Interesting article inasmuch as it’s nearly impossible to compile a list like this. I think Brewer is too low and Irving Walker is too high; I recall he almost always took the final shots in many games, sometimes he made them but often they were wild shots. But, they are all Gators and winners in my book.
Was disappointed the PG defense was honorable mention. But as all the comments here show, defense gets almost no fan interest. I liked Wilbekin most because he started out as a lock-down defender. Think of it: all the things mentioned about ball-handling for our PG, apply to the opponent too. High-level defensive PG turns high-level opponent PG into an average PG. That's the same net effect on outcome as having a high-level offensive PG ourselves.
We need another for depth, which is why it made sense that Perry chose KSU where he’d start.. Interested to see how Aberdeen does.
Did you not have an opportunity to see Drew Moten play? He was not as tall as Scottie or Jayson, but he was cat quick, a good distributor and scorer, but the most impressive thing to me was how he disrupted the other teams PG defensively.
The reason defense is was an honorable mention is that I don't think it's really a point guard specific skill. Everyone should play tough defense! To be fair, I also put "scoring" as an honorable mention, so it's actually balanced.
Lofton was an excellent floor general, but don't think he made the guys around him any better. He averaged less than four assists a game in over 32 mpg 2022-23 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics - Florida Gators
Who was the point guard on the great Bulls teams? Trick question. They didn't have one. Most of the time Pippen initiated the offense. Kerr often would bring the ball up the floor, pass to Pippen, and then camp in the corner for a three point shoot. Sometimes a center can be the initiator of the offense in the half court. Bill Walton was really good at that and Joakim had a fantastic year with the Bulls doing that. Even our two NC teams were unconventional. TG did run the point when we had to run a half court offense but in transition Noah, Horford or Brewer might be in control. That being said I kind of expect us to be conventional with a conventional PG and I have no idea who it will be. But if we have mutiple players with a decent handle and can control the defensive boards so we can get out in transition it might not be a huge issue.
I sort of agree, but then again there is some nuance. I think you and some others are conflating "running point" and "initiating the offense" or "running offense through" as the same, but they are not the same. I'd agree with you that the 90's era Bulls did not employ their point guards traditionally. Paxon, BJ Armstrong, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr were not primary ball handlers most of the time. Basically, they trusted any of the PGs or Jordan or Pippen to bring the ball up. I think their philosophy was they all could do it, so there was no need to slow down the possession to find the PG. Whoever was closest for the outlet or inbound pass brought it up. That said, just because a player initiates the half court set, that doesn't mean they are playing PG. Running offense through a player also does not make them the point. I'm not sure if that is what you were implying but it seemed as though you were.
As we’ve continued to search for a PG, I’ve found myself wondering if we’re going to (1) find one that will come here unless guaranteed starter minutes and (2) if we can’t find one, what ( if anything), would TG do as an alternative. With the way we employed Lofton, Jones & Bonham last year, it didn’t really give me much to go on. Maybe some of you with a better feel for what TG is trying to do with that position see it more clearly than I do. I agree with Murphree’s , on his breakout on what makes a good PG, comments. I still find myself wondering what we might do, based on current roster, plan of attack on offense & who’s available in the portal. With the changes in offenses & the evolution of somewhat position-less basketball, both in the front court & back court, our perceptions of what a PG is may have changed. What you need a good PG to do, maybe not so much. I started watching K-State in the tournament because of Key. I found myself really enjoying watching their PG play. He was undersized, but played the position very smart & was fearless. There weren’t many PG’s in the tournament that played like him. It’s gonna be interesting, either way.
Yes, that’s why I think we’ve had a challenge in landing someone. We’re offering backup minutes to a PG, and most of our competitors are offering either starting minutes or more MPG than we are. That’s just my take after observing what’s happened up to this point.
I agree 100%. I was confused when we were going after Perry, for that reason. Either he or Clayton would end up feeling bamboozled when they transferred here to come off the bench.
So was I. I kept running various combos in my head, and kept wondering about the minutes distribution. I posed a question on one of the posts about the PG search, that IF we couldn’t land a PG, would looking at a viable option at the three-spot to spell Richards? The question didn’t get much traction, but I’m still interested to see how things play out, and what direction TG takes things.
Just to add, Drew was a surprisingly good rebounder from the PG position. That Joker was a lot stronger than he looked.
Richard is another interesting figure. He is somewhat out of place as a forward without much height. He’s listed as a guard, but he plays like a forward at just 6’4”. Personally, I think we have stronger starting lineups with our available personnel that don’t include Richard. Clayton, Kugel, EJ, Samuel, Handlogten is intriguing. But I think we have quite a few that could fill in at SF and PF. We are deep there, and strangely, at least to my eyes, Richard is probably one of my least favorite options at the three position. He seems like a great backup to Kugel, but I don’t think he’d be happy with that, and I also don’t think that is what Coach Golden is planning on doing, anyway. Richard is a very good player, I’m not saying he isn’t. I am just not sure how he fits in best.
I expect Kugel to be creating shots for our other shooters. The best of those shooters likely will be Richard and Clayton. Richard should be in the lineup.
Tampa, this is one of the most interesting things for me. With blending in all of the new comers ( portal & freshman), how TG sets the table. The really good thing, potentially if everyone plays to a reasonable level, we can play with a mix from big to small & have a chance to play multiple tempo/ pace. Fingers crossed!
