Props to Pike

[G- RUnit]

You must be kidding me. Derek was selfish and never properly attacked the basket. Branden Smith on Purdue is also a sophomore who has taken a big leap this year. He set his team up controlled tempo , got the ball to Edey , distributed to other players who happened to miss their shots today , and was aggressive to the basket for banked layups and hit his open threes. That was close to a great game. What Derek did was nothing close. His failure to find Hyatt or Cliff or anyone was a disaster. His failure to beat his man and cause Edey to come over to him so he could throw the pass or lob to Cliff was part of his lousy point guard play. He is our point guard and has to play like it and although good point guards can score when an opening is there to score , his main job to to make his teammates better. Derek did not do that today. 19 games in and he has not done the good things enough if at all.

You must be kidding yourself?
A great defensive guard with best speed on team is playing point because Cam and Paul left last minute.
What has J Mike done better is the point? Pun attended. That’s the issue. He had one more assist than Simpson yesterday. First time all year and this board makes him out to be Bob Cousy. He went the two previous whole games without assists. To say he is the most comfortable, consistent or valuable player on this team as some posters has suggested is downright ridiculous. 19 games in and JMike has not shown any point guard prowess either.
I didn’t say any lobs or passes to Hyatt or Cliff when Davis was he was in the game. Their stats were virtual identical. Davis had one more assist. ONE. First time all year.
They are both young. One is a freshman. One is Sophomore. Simpson takes a ridiculous amount of criticism and the other gets a ridiculous amount of praise. Who is kidding who?

And I’m not buying the missed shots argument because nobody makes shots on this team. At least Simpson has speed to create his own open shots.

 

[goru7]

You must be kidding yourself?
A great defensive guard with best speed on team is playing point because Cam and Paul left last minute.
What has J Mike done better is the point? Pun attended. That’s the issue. He had one more assist than Simpson yesterday. First time all year and this board makes him out to be Bob Cousy. He went the two previous whole games without assists. To say he is the most comfortable, consistent or valuable player on this team as some posters has suggested is downright ridiculous. 19 games in and JMike has not shown any point guard prowess either.
I didn’t say any lobs or passes to Hyatt or Cliff when Davis was he was in the game. Their stats were virtual identical. Davis had one more assist. ONE. First time all year.
They are both young. One is a freshman. One is Sophomore. Simpson takes a ridiculous amount of criticism and the other gets a ridiculous amount of praise. Who is kidding who?

And I’m not buying the missed shots argument because nobody makes shots on this team. At least Simpson has speed to create his own open shots.

Stop the comparison. Neither point guard nor Noah has done well. Saying Derek was terrible doesn’t also mean JMike or Noah were also terrible as well. But yesterday JMike was better but not better enough to get more offense out of the rest of the players. Derek has been damn dreadful this year making his teammates better. He has been selfish with the ball on his drives and has not learned to finish at the rim or use the backboard enough or keep his dribble alive all the way to the rim. No one is anointing JMike or Noah as one is a freshman that needs to get better but has some potential and the other one is a grad transfer that has been a huge disappointment . Derek has not taken the sophomore leap that other sophomores in the BIG 10 have taken and it appeared he had the potential to do so coming off last year’s end of the season run. It is incredibly disappointing as I was pumping him up early in the year and fighting the analytic nerds in the early season. He has come up short but he still has at least 12 regular season games left and he is also a sophomore to improve a whole lot. I root for Rutgers so if Derek improves that helps Rutgers.

 

[RW90]

Him and Cliff really need to learn how to play together.

Very rarely do they have good spacing to create an opportunity for a dish on a roll. Cliff and him stay so congested on the roll it never goes anywhere.

I don't know why we even scheme for Cliff being at the top of the key. I can't recall a single time this season where we successfully ran the pick and roll back to Cliff.

 

[G- RUnit]

Stop the comparison why? Because it doesn’t fit your narrative? JMike played probably his best game yesterday. I thought he played great. But when all is said and done he had one more assist than Simpson yesterday. The two previous games he played over 46 minutes combined and had literally no assists. JMike has had his 4 for 12 shooting games. That’s just as “dreadful” as any other player.

As to your response that no one is anointing JMike, look to bac2therac’s annoitment that JMike is the most consistent, comfortable and most valuable and making the case that he should be running the show from opening tip!

He’s not the only RU fan. The amount of praise that JMike is getting and the amount of criticism that Simpson is getting is mind boggling. The fact that good Lord, Jerry Carino called out RU fans for the same is proof this board is being ridiculous to Simpson.

Nobody on this team shoots well. To fault blame or criticize Simpson primarily is ridiculous.

Simpson hasn’t progressed enough for you? He’s had the two biggest shots of the year against Stonehill and the half time buzzer beater against Indiana. He carried us in the Ohio State game. He’s iced our wins with his foul shooting. He almost had a triple double of 14 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists against Nebraska. You know what? That’s progress.

When fans are anointing JMike, I look at Simpson’s “selfish” stat line and see he had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists against Purdue. In what world is that a bad or selfish game or not evidence of progress against the number 2 team in the country? Given that stat line, JMike should be handed the starting job? What & how?? SMH.

SMH. I’ll stop defending him when people stop ripping him and when fans stop anointing JMike as the second coming of Magic Johnson when it just isn’t there.

He’s only a sophomore. He took over games last year. He’s done it again this year. Simply mind boggling.

 

[goru7]

Stop the comparison why? Because it doesn’t fit your narrative? JMike played probably his best game yesterday. I thought he played great. But when all is said and done he had one more assist than Simpson yesterday. The two previous games he played over 46 minutes combined and had literally no assists. JMike has had his 4 for 12 shooting games. That’s just as “dreadful” as any other player.

As to your response that no one is anointing JMike, look to bac2therac’s annoitment that JMike is the most consistent, comfortable and most valuable and making the case that he should be running the show from opening tip!

He’s not the only RU fan.The amount of praise that JMike is getting and the amount of criticism that Simpson is getting is mind boggling. The fact that good Lord, Jerry Carino called out RU fans for the same is proof this board is being ridiculous to Simpson.

Nobody on this team shoots well. To fault blame or criticize Simpson primarily is ridiculous.

Simpson hasn’t progressed enough for you? He’s had the two biggest shots of the year against Stonehill and the half time buzzer beater against Indiana. He carried us in the Ohio State game. He’s iced our wins with his foul shooting. He almost had a triple double of 14 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists against Nebraska. You know what? That’s progress.

When fans are anointing JMike, I look at Simpson selfish stat line and see he had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. In what world is that a bad or selfish game or not evidence of progress against the number 2 team in the country?

SMH

You and I watch different games. You want to look at a box score only and not analyze what you just watched , then you are just putting your head in the sand. Under no formula has Derek made any progress this year , not in being a point guard , not in a more efficient 2 point game , not in setting up his teammates , not in learning to drive to the hoop and finish a layup , not in knowing to put his body into the bigger defender going to the hole and then finishing. Not in passing or lobbing or running the pick and roll properly with Cliff. That is how I judge things. You are posting with blinders on with no sense of impartiality and just defending Derek because of what BAC has commented. Common now. Get a grip.

 

[G- RUnit]

You and I watch different games. You want to watch a game and see JMike as this outstanding point guard who deserves all the playing time at the extent of another which simply does not pass the eye test or statistical test. You ignore the previous two games where one player played starter minutes and had no assists for two games. The irony that JMike has done anything better than Simpson in any category is fascinating. Davis has never missed a layup? I guess it’s been a mirage. I never saw Davis go 4-12. It did not happen right before my eyes. It must have been all those successful pick and rolls and lobs to Cliff from Davis that I am missing. Guessing my eyes were closed. I’ll try to keep them open. Four assists to three assists. That is how I judge things. You are posting with no sense of impartiality and with blinders on because of some fanatical obsession with JMike. I suspect it’s because he helped us get Ace which I get. Jerry Carino has called out fans for bashing Simpson. Guess it’s not only me.

Did Simpson have 14 points, 8 rebounds and EIGHT assists against Nebraska or was I not watching the game properly? Did he have one less assist than JMike yesterday? Was I not watching the game properly?

SMH.

 

[PhillyRU]

Simpson does actually have a better AST Rate and AST:TOV than JMike, which I’ll admit surprised me and hasn’t matched up with my eye test this year.

I think the selfish label from Simpson comes from him often looking off open players and hunting really low % shots

 

[G- RUnit]

Yet some posters insist David is the most consistent, valuable and comfortable and deserves to be the starting point guard?
Already forgetting an eight assist game against Nebraska because JMike had one more assist than Simpson yesterday.
Did they not see David the previous two games where he played 21 and 26 minutes and had no assists for two games? That’s not selfish?

Nobody on the team shoots well. See Stonehill. Simpson being the leader took it in his own hands and won the game just like Geo.

I forgive” or “tolerate” the poor shooting as he has the speed to create his own shot. Nobody else on team can do that. He shouldn’t be chastised for that. He took over Indiana and PSU games last year as a freshman. Did the same this year against OSU and Nebraska. One of two best foul shooters on team. Deserves so much more love and respect than he is getting. Sad.

He’s only a sophomore and he hasn’t “progressed” enough for some? Nutty.

 

[The RUT]

I think Williams fouled out at that point. Who would you have brought in instead of Simpson? It's become a usual thing to knock Simpson. He played OK - 4-10, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in 25 minutes.

10:30 to go, it's 47-43 Purdue.

Lineup at the time was:

JMike
Williams
Gavin
Hyatt
Cliff

Really liked this group, they fought hard, played with aggression and actually looked solid on the court together. Movement was solid, no one really took the air out of the ball.

Fernandes comes in for AW and the very first possession is him just completely taking the air out of the ball. Dribbling and doing absolutely nothing with it. Forces Cliff into a really awkward spot, no points and ball goes other way.

Purdue gets nothing on the next possession, Hyatt rebounds and throws a lazy pass. Fernandes doesn't come to the ball, Jones steals it and lays it in for 2. 50-43 Purdue.

Noah does hit a big 3 in transition to cut the lead to 2 (?) but it just seems like every time we're in a half court situation he just can't get it done. To me, it's mostly a size issue.

Simpson is okay, but I think they need to stop running ball screens at the top of the key with him. Like I posted previously, every ball screen at the top of the key just leads to congestion and a difficult pass or shot. He's much better coming off motion on the wing where it's cleared out. It creates more space for him and Cliff to operate.

 

[The RUT]

Yet some posters insist David is the most consistent, valuable and comfortable and deserves to be the starting point guard?
Already forgetting an eight assist game against Nebraska because JMike had one more assist than Simpson yesterday.
Did they not see David the previous two games where he played 21 and 26 minutes and had no assists for two games? That’s not selfish?

Nobody on the team shoots well. See Stonehill. Simpson being the leader took it in his own hands and won the game just like Geo.

I forgive” or “tolerate” the poor shooting as he has the speed to create his own shot. Nobody else on team can do that. He shouldn’t be chastised for that. He took over Indiana and PSU games last year as a freshman. Did the same this year against OSU and Nebraska. One of two best foul shooters on team. Deserves so much more love and respect than he is getting. Sad.

He’s only a sophomore and he hasn’t “progressed” enough for some? Nutty.

It's not poor shooting. It's poor looks.

MOST of the offensive sets we run, result in very difficult shots. This is my problem, and has been my problem for years.

I don't care if the team shoots 25%, what I care about is the quality of looks we get. Bad nights are going to happen, it's basketball and sometimes that's the way it goes.

But when I see congested pick and rolls that lead to a tough fade away or a difficult lay in under the hoop, then I just shake my head.

That's why I was so happy with Gavin yesterday, there were some rough looks that he should have passed up to a guard to drive for contact late in the clock, but generally speaking he was getting very good looks.

More off ball screens to free guys up please!!!

 

[PhillyRU]

It's not poor shooting. It's poor looks.

MOST of the offensive sets we run, result in very difficult shots. This is my problem, and has been my problem for years.

I don't care if the team shoots 25%, what I care about is the quality of looks we get. Bad nights are going to happen, it's basketball and sometimes that's the way it goes.

But when I see congested pick and rolls that lead to a tough fade away or a difficult lay in under the hoop, then I just shake my head.

That's why I was so happy with Gavin yesterday, there were some rough looks that he should have passed up to a guard to drive for contact late in the clock, but generally speaking he was getting very good looks.

More off ball screens to free guys up please!!!

It’s both. We run bad, low % offense, but better shooters would make more of these shots. Even if you kept this group of players and simulated the season 100 times, very rarely would they shoot this bad again

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

yeah this is something that really is killing us, so inconsistent. I see the most consistency with J Mike right now and most upshot

Let's be real honest here....No guard on our team has put a string of a few games together. When you think one is the answer the next game flips and you pick a new guard.

Noah is next.

Thay all are 10-15 MPG guys right now

 

[The RUT]

It’s both. We run bad, low % offense, but better shooters would make more of these shots. Even if you kept this group of players and simulated the season 100 times, very rarely would they shoot this bad again

Well sure, but you need to work with what we have, right?

It's mind boggling to me that yesterday was the first day in a loooooong time that we consistently ran stuff off ball to free guys up. I just want to see that continue, that's all.

 

[G- RUnit]

Let's be real honest here....No guard on our team has put a string of a few games together. When you think one is the answer the next game flips and you pick a new guard.

Noah is next.

Thay all are 10-15 MPG guys right now

I don’t see how BAC sees most consistency with JMike. Two of the last three games he had no assists. We’ve seen Simpson’s upside. He has literally taken over games.

 

[fluoxetine]

Well sure, but you need to work with what we have, right?

It's mind boggling to me that yesterday was the first day in a loooooong time that we consistently ran stuff off ball to free guys up. I just want to see that continue, that's all.

Do you actually think Pike suddenly started coaching differently yesterday? Or do you realize the much more realistic reality that it looks better when executed better?

 

[Jerseylegends]

Let's be real honest here....No guard on our team has put a string of a few games together. When you think one is the answer the next game flips and you pick a new guard.

Noah is next.

Thay all are 10-15 MPG guys right now

I will say that I thought jmikes best game was against seton hall. Felt like he was getting adjusted to the college game at that point, then he got injured. Hasn't looked good since he came back from injury before yesterday. Let's see what he can do down the stretch.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I don’t see how BAC sees most consistency with JMike. Two of the last three games he had no assists. We’ve seen Simpson’s upside. He has literally taken over games.

Can we please stop it using assists as THE measure! It has use, but it is not the end all.

 

[The RUT]

Do you actually think Pike suddenly started coaching differently yesterday? Or do you realize the much more realistic reality that it looks better when executed better?

110% yesterday was different. WAY more emphasis on off ball movement and screens yesterday.

It wasn’t the execution, it was the action.

Most of the time we run ball screens that are incredibly congested and lead to poor looks.

 

[RW90]

I don’t see how BAC sees most consistency with JMike. Two of the last three games he had no assists. We’ve seen Simpson’s upside. He has literally taken over games.

There's a big difference between "taken over games" and simply hitting your shots. When Derek's shots fall he looks good, when he clanks his shots, not so much.

At no point in time this season has he run the offense well and actually gotten his teammates involved. That said, as already mentioned here ad nauseam none of the guards on the roster have been relatively consistent in running the offense.

 

[RutgersChow]

You must be kidding yourself?
A great defensive guard with best speed on team is playing point because Cam and Paul left last minute.
What has J Mike done better is the point? Pun attended. That’s the issue. He had one more assist than Simpson yesterday. First time all year and this board makes him out to be Bob Cousy. He went the two previous whole games without assists. To say he is the most comfortable, consistent or valuable player on this team as some posters has suggested is downright ridiculous. 19 games in and JMike has not shown any point guard prowess either.
I didn’t say any lobs or passes to Hyatt or Cliff when Davis was he was in the game. Their stats were virtual identical. Davis had one more assist. ONE. First time all year.
They are both young. One is a freshman. One is Sophomore. Simpson takes a ridiculous amount of criticism and the other gets a ridiculous amount of praise. Who is kidding who?

And I’m not buying the missed shots argument because nobody makes shots on this team. At least Simpson has speed to create his own open shots.

Like Simpson, but Davis is more of a true PG. Not sure half of this board even knows who Cousy was.

 

[RutgersChow]

There's a big difference between "taken over games" and simply hitting your shots. When Derek's shots fall he looks good, when he clanks his shots, not so much.

At no point in time this season has he run the offense well and actually gotten his teammates involved. That said, as already mentioned here ad nauseam none of the guards on the roster have been relatively consistent in running the offense.

He's gotten a fair amount of assists for the minutes he's played so he has gotten his teammates involved. If he played 35+ minutes per game he'd probably have 6+ assists per game.

 

[RUskoolie]

You guys are arguing who is the tallest midget.

 

[RutgersChow]

10:30 to go, it's 47-43 Purdue.

Lineup at the time was:

JMike
Williams
Gavin
Hyatt
Cliff

Really liked this group, they fought hard, played with aggression and actually looked solid on the court together. Movement was solid, no one really took the air out of the ball.

Fernandes comes in for AW and the very first possession is him just completely taking the air out of the ball. Dribbling and doing absolutely nothing with it. Forces Cliff into a really awkward spot, no points and ball goes other way.

Purdue gets nothing on the next possession, Hyatt rebounds and throws a lazy pass. Fernandes doesn't come to the ball, Jones steals it and lays it in for 2. 50-43 Purdue.

Noah does hit a big 3 in transition to cut the lead to 2 (?) but it just seems like every time we're in a half court situation he just can't get it done. To me, it's mostly a size issue.

Simpson is okay, but I think they need to stop running ball screens at the top of the key with him. Like I posted previously, every ball screen at the top of the key just leads to congestion and a difficult pass or shot. He's much better coming off motion on the wing where it's cleared out. It creates more space for him and Cliff to operate.

You didn't answer my question. Who would you have brought in at that point?

 

[RutgersChow]

Simpson does actually have a better AST Rate and AST:TOV than JMike, which I’ll admit surprised me and hasn’t matched up with my eye test this year.

I think the selfish label from Simpson comes from him often looking off open players and hunting really low % shots

I just don't see the open players you're referring to.

 

[RutgersChow]

His next assist may be his first.

Have you watched the last games - eight and three.

 

[RutgersChow]

Comparing Geo Baker's senior stats in 34 minutes per game to Derek Simpson's sophomore stats in 25 minutes per game.

Points per game
Baker - 12
Simpson - 9
Advantage Simpson in points per minute.

Foul shooting percentage
Baker - 74%
Simpson - 85%
Advantage Simpson

Rebounds per game
Baker - 2.1
Simpson - 3.2 in 10 less minutes per game
Advantage Simpson

Assists per minute
About even between the two of them

3 Point shooting%
Baker - 33%
Simpson 31%
Advantage Baker, but when Baker was a sophomore he shot 28%

So far, half way through his sophomore year Simpson has better overall numbers than Baker had in his fifth year, Just think about that. Many of the same fans who are ripping Simpson thought Baker was a god. The difference was that team was winning and this team isn't. Too many fans just need someone to blame. This team has a lot of problems. Derek is about tenth on the list.

 

[Scangg]

Simpson as always can get decent looks. Converted an ok amount. A step in the right direction at least. A few plays he did penetrate and dish which gave me some hope

Davis an excellent game. He moves the ball better. Offense flows better. If you can't see it, you can't see it I guess

The second half there was a lot more motion and off ball movement. We need to see that every game. Keep attacking the offensive glass. You just can't score 20 points in a half and expect to win

Griffiths was touched defensively as always 1st half but he did better in the second half. He looked more confident and engaged once that 3 went in. Hopefully this was a turn the corner type moment

 

[The RUT]

You didn't answer my question. Who would you have brought in at that point?

JMike and Simpson. It’s the Fernandes playing so much down the stretch I could do without

 

[RutgersChow]

Simpson as always can get decent looks. Converted an ok amount. A step in the right direction at least. A few plays he did penetrate and dish which gave me some hope

Davis an excellent game. He moves the ball better. Offense flows better. If you can't see it, you can't see it I guess

The second half there was a lot more motion and off ball movement. We need to see that every game. Keep attacking the offensive glass. You just can't score 20 points in a half and expect to win

Griffiths was touched defensively as always 1st half but he did better in the second half. He looked more confident and engaged once that 3 went in. Hopefully this was a turn the corner type moment

Just bizzare that GG was covering Braeden Smith for stretches.

 

[fluoxetine]

Comparing Geo Baker's senior stats in 34 minutes per game to Derek Simpson's sophomore stats in 25 minutes per game.

Points per game
Baker - 12
Simpson - 9
Advantage Simpson in points per minute.

Foul shooting percentage
Baker - 74%
Simpson - 85%
Advantage Simpson

Rebounds per game
Baker - 2.1
Simpson - 3.2 in 10 less minutes per game
Advantage Simpson

Assists per minute
About even between the two of them

3 Point shooting%
Baker - 33%
Simpson 31%
Advantage Baker, but when Baker was a sophomore he shot 28%

So far, half way through his sophomore year Simpson has better overall numbers than Baker had in his fifth year, Just think about that. Many of the same fans who are ripping Simpson thought Baker was a god. The difference was that team was winning and this team isn't. Too many fans just need someone to blame. This team has a lot of problems. Derek is about tenth on the list.

Baker wasn't some bastion of elite offensive efficiency, but Geo had an effective FG% of 47.7% his senior year and scored 1.076 points per shot he took. Simpson this season has an EFG% of 36.3 and has scored 1.023 points per shot he took.

Simpson does rebound more and does have a higher assist rate (though also a higher turnover rate, Geo had a better A/TO ratio his senior year than Simpson does this year).

There's really not any case for soph Simpson > sr Geo.

However, Geo DID actually shoot WORSE from two through his first two seasons than Simpson has for his career. So maybe there is some hope, but the other problem is that Simpson takes so damn MANY twos and especially far 2s. Over the course of his career 38.5% of Simpson's shots have been "far 2s" vs only 24.2% "threes". This is absurd. Geo, who relied too much on the midrange himself, only had 35% "far 2s" and 46.6% "threes".

 

[Jerseylegends]

Baker wasn't some bastion of elite offensive efficiency, but Geo had an effective FG% of 47.7% his senior year and scored 1.076 points per shot he took. Simpson this season has an EFG% of 36.3 and has scored 1.023 points per shot he took.

Simpson does rebound more and does have a higher assist rate (though also a higher turnover rate, Geo had a better A/TO ratio his senior year than Simpson does this year).

There's really not any case for soph Simpson > sr Geo.

However, Geo DID actually shoot WORSE from two through his first two seasons than Simpson has for his career. So maybe there is some hope, but the other problem is that Simpson takes so damn MANY twos and especially far 2s. Over the course of his career 38.5% of Simpson's shots have been "far 2s" vs only 24.2% "threes". This is absurd. Geo, who relied too much on the midrange himself, only had 35% "far 2s" and 46.6% "threes".

It's the flow of the game...idk how you can watch Simpson play this season and say he's a better player than geo. Geo wasn't Steph Curry and had some costly turnovers but Simpson, I'm nervous whenever he's handling the ball. Never seen a point guard with such a loose handle. The defender is thinking cookies every time. Geo finished at the rim better and got to the rim better off the dribble. Simpson is a better foul shooter and I like his confidence and fearlessness but let's put all the cards on the table. I really don't know what type of work he put in during the off-season to not be a significantly better player than he was last year like other sophomores Im seeing. Doesn't look like he touched the weight room at all,
Davis came in with more muscle than him and that's not saying much. Kid needs to work with a skills trainer. I never understand how some players don't take advantage of the resources they have as a d1 player to get better. Like if a kid played pick up everyday in the summer I see a significant improvement in their game. It's not like Simpson is so good he's reached his ceiling. He should have shown massive improvement from last year to this one just by coming back with a better handle. But he's still having trouble bringing the ball up the court. He has to work on his game, I know he's confident but he's not as good as he thinks he is and the only way he will get that good is if he puts the work in.

 

[fluoxetine]

It's the flow of the game...idk how you can watch Simpson play this season and say he's a better player than geo. Geo wasn't Steph Curry and had some costly turnovers but Simpson, I'm nervous whenever he's handling the ball. Never seen a point guard with such a loose handle. The defender is thinking cookies every time. Geo finished at the rim better and got to the rim better off the dribble. Simpson is a better foul shooter and I like his confidence and fearlessness but let's put all the cards on the table. I really don't know what type of work he put in during the off-season to not be a significantly better player than he was last year like other sophomores Im seeing. Doesn't look like he touched the weight room at all,
Davis came in with more muscle than him and that's not saying much. Kid needs to work with a skills trainer. I never understand how some players don't take advantage of the resources they have as a d1 player to get better. Like if a kid played pick up everyday in the summer I see a significant improvement in their game. It's not like Simpson is so good he's reached his ceiling. He should have shown massive improvement from last year to this one just by coming back with a better handle. But he's still having trouble bringing the ball up the court. He has to work on his game, I know he's confident but he's not as good as he thinks he is and the only way he will get that good is if he puts the work in.

Not sure about the handle thing; he doesn't turn the ball over a ton and has a lower TO rate than Geo did for his career. When I watch Derek Simpson I see a player that does a lot of things well, but unfortunately his shooting is beyond terrible and its compounded further by terrible shot selection. I'm willing to give him *some* benefit of the doubt for the absolutely hopelessness of the surrounding cast but at the very least he needs to chuck up threes instead of midrange shots.

 

[RutgersChow]

It's the flow of the game...idk how you can watch Simpson play this season and say he's a better player than geo. Geo wasn't Steph Curry and had some costly turnovers but Simpson, I'm nervous whenever he's handling the ball. Never seen a point guard with such a loose handle. The defender is thinking cookies every time. Geo finished at the rim better and got to the rim better off the dribble. Simpson is a better foul shooter and I like his confidence and fearlessness but let's put all the cards on the table. I really don't know what type of work he put in during the off-season to not be a significantly better player than he was last year like other sophomores Im seeing. Doesn't look like he touched the weight room at all,
Davis came in with more muscle than him and that's not saying much. Kid needs to work with a skills trainer. I never understand how some players don't take advantage of the resources they have as a d1 player to get better. Like if a kid played pick up everyday in the summer I see a significant improvement in their game. It's not like Simpson is so good he's reached his ceiling. He should have shown massive improvement from last year to this one just by coming back with a better handle. But he's still having trouble bringing the ball up the court. He has to work on his game, I know he's confident but he's not as good as he thinks he is and the only way he will get that good is if he puts the work in.

I didn't say Simpson was better than Geo, but the metrics I gave do favor Simpson as a sophomore over Geo when he was three years older and viewed as a top player in Rutgers history. For those who live with metrics, there it is right in front of you. Geo played with better players also. Simpson is forced to utilize his quickness to get off shots because no one else can free themselves up in this crappy offense. He doesn't have a RHJ either to draw attention away from him.

 

[Jerseylegends]

Not sure about the handle thing; he doesn't turn the ball over a ton and has a lower TO rate than Geo did for his career. When I watch Derek Simpson I see a player that does a lot of things well, but unfortunately his shooting is beyond terrible and its compounded further by terrible shot selection. I'm willing to give him *some* benefit of the doubt for the absolutely hopelessness of the surrounding cast but at the very least he needs to chuck up threes instead of midrange shots.

I'm not even mad at the shots. Rather him take them than Mag. It's the way he controls the game, real loose with the basketball, lackadaisical passes at times. If he sures that up and does everything whiles he's on the court with maximum effort and violent movements the shots will start to fall. Super talented guys in the NBA can be relaxed but Rutgers players have to give maximum effort to even the playing field against more talented players. Talent level around the big 10 isn't insurmountable but you have to put work them because most are still more talented than Rutgers at this point.

 

[PhillyRU]

I didn't say Simpson was better than Geo, but the metrics I gave do favor Simpson as a sophomore over Geo when he was three years older and viewed as a top player in Rutgers history. For those who live with metrics, there it is right in front of you. Geo played with better players also. Simpson is forced to utilize his quickness to get off shots because no one else can free themselves up in this crappy offense. He doesn't have a RHJ either to draw attention away from him.

Geo, if I remember correctly, had a tough time with injuries his sophomore year. I think he hurt his thumb and struggled getting his flow back. Simpson has at least seemingly been healthy

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

A terrible job by Pike tonight.

What are we watching

 

[The RUT]

It's almost like our offense sucks when we run ISO ball watching offense. Go figure.

 

[RUBlackout7]

Pike has huge flaws. Worrying.

 

[RUBlackout]

It's almost like our offense sucks when we run ISO ball watching offense. Go figure.

That is our offense....all ISO and standing around

Been that way sine Pike arrived here. We just had better talent that masked issues

 

[The RUT]

That is our offense....all ISO and standing around

Been that way sine Pike arrived here. We just had better talent that masked issues

exactly, that's the issue lol.