First impressions....

Was able to stream the game last night for my first look at this year's team. Despite kind of a silly game, I was able to come to some VERY EARLY conclusions....

Devonte: Clearly "the man" this year. It's his team, he knows it, and everybody on the court knows it.

Svi: How can this guy be SO good when he's playing in international events, but then look inept on his own home court with the Jayhawks. I so absolutely want to love this kid as a player, but last night he couldn't hit the side of a barn with his shot. I'm feeling like we were over-sold on him and while he's a good player and good kid, he's not the phenom we thought we were getting. Hope for his sake that he gets it together if he wants to play at the next level, because at this point I don't see it.

Dok: so happy he's healthy. He's a monster. Needs work on his FT shooting and is still a little raw, but man oh man, if you get between him and the rim, I sure hope you've got good insurance.

Vick: They've let him off the leash and it looks like he's going to have a big year. He showed flashes last year, but was kept in check. I think with the green light turned on for him, he's gonna be good. Great athlete.

Newman: didn't show a ton last night. Looks like he's still getting comfortable.

Garrett: probably my biggest surprise. Did some nice things on both ends. Can play multiple positions. Very intriguing player and I was pleasantly surprised. Looks like he wants to please the coaches....a good thing.

Preston: Not a true post player, but very athletic. Next to Dok he's a dwarf. Right now I get the same feeling I got in Perry's soph/junior season (early junior) where it seemed like HCBS wanted him to post up and play like a center. Once it became clear that that wasn't Perry's game and he was allowed to play to his strengths he flourished. Right now, I think HCBS is trying to see how much of a "5" he can become, so the jury is out. It's clear that he's a little uncomfortable in that role, but he also had some sweet post moves last night (albeit against a 2nd tier opponent), so there's clearly potential there. Interested to see how he develops.

Lightfoot: not much of a game last night. Didn't score in 16 minutes, and grabbed 3 boards. That seems lackluster when you consider who we were playing. Not sure how he'll develop going forward. He's still looking kind of skinny and a little small to be playing in the paint, and he's clearly not a perimeter player. Needs more Hudy-ization if he wants to eventually be more than a backup player.

Admittedly, this is based on one game, but those are the early returns in my district.

NotO,
Don't disagree with any of your impressions, especially concerning Svi. But I was a little alarmed at the play of our big men. Dok looks full of potential, and he is huge, but seems quite raw to me. It really hurts that he didn't get a full year in last year. Don't see any of the great footwork that Embiid had that was such a big factor in his rapid development. Dok will develop of course...I just wonder if it will come fast enough for the team to do much in March.
Meanwhile, Preston is clearly not a "big man" in the Bill Self school of thinking. Good skills, without a doubt, but he sure doesn't play like a 4, much less a 5. And Lightfoot is just an eager and earnest young man caught in a bad situation. There is no way he can play the 5, and he has yet to show the ability to do much at the 4. The frontcourt is VERY thin.
I shall hope that the guard play is as stellar as it appears, and that Garrett can give us some minutes up front.

I think this is going to be a great season. The team is not deep, but the potential to score points in bunches is something many teams do not have.
Sometimes I feel like I must be looking at the game through a different lens than others. Svi had a poor shooting night, but 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 24 minutes is a nice stat line. If you watch his off of the ball defense, he might be the best help defender we have. It is due to this however, that he is constantly having to close out which is where he gets beat defensively off of the dribble. His lack of elite foot speed hurts his on ball defense. I love watching his positioning off of the ball, he is trying to do things right, he is just not elite athletically which makes the KU style of tight ball pressure 30 feet from the basket a difficult style for his skill set.

Yeah, I am concerned about our play in the paint. Keep in mind, however, that until Landon Lucas got his act together, we were worried.

As for the Dok/Embiid comparison, it's true, but I think it's an apples to oranges thing. Embiidwold have been the #1 pick if he hadn't gotten hurt, and as it is he went #3. He's considered to be a huge star in the NBA even with limited playing time. I don't think Dok has nearly the same level of expectations on him.

I think they're also different in that Dok is physically much more of a load than Joel was (although now he's a monster). What Dok lacks in finesse he overcomes with raw power and physicality.

This still doesn't dismiss our shortage of bigs. If Dok gets in foul trouble, or lacks the stamina to play at least 25 minutes, we don't have a solid "plan B" in place, which is scary. At this point neither Preston or Lightfoot can handle the job.

Still very high on this team.