Ruben Prey as a 4

jims said:
Okay y'all, I've been lurking in this thread and need to jump in because this Prey position debate is sending me 😂

Listen, trying to label Prey as strictly a 4 or 5 in 2025 basketball is like trying to decide if a Pop-Tart is a sandwich or a ravioli. It's not that simple anymore! Modern basketball positions are about as rigid as my plans on a Friday night.

The stats don't lie though - Prey's been sharing the floor with another big for most of his minutes. But I'm with @tnice on this one - that doesn't automatically mean he's playing the 4 in the traditional sense. Sometimes he's setting screens at the top of the key like a 4, other possessions he's posting up on the block like a 5. The basketball position multiverse is real!

What I DO know is that when Dixon was bullying people in the paint like he was collecting lunch money, Prey was the only one who could handle him. That's big boy strength right there! 💪

@Mullins Revenge bringing the tea with Pitino's comments about shooting is the real answer here. In today's game, if you can't shoot, you're basically playing with a flip phone in an iPhone world. Prey needs to develop that jumper faster than I develop new streaming service addictions.

Anyway, my unsolicited two cents is that we should be less worried about what number position he plays and more focused on getting him more minutes where he can actually use those quick feet and strength. But what do I know? I'm just here overanalyzing basketball while ignoring all my actual responsibilities!
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I think most of the convo relates to the defensive end but agree with your post. Good job.
 
Mullins Revenge said:
Guys, Ive told u this many times and Pitino mentioned it in todays press conference. Prey isnt playing much cause he cant shoot.

Until he improves and can score the basketball, hes not getting many minutes.
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How do you do it man? You are wrong so much it makes me think you are actually a genius troll.

You post this and the next day Prey hits a massive 3 in rhythm like a wing.

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In terms of where Prey plays, a few things come to.mind:

Obviously, defense is the trademark of this team. Defensively, the ability of players to guard any opponent on a switch makes Prey a more effective defender than Vince. He can guard a center or forward, and also cover a guard on a switch.

Rick squeezes productive minutes out of Vince by doing what all good coaches do, create mismatches that benefit us. Vince, in spot duty can post and score but is more of a liability in our switching defense.

Prey is just not a post player, or better put, at this stage in his development, not as effective in the pivot on offense as Vince, who is a natural center. Zuby has become very effective as a post up center, but often plays the high post on offense, as does Vince and Prey. Vince is no threat from outside. Prey can stick a shot, and Zuby has become incredibly disciplined in only shooting from the key on occasion to keep defenses honest.

Not really relevant to the discussion but Lefty isnt a spot disrupter on defense to offset his liabilities. I believe that being less effective than Kadary/Sim/Deivon in a switching defense is keeping him from earning more minutes.

It is quite possible that Prey is here on loan to develop as a forward, but much more likely has a skillset that mskes him more effective at this point facing the basket, hence he is often on the floor with Vince or Zuby.
 
Beasts of the East said:
In terms of where Prey plays, a few things come to.mind:

Obviously, defense is the trademark of this team. Defensively, the ability of players to guard any opponent on a switch makes Prey a more effective defender than Vince. He can guard a center or forward, and also cover a guard on a switch.

Rick squeezes productive minutes out of Vince by doing what all good coaches do, create mismatches that benefit us. Vince, in spot duty can post and score but is more of a liability in our switching defense.

Prey is just not a post player, or better put, at this stage in his development, not as effective in the pivot on offense as Vince, who is a natural center. Zuby has become very effective as a post up center, but often plays the high post on offense, as does Vince and Prey. Vince is no threat from outside. Prey can stick a shot, and Zuby has become incredibly disciplined in only shooting from the key on occasion to keep defenses honest.

Not really relevant to the discussion but Lefty isnt a spot disrupter on defense to offset his liabilities. I believe that being less effective than Kadary/Sim/Deivon in a switching defense is keeping him from earning more minutes.

It is quite possible that Prey is here on loan to develop as a forward, but much more likely has a skillset that mskes him more effective at this point facing the basket, hence he is often on the floor with Vince or Zuby.
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I will add Prey comes w a ton of international experience and solid coaching, while Vince has missed a lot of time through no fault of his own. Additionally Prey imo has solid instincts and smarts defensively. Neither guy is going to be a huge scoring threat, but on a team built to win on defense, Prey fits much better. His ability to switch successfully on smaller, quicker players has been worth his scholarship. I think he will improve off season offensively, so investing in him is wise.
 
Larry Wright said:
Pretty sure everyone but Marillac apparently were thinking NOOOOO when Prey took that 3.
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He can shoot, man. He’s in an impossible role to show it, but his form, feet, and release are clearly that of a big wing shooter.

His role is impossible right now to show any offense. I’d say he’s had 5, maybe 6, shots all year that weren’t last second shot clock heaves. One was the infamous behind the three point line that made most of the board want him to never shoot again.

He can shoot and he can drive, and we will see that next year.
 
Marillac2 said:
He can shoot, man. He’s in an impossible role to show it, but his form, feet, and release are clearly that of a big wing shooter.

His role is impossible right now to show any offense. I’d say he’s had 5, maybe 6, shots all year that weren’t last second shot clock heaves. One was the infamous behind the three point line that made most of the board want him to never shoot again.

He can shoot and he can drive, and we will see that next year.
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He looks good in warmups will give you that. But to say someone can shoot they have to make shots in games. Hard to say a guy can shoot who went almost 2 months without making a shot.

With that being said, I like Prey but was def yelling Noooooo at that three and don’t have any confidence in his shot making abilities this year. Still would rather him over Vince.
 
Vince has only attempted three three point shots his entire career. Prey has already shown more from that offensive vantage point.
 
Marillac2 said:
He can shoot, man. He’s in an impossible role to show it, but his form, feet, and release are clearly that of a big wing shooter.

His role is impossible right now to show any offense. I’d say he’s had 5, maybe 6, shots all year that weren’t last second shot clock heaves. One was the infamous behind the three point line that made most of the board want him to never shoot again.

He can shoot and he can drive, and we will see that next year.
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Prey has guts. Like that. He just stepped into the shot in a big moment, and made it cleanly.
 
kranmars said:
Prey has guts. Like that. He just stepped into the shot in a big moment, and made it cleanly.
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Also the bounce pass from Richmond to his chest. How many kids bounce it there…and right to his hands?

That pass goes wide or low and it’s a miss. That’s something RJ, Zuby, and others need to pick up on. Richmond really is just a ridiculously good teammate.
 
Beasts of the East said:
In terms of where Prey plays, a few things come to.mind:

Obviously, defense is the trademark of this team. Defensively, the ability of players to guard any opponent on a switch makes Prey a more effective defender than Vince. He can guard a center or forward, and also cover a guard on a switch.

Rick squeezes productive minutes out of Vince by doing what all good coaches do, create mismatches that benefit us. Vince, in spot duty can post and score but is more of a liability in our switching defense.

Prey is just not a post player, or better put, at this stage in his development, not as effective in the pivot on offense as Vince, who is a natural center. Zuby has become very effective as a post up center, but often plays the high post on offense, as does Vince and Prey. Vince is no threat from outside. Prey can stick a shot, and Zuby has become incredibly disciplined in only shooting from the key on occasion to keep defenses honest.

Not really relevant to the discussion but Lefty isnt a spot disrupter on defense to offset his liabilities. I believe that being less effective than Kadary/Sim/Deivon in a switching defense is keeping him from earning more minutes.

It is quite possible that Prey is here on loan to develop as a forward, but much more likely has a skillset that mskes him more effective at this point facing the basket, hence he is often on the floor with Vince or Zuby.
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I agree with your comments about Prey. I disagree with your comment about Lefty. I haven't seen Lefty as the defensive liability you described. I do see Sim as a defensive liability on occasions because he has a tendency to play defense with his hands like the two quick fouls called a couple of games ago within 32 seconds. Same type of fouls. I've also noticed that Sim has a tendency to guard his man in the back court very tightly. When this occurs, Sim's man pulls a spin move that beats Sim resulting in Sim chasing his man downcourt which results in a defensive imbalance in the front court.
 
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