Clarke question

[Fonebone]

When I was at the game tonight there were a couple times watching Brandon, especially sometimes on offense, that I thought, “he’s the best player on the team.” Then I thought how can that be? How can I think he’s better than Rui? Or perhaps even Tille? I’m not talking defense and blocks, but how he looks on offense.

Clark did a spectacular spin move to score but then Rui did an almost identical spin move to score later. But somehow Clark’s looked more spectacular - to me.

So my question is can anyone help me make sense of this. I’m wondering what it is about Clark ? Using the spin move as an example, maybe it’s because he seems incredibly fast whereas Rui looked amazing but perhaps not quite as fast, but stronger. Or perhaps that Clark moves like a guard on offense but he is so big.

In any case there are much more astute observer‘s with much more knowledge than I on this board.

Does this question make sense? The question is what makes me think the Clark is the best player on the team? Do others think that ?

Perhaps he really is.

I’m more interested in this if he isn’t the best, but just seems to look like it. If so, what explains explain why he seems to to look like the best at times.


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[mgadfly]

When I was at the game tonight there were a couple times watching Brandon, especially sometimes on offense, that I thought, “he’s the best player on the team.” Then I thought how can that be? How can I think he’s better than Rui? Or perhaps even Tille? I’m not talking defense and blocks, but how he looks on offense.

Clark did a spectacular spin move to score but then Rui did an almost identical spin move to score later. But somehow Clark’s looked more spectacular - to me.

So my question is can anyone help me make sense of this. I’m wondering what it is about Clark ? Using the spin move as an example, maybe it’s because he seems incredibly fast whereas Rui looked amazing but perhaps not quite as fast, but stronger. Or perhaps that Clark moves like a guard on offense but he is so big.

In any case there are much more astute observer‘s with much more knowledge than I on this board.

Does this question make sense? The question is what makes me think the Clark is the best player on the team? Do others think that ?

Perhaps he really is.

I’m more interested in this if he isn’t the best, but just seems to look like it. If so, what explains explain why he seems to to look like the best at times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When a receiver reads a pass or an outfielder a hit and moves early to make an “easy” play we chalk it up to something even we couch potatoes can do. When the same player makes a bad read or isn’t balanced on a route and makes a diving athletic catch we think it is a great play and there is no way we can do it.

Rui does a lot of his work with balance and strength. He wins the possession with a layup or easy dunk because he has an ability to create contact, seal a defender, stay balanced and finish a play. Clark has a lot of those attributes too, but more often than Rui he makes the spectacular athletic play. It’s awesome to watch, but spinning down the lane at 500 mph then jumping 12 feet in the air and thundering a dunk counts for the same amount of points as Rui pinning a defender under the basket and laying it in. And both of those count for less than Tillie spacing to a corner and knocking down a three (Tillie has played nine minutes and needs one more three to catch Clark - that spacing part of the game by having a killer outside shot is Clark’s limitation).

All three are great. And different. And Zags.

[hooter73]

Perception is in the eye of the beholder.


In my book, they’re both damn good. Two very similar sides of the same pro coin.

[IMADEYOUREADTHIS]

I looked at my wife during the 2nd half and said “Huh, I think Clarke is our best all-around player.”

He’s also, in my opinion, the most fun to watch.

[zagbeliever]

I love watching him play. His game is SO powerful!

[Reborn]

They are both really good and all the announcers I've listened to certainly do like Clark a lot. They don't say he's better than Rui, but I think that most people are very surprised by how good he is. There are differences tough. Rui is a much better shooter. By far. He is also a better passer. Rui has really improved his passing to me in the last two weeks. I seldom see Clarke pass. Am finally they are both good shot blockers. I'll say one thing, We are lucky to have them both on our team. And oh one more thing. Wait until Tillie clan play full time. Gonzaga will be a very different team. I think with Rui at the wing, Clarke at the the 5 and Tillie at the 4, that is one hell of a team.

Go Zags!!!

[krozman]

This is the problem with Conference play. Every good player on our team can be a superstar against that competition, and when they have to come back to earth they make dumb mistakes like spin moving into the defender whos prepared for it. Clarke can be the MVP of the WCC just like 4 of our guys can be. The question is whether they develop and improve for the March games.

[GrizZAG]

Pertaining to the question in the OP. Clarke is an incredibly gifted athlete and when it shows up it's truly spectacular. Rui's the better shooter but dang, you're observations are appreciated. Clarke is amazing. I hope we don't ever take Rui for granted as he is really special and easy to assume he will always be there. He is so rock solid on scoring.

[MickMick]

I personally believe that Clarke is the most productive player on the team.

[WallaWallaZag]

clarke does basically the same spin move every time he drives from the top of the key...it's actually pretty predictable...but he's so athletic that even if you know it's coming it is difficult to stop...especially at the wcc level.

as far as comparison to rui, his game doesn't have the diversity of rui's...and not just because rui is a better shooter.

[CDC84]

I think Clarke is the best all around player on GU's team because Rui still has a long ways to go on the defensive end. Even against the best teams, Clarke's offense is way ahead of Rui's defense.

Clarke is hands down the best defensive player Mark Few has ever coached at Gonzaga. Folks, the blocked shots do not even come close to reflecting his defensive abilities. His defense alone is going to make him a career NBA player. The offense will just be icing on the cake. He is always in the right place at the right time. He forces players into doing things they do not want to do. He puts them into difficult positions on the floor. We saw him effectively guard all 5 positions tonight. He influences the shots of players who aren't even near him. I've never seen a GU player with his defensive IQ. It's like what Coach McDermott said before GU played Creighton, "That Clarke kid is an absolute beast; the best defensive player in the nation." Coaches notice all the little things that Clarke brings to the table defensively.

The thing about Rui that is just stunning, and where he's got a big edge on Clarke on offense, is his footwork. And not just in the post (how about all the footwork that was involved in that one 2nd half play to find Crandall for that wide open three?). It's stuff like Rui leading the break in the 2nd half tonight, and just when you think he is going to drive into the lane and risk a flopping charge, he puts on the breaks and kills you with a 13 foot mid range shot. That's a total NBA move that even the best NBA defenders will find difficult to stop. That mid range jumper of his is killer, as is his ability to finish around the hoop with either hand with his length and athleticism. The defense will come when gets in the NBA. He's probably never going to be a great NBA defender.....they'll just want to get him to the point where he doesn't get ISO'ed. I think the GU staff were wise to work on his offense, footwork, and most of all, his killer instinct (which is needed for a scorer) first. He is still learning the game.

[bartruff1]

Well if Clarke is the better defensive player and Rui is the better offensive player then it must be fun to watch them practice against each other…..and get better....

[zagamatic]

There have been a lot of excellent points brought up about both Clarke and Rui. But I think that what tips the perception of Clarke being the better player is things like tonight where he had the spin move on one end FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY a block on the other end. So you get 2 highlight plays in close succession with him frequently. You also get 2 quick fouls with Clarke frequently as well, less often with Rui. And while Clarke gets a ton of blocks (there are a lot of players who rack up blocks every game) there are precious few players these days who can hit the wide range of jumpers between 5 and 20 feet like Rui can at a high rate.
Personally, I am just enjoying having the both of them along with Petrusev and now Tillie all here at the same time.

[White lightning]

I watched the Texas Arlington game from the second row just left of the basket . From there I was able to enjoy the Zags on defence close up for a half and on offence close up for the second. Clarke is extreamly smooth. My friends and I all agreed he was the best player on the floor. After halftime he was the only player in warmups shooting with purpose. He was practicing his free throws and short j's while everyone else was just throwing up shots. He's really playing with purpose.

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[Hoopaholic]

When I was at the game tonight there were a couple times watching Brandon, especially sometimes on offense, that I thought, “he’s the best player on the team.” Then I thought how can that be? How can I think he’s better than Rui? Or perhaps even Tille? I’m not talking defense and blocks, but how he looks on offense.

Clark did a spectacular spin move to score but then Rui did an almost identical spin move to score later. But somehow Clark’s looked more spectacular - to me.

So my question is can anyone help me make sense of this. I’m wondering what it is about Clark ? Using the spin move as an example, maybe it’s because he seems incredibly fast whereas Rui looked amazing but perhaps not quite as fast, but stronger. Or perhaps that Clark moves like a guard on offense but he is so big.

In any case there are much more astute observer‘s with much more knowledge than I on this board.

Does this question make sense? The question is what makes me think the Clark is the best player on the team? Do others think that ?

Perhaps he really is.

I’m more interested in this if he isn’t the best, but just seems to look like it. If so, what explains explain why he seems to to look like the best at times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From my view and perspective

Rui spin move is a creature of foot position and setup of the defender generally with ball fake. Rarely do you see the spin move from Rui at full speed. Because of his footwork and body positioning relative to the defender it appears to us to be in slow motion..but it's not

Clarke spin moves are almost always off the dribble and rarely sets up the defender instead it's off a read off defenders position. Because of this it is much faster looking in motion and can be a wow looking moment

Same move different setup involving different mechanics

Both awesome just different skill sets