Westbrook

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Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook,

I know this is a first post for me but I'd be curious to see what folks think of Westbrook. I hate to be hyper critical but he's out of control on offense, gets beat on defense everytime, and I'm beginning to think it wasn't a coincidence that he wasn't on the floor the majority of the game when we beat Louisville. And go figure when he got in at the end of the game against Louisville he almost blew it by turning the ball over.

Thoughts ?
 

He's very streaky. His playing time against Louisville was limited because of foul trouble.
 

I agree with Jammer that Westbrook is streaky. I still like his confidence and his abilities ... but think at times he's overly confident in his own abilities and forces some shots.

As to the streakiness,

  • last game he seemed better able to drive to the basket and finish ... other games, not so much.
  • Some games he seems to make an effort to pass on a shot opportunity and pass to a teammate who has a better shot ... other games, not so much.
  • When his 3-point shot is on, it's a thing of beauty.
As to the claim he "gets beat on defense every time" I guess I don't see it the same way. He's pretty aggressive when he plays his man and will 'over-defend' on one side or another. But he seems pretty adept at being able to recover if his man compensates.
 

Westbrook is a former 40pt per game high school player. He looks great against weak competition. He can actually OVER drive it to the basket and not get stuffed. Like alot of college players they never seem to learn to pull up on drives and hit the 10' floater. On the positive, he is a streaky 3pt shooter and a hustler. Against Louisville he just put too much pressure on himself to do well in front of family and friends. He is what he is. I wish he was 4 inches taller, but hey I wish I was 4 inches taller.
 

He's our only creative scorer.

Royce White could be our biggest impact recruit since the James/Jackson era.
 


Gophers do not have a scorer

In reference to Westbrook:
akgopher said:
He's our only creative scorer.
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Absolutely not! The Gophers do not have a single guy that can create (and make) his own shot consistently.

When LW takes the ball into traffic, usually bad things happen. Nolan could be if other teams respected his outside shot. Carter could be if he could actually get the ball in the hoop. Joseph has shown signs, but often gets a quick hook for forcing the same type of shot LW takes regularly. And Bostick??
 

I agree w/Mikie

I hold my breath when Westbrook has "that look" in his eye. Last year in a post game interview Tubby described LMac's play saying, "And Lawrence was out there trying to dribble the air out of the ball." Much like this Lawrence. One of the better things that happens is his barely-in-control play often contributes to the other team fouling him before he he looses control completely.

Who will emerge as our go to guy, our clutch shooter? It might help to have another true point guard next year as Nolen seems to score when needed but is so focused on running the offense (which includes two freshman centers) I suspect things won't change until he has more help and experience with him.
 

Sorry, I guess I didn't mean to be a bit strong in my comments.

I know Westbrook has his moments but watching him lately I just haven't been real impressed. He's had his good games but maybe he's just a streaky all around player. When he's off he's off his whole game.

I am curious though about the Louisville game. Arguably our best game of the year, yes. Lawrence only had 10 minutes. Tubby certainly must've figured him into a large role in the game. The dynamic changed without him and I suspect, obviously, for the better.
 

Lawrence vs. Louisville

Speaking as somone who would list Westbrook as probably his favorite player on the roster and as someone who was in Arizona, here's my take on the Louisville game. We all know he didn't have one of his better games. His foul trouble certainly played a part in that, but that wasn't the only thing. I thought Lawrence pressed, for obvious reasons, and he didn't play well, plain & simple.

What impressed me the most was how Tubby handled the situation. You have to know deep down Tubby wanted to get Westbrook back in there with the game on the line (when foul trouble was no longer an issue) because of the family/friends deal, especially because Lawrence has been one of our best players under Tubby. Tubby certainly wouldn't have had to defend the decision very much to put his leading scorer back in the game.

But Tubby did the best thing for the team, not the individual, as he should. He stuck with Hoffarber & Busch for the crucial minutes because they were getting the job done. That really showed me Tubby will do what's right, what's best to win the game, and not worry about individual feelings. And to Westbrook's credit, I saw no body language issues while all this was going on.

Bottom line is when a game's in the balance a coach is going to play the guys that will give him the best chance to win. Who those guys are varies with each game. That night Lawrence wasn't one of 'em, Hoffarber & Busch were.
 



Westbrook would be simply awesome in a "six-foot and under" league.
 

I would put myself in the category of somewhat disappointed in Westbook's play thus far but...I believe he is our best "scorer" however those scores come and for us to be our best I think he needs to be given some freedom to score. Obviously not to the point that it hurts the team if he isn't playing well but a scorer allowed to play with confidence can do a lot for a team.
 

Gophers09 said:
I would put myself in the category of somewhat disappointed in Westbook's play thus far but...I believe he is our best "scorer" however those scores come and for us to be our best I think he needs to be given some freedom to score. Obviously not to the point that it hurts the team if he isn't playing well but a scorer allowed to play with confidence can do a lot for a team.
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In LW's defense, I think he's trying to step up and fill a void this team has, but I think its hurt his overall performance this year. Although he's strong enough & tough enough, he just doesn't have the superior quickness & hops needed to overcome his lack of height.
 

I think the issue with Westbrook is that he's a nice player who is allowed the freedom of an excellent player because we don't have anyone else who can score and create. Westbrook would be a very good scorer for a small conference team but he's a role player for a B10 team but he has the green light out of necessity
 



akgopher said:
He's our only creative scorer.

Royce White could be our biggest impact recruit since the James/Jackson era.
Click to expand...

What about Rodney Williams? I feel like people are forgetting he's supposed to be about as good as White.
 

He's supposed to be more of an athlete at this point. I've heard he's got some work academic progress to make before he sees the floor or the admission office here.
 


Lighten up

Yeah, a cancer on the court - leading the team in scoring.

I agree that he is undersized and struggles against some bigger athletic guards, but calling him a cancer on the court is a bit extreme.
 

he gets his points in garbage time (mich st) and/or against high point and lesser teams. he tries to be a one man show with the ball and he is a problem defending. The Louisville game he was in terribe foul trouble and we played our best game. couldnt get him to show up against Mich st until under 2 min. we had a 15 point lead in this game and he comes in cant get the ball out of his hand against the press. his only up side is his free throw shooting
 

akgopher said:
He's supposed to be more of an athlete at this point. I've heard he's got some work academic progress to make before he sees the floor or the admission office here.
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Williams is a fine player and should be able to see the floor and pass muster with the AO next year.
 

Please ban FiveStarFan from this board for calling a good kid who is playing hard and playkng well a cancer! The only cancer here IS FiveStarFan....what a d-bag you are!!! Go Away!!

Please tell us from Westbrook stats today against a Top 25 team how he is a cancer! He had 15 point, 2 assists, 0 TURNEOVERS

STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Damian Johnson, F 34 5-8 0-0 2-2 2 6 4 4 3 0 2 12
Colton Iverson, F-C 27 2-3 0-0 0-1 1 3 3 0 4 1 3 4
Ralph Sampson III, F-C 17 2-6 0-0 0-0 1 5 1 0 0 1 1 4
Lawrence Westbrook, G 21 4-7 3-5 4-4 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 15
Al Nolen, G 22 3-8 1-4 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 2 2 7
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Jonathan Williams, C 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Jamal Abu-Shamala, G-F 14 2-5 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
Travis Busch, G-F 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Blake Hoffarber, G 15 1-4 1-4 0-0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 3
Paul Carter, F 10 1-5 0-0 4-4 3 5 1 1 0 2 2 6
Devoe Joseph, G 21 3-9 1-3 0-0 3 4 4 1 0 2 1 7
Devron Bostick, G 13 2-3 1-2 0-0 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 5
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
25-59 8-20 10-11 13 35 20 8 7 12 15 68
 

Agree

Westbrook is the weak link on this team.

People want to point out that he was a 40 point per game scorer. Anyone who scores 40 per game is selfish, period!!!

He over dribbles, takes bad shots, and at least once per game takes a 1 on 4 fast break where he throws up some awful shot that kills a possession. People say he is a creative scorer, no he is a gunner.

Let be honest, he is a 5'11 shotting guard who doesn't handle the ball well, is an inconsistent shooter, struggles to get to the basket, makes poor decisions, but tries hard. However, everyone on the team tries hard, Blake, Travis, Al, Damien, Colton etc, so he gets to extra recognition for that, which leaves you with a guy who hurts the team when he is on the court.

Reserve you are right, it is not a coincidence we played our best game when he sat the majority of the time.
 

ok..ok...ok calm down, a cancer...maybe was a bit harsh. I am a man and can admitt when I'm wrong. maybe a better way to say it is he is a defensive liabilty and puts his team in some really tough situations for an upper classman. if you cant hang on the defensive end in Tubbys system one man can screw it all up. if you watch him in his rotations and one on one defending he is always one or even two steps slow
 

LW will be just fine, he needs to recognize double teams and pass out of them before he gets into trouble...
 

P.S. Westbrook leads the team in TO at 2.2 a game. tThe next closest is Nolen at 1.6 and he is your point guard and primary ball handler and anyone who knows basketball knows that the point usually has the most chance to turn it over. Not to mention Westbrook is doing this with 3 others playing more min per game and more time to handle the ball. Leading the team in scoring yes, but at only 12 ppg and a lot has come against lesser teams and at the line
 

freshtrout said:
LW will be just fine, he needs to recognize double teams and pass out of them before he gets into trouble...
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totally agree but a kid that has been around for a while shouldnt be making these mistakes, fresh should.
 

Alan Shore said:
Westbrook is the weak link on this team.

People want to point out that he was a 40 point per game scorer. Anyone who scores 40 per game is selfish, period!!!

He over dribbles, takes bad shots, and at least once per game takes a 1 on 4 fast break where he throws up some awful shot that kills a possession. People say he is a creative scorer, no he is a gunner.

Let be honest, he is a 5'11 shotting guard who doesn't handle the ball well, is an inconsistent shooter, struggles to get to the basket, makes poor decisions, but tries hard. However, everyone on the team tries hard, Blake, Travis, Al, Damien, Colton etc, so he gets to extra recognition for that, which leaves you with a guy who hurts the team when he is on the court.

Reserve you are right, it is not a coincidence we played our best game when he sat the majority of the time.
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You can never have enough shotting guards...
 

westbrook is a B10 caliber player

How quickly we forget how vital he was to last year's team. Admittedly, that team was short on talent but Westbrook hit a lot of key shots, always played hard, and like this year, was a reliable defender against some very good players. Maybe he was our best player along with DJ. This year, the talent pool is much deeper but nonetheless he has a solid place in the lineup and will get his fair share of well-deserved minutes if he plays smart and within himself. Perhaps the caveat on that is Bostick. If he continues to improve I see him taking Westbrook's minutes.
 

anyone see him get a little edgy at the end of the game today with the ohio state players?
 

Maybe Lawrence makes a few bad choices on the offensive end, but his improved 3-pt. shooting this year is stretching the opposing defenses. He goes to the hole with strength and he makes his foul shots.

It's early yet and I'm glad to roll the dice with Lawrence. There will be some close games coming up and my prediction is that we'll all be glad that he's on the floor at the end.
 

LW is streaky on O, but his D is lockdown. I think he's one of our toughest defensive threats...he is in your face. yes he occasionally gets burned but tends to recover nicely and get back in position.
 

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