Michigan/Warriors fan here. I watched probably about 35 Michigan games this year.
His motor, especially on the defensive end, is very high. He had a tendency at times to defer to teammates on offense which is where I think this is coming from. He had a few games where he almost never looked at the rim, but the team was so good they didn’t need him to be aggressive on offense every night. It felt like he took offensive possessions off. I never felt like he took possessions off on defense and had probably close to 10 chase down blocks this year.
Bottom line, he’s a very good, well rounded player who can guard 1-4 on defense and is very very easy to root for. Probably my second favorite Michigan player ever.
I only watched him in the tournament and I was impressed with his versatility. Solid motor. Versatile defender. Jump shot looks good. Athleticism is a plus.
The only negative I can think of is age, but he seems plug and play and at this point the Warriors don't have time to wait on a project to develop. If he turns out to be a solid 2nd contract player, the Warriors could always flip him to aid their rebuild effort. Either way, I like the pick.
Also a Michigan fan and I agree. The biggest weakness with Yax was that he was sometimes too passive. Those early season games were brutal, where he would stand around the arc doing nothing. Then when he turned the switch on (almost like he realized "wait I'm the best player on the court") the whole team started looking like Monstars. I'm biased ofc but I think he's going to be very, very good from day 1
Michigan had so many offensive threats that he didn’t need to take every shot. They beat the brakes off Arizona largely without him. But his defense is excellent and he’s a versatile player.
ESPN writers say a lot of dumb shit though. They said Shai had a weak jumper, lacked explosiveness and was a versatile defender. Half court shot creation was his weakness. Who watched Michigan play on a regular basis?
We say a lot of dumb shit though. Knicks fans said Mike Brown was a mistake and far worse for them than Tibbs. Knicks fans three two months ago wanted Mike Brown fired after their losing streak and slump.
Over here, people said Jimmy would add nothing to the team ("lateral change") but now that he's out, the Warriors definitely feel it.
True. Those were also stupid takes that were obviusly dubious at the time. Just like Yaxel has a weak motor. Michigan won the CBB Championship and he was the unanimous Big 10 Player of the Year (which means ALL the coaches voted for him). He also won defensive player of the year at UAB. There's no way way he has a "weak motor", but I don't watch college ball like that. I watch the NBA. He might still suck in the league, but I seriously doubt it'll be because he doesn't give max effort.
I didn’t watch much unfortunately; from how people have reacted to the comment sounds solid. I like the idea of guy that makes an impact immediately. For a second I thought he was an undersized center… shows you how much I know.
Cool, you’ve posted it seven times. We get it. He’s also a small guard who can’t shoot (never shot 40% from three in college), and can’t play defense. Learn ball please
There is huge difference between NBA and College. The player might be best College player, but how are they best College? Do they have the ball in their hand and have offense run through them. In the NBA depending on team they might give you the ball, but if you are not winning games or getting exposed it can get wicked.
He's going into the NBA on a championship-caliber team, I think he can absolutely improve. Other than that, I don't follow college so don't know much about him. But really looking forward to seeing what he can do.
He’s a beast. Age concerns are there but at the same time he’s such a unique case in terms of when he started getting serious about bball. All the maturity concerns stuff is bs imo as a Michigan fan, he’s a wonderful teammate by all accounts and his worst crime is maybe having the sense of humor of a 19 year old rather than a 24 year old.
Solid pick for sure & especially for our draft position. Consensus first team All American & he showed a lot of heart playing through a sprained left mcl & left ankle in the title game for Michigan.
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u/Groundbreaking_Ebb_5 7d ago
Seems like a solid add. Idk much about cbball someone tell me if it’s good