There is zero doubt that trusting bart or ken solely for preseason results is silly for the reasons you outline. I am looking at bart and it says Jaden Jones will be a 10% OREB (highly doubt he will be an elite offensive rebounder) and a 0% DREB (I trust he will get a DREB this season).
When trying to gauge how we will be in the preseason we are flooded with the good without the bad. We know Jones is knocking down shots in practice. The team gets along. Cliff will improve. Caleb is healthy. We aren't getting any bad because you never do in preseason because there are no losses. We don't know if our star player has hit the weight room and is in shape.
When a look at numbers I can see every returning player on the roster except Paul had bad shooting season. Ron and Geo lifetime shooting numbers aren't good. We will be an improved FT shooting team, but stats say based on the past these guys aren't getting to the line.
The real reason for my lack of optimism has nothing to do with bart. I am worried about defense and am concerned with what I saw out of our captains last year from an effort standpoint. I am not willing to take a leap of faith that says Jacob is gone things will be better.
There are no stats or analysis that says Jacob Young and his high turnover level is not mentioned, but his defense is.....
And that Jalen Miller has been thriving as a dedicated defense-first player who will probably do 75 to 80% (conservative estimate) of what Young did on defense and likely not have 4 and 5 turnover games.
I just don't quite understand that if a team is expected to be a better FT shooter by subtracting Myles Johnson and Montez Mathis and replaces that with Aundre Hyatt and Jaden Jones, how there won't be an increase in FT% made.
And at the same time, I only hear about Myles on Defense, when he was extremely limited as a scorer, solely reliant on being a back to the basket player or only able to score on lobs and put backs.
No one is highlighting just the positive aspects, what you are doing are ignoring the negative or weaknesses of the departing players as if those items didn't exist or RU cannot offset those positive items.
It is a team sport and how can you State Geo and RHJ are not positive impact players or "didn't do enough", but every game plan starts and ends with the opponent's goal, to slow down Geo Baker and certainly RHJ.
Without being offensive, but I would logically think that if an opponent's goals are to stop RHJ and Baker, that Myles Johnson and Jacob Young are not or were never "focus points" of an opponent's game plan on defense.
If I use that logic, the production and stats or "eye test", will have you believe Myles, Jacob and others that are 3rd, 4th or 5th options on the court, are most important.
Jacob, Myles and Mathis thrives because of their role as 3rd, 4th or 5th options on the floor.....there is no reason that Jaden Jones, Aundre Hyatt (Caleb McConnell) or Cliff Omoyuri, can't thrive in a 3rd, 4th or 5th options.....or Jalen Miller, Paul Mulcahy or Ralph Agee.
The key of a good, quality team is never based on what a teams top 2 players produce.....an actual good team can beat an opponent as long as the players 3, 4, 5 through 8 or 9, are in a pool of players that are similar in talent, skill or abilities to play within a role.
Where does RU go to win games if Baker isn't hitting shots or RHJ is off?? Is that team doomed to lose?? NO.....
Very strange times indeed.....the reasons why Purdue, Michigan or Ohio State or Michigan State, Maryland are able to sustain success, is by player development.....you have to ensure your 5th, through 8th/9th players have gotten better and can eventually grow into a 4th best role in a year or two.
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