Golden already went on record saying that Martin would play some at the one, but wouldn't be full-time there. Also, if you listen to the interview with Rothstein, all he says is that they plan on Clayton starting at the one (presumably alongside Martin), not that Clayton would play exclusively at the one. Plus, I don't see us giving heavy minutes to Klavzar early on. He isn't an "add water" player. He brings a ton of experience and some real savvy offensive playmaking, but he isn't that big, athletic, or physical. Golden talks in that interview about the jump he expects Aberdeen--along with Condon and Haugh--to make. But I take starting Clayton as more of a calculated move to get the best player on your team more opportunities with the ball in his hands. The kid is an elite scorer on or off the ball. His pick and roll game, his ability to score in the lane, and his transition game are exceptional. He won't ever be a 5 assist/game point guard, but neither was Roberson. Or Wilbekin as a senior. Or Sears in his first year starting at Bama. And what Clayton did to Kentucky, Bama, Colorado, among others, with the ball in his hands was remarkable.
The bigger question mark is total minutes at the PG spot for him, not whether he starts or not. I don't think he'll get the bulk of the minutes there, when it's all said and done. Can't wait to find out - we're going to have another fun season.
Interesting. Though I'd guess this won't look like last year's team in the sense of having one person (ZP) bringing the ball up the floor for most posessions.
I recall the reports on this site saying he's physical and strong, no? Hard to gauge his true athleticism with those highlight videos, but I think he'll be fine in the SEC (we'll see). I believe he shot 43% from 3....He has the potential to work his way into the rotation by SEC play, IMO. We have so many lineup options - going to see fun to see how TFG maximizes our talent.
In theory, I'm not sure I would have made this choice, this early, but I trust Coach Golden . . . and it sure gives us something to discuss. LOL!
This is the advantage college basketball has over football -- there's time to try things out early in the season and see what happens. Our season isn't ruined if Clayton is terrible at point and we lose to Virginia. You figure it out and adjust accordingly.
1. I hope he's far more careful with the ball than he was at times last year 2. I hope that he's just as effective on offense on the ball as he was off the ball. I think if neither are true we might see more PG by committee, with Martin, Urban and even Aberdeen getting some minutes at the 1
I have to think Clayton’s future (if there is one) in the nba is at pg. Given him coming back and his talent, it makes since to support him in making that jump. I have no doubt that if a better option surfaces, Golden will do what maximizes our tourney chances (long way from here to there).
Clayton shouldn't be expending the energy to handle the ball and run the offense, plus I don't think he has a great handle like Pullin. I believe it was the UVa game where Clayton played point and everyone wanted him relegated to the bench after that game.
It was his second game in an entirely new offense with new teammates against a much higher level of competition than Iona. He also had no legitimate backup that game and was playing against one of the tougher defenses and against one of the better defensive point guards in the country. But other than that...
Winderman is not very insightful and has been harping on Clayton’s inability to play point for a while. I take whatever he says with a grain of salt.
He plays aggressively, but he is hardly a physical defender, and he doesn't rebound at a great rate. He is definitely competitive, though. That's another thing I love about this team: Clayton, Martin, Klavzar, Condon, among others, are insanely competitive. We kinda lacked that "dog" mentality last year. You can see that defensively, but also when it came time to take big shots or make big plays.
Well coach is working the practices so we must assume he has good reason to make this decision based on what he sees!
