Starting 5 Prediction Thread 10/1 Version

[BigTime]

Two predictions:

Starting 5 for the first regular season game

Mine:
Woodard
Cousins
Hield
Spangler
Lattin - Giving him the nod over AK due to experience and because I am unsure of AK's foot. I actually would prefer AK to start and Lattin to be an energy bench guy that plays just as many minutes but gives Spangler and AK a boost.

Starting 5 for in January for conference season
Woodard
Cousins
Hield
Buford - Just a hunch...and if it happens then I think we are going to be really, really good with our bench depth.
Spangler

You?

 

[thebigabd]

PG: Jordan Woodard
SG: Isaiah Coussins
SG: Buddy Hield
PF: Ryan Spangler
C: Akolda Manyang

 

[DenverSooner]

There is only one position seriously up for discussion. I think Lattin will start. What I want and hope to see, is for OU to have guys coming off the bench and scoring points.

 

[BoulderSooner]

JW
buddy
isiah
spangler

and akolda manyang

 

[BigTime]

You seen the big man practice, BS?

I really hope he takes the job because I think that Buford and Lattin are really great off the bench this year.

 

[WTSooner]

There is only one position seriously up for discussion. I think Lattin will start. What I want and hope to see, is for OU to have guys coming off the bench and scoring points.

Yep.

Lattin makes the most sense b/c he is the most versatile. If you play Buford, that makes Spangler your 5. If you play Manyang, that makes Spangler your 4. This isn't such a bad option, and Manyang might actually compliment Spangler fairly well, but I don't think Manyang is going to be ready to start this year, or at least early on. Not to mention, I'm not sure he needs to play starter minutes, or matches up well against all teams.

Lattin is the best fit, for all of those reasons.

Bring Buford in if you want to go small, or Manyang in if you need to go big.

 

[CoachTalk]

Yep.

Lattin makes the most sense b/c he is the most versatile. If you play Buford, that makes Spangler your 5. If you play Manyang, that makes Spangler your 4. This isn't such a bad option, and Manyang might actually compliment Spangler fairly well, but I don't think Manyang is going to be ready to start this year, or at least early on. Not to mention, I'm not sure he needs to play starter minutes, or matches up well against all teams.

Lattin is the best fit, for all of those reasons.

Bring Buford in if you want to go small, or Manyang in if you need to go big.

I Think its the 4 plus lattin. I think AK development has been slower than expected, esp since the foot injury.

Buford would be the other option, but I think he comes off the bench for a year for Spangler and Lattin when they want to go small. . Walker in for JW and Odomes in for for Buddy or Cousins.

 

[usedtobe1]

When I went to a practice this summer, there were 3-4 "regular" practice attendees there, too. It was a little before Manyang got hurt. I asked them who they thought would start between Manyang and Lattin. They all said Lattin but noted they were different kind of players.

 

[KBaden145]

When I went to a practice this summer, there were 3-4 "regular" practice attendees there, too. It was a little before Manyang got hurt. I asked them who they thought would start between Manyang and Lattin. They all said Lattin but noted they were different kind of players.

I believe this is true. I think at some point very soon, we'll be looking at Lattin as CLK's ideal 4. Length, ability to drive the ball, and the ability to knock down that elbow jumper if not shoot deeper. I'm predicting a breakout season for Lattin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Larry72]

I hope some new practice reports are just on the horizon

 

[MNsooner]

PG- Woodard
SG Cousins
SF - Hield
PF - Lattin
C - Spangler

 

[TheMont]

My prediction is the 4 plus Lattin.

More food for thought - Do you think Lon will change the starting 5 at all throughout the season? The past 2 seasons, the starters didn't ever change. Granted, Cam and Tayshaun were pretty obvious selections as starters. But I think having a concrete starting lineup is a really effective tool for guys to understand their role, increase confidence, etc.

It'll be interesting if Buford can work his way into the lineup midway through the season, as BigTime predicted.

 

[Max Power]

My prediction is the 4 plus Lattin.

More food for thought - Do you think Lon will change the starting 5 at all throughout the season? The past 2 seasons, the starters didn't ever change. Granted, Cam and Tayshaun were pretty obvious selections as starters. But I think having a concrete starting lineup is a really effective tool for guys to understand their role, increase confidence, etc.

It'll be interesting if Buford can work his way into the lineup midway through the season, as BigTime predicted.

My guess is either Buford or Lattin with the returning 4, and who ever it is will start all year baring injury.

 

[MNsooner]

I will be very surprised if Spangler doesn't start at Center all season.

 

[Darwin]

My guess is Lattin. Although Lon seems to like the same 5 all season, most years there is a clear separation between the 5 and everybody else. This year seems very different. I could envision a bench player regularly getting more minutes than 1 of the starting bigs.

 

[WTSooner]

I will be very surprised if Spangler doesn't start at Center all season.

I think if Spangler and Lattin both start, they are basically interchangeable at the 4/5 spots. Both can do similar things. Probably depend on the matchups with the other team as to who guards who.

 

[usedtobe1]

I think Lon may rest Spangler a little more this season in order to keep him fresh down the stretch. Maybe he only averages 30 minutes per game in B12 play. There is a lot of pushing and shoving going on in the post. They have Lattin, Manyang, Buford, and McNeace to rotate so they have a lot of fouls to give and can play more aggressively defensively.

It will be interesting to see which newcomers make the rotation. I mean the top 8 players who will be counted on. I'm more interested in that than the starting 5. Questions like:

How much will Buford play in the post vs wing?
Can Manyang get physical?
Where will we get low post offense?
Who will be our 6th man scoring spark off the bench?
Will we depend on the 3 ball too much?
Will Christian James or McNeace surprise us?
Will the true freshmen be overwhelmed by the speed of the game?

 

[AdaSooner]

It will be interesting to see which newcomers make the rotation. I mean the top 8 players who will be counted on. I'm more interested in that than the starting 5.

^
This.

LK has the deepest team he has had since arriving at OU. The likely starters are the "four" everyone keeps referring to, plus one more player that could change from one game to the next.

Coach Kruger typically substitutes early and often before settling on five players he feels will give OU the best chance of winning close games. That may be a tougher task this season, because he has more options to draw from. Lattin seems to be the odds-on favorite with nearly everyone on this thread. But, if Manyang proves to be the real deal in the middle, how do you not start the first 7 footer OU has had in years? Everyone thought Buford would have started last year if he had been eligible. No way he can be ruled out for that fifth spot this year.

That leaves Odomes, James, McNeace and Walker. At least two of those players may not start, but they are sure to play a major role coming off of the bench. Two from this group and the eight I mentioned earlier gives us a ten man rotation, and a legitimate one I might add. Since OU has twelve players who appear to be "minute worthy" this season, Coach Kruger's toughest job may be in keeping everyone happy.

This is the deepest team OU has had in years. It will be interesting to see who wins that fifth spot? It will also be interesting to see if one of the newcomers can move a returning player to the bench this season? That's a good problem to have.

 

[Darwin]

Its a very good problem to have and rare. His starters may not be his regular crunch time finishers.

 

[BCSooners]

Yes with his depth, Kruger can sub more based on game by game performance than having to play his starting 5 as much as possible to win.