At this point I think we’ve seen just about all we can expect from Taylor. The occasional hot streak from three, and some garbage putbacks aren’t enough to counter his softness on D, his sloppiness on O, and inability to finish at the rim. I’m not seeing as much hustle from him anymore either. He sits back 5 feet when his man sets a screen and he’s been getting beat on the boards with regularity.
I would love to see his minutes divided up between Bean and Fakira. Bean especially is an upgrade with his hustle and skill set. Fakira will at least lay the wood on a guy 1-2 times per game.
In 30+ minutes of play tonight Taylor was 0-8 from the field, had 5 rbs and 1 assist to 3 TOs. He was slow to rotate, horrible on help D, and refuses to hedge the screen.

I'd be happy to see Taylor not shoot another 3 this season or touch the ball anywhere on the court facing an opponent because he telegraphs where the ball is going.

His walk-on roots are starting to show. Taylor never was more than a hustle guy that could shoot a three ever now and again. Good for him that he was able to make a scholarship out of that, but he should have never been a serious player on a competitive MWC team. Smith inherited him, so he has to live with that.

I think that Quinn should sit but who will start over him? ... Bean? ... Brown?
Sometimes I even wonder if he will stop starting Quinn
Do you think he will stop starting Quinn?

NVAggie wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 7:45 am

His walk-on roots are starting to show. ...but he should have never been a serious player on a competitive MWC team. Smith inherited him, so he has to live with that.

This. But that doesn't mean that Smith should be playing him. Huge coaching mistake. I can already see an inability to make the tough coaching decisions with a lineup.

Who exactly are better options at the 4 though (hell, he's probably our 2nd best option at the 5 too)? Taylor has some rough games against athletic teams, but he's still a solid player and we don't really have any other bigs.

Our biggest black hole is the PG spot, by far IMO

MetsJetsAggies wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 10:14 am

Who exactly are better options at the 4 though (hell, he's probably our 2nd best option at the 5 too)? Taylor has some rough games against athletic teams, but he's still a solid player and we don't really have any other bigs.

Our biggest black hole is the PG spot, by far IMO

I think there are 2 "black holes" that plague us the most....1 and 4. Quinn needs to sit. Not play at all EXCEPT when we are playing bad teams. I said it in another thread last night..... Bean needs more PT. He has the potential that Taylor never had. He is just a temporary solution though. Good back up guy.

I don't what the answer at point guard is. TK, with more playing time may work out, but he hasn't adjusted yet to the speed of the game. Knight III we may not see again this year. Porter is someone I honestly don't know how he is on a college team.... at any level. PG IS a puzzlement.

MetsJetsAggies wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 10:14 am

Who exactly are better options at the 4 though (hell, he's probably our 2nd best option at the 5 too)? Taylor has some rough games against athletic teams, but he's still a solid player and we don't really have any other bigs.

Our biggest black hole is the PG spot, by far IMO

Stats are proving that we wouldn't be any worse off and likely better off having Fakira backing up Queta, and giving Taylor's PT to Brown and Bean. I would start Bean, since Brown can provide offense to the second unit. If we absolutely feel that Taylor deserves minutes, then he can back up Queta along with Fakira.

His minutes should go to Brown and Bean. Smith is going to prove his worth as a recruiter over the next 2 years.

I'm not sure I want Brown to get any additional minutes. He has been a turnover machine lately and his 3 point shooting is worse than Taylors. Brown is too much into the hero ball from last year, that he doesn't fit into Smiths's team concept.

Definitely not Brown. His out of control play in not an upgrade from Taylor.

GUS wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 11:50 am

I'm not sure I want Brown to get any additional minutes. He has been a turnover machine lately and his 3 point shooting is worse than Taylors. Brown is too much into the hero ball from last year, that he doesn't fit into Smiths's team concept.

Good point. I've noticed he's forcing the offense more this season. His attacking style has only worked against the smaller, less talented teams.

Taylor will be okay for the majority of teams we play in the MWC. However, there are a few teams that are just too big and athletic for him to be effective. Hopefully, Bean will begin taking more of Taylor's minutes going forward so he is ready to play big minutes against those type of teams. Also, if Brown can play under control, I think he would also be much better against those big athletic teams.

Maybe I’m alone in my opinion but Fakira is not a better option than Quinn at any position. Fakira has a lot of development ahead to become a notable contributor. Taylor has shown he can contribute and he is a solid piece to our team. He struggles against solid bigs (as do many guys) and it would be nice if he were more consistent considering he is a senior. It would be great to have a better 4 and have Quinn as a backup but I’m not convinced that anyone on the current roster not named Sam or Neemias will contribute notably more than Quinn this season. Bean appears to be more athletic and a better rebounder, but I have my doubts that he would thrive with significantly more minutes. Brown needs to stop shooting threes and play near the basket. He also needs to stop forcing it to cut down on turnovers.

I don’t care if someone is/was a walk-on. Odds are that few walk-ons become all conference players but it occasionally happens. PG is our biggest weakness. Outside of our 2 and 5 spots, we need upgrades to become great.

Pacobag wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 12:48 pm

Maybe I’m alone in my opinion but Fakira is not a better option than Quinn at any position. Fakira has a lot of development ahead to become a notable contributor. Taylor has shown he can contribute and he is a solid piece to our team. He struggles against solid bigs (as do many guys) and it would be nice if he were more consistent considering he is a senior. It would be great to have a better 4 and have Quinn as a backup but I’m not convinced that anyone on the current roster not named Sam or Neemias will contribute notably more than Quinn this season. Bean appears to be more athletic and a better rebounder, but I have my doubts that he would thrive with significantly more minutes. Brown needs to stop shooting threes and play near the basket. He also needs to stop forcing it to cut down on turnovers.

I don’t care if someone is/was a walk-on. Odds are that few walk-ons become all conference players but it occasionally happens. PG is our biggest weakness. Outside of our 2 and 5 spots, we need upgrades to become great.

You're not alone, I share the same opinion. It would be nice to upgrade from Quinn, especially offensively (I've never seen someone go up and get blocked by the backboard), but I just don't see anyone on the roster being able to do more than him. I wouldn't mind letting Bean play some more, and maybe eventually taking his minutes if he can prove effective in longer stretches, but Brown isn't a better option. Too many turnovers and wild shots. Fakira seems to disappear when he's out there. While this team has far surpassed my expectations, I hope the coaching staff can fill some holes next year and send Sam out with a fantastic year.

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 11:22 am

MetsJetsAggies wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 10:14 am

Who exactly are better options at the 4 though (hell, he's probably our 2nd best option at the 5 too)? Taylor has some rough games against athletic teams, but he's still a solid player and we don't really have any other bigs.

Our biggest black hole is the PG spot, by far IMO

Stats are proving that we wouldn't be any worse off and likely better off having Fakira backing up Queta, and giving Taylor's PT to Brown and Bean. I would start Bean, since Brown can provide offense to the second unit. If we absolutely feel that Taylor deserves minutes, then he can back up Queta along with Fakira.

What stats? Taylor is the 2nd best/most efficient offensive player on the team, a team who has no good offensive threats outside of Merrill, Queta and maybe Brown but he's just as inconsistent as Taylor. Taylor doesn't really pass the eye test, but "stats" certainly are not the reason to bench Taylor. I think Bean needs more PT though, Taylor is better as a 15-20 minute scrap hard guy rather than a 30 minute a game type.

dirtnsnow wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 1:00 pm

Pacobag wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 12:48 pm

Maybe I’m alone in my opinion but Fakira is not a better option than Quinn at any position. Fakira has a lot of development ahead to become a notable contributor. Taylor has shown he can contribute and he is a solid piece to our team. He struggles against solid bigs (as do many guys) and it would be nice if he were more consistent considering he is a senior. It would be great to have a better 4 and have Quinn as a backup but I’m not convinced that anyone on the current roster not named Sam or Neemias will contribute notably more than Quinn this season. Bean appears to be more athletic and a better rebounder, but I have my doubts that he would thrive with significantly more minutes. Brown needs to stop shooting threes and play near the basket. He also needs to stop forcing it to cut down on turnovers.

I don’t care if someone is/was a walk-on. Odds are that few walk-ons become all conference players but it occasionally happens. PG is our biggest weakness. Outside of our 2 and 5 spots, we need upgrades to become great.

You're not alone, I share the same opinion. It would be nice to upgrade from Quinn, especially offensively (I've never seen someone go up and get blocked by the backboard), but I just don't see anyone on the roster being able to do more than him. I wouldn't mind letting Bean play some more, and maybe eventually taking his minutes if he can prove effective in longer stretches, but Brown isn't a better option. Too many turnovers and wild shots. Fakira seems to disappear when he's out there. While this team has far surpassed my expectations, I hope the coaching staff can fill some holes next year and send Sam out with a fantastic year.

You really need to account for the backboard when you go up. It can be pretty dangerous.

https://youtu.be/_u3k31vr7t4

GUS wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 11:50 am

I'm not sure I want Brown to get any additional minutes. He has been a turnover machine lately ...

I’d like to see the turnovers per minute statistics for Brown. I haven’t seen anything like it since Silas Mills.

MetsJetsAggies wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 1:18 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 11:22 am

MetsJetsAggies wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 10:14 am

Who exactly are better options at the 4 though (hell, he's probably our 2nd best option at the 5 too)? Taylor has some rough games against athletic teams, but he's still a solid player and we don't really have any other bigs.

Our biggest black hole is the PG spot, by far IMO

Stats are proving that we wouldn't be any worse off and likely better off having Fakira backing up Queta, and giving Taylor's PT to Brown and Bean. I would start Bean, since Brown can provide offense to the second unit. If we absolutely feel that Taylor deserves minutes, then he can back up Queta along with Fakira.

What stats? Taylor is the 2nd best/most efficient offensive player on the team, a team who has no good offensive threats outside of Merrill, Queta and maybe Brown but he's just as inconsistent as Taylor. Taylor doesn't really pass the eye test, but "stats" certainly are not the reason to bench Taylor. I think Bean needs more PT though, Taylor is better as a 15-20 minute scrap hard guy rather than a 30 minute a game type.

After his breakout game against Irvine, these are his stats against the 4 teams we've played with a pulse.
1 pt in 29 min 0-8 shooting 3 TOs 5 rbs (Nevada)
14 pts 34 min 5-9 shooting 1 TO 9 rbs (Houston)
3 pts 31 min 1-6 shooting 4 TOs 4 rbs (Weber State)
5 pts 25 min 0-3 shooting 1 TO, 3 rbs (BYU)

He did well against Houston, but so did Brown so clearly our 4s benefited from how they were defending Merrill. Other than that outlier, teams have obviously scouted him and realized what his many weaknesses are. These stats also don't show how many points he gives up on defense with his slow close outs and rotations, or complete lack of hedging the screen.

I'm not saying Taylor is a star, but he's quite literally our only good option. He's a decent player who got thrust into a starters role out of necessity. I just don't think he's our issue, a few bad games notwithstanding. Like someone said, he's going to do just fine against 90% of MWC teams and showing him do poorly against the best team, a top 5 team on the road, doesn't do a whole lot for me... especially since just about the whole team played terribly. Queta also played poorly against Houston and BYU, Taylor and Brown single handedly kept us in the game against Houston.

Taylor playing 30+ minutes is probably 3rd or 4th on our list of problems, behind poor shooting on the wings other than Sam, horrendous PG play, and a lack of depth in the post. I for one don't see the reason to complain about Taylor, and think he will help win us plenty of games against MW teams not named Nevada (and even then 1-2 bad road games doesn't mean much in the grand scheme)

Yeah, I'm not sure we have any options better than Taylor at this point. I'm not sure Bean would fare any better against starters. He had the same problem of putting the ball in the hoop from point blank range against scrubs although I do think Bean is the better FT shooter.

We really need Brown and JK3 on the court and to play within themselves to be at our best. Also, when we get point production from the 4 or the 5, we seem to have our best games as a team. We can't rely on Sam pouring in 35 points a night to keep us in games.

sneed wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 1:42 pm

dirtnsnow wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 1:00 pm

Pacobag wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 12:48 pm

Maybe I’m alone in my opinion but Fakira is not a better option than Quinn at any position. Fakira has a lot of development ahead to become a notable contributor. Taylor has shown he can contribute and he is a solid piece to our team. He struggles against solid bigs (as do many guys) and it would be nice if he were more consistent considering he is a senior. It would be great to have a better 4 and have Quinn as a backup but I’m not convinced that anyone on the current roster not named Sam or Neemias will contribute notably more than Quinn this season. Bean appears to be more athletic and a better rebounder, but I have my doubts that he would thrive with significantly more minutes. Brown needs to stop shooting threes and play near the basket. He also needs to stop forcing it to cut down on turnovers.

I don’t care if someone is/was a walk-on. Odds are that few walk-ons become all conference players but it occasionally happens. PG is our biggest weakness. Outside of our 2 and 5 spots, we need upgrades to become great.

You're not alone, I share the same opinion. It would be nice to upgrade from Quinn, especially offensively (I've never seen someone go up and get blocked by the backboard), but I just don't see anyone on the roster being able to do more than him. I wouldn't mind letting Bean play some more, and maybe eventually taking his minutes if he can prove effective in longer stretches, but Brown isn't a better option. Too many turnovers and wild shots. Fakira seems to disappear when he's out there. While this team has far surpassed my expectations, I hope the coaching staff can fill some holes next year and send Sam out with a fantastic year.

You really need to account for the backboard when you go up. It can be pretty dangerous.

https://youtu.be/_u3k31vr7t4

Chalk that up as a problem I'm never going to have.

This wasn't anticipated to be an outstanding season for AGGIE B B but it will be better than 9th place in the MWC. We should see much less of this inept play next season with virtually no players working in positions they shouldn't be, and in year three life should be grand. This should still be a better season than expected. I'll leave the nit picking and hand wringing to the AGGIE coaching staff.....they are paid to get things done.

Aggie-Man wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 12:01 pm

Definitely not Brown. His out of control play in not an upgrade from Taylor.

This^^ 100 times. The fact that so many on this board are more annoyed about Taylor makes me wonder how many are watching this year’s Aggie team play. Hey people, in addition to games being available to watch in the spectrum, the games are on TV and there is chat (let’s start more of those threads by the way). Brown sucks at 3 point shooting, he repeatedly drives uncontrollably and gets called for charges, and when he doesn’t get called for a charge, it is usually because he had the ball stolen away from him while he was dribbling out of control. I will say he does come up with some nice rebounds, but I am not a Brown fan.

I love Brown, I just wish he'd stop thinking he's a guard. I want him to defend, rebound, post up, take catch-and-shoot threes, and if he's standing outside and the seas part so there's a clear path to the rim - take it to the rim (and that is the ONLY time I want him driving the ball). He's got to stop driving all the time and he's got to stop taking shots off the bounce.

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

January 2nd, 2019, 11:14 pm

At this point I think we’ve seen just about all we can expect from Taylor. The occasional hot streak from three, and some garbage putbacks aren’t enough to counter his softness on D, his sloppiness on O, and inability to finish at the rim. I’m not seeing as much hustle from him anymore either. He sits back 5 feet when his man sets a screen and he’s been getting beat on the boards with regularity.
I would love to see his minutes divided up between Bean and Fakira. Bean especially is an upgrade with his hustle and skill set. Fakira will at least lay the wood on a guy 1-2 times per game.
In 30+ minutes of play tonight Taylor was 0-8 from the field, had 5 rbs and 1 assist to 3 TOs. He was slow to rotate, horrible on help D, and refuses to hedge the screen.

You had me thinking until you mentioned Fakira... I am still wondering how that guy is even considered for playing time.

BioAggie wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2019, 12:27 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

January 2nd, 2019, 11:14 pm

At this point I think we’ve seen just about all we can expect from Taylor. The occasional hot streak from three, and some garbage putbacks aren’t enough to counter his softness on D, his sloppiness on O, and inability to finish at the rim. I’m not seeing as much hustle from him anymore either. He sits back 5 feet when his man sets a screen and he’s been getting beat on the boards with regularity.
I would love to see his minutes divided up between Bean and Fakira. Bean especially is an upgrade with his hustle and skill set. Fakira will at least lay the wood on a guy 1-2 times per game.
In 30+ minutes of play tonight Taylor was 0-8 from the field, had 5 rbs and 1 assist to 3 TOs. He was slow to rotate, horrible on help D, and refuses to hedge the screen.

You had me thinking until you mentioned Fakira... I am still wondering how that guy is even considered for playing time.

To be fair, Fakira probably shouldn't be getting playing time. He should be red shirting. If we had depth, no one would be disappointed in Fakira. He'd be quietly developing his game in practice.
He's a true freshman. Our true freshman centers are generally not very good and needed time. Queta is the exception.

brownjeans wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2019, 12:49 pm

BioAggie wrote: ↑

January 4th, 2019, 12:27 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

January 2nd, 2019, 11:14 pm

At this point I think we’ve seen just about all we can expect from Taylor. The occasional hot streak from three, and some garbage putbacks aren’t enough to counter his softness on D, his sloppiness on O, and inability to finish at the rim. I’m not seeing as much hustle from him anymore either. He sits back 5 feet when his man sets a screen and he’s been getting beat on the boards with regularity.
I would love to see his minutes divided up between Bean and Fakira. Bean especially is an upgrade with his hustle and skill set. Fakira will at least lay the wood on a guy 1-2 times per game.
In 30+ minutes of play tonight Taylor was 0-8 from the field, had 5 rbs and 1 assist to 3 TOs. He was slow to rotate, horrible on help D, and refuses to hedge the screen.

You had me thinking until you mentioned Fakira... I am still wondering how that guy is even considered for playing time.

To be fair, Fakira probably shouldn't be getting playing time. He should be red shirting. If we had depth, no one would be disappointed in Fakira. He'd be quietly developing his game in practice.
He's a true freshman. Our true freshman centers are generally not very good and needed time. Queta is the exception.

To be brutally honest, Fakira should not be on any MWC roster. Big guys that are slow footed, speed walk (at best) up and down the court hunched over, and have no footwork and no touch with the ball are a dime-a-dozen.

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 8:36 am

NVAggie wrote: ↑

January 3rd, 2019, 7:45 am

His walk-on roots are starting to show. ...but he should have never been a serious player on a competitive MWC team. Smith inherited him, so he has to live with that.

This. But that doesn't mean that Smith should be playing him. Huge coaching mistake. I can already see an inability to make the tough coaching decisions with a lineup.

Strike 10, by my count. When do we start holding Smith accountable?

hipsterdoofus21 wrote:At this point I think we’ve seen just about all we can expect from Taylor. The occasional hot streak from three, and some garbage putbacks aren’t enough to counter his softness on D, his sloppiness on O, and inability to finish at the rim. I’m not seeing as much hustle from him anymore either. He sits back 5 feet when his man sets a screen and he’s been getting beat on the boards with regularity.
I would love to see his minutes divided up between Bean and Fakira. Bean especially is an upgrade with his hustle and skill set. Fakira will at least lay the wood on a guy 1-2 times per game.
In 30+ minutes of play tonight Taylor was 0-8 from the field, had 5 rbs and 1 assist to 3 TOs. He was slow to rotate, horrible on help D, and refuses to hedge the screen.

LMAO it’s a good thing you ain’t the Coach cause clearly you don’t know what you’re talking about. You should re-evaluate your thoughts before publicly posting them. Coach Smith knows what he’s doing and clearly see’s the talent in Taylor that you can’t. Bruh he had a bad game, doesn’t make him a bad player!He’s an undersized forward playing in a position he wasn’t even recruited for. The disrespect on these forums about all these players is astonishing. Y’all be fake (I can't express myself without swearing) fans. He played great defense against the ASU post who never even scored on him. He’s one of the best help defenders we have besides being one of the best defenders on the team and has one of the high percentages for offensive rebounds. Bruhhh he had a bad game, you only gonna focus on that? Sam & Queta had an off game against Houston and Brown and Taylor were there to pick the team up and produce when no one else could. Because Sam & Queta played badly there does that make them bad players? Nahh, cause everyone has off nights. Try being a real Aggie fan and uplifting the boys rather than tearing them down with your unprofessional negative opinion. He’s done a lot MORE good for this team compared to this one bad game he had. Players read these forums, try finding positive things for these kids, nobody has time for your negative energy that isn’t even true. Aggie up bro, don’t be a hater. These kids don’t need to see your old man rants that ain’t even true, they need uplifting Aggie fans to build them up and believe in them when they had a bad game to help them strive to be better. You are definitely entitled to your (I can't express myself without swearing) opinion, but bro you ain’t on that court, you don’t know what kind of defense Coach Smith told him to play or do. If he was as bad as you sayin pretty sure our educated and smart new Coach (who has turned this program upward) would’ve taken him out. So take a chill pill bro, stop wetting your pants and pump these players up, stop tryna tear them down, Ain’t nobody got time for that type of negativity.


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Well, I've met my quota of reading "bro" and "bruh" for the month. Nice to have that done as early as the 4th.

brownjeans wrote:Well, I've met my quota of reading "bro" and "bruh" for the month. Nice to have that done as early as the 4th.

Well I met my quota for stupid analysis of players this year. Nice to have that done as early as the 4th. This be looking like a great Aggie year huh bro!! ....I mean brown jeans!


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I’d sit Brito way before Taylor. Not sure why he plays.