Alijah Martin Committed To Gators

I sure hope so!

 

i want him to succeed and be happy… so I hope to be wrong.
How much time do you think he anticipates playing pg?

i will add… I’m pretty sure Aberdeen also anticipates an increased role.

 

No one is more tied in than Chris Harry. His thoughts….

“Pairing Martin alongside Clayton and fellow senior Will Richard, the wing who is also is dabbling in the NBA evals, should give the Gators plenty of perimeter punch. What it doesn't do, however, is fill the void at point guard – as in a prototype playmaker and floor general – left by the exit of fifth-year senior Zyon Pullin, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection. Coach Todd Goldenand his staff are confident that Denzel Aberdeen, whose development in the program showed up big-time late in the season, will be a prime on-ball option as a junior next season and that both Clayton (2.5 assist per game for his career) and Martin (1.4 apg) will make jumps in their ball-handing and distribution skills knowing that NBA teams is looking for improvement there.”

 

Yep. And that to me sounds like a three man rotation at the 1-2. But, again, something could always change, especially if the staff has concerns about Aberdeen’s trajectory.

 

Yes, of course coaches and players. Agents? Eh… they are told what they need to hear.
Chris is in a different category from other reporters. He is UAA employed, attends all practices, travels w the squad and knows the team inside and out. There isn’t much he doesn’t know. That said- I’m sure there is plenty he doesn’t publish.

 

Yes.
Chris described Aberdeen as a “prime option”.

Does “prime” = “primary”?

I think it does, or eventually will. I just don’t think either Walter or Alijah will ultimately see more than a few minutes at the spot.

And as you said, I don’t think we see those two splitting minutes at the 2.

Respectfully, I know Rick disagrees… but I think we will see Martin play a fair amount of time at the “3”. I use quotes because I think the 2 & 3 spots will be pretty indistinguishable when they are on the floor together.

We will see…

 

Why do you agree with it? Look at some of the best teams in recent memory. Did the Chicago Bulls have a dominant true PG? The Kobe Lakers? The Miami Heat? The Golden State Warriors? You can win it all without a Magic Johnson or Isaiah Thomas type guy running the point.

 

Sorry, but that wasn’t “the other point”. The other guy’s point was that Martin is not a good decision-maker and therefore cannot play PG. That’s not even close to what you just said, nor is it an accurate counter to what I said.

I’m simply asking why he thinks Martin isn’t a good decision-maker. What is it based off of. I think Martin has the possibility to be a good PG and will give benefit of doubt to him and Golden unless there is proof that he can’t.

 

i am “the other guy”… and I answered your inquiry. My opinion is based on having watched… often in person… nearly every game of Martin’s collegiate career.

May I ask the basis of your opinion?

Also- I did not say Martin was “not a good decision maker”. I said he lacked that of a point guard. This may seem semantics, but it isn’t. A point guard makes decisions different from any other player on the floor. And I don’t think Martin has the experience to step in and make the constant decisions of a point guard when directing an offense. I think it is a really tough ask to learn this… at this level of basketball… at this stage of a career.

Finally, I think it may be somewhat telling that Martin never played pg for Dusty… not even in relief when the starter missed significant time due to injury. It was another player who slid over to the spot.

I’m going to bow out of the conversation, bc I’m unwittingly taking the position of criticizing the kid. And I absolutely love his game. I just don’t seem him as a pg. Maybe he just hasn’t had opportunity to show it. I hope that is the case!

As I said - I know he will be great for us, and really fun to watch!

 

This argument may be stronger if it didn’t rely on professional teams and some of the greatest individual players in the history of the game.

 

Well, I am giving examples of teams that won championships to illustrate the point that it is not a requirement to have a certain type of point guard. This will invariably include great players. I purposely chose these teams.

 

What opinion do I need basis for? I simply said I will wait and see if he can’t play the point before I say that he can’t. You still haven’t given any real examples of why he isn’t decision-maker suitable for the position. I’ll be honest, I don’t really get anything you are talking about and I have played the position my whole life. You aren’t bringing up the more important qualifications of the job. Dribbling, keeping his head up, situational awareness, technical passing ability, pacing the team, and court vision. These are the things I look at.

 

Although Aberdeen came on strong the last few weeks of the season and I was really happy to see it, I still saw nothing that led me to believe he would be the guy to beat at point guard. As far as I've seen, his ballhandling is simply okay, and his passing is...well, passable. He's more of a utility guy on the perimeter. Good defender and rebounder, and could score several ways.
ZP may have been UF's best PG ever so it's unfair to use him to measure others by. I don't know if we end up with a true point guard in the 2-deep roster, but I do know that if we're protecting a late lead, I want the ball in Clayton's hands as much as possible. He'll bring the win home from the free-throw line like no other guy in the country.
I do believe that all these candidates will receive lots of minutes playing the point in November and December, and still some the rest of the season. They'll each get a fair chance to make their case.

 

I understand the agent role. That said, I think Chris is more knowledgeable of our program, it’s components and on-going’s than an agent. This is kinda a minor point, so I won’t belabor it any more than I have.