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Name your IU X Factor for next season


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Agree, lot of candidates.  Jerome Hunter is the obvious one and the low hanging fruit.  I will let someone else select him for discussion. 

But, to be a contrarian and stir it up, I am going to say Justin Smith.  He seems like an afterthought to many folks right now.  Last year, we got an alarmingly low amount of production from the forwards.  Justin seemed out of sorts and did not react well to adversity.  But, the (very) few times he played well, we were @#$% tough to beat.  

He has not shown the ball handling, stability, slashing, or shooting range you'd like from a three man.  But, I'd like to see him progress in all those aspects and develop into more of a true forward.  Maybe a guy that finishes stronger.  Who hustles on D because he can be really good in that respect.  And maybe develops a face up game with a reliable jumper out to 12-15 feet.

And the first time its not going his way, I'd like to see him work his rear end off instead of prolonging the negativity into a funk.

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Devonte Green. Over the last two years when he has played his best, the team has been at its best.  When he has struggled, the team has struggled.  We seem to go as Devonte goes. 

He has to be consistently at the top of his game for us this season. Every other game or every third game won’t cut it. 

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Jerome Hunter. We have one more shooter last year and it's probably worth 3-4 wins. All the other stuff surrounding program doesn't seem like a big deal if we made tourney last year. Same as this year. If Jerome plays to expectations it's all the difference in the world. Close second for me is Davis. When healthy we know what he can do. 

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7 hours ago, BGleas said:

I can’t decide if it’s a good sign or a bad sign that I could legitimately nominate 7-8 guys for this? Usually there’s 2-3 X-factors, but next years team is basically a team full of them. 

I think I mentioned in another thread. Maybe the preseason prediction one but I agree all day. We have so many wild cards headed into the season that could make us a pretty good team or not so good.

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We're a poker hand of an ace (Rob) and 4 wild cards this point (take your pick as to who). I just hope they turn out to be aces and not jokers or deuces (yes, that's a subtle 'Movement' reference).

I haven't seen an incorrect answer in this thread. Justin, Devonte, De'Ron, Jerome or Brunk all have the ability to tip the scales. TJD belongs in that list as well. Yes, he's a great talent, but he's a freshman. That's still at least a small question mark.

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I cited De'Ron for one reason...the weight loss that we saw in some recent pictures, along with one of our members (IndyKev?) Who talked to him and saw the physical change himself.

De'Ron has excellent footwork, soft hands, soft touch around the basket, and a nice array of inside moves. The athleticism gained from the physical change, in my opinion, will vault him into All B10 consideration.

Remember Charles Barkley when he came out of Auburn? Great player, but carried around extra pounds. It was only when he got into physical shape that he became an elite player.

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It’s so wide open I could see it being everyone. Instead of 1 person making a huge jump everyone (or almost everyone) could take some small steps to see the same result. 

I know that is a complete cop out answer, but I’m sticking with it. For now. 

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6 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

I think I mentioned in another thread. Maybe the preseason prediction one but I agree all day. We have so many wild cards headed into the season that could make us a pretty good team or not so good.

A hand full of wild cards pretty much guarentees a win right???  Especially if they are all draw 4's!!!!  

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19 hours ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Agree, lot of candidates.  Jerome Hunter is the obvious one and the low hanging fruit.  I will let someone else select him for discussion. 

But, to be a contrarian and stir it up, I am going to say Justin Smith.  He seems like an afterthought to many folks right now.  Last year, we got an alarmingly low amount of production from the forwards.  Justin seemed out of sorts and did not react well to adversity.  But, the (very) few times he played well, we were @#$% tough to beat.  

He has not shown the ball handling, stability, slashing, or shooting range you'd like from a three man.  But, I'd like to see him progress in all those aspects and develop into more of a true forward.  Maybe a guy that finishes stronger.  Who hustles on D because he can be really good in that respect.  And maybe develops a face up game with a reliable jumper out to 12-15 feet.

And the first time its not going his way, I'd like to see him work his rear end off instead of prolonging the negativity into a funk.

If Justin could become like Jason Richardson was a MSU, that would be great.

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I think Hunter will be the centerpiece and I’m 100% assuming he’s healthy.  My true X factor is Damezi.  The staff gave him a lot of minutes last year, but it was obvious the game was fast for him and an adjustment.  People said in high school he really just needed to catch and shoot/score, but last year he had to run through an offense.  I know at times he missed the entire backboard and airmailed some shots, but for some - the D1 game is a massive adjustment.     

I think we’ll start seeing his true potential this year. The staff certainly believes in him - as evidenced by minutes last year (when realistically someone like Clifton could’ve gotten more mins). 

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