Brady Ellingson

[CentralIAHawk]

I think (maybe I am hopeful) that most of our board is overlooking Brady in this coming season's expectations discussion. I think there is a real chance that Brady, not some of the other guards, will be the one to have the breakout season. A couple of signals that I am seeing:

1. He shot a tremendous percentage last season, even without getting a good volume of shots. That is pretty unusual. If he gets enough game shots to actually become B1G confident, he could become a real assassin this season.
2. He is one of the most mature "men" on the team. This is Brady's 4th season in the system. He is no longer a boy, or a younger man...he will be one of the oldest guys on the court each game.
3. We continue to hear about his defensive improvement and abilities. I know that most are thinking Moss will take most of PJ's minutes because he has a higher ceiling...but I keep remembering the significant bench minutes that Moss earned the second half of last season, because of his defensive liabilities. If Brady is truly the best defensive guard, that also will garner him more extended minutes.
4. I know, we can't count on anything from the PTL. With that said, and with the PTL always being a guard dominated league, BE was the guard that ended up on top, at the end. I know that Nunge was the MVP, and a big part of that, but the other teams had Cook, Garza, Kreiner and Uhl. And in the end, the guard that took away the 'ship was Brady. Maybe Brady was actually the reason that JN looked so good...is that possible? Guards tend to do that, determine the success of their bigs.
5. Looking at all of those factors, I just think it is very likely that Brady earns 20-25 minutes per game this year. And if he does, I think his confidence will continue to rise...and I believe he could be a 12-15 ppg scorer. And if his PTL numbers mean anything, he could also add 3-4 assists and 3-4 boards per game. If we get those numbers from Brady, it bodes well for this team.

And in the end, who knows how high his ceiling could actually be. With Brady and Nicolas leading as seniors next season...with a bunch of stallions following them, well that could just be really fun.

I am going to predict that Brady Ellingson will be the guy who surprises most of us this upcoming season.

Go Hawks!

 

[hawk-i bob]

I agree with you...not sure about 20-25 minutes...I do think he is a better defender than what some think. (sort of has a label)...He is stronger & doesnt get physically pushed down like he use to.

The deal is you have to have the Brady Ellingsons' on championship teams...they are the glue guys who compete in practice everyday..coach knows what he is going to get from them.

and he can shoot

 

[CanadaHawk]

I agree that Ellingson is becoming a veteran shooter and surprising playmaker. He knows what he needs to do on defense. The only reservation I have is his lateral quickness on D, and even that wouldn't be so much of an issue if our starting PG didn't have the same issue. This really showed last year vs super athletic backcourts where Moss could only guard one of them. I do think at this point that Brady will be the 3rd guard, but CW/Dailey will have important defensive roles.

 

[perryhawk]

"IF" Brady plays as well as we hope he will get minutes at both the point and off guard. In general, for me, it just feels like we are one more guard (beyond JB and Moss) from being a really really good team.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Agree with most of the OP. I think Brady is the most polished, efficient guard we have. He knows how to move without the ball, has great shot selection, and is a decent ball handler on offense. On defense, he understands team defense and positioning, but he is a step slow compared to some of the guys with elite quickness. I expect him to get close to 20 min/game and double his shots, which is a good thing, given his shooting percentages. It will be interesting to see if Ellingson gets many minutes as the back up PG. His quickness is really his only limitation.

 

[hawk-i bob]

"IF" Brady plays as well as we hope he will get minutes at both the point and off guard. In general, for me, it just feels like we are one more guard (beyond JB and Moss) from being a really really good team.

it will be very interesting to see how things pan out after JBo & Moss...all 3 (BE,CW&Dailey) bring a different talent...maybe Fran will rotate the available backup guard minutes to all 3 (at least until someone takes a lead)...

so say JBo 30 Moss 20 ...leaves about 30 min

 

[CentralIAHawk]

Actually, Moss couldn't guard one of them. That is one of my main points, I think we are all missing the fact that Moss is our worst defensive guard.

Go Hawks!

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Moss was our least disciplined defensive guard (except maybe Pete), but his size and athleticism gives him a much higher ceiling than JBo or Ellingson. I hope he takes a big step forward this year, but that remains to be seen.

 

[Stormn Norman]

If Brady can be the best defensive gaurd on the roster and knock down his shot, no reason he shouldn't get more playing time. Although not for lack of effort JoBo has his limitations, CW can defend but was a liability on the Offensive end. Really hope Moss puts it together because he has the ability to lock the two spot down. I just think he needs to care more about defending and become more consistent on the offensive end and he shouldn't have to look over his shoulder or at the bench..

 

[CanadaHawk]

it will be very interesting to see how things pan out after JBo & Moss...all 3 (BE,CW&Dailey) bring a different talent...maybe Fran will rotate the available backup guard minutes to all 3 (at least until someone takes a lead)...

so say JBo 30 Moss 20 ...leaves about 30 min

Moss was essential for us defensively last year as Jok and JB had deficiencies. I think Fran will try to rest JB as much as possible, particularly pre-B1G. So I'm thinking on the year: JB 28, Moss 25. I think Ellingson's minutes will fluctuate depending on the opposition but his general usage will certainly go up.

 

[hooper56]

I think it is safe to say that Brady has figured a few things out. Looking forward to seeing some good minutes from him this season.

 

[Ronman]

If nothing else, Brady will get minutes at the end of games due to his proficiency from the FT line.

 

[Steve Waite]

i expect Brady to get 10 minutes each as a back up PG and SG. He is better offensively than both
Williams and Dailey. Williams is the best defensive guard, but is to prone and terrible shooter.

 

[perryhawk]

Actually, Moss couldn't guard one of them. That is one of my main points, I think we are all missing the fact that Moss is our worst defensive guard.

Go Hawks!

I certainly don't claim any basketball expertise, but I find this hard to believe. Having re-watched a number of games Moss gives pretty good effort on defense and as others have noted he is long and athletic. I would certainly say that he is sometimes over playing and over extended but he is a long way from being our worst defensive guard.

It's my guess that if he was our worst defensive guard we would have finished with a much better record last year and I doubt Fran would have him in the starting lineup.

 

[hawk-i bob]

Last year is last year .. I would suspect we will see improvement...in all areas by everyone.

 

[CentralIAHawk]

well, he certainly wasn't our worst offender last season, that honor went to PJ. However, it was known that the reason that moss's playing time was so erratic was related to huge defensive gaffes that he was unable to avoid. That's why he would start, play for a couple of minutes, and then sit the remainder of the half. Defense has much less to do with body & athleticism than people think.

 

[CanadaHawk]

Defense has much less to do with body & athleticism than people think.

That's why slow short guys are highly prized defenders.

 

[seer_hawk]

Agree with most of the OP. I think Brady is the most polished, efficient guard we have. He knows how to move without the ball, has great shot selection, and is a decent ball handler on offense. On defense, he understands team defense and positioning, but he is a step slow compared to some of the guys with elite quickness. I expect him to get close to 20 min/game and double his shots, which is a good thing, given his shooting percentages. It will be interesting to see if Ellingson gets many minutes as the back up PG. His quickness is really his only limitation.

His freshman season confidence was his biggest limitation. Is he 100% past that? I really hope so, because IMO he's always had outstanding BBall skills. He played a lot better down the stretch last year, and I'm hoping for another step forward this season. I could see him offering a 6th man contribution like Baer gave us last year. He just needs to tap some confidence and aggressiveness.

 

[Hawkdogwoof]

IIrc Brady was praised several times for his defense last year, there's more to D than just man to man. You have to know where you should be, be able to anticipate, be in the right position to help, know when to dig, getting out on shooters, know when to trap, force someone the way you want them to go etc.. I think he excels at all of these and more. A good O player will always beat a good D player, it's team D that matters and Brady's great at that.

 

[The Sleeping Dog]

Brady's defense clearly improved over the course of last season. My theory is people think Brady's terrible on defense because he seems to get posterized on one play every game. But otherwise he's gotten good at jumping passing lanes. You really cannot tell anything about defense in the PTL, simply because so little of it is played. But you can tell if guys are willing to dig in individually. A lot of people that say Brady in the PTL say his willingness and positioning were both better on defense.

Remember, he doesn't have to be Kevin Boyle or Eric May. When guys beat our guards, none of whom can be called stoppers at this point, they are running into some pretty big help. But they'll probably all improve. The guy that beats them drives into a huge defensive jam. At nearly 50% from three Brady could be a major piece of the team.

 

[RocknRollface]

well, he certainly wasn't our worst offender last season, that honor went to PJ. However, it was known that the reason that moss's playing time was so erratic was related to huge defensive gaffes that he was unable to avoid. That's why he would start, play for a couple of minutes, and then sit the remainder of the half. Defense has much less to do with body & athleticism than people think.

Actually Moss usually sat in favor of Baer at the 3 and Jok moved to the 2.

Moss was very eradic on D. He had some good games like when he defenfed Monte Morris very well, but he made allot of mental mistakes.

When Brady was in the game, which was really not that often, (it was mostly Baer)he was in for his overal lack of mistakes on both ends and his dependable shooting.

Brady is now a solid defender but I expect Moss to be the better of the two this year. Hes so much quicker latteraly, he just needs to eliminate mental lapses and not take stupid risks.

 

[unIowa]

"IF" Brady plays as well as we hope he will get minutes at both the point and off guard. In general, for me, it just feels like we are one more guard (beyond JB and Moss) from being a really really good team.

it will be very interesting to see how things pan out after JBo & Moss...all 3 (BE,CW&Dailey) bring a different talent...maybe Fran will rotate the available backup guard minutes to all 3 (at least until someone takes a lead)...

so say JBo 30 Moss 20 ...leaves about 30 min

Moss is getting more than 20 minutes per game.