Simpson

[RUChoppin]

At the end of the day, Simpson needs to dramatically reduce the number of midrange shots he takes.

He shoots 31.8% from "other two" (63.6 pts per 100 shots) and 30.2% from three (90.6 pts per 100 shots). He's not really much worse from the arc than he is from the midrange, and those shots are worth 50% more. He's also a plus FT shooter, which means he should be taking many more shots "at the rim" (currently shoots <30% of his shots at the rim or on dunks) so he can get to the line.

 

[RU MAN]

As Scagg pointed out, he is not streaky, outside of a couple of games, he has been consistently terrible all year.

You’re probably right. I was trying to be nice.

 

[RU MAN]

It was a big problem for Geo early in his career but he fixed it. 38% and 37% from two his first two years. Then 49%, 51%, and 46% his last three.

Simpson is at 33% which is a good bit worse than even Geo's worst. But Derek was also at 42% last year.

Good points and thanks for researching it.

 

[njxchange]

Why are people so down on Simpson???

He just have improve few things and he would be a great player

- dribbling skills
- finishing at the rim
- jump shots
- add some muscle
- work on not sleeping on defense sometimes...
- peripheral vision

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

You think very few NBA players can make 5-10 from open 12 footers? Come on

They dont try them often. I think you would be surprised

 

[seansherm]

There's a good player lurking within him but it's gonna take breaking a lot of bad habits to get it out. Usually FT% is a good sign that somebody is a good shooter but his jump shot is just... bad. He doesn't repeat his motions and he's not even the same player from one game to the next. In his last three games he's shot 0 threes, then 9 threes, then 0 threes again. That to me is indicative of a player who doesn't really have a clear idea of what he is.

Weird, I think his shot is very consistent up top, it's his feet that are usually all over the place.
I'm not sure the team has a set role for him now, so makes sense hes not sure. We played best early when he had the ball in his hands, now we've taken it out to give to J Will.

 

[SirScarlet]

Why are people so down on Simpson???

He just have improve few things and he would be a great player

- dribbling skills
- finishing at the rim
- jump shots
- add some muscle
- work on not sleeping on defense sometimes...
- peripheral vision

Other than the play, how was your evening Mrs. Lincoln....

 

[RU-ROCS]

It was a big problem for Geo early in his career but he fixed it. 38% and 37% from two his first two years. Then 49%, 51%, and 46% his last three.

Simpson is at 33% which is a good bit worse than even Geo's worst. But Derek was also at 42% last year.

Derek was 37% last year - no where near 42%!

 

[RUChoppin]

Derek was 37% last year - no where near 42%!

I think he's talking about from 2P range.

 

[RU-ROCS]

The simple reality is we are in 2024 and guards need to be good shooters. Simpson and Davis are awful shooters.

It is possible, but doubtful, that will change. Until then they are guys that should be 10-15 MPG off the bench giving energy on a OK offensive team.

Simpson OR Davis have an important role in the future. Tough time seeing both.

Davis is at 37% as a freshman and Simpson is at only 32% as a sophomore. I would not lump J Mike in with Simpson at this point. I like Davis’s upside better.

 

[BillyC80]

Davis is at 37% as a freshman and Simpson is at only 32% as a sophomore. I would not lump J Mike in with Simpson at this point. I like Davis’s upside better.

Even better, after a bad start in his first 7 games as a true freshman, in his last 19 games Davis is shooting 43% from the field (by comparison, JWill has shot 41% in his 6 games).

Davis has also improved his FT shooting, at 63% during that same 19 game span. His 3-point shooting has remained at 25% throughout the season, but he usually only takes one 3-pointer per game.

As a true freshman, you have to love everything JMike gives us, on both ends of the floor.

 

[zebnatto]

That shot is open 90% of the time because defenses want you to take that shot. It's generally a bad choice.

I disagree on it being a shot which defenses want you to take. Of course if Derek continues to Miss them that’s part of the equation. But it’s not like he’s throwing up long twos from just inside the three-point line. These are open shots from foul line distance. If you are playing in the schoolyard and pass up that shot, your teammates are pissed at you.

 

[RUChoppin]

I disagree on it being a shot which defenses want you to take. Of course if Derek continues to Miss them that’s part of the equation. But it’s not like he’s throwing up long twos from just inside the three-point line. These are open shots from foul line distance. If you are playing in the schoolyard and pass up that shot, your teammates are pissed at you.

Defend the paint hard, defend the arc hard.... if you're going to give up a shot, let it be a 15+ foot two.

It'd be different if he was pulling up inside the paint for 6-8 foot shots, but he's pulling up 15 feet from the basket. That shot is going to be there almost whenever you want it.

 

[higgins3]

Why are people so down on Simpson???

He just have improve few things and he would be a great player

- dribbling skills
- finishing at the rim
- jump shots
- add some muscle
- work on not sleeping on defense sometimes...
- peripheral vision

I think your post is a joke but yeah, its a tall list. I was a am still a big fan of Simpsons. But he has shown to be super inconsistent over past 10 games. I hope he can find it out. Being a jump shot player is not a compliment anymore.

 

[Shelby65]

They dont try them often. I think you would be surprised

Because they haven’t grown up needing this ability, they still don’t practice it as much, therefore the %s aren’t high enough to justify high volume shooting from there.

 

[satnom]

People need to stop thinking Simpson is going to be a really really poor shooter for 2 years then magically become an efficient scorer all of a sudden. That's magical wishcasting thinking

A realistic hope is that he can slightly increase his percentages to be just mediocre and with the incoming talent hope that he takes way less shots

He needs to focus on being more like Caleb 2.0 than Geo 2.0. Play defense, hustle, rebound, continue to work at thinking pass first etc and he can be a real asset. Leave the shooting to others

People need to stop thinking he’s going to be a really really poor shooter the next couple of years and not be consistently what he has shown he’s capable of doing on occasion offensively (10+pts, 40% fg, no bad TOs and 5 assists) and more of what he’s showing consistently on the defensive end (pressure full court, on ball defender, steals and rbs).

Kid looked like he had a consistent outside shot and under control in HS. He has to let the game come to him and I’m 100% good with the mid range shots he’s taking which he needs to consistently hit but consistently missing. Once he gets to 40-50% from 12 ft in, he can beat his man to the basket and the next thing is for him to not be so committed to taking a contested shot when he has a big man waiting for him under the basket for a lob or dish off and easy two. For goodness sake, he’s an 85+% foul shooter.

This kid can play at this level and can contribute to a NCAA worthy team but he has to take the next step and become more efficient offensively.

GO RU

 

[biazza38]

Nothing against the kid, but if he transferred tomorrow, you easily find someone better. PSU lost nearly their entire team from last year and was able to bring in guys like Ace Baldwin and Wahab. I think Simpson is a solid overall player. Our issue is we don’t get enough consistent scoring from our guards.

 

[goru7]

Thornton shot .503 from 2P as a freshman and is shooting .507 as a sophomore. What leap did he take? Smith went from .482 to .500, so not a huge leap there either.

Smith is much much better and sorry if you disagree. He controls Purdue’s entire offense. Thornton has been almost the entire focus of the opposing defenses and gets hedged a lot but still controls the ball , drives to his spots and drills 12-15 footers. They are 2 of the better players in the league as sophomores. Neither one were first team all Big 10 players last year but likely will be first team for sure for Smith and likely second or first team for Thornton.

Defend the paint hard, defend the arc hard.... if you're going to give up a shot, let it be a 15+ foot two.

It'd be different if he was pulling up inside the paint for 6-8 foot shots, but he's pulling up 15 feet from the basket. That shot is going to be there almost whenever you want it.

another player mentioned today on the Illinois / Iowa game by Robbie Hummel was sophomore Josh Dix for Iowa who Hummel said was a real good mid range shooter and stated he was shooting 61% from mid range 2 point shots in his last 5 games. and part of Iowa’s resurgence. So it is not just the top guys in the league like Young , Smith and a Thornton but a role player like Dix. Derek has to get his feet right and follow thru on his release to get rotation on his shot

 

[80RU]

That shot is open 90% of the time because defenses want you to take that shot. It's generally a bad choice.

I don’t know how far you go back, but John Battle lived on that shot.

 

[Yeah Baby]

I really like his defense. Only thing keeping him on the court. In fairness to him, I do think he is a willing passer.

The mid/long range 2 has to die with Geo.

Not the only thing but he has improved drastically on D, passing and rebounding. Everyone likes to have a scapegoat but he does athletic things that others cannot do. When his shooting is on he is a top player on the court. When his shooting is off he can still help the team win games. We've had shooters recently that could only shoot. Fans without brains love shooting only. I like all around players. Glue guys. High energy huys. But yeah, we need someone to knock down shots too.

 

[RUChoppin]

Smith is much much better and sorry if you disagree. He controls Purdue’s entire offense. Thornton has been almost the entire focus of the opposing defenses and gets hedged a lot but still controls the ball , drives to his spots and drills 12-15 footers. They are 2 of the better players in the league as sophomores. Neither one were first team all Big 10 players last year but likely will be first team for sure for Smith and likely second or first team for Thornton.

another player mentioned today on the Illinois / Iowa game by Robbie Hummel was sophomore Josh Dix for Iowa who Hummel said was a real good mid range shooter and stated he was shooting 61% from mid range 2 point shots and part of Iowa’s resurgence. So it is not just the top guys in the league like Young , Smith and a Thornton but a role player like Dix. Derek has to get his feet right and follow thru on his release to get rotation on his shot

Not saying he's not a better player this year, he's just not a more efficient shooter from that range. He was already a strong shooter, he just added more to his game. Same with Thornton. Simpson's just not an efficient shooter - he wasn't last year, and he hasn't been this year. He's not going to suddenly wave a magic wand and get to their level next year.

I'm aligned with those that see Simpson more as a McConnell 2.0 than a Baker 2.0. McConnell also wasn't an efficient scorer and did just enough to keep defenses honest - while doing all of the other things well, especially defensively. Simpson doesn't have McConnell's length, but he's better suited to that role than a primary scoring role.

My guess is that Hummel was talking about a recent stretch of games, and not his whole season. Dix is shooting 53.8% from the "other two" range (that's everything between "at the rim" to "foot on the arc"), but still takes just 33% of his attempts from that range (only 52 attempts there this year, so he wasn't listed when restricting to at least 75 attempts). He also shoots 42.1% from the arc, and is more valuable from there (126.3 pts per 100 attempts vs. 107.6 from the "other two" range).

Simpson has to simply stop taking so many shots from that range, not hope he gets better from that range. He's a plus FT shooter, and you don't get fouled on pull-up jumpers 15 feet from the basket - he needs to find ways to get into the paint and take contact.

 

[RUChoppin]

I don’t know how far you go back, but John Battle lived on that shot.

The mid-range shot was a much better choice before the three point shot became such a large part of the game. It wasn't standardized across the NCAA until after Battle had graduated.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

We are all kinda obsessed with Simpson, myself included. I’ll say it again - he’s an 9th guy on a really good team. We are not a really good team.

 

[satnom]

Mid range shots are over rated until you start making them.

GO RU

 

[goru7]

Not saying he's not a better player this year, he's just not a more efficient shooter from that range. He was already a strong shooter, he just added more to his game. Same with Thornton. Simpson's just not an efficient shooter - he wasn't last year, and he hasn't been this year. He's not going to suddenly wave a magic wand and get to their level next year.

I'm aligned with those that see Simpson more as a McConnell 2.0 than a Baker 2.0. McConnell also wasn't an efficient scorer and did just enough to keep defenses honest - while doing all of the other things well, especially defensively. Simpson doesn't have McConnell's length, but he's better suited to that role than a primary scoring role.

My guess is that Hummel was talking about a recent stretch of games, and not his whole season. Dix is shooting 53.8% from the "other two" range (that's everything between "at the rim" to "foot on the arc"), but still takes just 33% of his attempts from that range (only 52 attempts there this year, so he wasn't listed when restricting to at least 75 attempts). He also shoots 42.1% from the arc, and is more valuable from there (126.3 pts per 100 attempts vs. 107.6 from the "other two" range).

Simpson has to simply stop taking so many shots from that range, not hope he gets better from that range. He's a plus FT shooter, and you don't get fouled on pull-up jumpers 15 feet from the basket - he needs to find ways to get into the paint and take contact.

Derek will never be aligned with those who think he should concentrate on being Caleb. Like you said he doesn’t have the length or wingspan , but just doesn’t have , nor do many players , have a way of defending many things and covering up for 1 or 2 of our less than stellar defenders. The best team defender we have ever had. Let’s not try to make that comparison as it is silly.
Derek should really learn to properly finish at the rim by inserting his body into the defender to create separation and then bank in he layup. There are tons of guards across college basketball that do it at the top tier schools and the lower tier schools. He is such a good foul shooter that if he fixes that , he will likely be fouled and put an extra 6 points on the board .
In pick and roll, instead of making his mind up he is going to shoot , he has to change his mentality to think pass first not shot first. If drop coverage comes and Cliff is picked up , then square his body and knock down the foul line and in jumper . Might be too late with 5 games left but would be nice to see it the rest of the way

 

[zebnatto]

Defend the paint hard, defend the arc hard.... if you're going to give up a shot, let it be a 15+ foot two.

It'd be different if he was pulling up inside the paint for 6-8 foot shots, but he's pulling up 15 feet from the basket. That shot is going to be there almost whenever you want it.

100% disagreement.

 

[zebnatto]

The mid-range shot was a much better choice before the three point shot became such a large part of the game. It wasn't standardized across the NCAA until after Battle had graduated.

He is wide open at the foul line. If you want to argue that any shot you're not making is a bad shot, okay. I assume you've played some basketball. A D1 guard having a wide open jumper from the foul line is not a bad shot.

 

[RUChoppin]

He is wide open at the foul line. If you want to argue that any shot you're not making is a bad shot, okay. I assume you've played some basketball. A D1 guard having a wide open jumper from the foul line is not a bad shot.

For Simpson it's a bad shot, because he's been pretty bad at hitting them. A wide open three pointer is a great shot too... but not for Cliff Omoruyi.

You have to play to your strengths - he's a great FT shooter, he needs to get to the line more.

Anything out to the FT line is fine - anything between there and the arc should be rare and reserved for later in the shot clock.

 

[RUChoppin]

Derek will never be aligned with those who think he should concentrate on being Caleb. Like you said he doesn’t have the length or wingspan , but just doesn’t have , nor do many players , have a way of defending many things and covering up for 1 or 2 of our less than stellar defenders. The best team defender we have ever had. Let’s not try to make that comparison as it is silly.
Derek should really learn to properly finish at the rim by inserting his body into the defender to create separation and then bank in he layup. There are tons of guards across college basketball that do it at the top tier schools and the lower tier schools. He is such a good foul shooter that if he fixes that , he will likely be fouled and put an extra 6 points on the board .
In pick and roll, instead of making his mind up he is going to shoot , he has to change his mentality to think pass first not shot first. If drop coverage comes and Cliff is picked up , then square his body and knock down the foul line and in jumper . Might be too late with 5 games left but would be nice to see it the rest of the way

Not saying he's going to *be* McConnell... but McConnell was a plus defender who rebounded well, got steals, had a strong assist/turnover ratio, and was a 3rd/4th option scorer. Simpson is better suited to that role than a primary scorer.

Agree that he needs to get to the rim more, and to improve finishing. If he were taking <30% of his shots between the rim and the arc, that'd be great - but he's taking nearly half from that range.

He needs to drive and dish or drive and seek contact - he should not drive from the arc and pop for a mid/long two.

 

[RUsojo]

View embedded media

This is representative of a macro problem with pike he doesn’t care about offense and doesn’t care about the critical analytics and publicly ridicules kenpom. Not good, not smart.

 

[G- RUnit]

Not saying he's going to *be* McConnell... but McConnell was a plus defender who rebounded well, got steals, had a strong assist/turnover ratio, and was a 3rd/4th option scorer. Simpson is better suited to that role than a primary scorer.

Agree that he needs to get to the rim more, and to improve finishing. If he were taking <30% of his shots between the rim and the arc, that'd be great - but he's taking nearly half from that range.

He needs to drive and dish or drive and seek contact - he should not drive from the arc and pop for a mid/long two.

But better Offensive game than Caleb.
Caleb had Geo, RHJ and Spencer.
Who is the better shooter on this team?
Best foul shooter on team
Only a sophomore

 

[biazza38]

This is representative of a macro problem with pike he doesn’t care about offense and doesn’t care about the critical analytics and publicly ridicules kenpom. Not good, not smart.

Meh, I agree with part of this. He did go out and land Cam Spencer last year and Noah just didn’t pan out this year. But he was a three point shooter. Agree, that Pike and co can definitely do a better job of running an offense and steering guys away from shooting too many long range jumpers.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

He is wide open at the foul line. If you want to argue that any shot you're not making is a bad shot, okay. I assume you've played some basketball. A D1 guard having a wide open jumper from the foul line is not a bad shot.

It is when the other team is happy to let you take that shot all day long because they don’t think you can make it.

 

[S_Janowski]

Simpson has been asked to do way too much this year (minutes, shots, ball handling).

It was a result of Paul and Cam screwing us over late and then made even worse by Noah’s poor play and Williams extended suspension.

It sounds like people had way too high expectations for him coming into this year.

The kid has talent and a skillset (speed, defense) which hopefully next year can be better utilized with less minutes on a deeper team.

 

[bitnez]

If you believe Derek is an all B1G guard, you absolutely should say things like keep taking the open 15 fts that the other team gives you and you know just go ahead and make 50% of them. If you want to win games, you hope he takes less of them, gets the % up to 42-43, and he continues to play very solid defense.

 

[RUJMM78]

Simpson is a complementary type player like most of his teammates.The stats tell the story for him and the team .Hopefully, next season there will be a transition where there will be multiple go to scorers from the starters and more scoring from bench players.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Here is why most of the RU fans have become either illogical or irrational in discussing Simpson.....and Mawot Mag.

Why do I bring up Mag?? Because Mag based on last year's irrational and undocumented hype, is still being credited as essential.....but Simpson is supposed to be at Rider or something, but Mag is allegedly the key to the entire RU defense, winning etc.

The difference is, a logical fan looks forward to next year and can clearly see Simpson being able to contribute in a reduced role, while Dylan Harper and JWill start. I could even argue that RU "could" be proactive in recruiting another combo guard, so Simpson is competing with JaMicheal Davis as the 4th guard. But for argument sake, let's assume Simpson and Davis are your 3rd and 4th guards off the bench next year....

BUT if we are being "logical " and not programmed, we would see that Simpson is actually more effective than Mawot Mag in many categories.....WHAT?? That can't be true?? Or is it??

Here's Mags stats......and please don't use the injury excuse, it's not a valid reason to ignore all of these numbers

MAG

27 minutes per game
9.5 PPG
3.9 RPG
1.3 AST
1.5 Turnovers
39.3 FG%
26.1 3 PT% (12 of 46)
70.3 FT

SIMPSON

26 minutes per game
9.3 PPG
3.3 RPG
3.2 AST
1.6 Turnovers
32.5 FG
30.2 3 PT%
86.1 FT%

Why would I show a comparison of a starting guard, to a starting forward?? Because BOTH players are not playing at a level of efficiency OR level that is on par with MOST B1G or Power 5 starters.

So, I will ask this question for the Simpson bashers/critics/skeptics??

If I did a side by side comparison between Mag and Simpson, what does Mag do better??

He is not a better on the ball defender.....

He is not a playmaker on offense.

He is not anywhere close to a good perimeter player AND is not effective as a 3 PT shooter.

He is a 70% FT shooter, where Simpson is likely, even with a slump, going to finish well above 80%.

I have a half a rebound difference between Mag and Simpson....which in theory, highlights Mag not being effective on the glass in 27 Minutes a game. As a forward, who fans have been programmed to believe is essential, he trails or matches Simpson in literally every category.

So, if I am advocating for Simpson to be better suited as a 3rd or 4th guard and Simpson is a sophomore, why are RU fans still "programmed", into believing Mag is essential.....?? There's NO evidence anywhere when watching the games OR based on the numbers to support him continuing to start.....OR that he's irreplaceable now or next year.

If Simpson is "replaceable" for some fans, why is Mag "irreplaceable ".

I could actually point to the improvements on Simpson from frosh to sophomore season from 3, his improved defense and fewer Turnovers per game. Simpson has not been taking good shots, which is the JWill effect. He is more effective now with JWill, which is something to consider when evaluating the player, production.

On the other hand, Mag gets a free pass and this label of "essential ".

If Simpson is "so terrible ", why the free pass for Mag???

I'll wait to see these responses, going to get some popcorn ....

 

[RUtrumpet92]

Re: the Davis comparison, Simpson's FG% last year was .374. Davis right now is .376. I agree with what S_Janowski said above. Paul and Cam leaving late forced Derek as the returning player into a role he wasn't ready for, and that's a lot of why his shooting suffered thus far.

He gets those open long 2's frequently. Is some of that because scouting indicates that's something our opponents don't mind him taking?

His lower body tends to be very inconsistent on those shots. Film study could help him see it and this may be something he can improve in the off season. He brings a lot of other intangibles to our team. I'd love to see him turn it around next year.

 

[RU84]

Here is why most of the RU fans have become either illogical or irrational in discussing Simpson.....and Mawot Mag.

Why do I bring up Mag?? Because Mag based on last year's irrational and undocumented hype, is still being credited as essential.....but Simpson is supposed to be at Rider or something, but Mag is allegedly the key to the entire RU defense, winning etc.

The difference is, a logical fan looks forward to next year and can clearly see Simpson being able to contribute in a reduced role, while Dylan Harper and JWill start. I could even argue that RU "could" be proactive in recruiting another combo guard, so Simpson is competing with JaMicheal Davis as the 4th guard. But for argument sake, let's assume Simpson and Davis are your 3rd and 4th guards off the bench next year....

BUT if we are being "logical " and not programmed, we would see that Simpson is actually more effective than Mawot Mag in many categories.....WHAT?? That can't be true?? Or is it??

Here's Mags stats......and please don't use the injury excuse, it's not a valid reason to ignore all of these numbers

MAG

27 minutes per game
9.5 PPG
3.9 RPG
1.3 AST
1.5 Turnovers
39.3 FG%
26.1 3 PT% (12 of 46)
70.3 FT

SIMPSON

26 minutes per game
9.3 PPG
3.3 RPG
3.2 AST
1.6 Turnovers
32.5 FG
30.2 3 PT%
86.1 FT%

Why would I show a comparison of a starting guard, to a starting forward?? Because BOTH players are not playing at a level of efficiency OR level that is on par with MOST B1G or Power 5 starters.

So, I will ask this question for the Simpson bashers/critics/skeptics??

If I did a side by side comparison between Mag and Simpson, what does Mag do better??

He is not a better on the ball defender.....

He is not a playmaker on offense.

He is not anywhere close to a good perimeter player AND is not effective as a 3 PT shooter.

He is a 70% FT shooter, where Simpson is likely, even with a slump, going to finish well above 80%.

I have a half a rebound difference between Mag and Simpson....which in theory, highlights Mag not being effective on the glass in 27 Minutes a game. As a forward, who fans have been programmed to believe is essential, he trails or matches Simpson in literally every category.

So, if I am advocating for Simpson to be better suited as a 3rd or 4th guard and Simpson is a sophomore, why are RU fans still "programmed", into believing Mag is essential.....?? There's NO evidence anywhere when watching the games OR based on the numbers to support him continuing to start.....OR that he's irreplaceable now or next year.

If Simpson is "replaceable" for some fans, why is Mag "irreplaceable ".

I could actually point to the improvements on Simpson from frosh to sophomore season from 3, his improved defense and fewer Turnovers per game. Simpson has not been taking good shots, which is the JWill effect. He is more effective now with JWill, which is something to consider when evaluating the player, production.

On the other hand, Mag gets a free pass and this label of "essential ".

If Simpson is "so terrible ", why the free pass for Mag???

I'll wait to see these responses, going to get some popcorn ....

Spot on analysis and take.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Spot on analysis and take.

I just want to be clear. I believe ALL players have to earn their minutes and show up and improve weekly, monthly or year to year. If Simpson doesn't improve, I'm not going to continue to hammer talking points on how essential he is to winning or his great defense. Those would be false narrative talking points that have been placed on Mag.
.
I am advocating a reduced role for Simpson, where if he plays 18 to 23 minutes a game next year, that he takes better shots and continues to improve shot selection and his 3 point shooting goes up. But like any other player, the player should "earn" it.

The Mag hype that got started last year was based on 2 factors that have been eliminated for this year's roster.

A) Simpson and Davis are just more effective at pressuring the ball, making it much more difficult for guards to advance the ball, after RU scores. Last years guards were not as impactful and it showed up more, when Mag went out last year. But that's one end of the court, the offensive end is where the guards last year, also faltered down the stretch......we didn't get scoring (Mulcahy) and Spencer was not good enough to carry the backcourt.......once you got the reduced offense AND no on the ball pressure from the guards on defense, the team suffered....placing this at the feet of Mag being the sole reason the guards didn't play well, was 100% inaccurate.

B) We now have significantly better on the ball defense this year, which reduces Mags impact in terms of the press or defense. Now that portion is improved from last year to this year, it allows RU to maintain excellent defense, despite Mag not playing as well or being available for portions of this season.

The impact of Simpson and Davis and now JWill, SHOULD, allow RU to find a better wing player, who can score or stretch the defense.

We are already expected to improve with Dylan Harper and JWill as the backcourt next year......why on earth would we not try and improve on Mag, is my question for those fans. They are programmed to hammer Simpson because he was the better option down the stretch last year and are grasping at straws that "Mags injury " was the reason.

Well, if we need to upgrade on Simpson as a starter, I see no reason why Mag isn't up for discussion.....it's pretty obvious to me.....Mag is able to contribute, just in a much smaller or reduced role (10 to 16 minutes a game) in 2024-25. Unless there is an enormous amount of improvement down the stretch of this season that changes my mind. I just don't see him as that type of player, but once a narrative gets started, it's impossible to correct it, for some fans.