The Starting 5: Will it include Watson? Or Timme?

[jsnider]

I understand writing a line-up in this format but that's not how it actually plays out. I mean if Petrusev plays 25 minutes it's not like Ballo and Zakharov get the other 15, or Ayayi and Harris will split the time at the 2. My feeling is a 7 man rotation with Suggs, Ayayi, Kispert, and Cook playing the 1-3, and Watson, Timme, and Petrusev getting most of the 4-5 minutes. Barring injury I see Harris, Arlauskas, Strawther, Ballo, and Zakharov getting spot minutes and mop up duty. They all have tons of talent but Few goes with the experienced 7 he trusts when the game is still on the line. If Petrusev or Kispert go it would hurt big, they will be the experienced go to players next year. My line-up:

1. Suggs/Cook
2. Ayayi/Suggs
3. Kispert/Ayayi
4. Watson/Timme
5. Petrusev/Timme

Just my opinion, and a lot can change by the time the season rolls around, fun to debate anyway.

What is the conventional wisdom as to whether all three guys return? The starting lineups assume all are coming back. How confident?

[bdmiller7]

What is the conventional wisdom as to whether all three guys return? The starting lineups assume all are coming back. How confident?

I'd say more hopeful than confident. I'd definitely have to adjust my rotation.

Uneducated guess Ayayi 90%, Kispert 70%, Petrusev 50%.

[ZagsGoZags]

PG Suggs/Cook
SG Ayayi/Harris
SF Kispert/Arluskas/Strawther
PF Timme/Watson
C Petrusev/Ballo/Zakharov

I'm not strongly disagreeing with your statement that Petrusev would be the easiest to replace, not due to his talent but because of his value above existing replacement players. But with Cook available at guard and with two highly rated guys like Harris and Strawther around to get minutes, and the flexibility of Watson to play down to SF a little, I think we could probably weather the storm losing any one of those three and be a top 5 squad. Which is kind of insane, but this squad has depth.

In fact, I think we have more proven experience at guard with Cook on the roster than we do inside as Ballo/Zakharov/Watson are pretty much untested and Timme hasn't racked up a ton of minutes either. Without Petro we'd be going to a group of guys that don't actually have a lot of PT. I'm confident their talent would allow them to make that transition to team leader pretty flawlessly, but I'd argue we could probably lose any one of the three and still be one of the deepest squads we've ever had.

And on the question of who starts at PF, I think one player will get banged up a little and have to sit out a game or two to get healthy. At that point, that player ends up being the 6th man and the other guy is the "starter." It all comes down to who rolls an ankle first or gets a cold or something as both Timme and Watson are going to be playing a lot of minutes and doing a fine job.

If we lose 2 of the 3, petro, cory and/or joel, it would be a huge loss of experience. Which is a bit of a handicap. But it might open up the door for new guys, and players who did not have a lot of PT last year, to surprise the world - exactly like the 19-20 season when we lost Zach N., Rui, Brandon, and Perkins and WOW just WOW did the 4 replacements surprise everyone including Few.

[Mr Vulture]

Seems easy to answer now without Filip coming back...both. Assuming Kispert comes back (50/50 IMO) and Ayayi as well (likely) the rotation should be along these lines.

C - Timme, Ballo, PZ
PF - Watson, Timme
W - Kispert, Strawther, Arlauskas
SG - Ayayi, Cook, Harris
PG - Suggs, Cook, Ayayi
RS - Nembhard

Pretty good looking if you ask me and solid across the board. If we lose Kispert, I think we will still be fine, but I'd expect a three guard lineup quite a bit.

[BurgessEraZag]

The answer seems to have been clarified. With Filip going pro in Serbia, both Watson and Timme will start.?? Go Zags

[EEzag]

The answer seems to have been clarified. With Filip going pro in Serbia, both Watson and Timme will start.?? Go Zags

Looks like the question was answered. Keep in mind when running two post sets, Watson was invaluable. His passing and spacing was far better than any other post we had including Petro. He was also our best weak side defender and has as much IQ on the court as anyone. A HEALTHY Watson was going to start anyways. The million dollar question is how healthy is he and does Few keep his minutes down to keep him that way?

[MDABE80]

Burgess Bingo! As EE says a healthy Anton means a great season coming up! He's got a good chance as an AA....he's got the talent and works hard. We'll be alright! Go Zags!!

[bdmiller7]

I expect to see Kispert and Strawther getting some time at the 4 now. Timme, Ballo, and Zakharov all seem like more natural centers.

[webspinnre]

I expect to see Kispert and Strawther getting some time at the 4 now. Timme, Ballo, and Zakharov all seem like more natural centers.

I think Timme can play a good amount of 4.

[Reborn]

With the news in that Petrusev is moving on, the post positions will belong to Timme, Watson, Ballo and Kispert some. We'll be solid. We'll miss the awesome IQ of Tillie, and his ability to run the offense, but Timme and Watson will be ready to take his duties over.

Go Zags!!!

[TexasZagFan]

With the news in that Petrusev is moving on, the post positions will belong to Timme, Watson, Ballo and Kispert some. We'll be solid. We'll miss the awesome IQ of Tillie, and his ability to run the offense, but Timme and Watson will be ready to take his duties over.

Go Zags!!!

Drew displayed great skill in passing last year, second only to Killian among the bigs. The biggest difference we’ll see at the 4/5 next year will be Drew’s nonstop motor. Filip was known for not being as attentive on defense, it got him criticism from the staff, and a number of posters on the Board.

[jazzdelmar]

Drew displayed great skill in passing last year, second only to Killian among the bigs. The biggest difference we’ll see at the 4/5 next year will be Drew’s nonstop motor. Filip was known for not being as attentive on defense, it got him criticism from the staff, and a number of posters on the Board.

Drew is a joy to watch. Filip an acquired taste. Tils was in his own galaxy. In time, maybe a moon orbiting The Bonus.

[Mantua]

From the beginning Ballo emphasized hard work. From what I hear about Ballo’s performance in practice he meant every word. He’s already sacrificed a lot to get this far and I get the feeling that he knows what it takes to get a spot in the NBA and he will appreciate and take full advantage of everything Gonzaga has to offer.

[zagamatic]

I wish Petrusev all the best as he goes pro. But I can't help but wonder if we could have gotten the center that went to BYU, Haarms (sp) if he had decided earlier? Guess we'll never know, but it would have been nice to know he was going pro for sure before the transfer market dried up either way.

[jsnider]

I wish Petrusev all the best as he goes pro. But I can't help but wonder if we could have gotten the center that went to BYU, Haarms (sp) if he had decided earlier? Guess we'll never know, but it would have been nice to know he was going pro for sure before the transfer market dried up either way.

Right on Zagamatic. My feeling exactly although not sure we could have landed Haarms since he probably would not have been satisfied coming off the bench. I think Timme would still be the starter. My guess is he would have wanted to play a more prominent role as he will be for BYU. Perhaps other transfers like a big man Cook who was perfectly fine being a backup on a potential National Championship team.

[TravelinZag]

Who starts is far less important than who finishes in tight games.

GoZags!

[MDABE80]

Right on Zagamatic. My feeling exactly although not sure we could have landed Haarms since he probably would not have been satisfied coming off the bench. I think Timme would still be the starter. My guess is he would have wanted to play a more prominent role as he will be for BYU. Perhaps other transfers like a big man Cook who was perfectly fine being a backup on a potential National Championship team.

If we had known Filip was leaving sooner. we could have done a lot of different things.....in terms of recruiting/ The way he handled this was and remains less than optimal. Self mterest is a powerful motivator. In this COVID environment, I guess we'll be seeing more unusual things. IN the past, kids have left and the general feeling is that the players owe the University nothing. ( we on this board don't count) I wonder if Filip might have let the coaches know sooner. In this case I think it'll matter as our ranking will shrink. We soldier on. Our key big just dropped out. Timme is very good. Ballo needs experience and further training. Pavel needs work. Watson is gifted as heck but he's not a big in the usual sense. We'll have work to do even though I agree with Parrish that we should be fine.

We should know by now the pollsters do not like uncertainty. We just gave them a big dose of it. Listening to the podcasts, I think they were being generous. So be it. Not so easy right now. I think we'll have to show that this team will withstand loss of Filip and continue to win hard games. Our perch on top will be tested moreso than 1 week ago.

[Grand Valley Zag]

Maybe Anton and Ballo by the end of the season?

[BurgessEraZag]

Should we care what the pollsters think? Early polls, we are told are meaningless anyway. But didn't Timme show us against St. Mary's in LV that he could be everything Filip was if Few wants to play that way? Timme's offense is great, his motor is excellent, his teamplay is top notch and maybe he'll make the other four players he's with better for it. Petrusev was fun to talk but as the Athletic post said, "he was a man against boys in the WCC". In the March or May madness we will be facing players who are more like men than boys. I'll take Timme. Then with Watty and Ballo and Pavel what's to complain about?
Just praying for a season and an OCC season to solidify our ranking. Go Zags.

[jsnider]

If we had known Filip was ;eavomg sppner. we could have done a lot of different things.....in terms of recruiting/ The way he handled this was and remains less than optimal. Self mterest is a powerful motivator. In this COVID environment, I guess we'll be seeing more unusual things. IN the past, kids have left and the general feeling is that the players owe the University nothing. ( we on this board don't count) I wonder if Filip might have let the coaches know sooner. In this case I think it'll matter as our ranking will shrink. We soldier on. Our key big just dropped out. Timme is very good. Ballo needs experience and further training. Pavel needs work. Watson is gifted as heck but he's not a big in the usual sense. We'll have work to do even though I agree with Parrish that we should be fine.

We should know by now the pollsters do not like uncertainty. We just gave them a big dose of it. Listening to the podcasts, I think they were being generous. So be it. Not so easy right now. I think we'll have to show that this team will withstand loss of Filip and continue to win hard games. Our perch on top will be tested moreso than 1 week ago.

Abe - agree with you that we could have done some things differently during the transfer cycle if we had known he was going. Can't do anything about it now. Not handled in the best way I agree. But I am more worried about what kispert and ayayi are going to do. In a non-Covid world, I would be confident they are coming back. But in a Covid world i am confident of nothing and we are screwed if they don't return. Losing Filip is a blow. We have lost Tillie, Filip, Woolridge, Gilder. That's a lot. We have guys that can replace them. But if Kispert and Ayayi don't return that will not be good. Looking forward now not back.

[MDABE80]

yes Jsnider. Very well put.
As for the polls, they are good for recruiting and boost the notoriety of a program. We're not legendary just yet. We need to salt away some high profile seasons ( this upcoming season would have been that IMO) like Nova has. The cohesiveness of this program might be tested if Joel and Corey do Europe or stay in the draft.
Challenging to say the least! Corey would hurt most........since we do have some blue chippers in the waiting. In many ways, peaking at the right time usually means later in the season. That usually comes when the new faces mature as a team.

We can do that. I just hope the youngins throughout the country make the "Filip decision". I just love this program and I do wish I would/could avoid taking these departures so personally! lol.There... I said it! But dammit this all rests on Few now in terms of developing a title program. He's never let us down in the past. I'm thinking he'll figure this out. We seen guys leave in the past at the END of the season but never BEFORE a season begins with kids already working out. grrrrrr

[jsnider]

yes Jsnider. Very well put.
As for the polls, they are good for recruiting and boost the notoriety of a program. We're not legendary just yet. We need to salt away some high profile seasons ( this upcoming season would have been that IMO) like Nova has. The cohesiveness of this program might be tested if Joel and Corey do Europe or stay in the draft.
Challenging to say the least! Corey would hurt most........since we do have some blue chippers in the waiting. In many ways, peaking at the right time usually means later in the season. That usually comes when the new faces mature as a team.

We can do that. I just hope the youngins throughout the country make the "Filip decision". I just love this program and I do wish I would/could avoid taking these departures so personally! lol.There... I said it! But dammit this all rests on Few now in terms of developing a title program. He's never let us down in the past. I'm thinking he'll figure this out. We seen guys leave in the past at the END of the season but never BEFORE a season begins with kids already working out. grrrrrr

I LOVE THIS PROGRAM AND THIS TEAM MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am 64 and retired - my daughter graduated from Gonzaga and so happy she brought GU basketball into my life. We see them in person every chance we get in So Cal and have been to MAC many times to watch games. I have a wonderful wife and had a wonderful career in money management, had institutional clients all over the world and a great life so far but my life will not complete if the Zags don't win a National Championship. Not to be strange, but a very good friend of mine died last year. His daughter and my daughter grew up together and then they attended Gonzaga together as well. One of the last times that I saw him before he passed, he took my hand and said he was sorry he could not witness a National Championship. "Win one soon". We were all at the game against North Carolina in 2017. Go Zags!!!!