eepstein0 {l Wrote}:Corporal Funishment {l Wrote}:Understated as well was Chatman's improvement as the season went on. Last year we were 173 in Kenpom, this year I think we improve to just inside 100 (which is a substantial difference)
I feel like Chatman is and was an inconsistent shooter (the numbers shake out fine but he's really inconsistent from game to game), who isn't fast enough to stay in front of guards and is very athletically limited (I'm not convinced he can dunk).
He's fine as a bench piece, but as always with BC Basketball, he plays 35 minutes instead of 10-15.
I agree on both points, but would like to defend Chapman a bit.
My somewhat reasonable (I hope) increased wins projection and Christian's chances to save his job are dependent on this team developing some kind of defensive identity. Defense is all the chatter if you follow any of the team's comments/interviews since their summer practices started. I think the guards have to back up their talk and commit to D, and at least one of the more athletic players (besides Bowman) has to work his way into the rotation (Sagay? Wilson?) for that to work.
It is true that Chapman was one of four players on last year's squad to average between 25-35 minutes a game, along with the guard duo and Turner. This emphasizes the point I suggested earlier that replacing Turner (big offensive disappointment) with Hawkins (proven scorer) is pivotal. Chapman has his limitations and is much better suited as the 4th (or lower) option on the team. Also, he took two years off, so here's hoping he will show a little more consistency this year; having a more reasonable roll on the team would definitely help because he won't have to force his offense as much.