the starting lineup that made it to the NCAAs. Hm….

The shallowness with which some fans see the game is amazing.

I hear yeah. A lot of fans measure a players worth solely by buckets.

But simpsons shooting HAS been REALLY bad so despite the other things he brings (toughness and d), it’s a worthy topic imho.

With that said, comments above made in simpsons defense citing the +\- numbers (that despite his poor shooting that he is a strongly “+” player) is pretty darn persuasive that pike is right to keep giving him the minutes. I was personally unaware of his +\- value and wasn’t aware absent this thread. So there’s value to discussions like this. Just sayin

 

[fluoxetine]

This thread. 🤦‍♂️

Reminds me of the truly dumb threads questioning why Caleb and Paul got so many minutes. Two players with Simpson-like inconsistency in shooting. Yet they were both part of the starting lineup that made it to the NCAAs. Hm….

The shallowness with which some fans see the game is amazing.

I’m pretty sure that if we had listened to Lou that Fernandes would’ve already been completely benched. So we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to realize that he should now be playing 40 minutes a game. Until he has a bad game. Then he should be benched again.

 

[fatsam98]

I’m pretty sure that if we had listened to Lou that Fernandes would’ve already been completely benched. So we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to realize that he should now be playing 40 minutes a game. Until he has a bad game. Then he should be benched again.

10,000,000% bro

 

[mildone]

I hear yeah. A lot of fans measure a players worth solely by buckets.

But simpsons shooting HAS been REALLY bad so despite the other things he brings (toughness and d), it’s a worthy topic imho.

With that said, comments above made in simpsons defense citing the +\- numbers (that despite his poor shooting that he is a strongly “+” player) is pretty darn persuasive that pike is right to keep giving him the minutes. I was personally unaware of his +\- value and wasn’t aware absent this thread. So there’s value to discussions like this. Just sayin

It's not really a worthy topic, IMO.

 

[mildone]

I’m pretty sure that if we had listened to Lou that Fernandes would’ve already been completely benched. So we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to realize that he should now be playing 40 minutes a game. Until he has a bad game. Then he should be benched again.

Is the bipolar nature of fan bases everywhere I guess. But it gets old sometimes.

 

[RedTeam1994]

It's not really a worthy topic, IMO.

Then why have a message board

A starter is 2-16 in a 3 game stretch with undeniably horrible shooting % for the season.

Also, not raised here but has been discussed, his ability to distribute/ assist as a POINT GUARD is virtually non existent…not to pile on but, again, just fact.

It’s worthy of discussion.

In fact , considering the poor shooting all season long and lacking point guard skills it’s a pretty obvious discussion to be had.

But I’ll repeat, what he brings on D (and the +\- figures particularly relative to Noah) are persuasive imho

 

[Scangg]

I hear yeah. A lot of fans measure a players worth solely by buckets.

But simpsons shooting HAS been REALLY bad so despite the other things he brings (toughness and d), it’s a worthy topic imho.

With that said, comments above made in simpsons defense citing the +\- numbers (that despite his poor shooting that he is a strongly “+” player) is pretty darn persuasive that pike is right to keep giving him the minutes. I was personally unaware of his +\- value and wasn’t aware absent this thread. So there’s value to discussions like this. Just sayin

Simpson's effective FG% is dead last in the entire conference for those who qualify on Kenpom... by almost 5%... 35.4%. No one else under 40%

It would be silly to not discuss his shooting issues and pretend that isn't a concern. Guards are a premium scoring position in basketball. Not being a great shooter isn't ideal, but you can live with it. Being the least efficient shooter in the conference by a wide margin is a problem. It just is

His defense has made a major jump. He has flashed a mindset of looking to be more of a distributor and limit his shot hunting which is promising. As I've been saying over and over for a while now he needs to focus on defense and distribution so he can be an asset. His hustle is there always and he's rebounded well for his size

Simpson needs to embrace being more like Caleb than Geo. If he has a breakout shooting year next season that will be unbelievable, but he's half way through his career and has two very very poor shooting seasons. It's wishcasting more than forecasting to expect him to make a miracle turnaround at this point. A jump to average would be huge or even mediocre shooting would be a major improvement. He needs to avoid being in extreme outlier poor territory for the team to reach its full potential next season

 

[Scangg]

It's not really a worthy topic, IMO.

I don't know how you can possibly justify this stance. Wild to think it's not discussion worthy

 

[RedTeam1994]

I don't know how you can possibly justify this stance. Wild to think it's not discussion worthy

Great post above scangg about his #s relative to the conference . It’s not good.

And I know you don’t want to pile on the kid. But the #s are the #s .

And 100% worthy of discussion. Absolutely foolish not to address/ discuss.

In fact, you absolutely have to assume that coaching staff considers the same stuff. If not it would be dereliction of duty

Think of it on the bright side - credit Simpson for continuing to contribute/ be a valuable player (due his d, etc) DESPITE his miserable shooting

 

[kcg88]

Plus minus is such a bad stat to judge players. Congrats to Derek, he was on the floor when Jeremiah Williams was making shots and Michigan was missing theirs. Well done.

 

[mildone]

I don't know how you can possibly justify this stance. Wild to think it's not discussion worthy

The topic, as stated in the thread title, is replacing Simpson with Noah. Which is not a worthy topic.

The related topic about Simpson‘s shooting problems is just a bunch of whining. Us whining online here won’t help Simpson shoot better.

 

[Scangg]

The topic, as stated in the thread title, is replacing Simpson with Noah. Which is not a worthy topic.

The related topic about Simpson‘s shooting problems is just a bunch of whining. Us whining online here won’t help Simpson shoot better.

Oh ehh ok thought you meant Simpson's shooting problems in general

I mean yea... nothing we say here matters. We all know that... well most of us do at least 🤣

 

[RedTeam1994]

The topic, as stated in the thread title, is replacing Simpson with Noah. Which is not a worthy topic.

The related topic about Simpson‘s shooting problems is just a bunch of whining. Us whining online here won’t help Simpson shoot better.

Regarding paragraph 1 - I didn’t take it that Noah should get all or even most of Simpsons minutes, just that he should get more

Paragraph 2 a I hate comments like this. Why even have a message board at all then? Why are you here? Participating? Of course this discussion has no impact. Nothing on this board does. Ever.

But to the topic being discussed here, by the unimpactfull fans that we are, his very poor shooting is a very relevant consideration as to whether Noah should be getting more of simpsons minutes . Noah has been the best shooter lately - and scoring is desperately needed by this team

 

[Joey Bags]

Awful take, if we give fernandes Simpson’s minutes we lose the first game against Michigan lol

 

[ancienthooper]

I’m pretty sure that if we had listened to Lou that Fernandes would’ve already been completely benched. So we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to realize that he should now be playing 40 minutes a game. Until he has a bad game. Then he should be benched again.

Can Lou be benched?

 

[seansherm]

As poorly as he played last night Simpson still led the team in time played. Mich was a good match up for Noah as McDaniel is even smaller than him. Maybe you would see a reduction in Simpson minutes if J Will could ever not get himself into foul trouble. Think Simpson is also averaging as many assists as J Will since he came back. He's a poor shooter, but he's taken Pike's defense first to heart this year.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Plus minus is such a bad stat to judge players. Congrats to Derek, he was on the floor when Jeremiah Williams was making shots and Michigan was missing theirs. Well done.

Love it. Calling out Noah's using the Wisky game ..lol. So the guy single handedly scores all the points making all the shots but because he's in there playing with 4 other guys who apparently didn't play good D it's HIS fault. I can see JW like's playing with him. Who do you think he pointed to on the bench after that steal and slam?

There's room for them both. DS just needs to stop shooting so much. He certainly does give you a lot otherwise.

 

[Scarlet83]

Noah was -2 tonight by the way the only guy on the team beside Hayn with a minus

Where do you find the +/- ? Thanks in advance.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Or why not JMikes minutes? SMH.

At this point, Jmike is better than Simpson.

@ GUnit - Huh? Derek and Davis both start and play many overlapping minutes - Derek averages 3 more minutes than Davis which makes complete sense. But there aren’t really many Davis minutes to potentially shift to Simpson.

@ bill - There are more situations that call for having Derek on the floor without Davis than the reverse. Hes the better ball handler when pressured and FT shooter to close out a game. He deserves those 3 extra minutes for these reasons.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Where do you find the +/- ? Thanks in advance.

That just supports the importance of J Williams. Noah played most when he was out and alongside him in the final minutes of the first half when Piek brought Jeremiah back in to try to stop the bleeding. That was a mistake as J Will didn’t do a good job with trying to play a slow pace there and avoid picking up another foul. Only criticism on him for the whole game. Noah’s -2 wasn’t his fault though.

 

[RUInsanity]

Plus minus is such a bad stat to judge players. Congrats to Derek, he was on the floor when Jeremiah Williams was making shots and Michigan was missing theirs. Well done.

In general I think "generally used" BBall stats need to evolve in order to better show true production & efficiency. Plus/Minus should be a function of the entire unit on the floor taking into account the opposition unit. I wonder how differently we would look at player status if "Potential Assists" were highlighted rather than Assists (which require an executed shot by a different player). Another example would be a player % for taking "bad" or "contested" shots just as "Open" Shot percentages being high-lighted.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

@ GUnit - Huh? Derek and Davis both start and play many overlapping minutes - Derek averages 3 more minutes than Davis which makes complete sense. But there aren’t really many Davis minutes to potentially shift to Simpson.

@ bill - There are more situations that call for having Derek on the floor without Davis than the reverse. Hes the better ball handler when pressured and FT shooter to close out a game. He deserves those 3 extra minutes for these reasons.

@PSAL_Hoops

FWI..if you want to alert those posters you need to take the space out after the @ and you'll see the handles appear for you to select. It should appear in the color like yours (not trying to be a jerk, just help)

 

[Scangg]

@ GUnit - Huh? Derek and Davis both start and play many overlapping minutes - Derek averages 3 more minutes than Davis which makes complete sense. But there aren’t really many Davis minutes to potentially shift to Simpson.

@ bill - There are more situations that call for having Derek on the floor without Davis than the reverse. Hes the better ball handler when pressured and FT shooter to close out a game. He deserves those 3 extra minutes for these reasons.

He's saying why not Noah take JMike's minutes instead of Simpson's

 

[Scangg]

In general I think "generally used" BBall stats need to evolve in order to better show true production & efficiency. Plus/Minus should be a function of the entire unit on the floor taking into account the opposition unit. I wonder how differently we would look at player status if "Potential Assists" were highlighted rather than Assists (which require an executed shot by a different player). Another example would be a player % for taking "bad" or "contested" shots just as "Open" Shot percentages being high-lighted.

I think it was a game Ace played in where the announcer was counting SBA - Should Be Assists

Mulcahy numbers at RU would balloon using that stat

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Simpson's effective FG% is dead last in the entire conference for those who qualify on Kenpom... by almost 5%... 35.4%. No one else under 40%

It would be silly to not discuss his shooting issues and pretend that isn't a concern. Guards are a premium scoring position in basketball. Not being a great shooter isn't ideal, but you can live with it. Being the least efficient shooter in the conference by a wide margin is a problem. It just is

His defense has made a major jump. He has flashed a mindset of looking to be more of a distributor and limit his shot hunting which is promising. As I've been saying over and over for a while now he needs to focus on defense and distribution so he can be an asset. His hustle is there always and he's rebounded well for his size

Simpson needs to embrace being more like Caleb than Geo. If he has a breakout shooting year next season that will be unbelievable, but he's half way through his career and has two very very poor shooting seasons. It's wishcasting more than forecasting to expect him to make a miracle turnaround at this point. A jump to average would be huge or even mediocre shooting would be a major improvement. He needs to avoid being in extreme outlier poor territory for the team to reach its full potential next season

I'll play along, since everything you posted here is correct.....

If I substituted Derek Simpson name and stats and replaced it with Mawot Mag, would all of the same items or limitations apply to Mag, that you are attaching to Simpson??

I am not asking you to change your mind, I'm just pointing out a major blind spot that fans have. And before we get into "last in kenpom etc", I am advocating for Simpson to be the 3rd or 4th guard next year, or, in a best case scenario, RU finds a Noah Fernandes type guard, that is 6'3 and can play reasonably good defense and maybe doesn't shoot 37.1% from 3 (where Noah is, in limited action), but somewhere in the low to mid 30s from 3. That would have Simpson and Davis as 4th and 5th guards, in a situation where Austin Williams and Noah Fernandes are today.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

He's saying why not Noah take JMike's minutes instead of Simpson's

And the reason is exactly the same. Noah and JMike struggle with ball handling when pressured as a combination. If J William’s wasn’t in foul trouble Derek might’ve stayed on the bench in the second part of the first half. And in end game situations, or situations where we are in the bonus in a tightly called game, all else equal, Pike prefers to keep the better free throw shooting guard on the floor. It’s as simple as more situations across the board call for keeping Simpson in based on the current roster.

 

[G- RUnit]

For all the Simpson bashers, granted his shooting was bad, although didn’t think shot selection was bad, but 29 minutes without a turnover is exactly what we will need next year. Throw in three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Our best defender, always hustling and the best motor on the team. He’s our primary ball handler against any press, our best foul shooter and if Ace and Dylan are one and done, I know who I would like coming back for their senior year.

Still only a sophomore and giving away minutes. SMH.

 

[Scangg]

I'll play along, since everything you posted here is correct.....

If I substituted Derek Simpson name and stats and replaced it with Mawot Mag, would all of the same items or limitations apply to Mag, that you are attaching to Simpson??

I am not asking you to change your mind, I'm just pointing out a major blind spot that fans have. And before we get into "last in kenpom etc", I am advocating for Simpson to be the 3rd or 4th guard next year, or, in a best case scenario, RU finds a Noah Fernandes type guard, that is 6'3 and can play reasonably good defense and maybe doesn't shoot 37.1% from 3 (where Noah is, in limited action), but somewhere in the low to mid 30s from 3. That would have Simpson and Davis as 4th and 5th guards, in a situation where Austin Williams and Noah Fernandes are today.

Mag is a more versatile defender at a position where shooting / scoring is less important. Still Mag's effective FG % is over 7 points higher coming off a major injury in a down offensive year from last season. If Simpson can increase his effective FG % by 7% next year that would be awesome

Mag is a career 51% from 2 vs Simpson’s 38%

These are statistically significant differences not a percent or two

Simpson is of course the 3rd guard at best next year behind Dylan and JWill. He's much better suited as a role player unless he figures out how to shoot efficiently. I'm ok with Simpson as a bench option. There is a lot to like still about his game if he can play to strengths.

A concern is roster fit. We need a guard to play major minutes who can knock down 3's. Ace Dylan and JWill can score and penetrate and dish. Teams will collapse on them if we don't have shooters. Another reason a late season breakout from Gavin would be so nice to see to give a more realistic hope that he can turn the corner next year

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

For all the Simpson bashers, granted his shooting was bad, although didn’t think shot selection was bad, but 29 minutes without a turnover is exactly what we will need next year. Throw in three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Our best defender, always hustling and the best motor on the team. He’s our primary ball handler against any press, our best foul shooter and if Ace and Dylan are one and done, I know who I would like coming back for their senior year.

Still only a sophomore and giving away minutes. SMH.

His ball handling is huge for this year’s team. There should be no questioning his playing time this year. Those doing it are just wrong. He fills major gaps on this roster that overcome his issues on offense.

Next year is a completely different discussion though. Derek doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who wants to be used primarily as a facilitator on offense in a defensive stopper role. If he can buy into that role then he might fit in next season. Otherwise he’s going to find a new home because there’s no doubt a conversation will happen explaining that the plan will not be for him to be a high usage guy next year. His percentages are what they are and now we have 2 year’s worth of data to support them.

 

[Scangg]

For all the Simpson bashers, granted his shooting was bad, although didn’t think shot selection was bad, but 29 minutes without a turnover is exactly what we will need next year. Throw in three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Our best defender, always hustling and the best motor on the team. He’s our primary ball handler against any press, our best foul shooter and if Ace and Dylan are one and done, I know who I would like coming back for their senior year.

Still only a sophomore and giving away minutes. SMH.

Forgetting Simpson's poor shooting night, his rebound, assist, and steal numbers were all below his season averages

It might be time to retire the still only a sophomore line. The season is almost over

 

[Scangg]

His ball handling is huge for this year’s team. There should be no questioning his playing time this year. Those doing it are just wrong. He fills major gaps on this roster that overcome his issues on offense.

Next year is a completely different discussion though. Derek doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who wants to be used primarily as a facilitator on offense in a defensive stopper role. If he can buy into that role then he might fit in next season. Otherwise he’s going to find a new home because there’s no doubt a conversation will happen explaining that the plan will not be for him to be a high usage guy next year. His percentages are what they are and now we have 2 year’s worth of data to support them.

This. Simpson likes to operate with the ball in his hands, and he's not an off ball spot up 3 point shooter. The offense will be running through Dylan JWill and Ace. Simpson’s best use case next year is a defensive stopper hustler role player off the bench who rarely shoots.

Will he buy into that? Is that how he sees himself? If he wants to be "the man" and get his shots up, then Rutgers is not a fit next year

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Forgetting Simpson's poor shooting night, his rebound, assist, and steal numbers were all below his season averages

It might be time to retire the still only a sophomore line. The season is almost over

Yeah - it wasn’t a good day for him. Yet, if you think through the game, it’s also hard to come up with spots where it made sense to sit him. The beginning of the game and second half the team was on fire with the starting 5. Pike tried to sit him at the same time as J Williams later in the first half but the other guys were just too shaking when Michigan moved to a press. We got lucky with some deflections and poke aways falling into the hands of one of our guys but it was a matter of time before that would’ve changed. Derek had to go back in. Pike even rolled the dice and put Jeremiah back in for a few minutes at the end too.

 

[Scangg]

Yeah - it wasn’t a good day for him. Yet, if you think through the game, it’s also hard to come up with spots where it made sense to sit him. The beginning of the game and second half the team was on fire with the starting 5. Pike tried to sit him at the same time as J Williams later in the first half but the other guys were just too shaking when Michigan moved to a press. We got lucky with some deflections and poke aways falling into the hands of one of our guys but it was a matter of time before that would’ve changed. Derek had to go back in. Pike even rolled the dice and put Jeremiah back in for a few minutes at the end too.

Pike doesn't have many options this year. Next year he does. Both Simpson and JWill on the bench together is certainly not ideal this season. There were some sketchy lineups at time out there for sure

 

[billgumpper]

And the reason is exactly the same. Noah and JMike struggle with ball handling when pressured as a combination. If J William’s wasn’t in foul trouble Derek might’ve stayed on the bench in the second part of the first half. And in end game situations, or situations where we are in the bonus in a tightly called game, all else equal, Pike prefers to keep the better free throw shooting guard on the floor. It’s as simple as more situations across the board call for keeping Simpson in based on the current roster.

For a team that struggles to score you can't have Simpson play major minutes and shoot the way he does.

 

[seansherm]

His ball handling is huge for this year’s team. There should be no questioning his playing time this year. Those doing it are just wrong. He fills major gaps on this roster that overcome his issues on offense.

Next year is a completely different discussion though. Derek doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who wants to be used primarily as a facilitator on offense in a defensive stopper role. If he can buy into that role then he might fit in next season. Otherwise he’s going to find a new home because there’s no doubt a conversation will happen explaining that the plan will not be for him to be a high usage guy next year. His percentages are what they are and now we have 2 year’s worth of data to support them.

I think facilitator on offense in a defensive stopper role is exactly what he has embraced since J Will got here. I'm not convinced he wouldn't be willing to continue in a role such as that, his attitude has seemed very good. We'll see though. Should be an interesting off season.

 

[essexknight]

The issue with Simpson is that he shooting 31.6% from the floor 28.8% from 3. It’s difficult to start him alongside JW and JD. Both JW and JD are shooting better from the floor and none of them are consistent threats from 3. This is a big reason why the offense has really struggled at times with scoring droughts.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Mag is a more versatile defender at a position where shooting / scoring is less important. Still Mag's effective FG % is over 7 points higher coming off a major injury in a down offensive year from last season. If Simpson can increase his effective FG % by 7% next year that would be awesome

Mag is a career 51% from 2 vs Simpson’s 38%

These are statistically significant differences not a percent or two

Simpson is of course the 3rd guard at best next year behind Dylan and JWill. He's much better suited as a role player unless he figures out how to shoot efficiently. I'm ok with Simpson as a bench option. There is a lot to like still about his game if he can play to strengths.

A concern is roster fit. We need a guard to play major minutes who can knock down 3's. Ace Dylan and JWill can score and penetrate and dish. Teams will collapse on them if we don't have shooters. Another reason a late season breakout from Gavin would be so nice to see to give a more realistic hope that he can turn the corner next year

Those are numbers, in shooting percentages that isolate 2 point shots, which Mag or a forward who doesn't take as many shots, should have a better shooting percentage. It's like comparing Cliffs shooting percentage at a center who gets dunks.....the % in terms of an actual "shot" is skewed.

Why would one player who plays a wing or forward position, not have to shoot as well from the perimeter as a guard?? Shouldn't the wing have a higher shooting percentage from 3?? The wing is in a place where he is not handling the ball or shoots an easier 3 pointer than a guard that typically has a defender guarding them closely, while they're asked to shoot.

Are teams guarding the player off the ball with the same amount of intensity as the player being guarded with the ball?? Common sense will tell you, the player WITH the ball, is likely to shoot a lower percentage, than someone else off the ball.....in theory shooting percentages should be highest from Center to PF, to Wing forward to shooting guard to PG. A bigger player that typically plays closer to the basket should shoot a higher %.

Outside of shooting percentage, there literally are no categories where Mag is currently better than Simpson and Simpson is a sophomore who I believe will improve again into next year. I have no statistics or evidence that Mag is improving in a bunch of categories from sophs to senior and now 5th year senior next year.

Plus/ Minus.....Simpson on the court has better numbers by a lot.

3 point percentage this season, slightly better with Simpson, which is a big problem and why BOTH Simpson and Mag could he argued should play less, not the same starter minutes (they're averaging the same amount of MPG).

Simpson is a better handler of the ball, better passer, better defender on the ball and similar rebounder, despite playing guard.

My question is why should Mag start, but Simpson shouldn't, in your scenario, if Mag doesn't do many things better than Simpson??

 

[essexknight]

I'll play along, since everything you posted here is correct.....

If I substituted Derek Simpson name and stats and replaced it with Mawot Mag, would all of the same items or limitations apply to Mag, that you are attaching to Simpson??

I am not asking you to change your mind, I'm just pointing out a major blind spot that fans have. And before we get into "last in kenpom etc", I am advocating for Simpson to be the 3rd or 4th guard next year, or, in a best case scenario, RU finds a Noah Fernandes type guard, that is 6'3 and can play reasonably good defense and maybe doesn't shoot 37.1% from 3 (where Noah is, in limited action), but somewhere in the low to mid 30s from 3. That would have Simpson and Davis as 4th and 5th guards, in a situation where Austin Williams and Noah Fernandes are today.

Mag is shooting 40.3% (48/119) from the floor in B1G play. Simpson is shooting 31.2% (49/157) in B1G play. You can’t really compare the numbers. This is not even factoring in that Mag is coming off a major injury.