Malik Smith a Gopher!!!

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My bad, I thought that was OVERALL. 36% is very average for 3 pointers but considering the volume it's actually decent. Not great.
 

Anybody have any highlight vids of this guy? I could only find one video on Youtube and it was one or two highlights of Smith buried in with the rest of the FIU team.
 

joshvanklomp said:
And just think how much better a shooter he'll be because he's going against better competition now!
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There are definitely some questioning his numbers from LY. It's not an apples to apples comparison. At FIU, he had a green light and the ball in his hands alot. He likely drew the opposition's best perimeter defender and the help D's focus. Also don't know if he's better shooting the deep ball off the bounce or from a spot up position. Generally, shooters make more spotting up than off the dribble.

Hollins and Hollins will draw the most attention from opposing D's and will handle the ball a lot. Smith's role will be night & day to last years. Let's hope he makes a smooth transition to the speed and physiclity of the B10 - if he does that I'm not concerned by his shooting. If anything it'll be his biggest asset.
 




Nevermind, I retract my amended statement. He did shoot 36% overall, which is terrible. He's going to have to make some major adjustments as a Gopher because he won't have the automatic green light. But, he should get more open looks. We will see. Don't love the signing, but it was either him or Coleman and both are very flawed players.
 



So if Malik Smith is able to get a waiver because of FIU's inevitable post season ban, wouldn't that also mean that Buckles could get one too? My guess is we'll be hearing from him shortly.
 



goldy93 said:
Not sure why people get upset with facts. I suppose it deflates their hyperbole balloon.
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No one is upset by the facts. It's like if you find $10 on the ground and get kind of happy about it. Then there is that friend that comes in and says "well ya know with inflation that doesn't buy much anymore, and that bill is sort of ripped why would you even want it?" All facts, but is it really necessary to mention right now when folks are just happy we got a new commit and are welcoming him to the program and team?
 


point guard 10 said:
Shoot!
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More great reporting by the Strib. He is eligible, that was said a couple months ago when it was said he would transfer. I love that even the people who are supposed to be plugged in can't get it straight.
 

Amelia Rayno @AmeliaRayno
New #Gophers team source now telling me that Smith WILL be eligible right away.
 



The only thing that matters in this is that Pitino got another guy on board that knows his system. Given the timing Pitino just has to cobble together 2013 from a recruiting standpoint, try and put the best possible team on the court this fall and then target everything towards 2014 and beyond.
 

Amelia seems to make mistakes fairly often for some reason. I remember a few other goofs and then a major one where she misquoted Trevor.
 

BigGopherFan said:
Nevermind, I retract my amended statement. He did shoot 36% overall, which is terrible. He's going to have to make some major adjustments as a Gopher because he won't have the automatic green light. But, he should get more open looks. We will see. Don't love the signing, but it was either him or Coleman and both are very flawed players.
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As someone else has already pointed out, you can't look at FG% to determine whether or not someone is an efficient scorer. It's archaic. Everyone uses EFG% or PPS (points per shot). It's REALLY simple to follow. . .a 40% shooter who shoots a lot of 3s and gets to the free three line a lot scores A LOT more points than a guy who shoots 44% and it's all 2's and few free throws. It' a pretty simple concept and Jaymil has actually already made the point in this thread. But for some perspective. . .

Malik Smith scored 14.1 points on 11.6 per game. . .so he scored an average of 1.22 points per shot
Andre Hollins - 1.36 PPS
Austin Hollins - 1.23 PPS
Joe Coleman - 1.21 PPS
Julian Welch - 1.00 PPS
Rodney Williams - 1.24

So Malik Smith was alright last year as far as efficiency goes. He was as efficient as Coleman and Austin Hollins (albeit against worst competition). But looking at FG% to tell the tale of whether or not someone shot the ball well is archaic and completely missing the point.

It's why having a high shooting percentage means so little if it is all long 2's (the most dreaded shot in basketball). A guy shooting 33% from 3 scores as many points on as many shots as a guy shooting 50% from inside the arc. It's all about points.
 

Another positive right now?

We have 2 seniors making two scholarships for 2014. Now Smith's scholarship for 2014 and assuming Buckles for 2014. That is 4. Gives room to add another player with Coleman's scholarship and not have to worry about 2014 availability.
 

joshvanklomp said:
And just think how much better a shooter he'll be because he's going against better competition now!
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Yeah, in the Big 10 we play with a smaller hoop and a bigger ball, so standing in the corner knocking down 3's is going to be next to impossible for him.
 

I could not imagine Smith transferring and not being eligible; I don't have a great understanding of the eligibility rules for transferring, but I do know that if we are desperate for (maybe) average guards for the 2015 season then, Minnesota, we have a problem.
 


oleboy41 said:
I hope so and that's a good way to look at it. I'm worried about the turnovers and the inconsistent nature of his shooting. However I don't expect him to play 25 mns per game so it may not matter. Of course if Joe leaves then we have Dre/Austin/Mav/Ellenson/Mathieu/McNeal/Smith at guard, 7 guys in a system that likes to rotate players and play 3 guards at a time so he may play a good amount
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Hate to say it, but looking at PPS is really the only way to look at it. He was decent in this regard and he'll likely come to MN and be a decent shooter. I think that's what Pitino probably wanted to add, another decent shooter. The talk of him being Seth Curry is hyperbole, but you have to look at him for what he is.
 


oleboy41 said:
True. I also see a lot of these games:
2-9 .222
0-4 .000
0-4 .000
3-8 .375
4-13 .308
1-6 .167
3-9 .333
1-9 .111
2-9 .222
2-6 .333
4-12 .333
0-4 .000
1-8 .125
0-5 .000
3-10 .300
4-12 .333
4-13 .308
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I don't see a big problem with the bolded games. That means out of his 34 games, he had ten really poor shooting nights. That isn't bad.
 

Blackhammer said:
You done with the negative yet? We get your point. Enough already!
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So only positive happy posts are allowed here and otherwise keep your opinions to yourself? I think I'll keep expressing my opinion how I see fit but thanks for asking
 

tjgopher said:
I don't see a big problem with the bolded games. That means out of his 34 games, he had ten really poor shooting nights. That isn't bad.
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And that list is only showing his "bad" nights. He had plenty other games at 50 percent and 60 percent.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
As someone else has already pointed out, you can't look at FG% to determine whether or not someone is an efficient scorer. It's archaic. Everyone uses EFG% or PPS (points per shot). It's REALLY simple to follow. . .a 40% shooter who shoots a lot of 3s and gets to the free three line a lot scores A LOT more points than a guy who shoots 44% and it's all 2's and few free throws. It' a pretty simple concept and Jaymil has actually already made the point in this thread. But for some perspective. . .

Malik Smith scored 14.1 points on 11.6 per game. . .so he scored an average of 1.22 points per shot
Andre Hollins - 1.36 PPS
Austin Hollins - 1.23 PPS
Joe Coleman - 1.21 PPS
Julian Welch - 1.00 PPS
Rodney Williams - 1.24

So Malik Smith was alright last year as far as efficiency goes. He was as efficient as Coleman and Austin Hollins (albeit against worst competition). But looking at FG% to tell the tale of whether or not someone shot the ball well is archaic and completely missing the point.

It's why having a high shooting percentage means so little if it is all long 2's (the most dreaded shot in basketball). A guy shooting 33% from 3 scores as many points on as many shots as a guy shooting 50% from inside the arc. It's all about points.
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Bob_Loblaw said:
Hate to say it, but looking at PPS is really the only way to look at it. He was decent in this regard and he'll likely come to MN and be a decent shooter. I think that's what Pitino probably wanted to add, another decent shooter. The talk of him being Seth Curry is hyperbole, but you have to look at him for what he is.
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That does make me feel a bit better for sure. I still like to see a guy shoot a better percentage when that's basically all he brings to the table (at least offensively. I can't speak to his defense). Hopefully he can be a consistent shooter and not just a streaky guy. We saw Austin get streaky last year and it was either great or terrible. We could use a second guy that can be counted on to hit an open shot besides Dre
 

tjgopher said:
I don't see a big problem with the bolded games. That means out of his 34 games, he had ten really poor shooting nights. That isn't bad.
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Shouldn't have included that 3-8 game. The rest I included because he took a lot of shots. Without watching the games I have no idea if these were spot up shots or off the dribble or what but I don't think spot up shooters typically get 8-10 good looks per game so I'm assuming (I know) that he's gunning which concerns me when he's not hitting much and 33% isn't exactly hot. Who knows though. If he can handle the ball and get up the court he'll help
 

oleboy41 said:
So only positive happy posts are allowed here and otherwise keep your opinions to yourself? I think I'll keep expressing my opinion how I see fit but thanks for asking
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No, but what's the point of it right now? If your friend/son/brother/etc. gets engaged do you congratulate him or just start immediately pointing out every little flaw she has?

"Guess what I'm engaged, I'm so happy and in love! This is the best day of my life!!!"

"Wow man, dumb move. You realize she weighs 150 right? You know that don't you? And her feet, wow they are weird looking. You think your kids will have those same feet? And dude, she needs to smile less. I mean, she smiles and is happy a lot. What's up with that? How can you trust her with all that smiling and stuff? Plus, have you seen her paychecks? A little on the light side wouldn't you say? Too bad she can't swap that for her weight, am I right!?!?"
 

Considering he's just for this year, I feel like it can't be that bad of a pickup. He's played with him, and it definitely can't hurt the team to have a guy who knows what Pitino wants and can relay that info to his fellow guards out there, probably better than Pitino himself could. I think this will help the returning guards a lot, just from his knowledge and experience. Whether he can ball at this level? Well, that remains to be seen, but I think his value could stretch off the court as well as on it.
 


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