Needs to learn not to reach in and pickup silly touch fouls. Had multiple games where early foul trouble (2 in first 15 minutes) took him out of the game mentally. Also, needs to bulk up as he gets bullied.
Sim and Brady (not SJU Portal Targets)
- Thread starter MCNPA
- Start date
IMHO almost 100% of Sim's problem is between his ears. There's nothing wrong with his physical ability or his basketball skills. His shooting form is excellent. The shots he misses against high-level competition are no more closely guarded than the ones he hits against the lower-level teams.
It's purely confidence or mental. If he can get past that, he's as good as any guard in the Big East.
FriendofJohnnie
Active member
I saw some posts on X yesterday that said Brady was going to hit the portal. I don't really understand why unless he was going to be line for a larger pay day than what we had in mind? Next year I expect Rick to place an emphasis on shooters so I am sure he would have got decent minutes. Tough to walk away from a Hall of Fame Coach and solid team.
What do you think he does well enough to be or become as good as any guard in the BE?
I think he was a 40% shooter getting great looks all year. I don’t see a guy who creates well for himself and his real best skill is his mid range shot which to me is not something to build your game around.
The leap is even more pronounced considering today’s legit sophomores are going up against guys in their mid to low 20s due to transfer mania inclusive of extra COVID year (which thankfully ends), Juco additional year, etc. As an aside, I think re Sim, we were excited about getting a Carolina de-commit, but perhaps should have realized his competition for PT there was very stiff and he realized that.
Re Al McGuire, I met him in airport just prior to Indiana v Michigan final w Hoosiers favored. He was quick to respond to my asking him his pick, noting Michigan would win. I of course went w Michigan who lost easily. In retrospect, he probably wanted to shoo away an annoying hoops fan.
Only thing I'd say is defense, which is in contradiction with his fouls.
We have high expectations for Sim because he looks like a sharpshooter, which we dont have. We want him to be that sharpshooter but i fear that if we had that real sharpshooter, Sim becomes less important because rest of game needs more work too!
He's a very good defender, though he has to eliminate the stupid fouls (again, mental). He has or based on form should have a deadly mid-range jumper. If he took a step in then based on form he should be a solid 3-point shooter (too many taken from 2 feet outside the arc). He"s lightening fast in the lane with the ball and is an excellent finisher.
Really the only knock I have on him is shooting percentage against high-level comp and while I could be wrong, I think that's entirely mental.
Give me a Sim who shoots close to 40%/50%/80% which I think is entirely within his ability, is unselfish the ball, plays tough on-ball D, and can get to the rim off the bounce, and he will be as good as anyone in the league.
No argument that he has to unlock that. I just happen to think he can and that the impediment is confidence or mentality. The skill is there.
Pros: Extremely high level drives (albeit rare), absolutely gorgeous pull up, great looking three, he wears guys on defense, two years of being in the Pitino system
Cons: He (BARELY) misses all of his threes for some reason, he's 10 pounds too light and it impacts the game non-stop, not a great steals/deflections guy, NEVER puts a body on anyone, doesn't rebound at all, has show next to no ability to play point in the half court
I would like to see him with 10-12 lbs of muscle and would like to see him as a junior.
I struggle to see him as a primary scorer. Don’t think he plays well with contact and doesn’t look like he can get his three off unless it’s an open catch and shoot, and even those have had poor results.
He did show some great highlight finishes this year but they were few and far between.
I’m thinking that 40/50/80 is 40 from 3, and 50 from the field? That would be an astronomical jump but would probably mean he’s one of the better scoring guards in the league. Don’t think he would be one of the best unless his playmaking improved significantly.
Just a heads up the accepted form is fg% /3fg% /ft%
. You hear about the rare 50/40/90 guysblackpeter24
Active member
Hate to see them leave but wish them the best of luck if they do leave.
90% of his mid-range shots are ones he creates for himself.
Zero doubt in my mind he can shoot high 30's from three. He hasn't done that yet, so very fair to question whether he can. But I think Rick thinks he can, which is all that matters.
Which is a really tough thing to have as your highest volume of shots.
If he shoots near 40% from 3, a lot of the questions will be answered. I personally have a hard time seeing him get better looks than he got this year. So even if improved himself, numbers might not show it as much.
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I thought he said the best thing about seniors is they become graduate seniors.
In reality he said the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores but in todays game of one and dones and the transfer portal is about as relevant as Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.
Not only was this year's team successful, they were a group that was easy to root for. Everything I've seen/read about Sim is that he's a high-quality person. I hope we continue to see him representing St. John's for the next two seasons.
A spot on post if I ever saw one.
It worked pretty well for a team that went 31-5 this year
Seriously tho, I agree that can't be his entire game. He's been atrocious finishing in traffic; that's why he needs to come back built like a man so he can get to the rim and not get swallowed. But if they bring it the quality of guys being rumored, he's going to get plenty of open looks (at least until he starts hitting them). And I have no doubt he'll shoot it better than he did this year. (Of course I thought he was going to play well enough this year to put himself on 2026 mock drafts so what the hell do I know LOL)
riverside8a
Active member
I don't have much to add just to say these are all high level quality posts so thank you. After our ending this is really great therapy for all of us.