Lonnie Walker is The Truth

[edge3241]

On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know much about basketball. Why does every poster on here try to fit a square peg in a round hole? He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both. But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer. What the coaches seem to be working out these days is how best to get everyone working together with the strengths they have, how to get the most out of the players they have. If you’ve watched these players since they’ve been here you’ve seen the best and worst of each of them. Getting everyone to work together with one and dones can be hard. But in my opinion, this team is growing up in their wins and losses right now (glad this one was a win!). I like where we’re headed


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You simply don't watch Miami basketball consistently if you are defending Newton at this point. He has not improved at all since his freshmen year. If you want to make the point he's not a point guard and is playing out of position then go ahead. But the reality is that if he's a shooting guard then he needs to play behind Walker and not play much. If you want to learn the wrong way to play basketball, just watch Newton play. He kills this team.

 

[edge3241]

On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know much about basketball. Why does every poster on here try to fit a square peg in a round hole? He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both. But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer. What the coaches seem to be working out these days is how best to get everyone working together with the strengths they have, how to get the most out of the players they have. If you’ve watched these players since they’ve been here you’ve seen the best and worst of each of them. Getting everyone to work together with one and dones can be hard. But in my opinion, this team is growing up in their wins and losses right now (glad this one was a win!). I like where we’re headed


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I don't disagree with this statement, and Newton has been an easy guy to bash. However, my issues with Newton this year have been: (i) that he has forced drives when they aren't there, and (ii) that he has missed a number of layups that he shouldn't miss. Even Vitale pointed out the missed layups during last night's game. Newton's two missed layups last night at the end of regulation almost killed us -- but for Lonnie Walker's acrobatic layup with 5 seconds left.

Just look at his FG% and FT%, which are lower than during his sophomore and junior years.

To be fair, Bruce Brown's offensive percentages are also down this year, but I think more people give him a pass because of his rebounding and his defensive prowess. Plus, Brown has games like FSU and NCState, where he just takes over.

How can you agree with this guy's comment and then state all the issues you have with him. These have been Newton's issues from day 1. He kills the flow of our offense, can't finish consistently, can't shoot, turns the ball over, and doesn't know when to pass. He has the talent to be an effective player and shows sign of it but the majority of his play is awful and really hurts this team.

 

[HLSCane]

On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know much about basketball. Why does every poster on here try to fit a square peg in a round hole? He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both. But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer. What the coaches seem to be working out these days is how best to get everyone working together with the strengths they have, how to get the most out of the players they have. If you’ve watched these players since they’ve been here you’ve seen the best and worst of each of them. Getting everyone to work together with one and dones can be hard. But in my opinion, this team is growing up in their wins and losses right now (glad this one was a win!). I like where we’re headed


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I don't disagree with this statement, and Newton has been an easy guy to bash. However, my issues with Newton this year have been: (i) that he has forced drives when they aren't there, and (ii) that he has missed a number of layups that he shouldn't miss. Even Vitale pointed out the missed layups during last night's game. Newton's two missed layups last night at the end of regulation almost killed us -- but for Lonnie Walker's acrobatic layup with 5 seconds left.

Just look at his FG% and FT%, which are lower than during his sophomore and junior years.

To be fair, Bruce Brown's offensive percentages are also down this year, but I think more people give him a pass because of his rebounding and his defensive prowess. Plus, Brown has games like FSU and NCState, where he just takes over.

How can you agree with this guy's comment and then state all the issues you have with him. These have been Newton's issues from day 1. He kills the flow of our offense, can't finish consistently, can't shoot, turns the ball over, and doesn't know when to pass. He has the talent to be an effective player and shows sign of it but the majority of his play is awful and really hurts this team.

Perhaps I should have clarified where I agreed with MiamiDan regarding Newton:

"On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket." -- I agree, his best shot has always been in the lane. In fact, he is sometimes more successful with the runner in the lane than at the hoop, at least recently.

"He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both." -- I agree with this as well. Look at his assists and turnovers in the past three games (11-3) as proof that he can pass well at times, as well as limit his turnovers.

"But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer." -- To be fair, I should have pushed back on this statement a bit. I would characterize Newton's upside as pretty good, and certainly above average. But not great. To achieve his upside, Newton absolutely needs to drive to the lane frequently. However, when Newton is at his best, he isn't forcing the drive to the basket, as he seemed to do at the end of the UL game. Instead, he needs to pick his spots. He also needs to be able to convert at the line. Like Bruce, he draws a lot of fouls, and his scoring threat depends on his ability to earn the foul AND convert. Despite two big misses in OT, Newton was 8-10 on the line against NCState. I'll take that any day.

To sum it all up, I am hoping that Newton can replicate his performance from the last game (excluding the last 90 seconds of regulation and OT), or his performance against Minnesota from November, where he shot well, didn't turn the ball over, and made some passes. His game against NC State was pretty good too when you consider his 7 assists and 2 steals to 1 turnover. If he can do that going forward, he can be a valuable teammate.

Now maybe I should stop being cautiously optimistic about Newton -- time will tell on whether he can show some ability to do more than flash his potential in a handful of games.

 

[thegrove]

On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know much about basketball. Why does every poster on here try to fit a square peg in a round hole? He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both. But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer. What the coaches seem to be working out these days is how best to get everyone working together with the strengths they have, how to get the most out of the players they have. If you’ve watched these players since they’ve been here you’ve seen the best and worst of each of them. Getting everyone to work together with one and dones can be hard. But in my opinion, this team is growing up in their wins and losses right now (glad this one was a win!). I like where we’re headed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't disagree with this statement, and Newton has been an easy guy to bash. However, my issues with Newton this year have been: (i) that he has forced drives when they aren't there, and (ii) that he has missed a number of layups that he shouldn't miss. Even Vitale pointed out the missed layups during last night's game. Newton's two missed layups last night at the end of regulation almost killed us -- but for Lonnie Walker's acrobatic layup with 5 seconds left.

Just look at his FG% and FT%, which are lower than during his sophomore and junior years.

To be fair, Bruce Brown's offensive percentages are also down this year, but I think more people give him a pass because of his rebounding and his defensive prowess. Plus, Brown has games like FSU and NCState, where he just takes over.

How can you agree with this guy's comment and then state all the issues you have with him. These have been Newton's issues from day 1. He kills the flow of our offense, can't finish consistently, can't shoot, turns the ball over, and doesn't know when to pass. He has the talent to be an effective player and shows sign of it but the majority of his play is awful and really hurts this team.

Perhaps I should have clarified where I agreed with MiamiDan regarding Newton:

"On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket." -- I agree, his best shot has always been in the lane. In fact, he is sometimes more successful with the runner in the lane than at the hoop, at least recently.

"He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both." -- I agree with this as well. Look at his assists and turnovers in the past three games (11-3) as proof that he can pass well at times, as well as limit his turnovers.

"But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer." -- To be fair, I should have pushed back on this statement a bit. I would characterize Newton's upside as pretty good, and certainly above average. But not great. To achieve his upside, Newton absolutely needs to drive to the lane frequently. However, when Newton is at his best, he isn't forcing the drive to the basket, as he seemed to do at the end of the UL game. Instead, he needs to pick his spots. He also needs to be able to convert at the line. Like Bruce, he draws a lot of fouls, and his scoring threat depends on his ability to earn the foul AND convert. Despite two big misses in OT, Newton was 8-10 on the line against NCState. I'll take that any day.

To sum it all up, I am hoping that Newton can replicate his performance from the last game (excluding the last 90 seconds of regulation and OT), or his performance against Minnesota from November, where he shot well, didn't turn the ball over, and made some passes. His game against NC State was pretty good too when you consider his 7 assists and 2 steals to 1 turnover. If he can do that going forward, he can be a valuable teammate.

Now maybe I should stop being cautiously optimistic about Newton -- time will tell on whether he can show some ability to do more than flash his potential in a handful of games.

Good job

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[edge3241]

On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t know much about basketball. Why does every poster on here try to fit a square peg in a round hole? He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both. But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer. What the coaches seem to be working out these days is how best to get everyone working together with the strengths they have, how to get the most out of the players they have. If you’ve watched these players since they’ve been here you’ve seen the best and worst of each of them. Getting everyone to work together with one and dones can be hard. But in my opinion, this team is growing up in their wins and losses right now (glad this one was a win!). I like where we’re headed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't disagree with this statement, and Newton has been an easy guy to bash. However, my issues with Newton this year have been: (i) that he has forced drives when they aren't there, and (ii) that he has missed a number of layups that he shouldn't miss. Even Vitale pointed out the missed layups during last night's game. Newton's two missed layups last night at the end of regulation almost killed us -- but for Lonnie Walker's acrobatic layup with 5 seconds left.

Just look at his FG% and FT%, which are lower than during his sophomore and junior years.

To be fair, Bruce Brown's offensive percentages are also down this year, but I think more people give him a pass because of his rebounding and his defensive prowess. Plus, Brown has games like FSU and NCState, where he just takes over.

How can you agree with this guy's comment and then state all the issues you have with him. These have been Newton's issues from day 1. He kills the flow of our offense, can't finish consistently, can't shoot, turns the ball over, and doesn't know when to pass. He has the talent to be an effective player and shows sign of it but the majority of his play is awful and really hurts this team.

Perhaps I should have clarified where I agreed with MiamiDan regarding Newton:

"On offense, Newton’s best when he is driving to the basket." -- I agree, his best shot has always been in the lane. In fact, he is sometimes more successful with the runner in the lane than at the hoop, at least recently.

"He’s not a great shooter or a great passer, though he’s occasionally capable of both." -- I agree with this as well. Look at his assists and turnovers in the past three games (11-3) as proof that he can pass well at times, as well as limit his turnovers.

"But he can be great (and has been for most of his time at the U) as a driving scorer." -- To be fair, I should have pushed back on this statement a bit. I would characterize Newton's upside as pretty good, and certainly above average. But not great. To achieve his upside, Newton absolutely needs to drive to the lane frequently. However, when Newton is at his best, he isn't forcing the drive to the basket, as he seemed to do at the end of the UL game. Instead, he needs to pick his spots. He also needs to be able to convert at the line. Like Bruce, he draws a lot of fouls, and his scoring threat depends on his ability to earn the foul AND convert. Despite two big misses in OT, Newton was 8-10 on the line against NCState. I'll take that any day.

To sum it all up, I am hoping that Newton can replicate his performance from the last game (excluding the last 90 seconds of regulation and OT), or his performance against Minnesota from November, where he shot well, didn't turn the ball over, and made some passes. His game against NC State was pretty good too when you consider his 7 assists and 2 steals to 1 turnover. If he can do that going forward, he can be a valuable teammate.

Now maybe I should stop being cautiously optimistic about Newton -- time will tell on whether he can show some ability to do more than flash his potential in a handful of games.

I appreciate the explanation. Makes complete sense. I agree that Newton could be an asset to this team. Earlier in the year he showed flashes by having a high assist to turnover ratio and would score when needed but never forced anything. He's changed course lately. Really hoping he can get back to the Chris Paul mentality he learned in the off season where it really showed early on.