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Gavin Griffiths

We’re in trouble if Gavin’s max potential is Shurna. I’m hoping more like Sam Deker from this final four Wisconsin team
Cannot bank on being as good a Dekker at all but Gavin is way more athletic than Shurna, this was a lazy comparison. He can do a between-the-legs dunk pretty effortlessly.


I don't see Shurna doing this in his NW highlights:

 


Dekker wasn't a high volume 3 PT shooter, listed much bigger at 6'9 230
Shurna listed 6'9 215, was lankier and more high volume 3 PT shooter.

I think Gavin comes in with Shurna's freshman/sophomore Shooting stats and by the end of the year shoots closer to his junior year stats.
 
Gavin is Grady Dick 2.0
Looks like Dick is a one and done. Top 10 pick this draft class. Dick shot 40% from 3 at KU this past season. One stat that I find hilarious is that Josh Jackson was a better 3 point shooter in college than Jayson Tatum was.
 
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Mike Williams

I doubt it. Scouts give kids their ratings for a reason. In fairness, if Jaden put in the work even he had the potential to amount to a much better player than Mike. Raw talent does means something.

I go back to the Wieskamp example though because he’s an example of a sharp shooter who did end up getting drafted. Unfortunately, I don’t think the frosh version of Wieskamp would come close to making up for the loss of Spencer. And that’s only one of several holes to fill now (not accounting for the lossEs of Caleb and Paul). The point is just to make up for Cam, GG has to be a whole lot better than a kid like Wieskamp was off the bat. That’s the bar.
 
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Dekker wasn't a high volume 3 PT shooter, listed much bigger at 6'9 230
Shurna listed 6'9 215, was lankier and more high volume 3 PT shooter.

I think Gavin comes in with Shurna's freshman/sophomore Shooting stats and by the end of the year shoots closer to his junior year stats.
I do like that GG’s release is quick like Shurna’s. He gets his puppies situated early and is always ready to make the dynamite go boom.

 
Gavin will be better than shurna.

Once he bulks up say year 2-3 he’s a pro. Has handles, size, amazing shooter and is athletic as hell.

He will surprise this year, I hope we give him a ton of burn early against the cupcakes. Probably will start given the current roster composition.

Looking forward to adding Ogbole and another guard.
 
Gavin will be better than shurna.

Once he bulks up say year 2-3 he’s a pro. Has handles, size, amazing shooter and is athletic as hell.

He will surprise this year, I hope we give him a ton of burn early against the cupcakes. Probably will start given the current roster composition.

Looking forward to adding Ogbole and another guard.

This backcourt requires faster and more uptempo guards to push the ball and maximize Griffiths shooting......you want to push the ball after a rebound and get the defense to backpedal or try and locate their man.....Ideally, Gavin takes a bunch of "quick shots", in transition, before the defense is set.

This is going to be uncomfortable for RU fans used to watching no fast breaks and walking the ball up the floor, hoping that the opposing defense makes a mistake and leaves a shooter open. We have to create gaps in the defense and that simply cannot be done, without better guards in transition, to help Griffiths thrive.

Fans believe that slowing down the pace and allowing the defense to get set with Mulcahy or Spencer, would magically help Gavin get open in the half court offense.

You have to subtract players that dont fit, in order to maximize or play to the strengths of your better players. Cliff will be better and more effective, with better guards in transition, to use his footspeed, earlier in the shot clock and so will Griffiths.

Then, if we have to run half court offense, Gavin is a legit 6"7 (he is clearly at least that standing next to him a couple of months ago and I'm almost 6'4). He is going to be able to shoot over some guards that aren't as tall. He may not be a "break down a defender 1 on 1", but he has some skills to do so. And he's a solid FT shooter and should draw fouls.
 
Gavin will be better than shurna.

Once he bulks up say year 2-3 he’s a pro. Has handles, size, amazing shooter and is athletic as hell.

He will surprise this year, I hope we give him a ton of burn early against the cupcakes. Probably will start given the current roster composition.

Looking forward to adding Ogbole and another guard.
Don’t forget the summer overseas trip to Africa and Portugal, he will get great experience there also. This should help all the players gel as a team.
 
This backcourt requires faster and more uptempo guards to push the ball and maximize Griffiths shooting......you want to push the ball after a rebound and get the defense to backpedal or try and locate their man.....Ideally, Gavin takes a bunch of "quick shots", in transition, before the defense is set.

This is going to be uncomfortable for RU fans used to watching no fast breaks and walking the ball up the floor, hoping that the opposing defense makes a mistake and leaves a shooter open. We have to create gaps in the defense and that simply cannot be done, without better guards in transition, to help Griffiths thrive.

Fans believe that slowing down the pace and allowing the defense to get set with Mulcahy or Spencer, would magically help Gavin get open in the half court offense.

You have to subtract players that dont fit, in order to maximize or play to the strengths of your better players. Cliff will be better and more effective, with better guards in transition, to use his footspeed, earlier in the shot clock and so will Griffiths.

Then, if we have to run half court offense, Gavin is a legit 6"7 (he is clearly at least that standing next to him a couple of months ago and I'm almost 6'4). He is going to be able to shoot over some guards that aren't as tall. He may not be a "break down a defender 1 on 1", but he has some skills to do so. And he's a solid FT shooter and should draw fouls.
Yeah, the step-back and shooting over guys will be much more efficient for him than him trying to beat guys off the dribble and force his way through traffic IMO (at least as a frosh). One thing Paul M. is good at is protecting the ball on his dribble…using his strong legs to get low for a good “bend” and low and strong bounce. Not convinced GG could do that consistently in the BIG yet.
Fernandes also has a clever step back to go along with the host of other ways he creates space for his shot.
 
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This backcourt requires faster and more uptempo guards to push the ball and maximize Griffiths shooting......you want to push the ball after a rebound and get the defense to backpedal or try and locate their man.....Ideally, Gavin takes a bunch of "quick shots", in transition, before the defense is set.

This is going to be uncomfortable for RU fans used to watching no fast breaks and walking the ball up the floor, hoping that the opposing defense makes a mistake and leaves a shooter open. We have to create gaps in the defense and that simply cannot be done, without better guards in transition, to help Griffiths thrive.

Fans believe that slowing down the pace and allowing the defense to get set with Mulcahy or Spencer, would magically help Gavin get open in the half court offense.

You have to subtract players that dont fit, in order to maximize or play to the strengths of your better players. Cliff will be better and more effective, with better guards in transition, to use his footspeed, earlier in the shot clock and so will Griffiths.

Then, if we have to run half court offense, Gavin is a legit 6"7 (he is clearly at least that standing next to him a couple of months ago and I'm almost 6'4). He is going to be able to shoot over some guards that aren't as tall. He may not be a "break down a defender 1 on 1", but he has some skills to do so. And he's a solid FT shooter and should draw fouls.
Agree. I wouldn’t say Paul and Caleb hindered the 1950 offense because it was designed around them. Size instead of speed and skill. Now we will see modern basketball.

Gavin wouldn’t shine if all he did was watch Paul bounce the ball for 15 seconds every time down the court, so it’s a blessing that he’s gone.
 
Agree. I wouldn’t say Paul and Caleb hindered the 1950 offense because it was designed around them. Size instead of speed and skill. Now we will see modern basketball.

Gavin wouldn’t shine if all he did was watch Paul bounce the ball for 15 seconds every time down the court, so it’s a blessing that he’s gone.
Sure - modern basketball without added depth might translate into more ppg. Maybe. But it’s going to be worse defense too. The question is how much worse.
 
This backcourt requires faster and more uptempo guards to push the ball and maximize Griffiths shooting......you want to push the ball after a rebound and get the defense to backpedal or try and locate their man.....Ideally, Gavin takes a bunch of "quick shots", in transition, before the defense is set.

This is going to be uncomfortable for RU fans used to watching no fast breaks and walking the ball up the floor, hoping that the opposing defense makes a mistake and leaves a shooter open. We have to create gaps in the defense and that simply cannot be done, without better guards in transition, to help Griffiths thrive.

Fans believe that slowing down the pace and allowing the defense to get set with Mulcahy or Spencer, would magically help Gavin get open in the half court offense.

You have to subtract players that dont fit, in order to maximize or play to the strengths of your better players. Cliff will be better and more effective, with better guards in transition, to use his footspeed, earlier in the shot clock and so will Griffiths.

Then, if we have to run half court offense, Gavin is a legit 6"7 (he is clearly at least that standing next to him a couple of months ago and I'm almost 6'4). He is going to be able to shoot over some guards that aren't as tall. He may not be a "break down a defender 1 on 1", but he has some skills to do so. And he's a solid FT shooter and should draw fouls.
Won’t be for me at all… I watched “Run, Rutgers, Run” at The Barn. Lessgo!
 
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Sure - modern basketball without added depth might translate into more ppg. Maybe. But it’s going to be worse defense too. The question is how much worse.
Why worse ? If we’re only talking about Paul leaving, whose own shadow could score at will on him, it can only get better.

Caleb isn’t relevant to Paul discussion.
 
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I love it when guys try to find comps for Gavin
It’s going to surprise many how athletic Gavin is
Comparisons are always funny with him
Some of the best athletes in the world play basketball in the big ten. You must be elite to be consider superior there. Everyone looks athletic in high school. I expect him to be an average athlete in the big ten but an elite shooter. BTW - average in the big ten is very good.
 
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This backcourt requires faster and more uptempo guards to push the ball and maximize Griffiths shooting......you want to push the ball after a rebound and get the defense to backpedal or try and locate their man.....Ideally, Gavin takes a bunch of "quick shots", in transition, before the defense is set.

This is going to be uncomfortable for RU fans used to watching no fast breaks and walking the ball up the floor, hoping that the opposing defense makes a mistake and leaves a shooter open. We have to create gaps in the defense and that simply cannot be done, without better guards in transition, to help Griffiths thrive.

Fans believe that slowing down the pace and allowing the defense to get set with Mulcahy or Spencer, would magically help Gavin get open in the half court offense.

You have to subtract players that dont fit, in order to maximize or play to the strengths of your better players. Cliff will be better and more effective, with better guards in transition, to use his footspeed, earlier in the shot clock and so will Griffiths.

Then, if we have to run half court offense, Gavin is a legit 6"7 (he is clearly at least that standing next to him a couple of months ago and I'm almost 6'4). He is going to be able to shoot over some guards that aren't as tall. He may not be a "break down a defender 1 on 1", but he has some skills to do so. And he's a solid FT shooter and should draw fouls.
Fans aren't going to be uncomfortable. They are going to be elated. Fans have been complaining about the Rutgers offense being subpar since forever. It's been slow and often painful to watch. Basketball fans in general like to see uptempo offenses
 
Agree with some of the takes about Gavin's athleticism being underrated. Casual fans are going to be surprised when they judge a white guy with curly hair and rec specs as a spot up shooter only and he ends up grabbing a board and slamming it home
 
I doubt it. Scouts give kids their ratings for a reason. In fairness, if Jaden put in the work even he had the potential to amount to a much better player than Mike. Raw talent does means something.

I go back to the Wieskamp example though because he’s an example of a sharp shooter who did end up getting drafted. Unfortunately, I don’t think the frosh version of Wieskamp would come close to making up for the loss of Spencer. And that’s only one of several holes to fill now (not accounting for the lossEs of Caleb and Paul). The point is just to make up for Cam, GG has to be a whole lot better than a kid like Wieskamp was off the bat. That’s the bar.
talking about 17 year old Mike williams
 
We have a legit top 25 national player coming in next year and we still have fans saying (1) you can’t expect much from him, (2) maybe he’ll start, (3) geez I hope he can play, etc etc.

I think some fans are focused on what he looks like rather than his game.
 
He was the best shooter in NYC
Mike Williams hustled for Rutgers when he played. Mike Williams sometimes had to guard guys that were 4-5 inches taller than him.

With that said, Mike was one of the worst shooters ever for a guy that was supposed to be a great high school shooter. I still can't believe how poor he shot the ball in college.

Best of Luck,
Groz
 
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Mike Williams hustled for Rutgers when he played. Mike Williams sometimes had to guard guys that were 4-5 inches taller than him.

With that said, Mike was one of the worst shooters ever for a guy that was supposed to be a great high school shooter. I still can't believe how poor he shot the ball in college.

Best of Luck,
Groz
Sums it up. Who would have thought he would have been a better rebounder than 3 point shooter

Every year I thought was the year he was going to have a break out year from 3 but it just never materialized somehow
 
Sums it up. Who would have thought he would have been a better rebounder than 3 point shooter

Every year I thought was the year he was going to have a break out year from 3 but it just never materialized somehow
It’s much more difficult and rarer than most fans think to significantly improve as a shooter
If it were easy everyone would be doing it
 
Mike Williams hustled for Rutgers when he played. Mike Williams sometimes had to guard guys that were 4-5 inches taller than him.

With that said, Mike was one of the worst shooters ever for a guy that was supposed to be a great high school shooter. I still can't believe how poor he shot the ball in college.

Best of Luck,
Groz
Sounds like we both liked him a lot as a player despite his shooting.
 
It’s much more difficult and rarer than most fans think to significantly improve as a shooter
If it were easy everyone would be doing it

There are plenty of guys who are great shooters in high school but not at the next level. The competition he faced at Bishop Loughlin wasn’t even close to low major level D1 caliber on average. Maybe a few D1 players on each team he played at max. Many teams there would’ve been no college level players period.

It’s not only about spot shooting percentage. It’s about how quick your release is, how high is your release point, etc. to this point, Mike lived up to his high school consistency at the FT line when nobody was guarding him.
 
There are plenty of guys who are great shooters in high school but not at the next level. The competition he faced at Bishop Loughlin wasn’t even close to low major level D1 caliber on average. Maybe a few D1 players on each team he played at max. Many teams there would’ve been no college level players period.

It’s not only about spot shooting percentage. It’s about how quick your release is, how high is your release point, etc. to this point, Mike lived up to his high school consistency at the FT line when nobody was guarding him.
You brought back memories of Johnnie Blake coming into the program from the JUCO ranks, with a dead-eye shooting rep the likes of which we hadn’t seen here. He couldn’t hit the side of a barn at Rutgers. Competition-level matters.
 
You brought back memories of Johnnie Blake coming into the program from the JUCO ranks, with a dead-eye shooting rep the likes of which we hadn’t seen here. He couldn’t hit the side of a barn at Rutgers. Competition-level matters.
Exactly - Go play with some old guys (30+) you see higher level shooting than any college game.
Everything is in slow-motion relatively speaking - but they can make shots. Tons more reps.
 
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