re: Do you LSU fans still feel strong about Malik Newman

the first link was to show that espn has him listed as a PF. They are wrong too, but the point was that he is a hybrid player.

No clue wtf is going on witht he second link. Worked fine for me. I'll fix.

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I hope that JJ tries to play him in the post. I really hope he does.

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Simmons = Jarell Martin

Once again, will play the 3 and 4.

fixed link

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Unique basketball experiences have come often for Simmons and he wins the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in-part because of his unique abilities on the floor. At 6-foot-9, Simmons will often play the role of point forward, initiating offense for teammates and setting them up on fast-break opportunities using his exceptional passing ability.

For head coach Johnny Jones at LSU next season, Simmons sees himself in that very position as he wants to help the Tigers reach another NCAA Tournament.

“A point forward; I think that role best describes me,” Simmons said. “Someone who can bring the ball up. But also, being someone who is 6-foot-10, bring the ball up and setting up a play or getting into transition.”

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Like I said, you can tell the noob MSU basketball fans. Simmons will be very similar to how Jarell Martin played for us. Will bounce between being a huge 3 man or good sized 4 man. Martin played all over the court. Simmons will be exactly the same.

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he'll also play like plenty of 4's in the NBA. A lot of folks don't realize LSU's offense is very NBAesque in that they give a lot of freedom to players in transition and also utilize 4's as perimeter players.

Again, for the noob, go look at Winslow for Duke if you want to see how LSU will try to utilize Simmons.

Uhh as someone who has watched nearly every Duke game, Winslow plays the 3 about 80% of the time. He's also two inches shorter and can handle the ball better than Simmons. When Winslow has played the 4, he's struggled except recently in the tournament which is why Duke has been so successful recently.

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but are there any highlights of his actual post game?

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he's never going to be a "back to the basket" type of player.

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All I've seen is him being bigger and more athletic than everyone on the court and just dunking on them. That usually doesn't translate great to college.

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Indeed, Simmons had plenty of eyes trained on him as coaches and media from all over the country saw the latest step in the transformation from a 6-4 wing with point-guard capabilities into a player with power forward/center size who can still rely on the skill set he used when he was smaller.

SI.com writer Seth Davis dubbed Simmons a "point center," and wrote that the LSU commit "will likely be the best passing big man to enter the college game since Kevin Love arrived at UCLA in 2007."

"At the Peach Jam, Simmons repeatedly brought the ball upcourt, initiated his team's half-court offense, deftly led fast breaks and fired pinpoint passes in transition," Davis wrote.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman wrote that Simmons "has separated himself as the best prospect in the Class of 2015." Earlier this week, Goodman polled Division I coaches around the country and Simmons was identified as the most coveted recruit.

A sampling of what the coaches said:

"He's the best player in the country and can impact a college game right now. He could start on a Final Four team today."
"He's so versatile. He can dominate the game in so many ways. Could get 30 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists in a game at any time."
"He's one of the best high school players that I've ever seen."
An anonymous NBA scout from the Eastern Conference said "He has the (NBA) body. Best player in his class."

And might've been as good as most players in this year's NBA Draft.

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ESPN game analyst Fran Fraschilla, the network's expert on foreign players, has watched Simmons' emergence for several years and said he might've been in the first 5-6 picks of the NBA Draft in June had he been eligible.

fran fraschilla.jpeg
Fran Fraschilla
ESPN.com

"The thing I like about his game is that for guy so big and athletic, he has a great feel for the game," Fraschilla said. "He's such an unselfish player. He's going to have great versatility in the college game because he does so many little things well. He's a gifted passer and ball handler who thinks team first even though he's almost always the best player on the floor."

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All I've seen is him being bigger and more athletic than everyone on the court and just dunking on them. That usually doesn't translate great to college.

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not sure what you're getting at here

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There's a difference in playing the 4 position and playing the post for large stretches of time.

Simmons is talented enough to where he will definitely get away with playing the 4. Hell, if used correctly, he could easily blow past bigger 4's that are strictly post players. My point was that he isn't going to get in the paint and call for the ball. Which is what the two that played for LSU this year should have been doing. They didn't have the handles that Simmons has and shouldn't have ever been playing on the wing.

My point isn't that Simmons isn't talented, because it is obvious that he is. He's just not a back to the basket-bang down low type of player which you already pointed out. That's what I meant when I said he's not going to fill the void left by the two big men that y'all had this year.

I think we agree, we just weren't on the same page in my description.

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There's a difference in playing the 4 position and playing the post for large stretches of time.

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I've said multiple times now he will be a "point forward" as well as a "hybrid player". LSU runs in transition a lot, and will have Simmons leading that transition a lot.

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My point isn't that Simmons isn't talented, because it is obvious that he is. He's just not a back to the basket-bang down low type of player which you already pointed out. That's what I meant when I said he's not going to fill the void left by the two big men that y'all had this year.

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I hear ya. But I think teams have proven that basketball is changing, and versatile 4's are an asset. But he certainly won't be as fierce on defense as Martin and Mickey were at times. But I'll take the trade-off seeing as how he is an NBA ready player according to every scouting report I've read on him.

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I think we agree, we just weren't on the same page in my description.

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It sounds like it. Sorry for being harsh.

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At 6'9" and playing the post like y'all claim he will be, it would be a good idea to have some back to the basket post moves.

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Didn't say he will play post. Said he will play the 4. 4's in today's bball aren't always utilized as post players. Maybe on the defensive end, but not on the offensive end in a lot of cases.

Also, I think it's safe to say he has a post move or 2 up his sleeve. I mean, he has played at the highest level of HS and AAU sports in the country.