Willie will average 25 a game and be the Player of the Year

[BigTime]

So, are you guys thinking Willie and Gallon will combine for more points a game than Willie and Blake?

I think it will be close. Gallon is capable of getting 14-15 per next year. The thing that worries me is that he may not be able to play the kind of minutes needed to get that night in and night out ( endurance and foul trouble), but I don't know that for sure.

Willie and Blake averaged just a hair under 38 ppg last year, so it won't be easy.

 

[Sooner04]

I think it will be close. Gallon is capable of getting 14-15 per next year. The thing that worries me is that he may not be able to play the kind of minutes needed to get that night in and night out ( endurance and foul trouble), but I don't know that for sure.

Willie and Blake averaged just a hair under 38 ppg last year, so it won't be easy.

That's the problem with throwing out that Willie's going to get 25 points a game. That means is Gallon gets 13 the duo will be as good or better than what we had last year and I don't see any way that's remotely possible.

Willie may prove me wrong, but I don't see him making anywhere near the leap Blake made. I don't think Willie's got near the intestinal fortitude Blake does. We've seen Willie pout, mope and all that other stuff. We saw Blake do that a bit his freshman year, I realize that, but I just don't see Willie making the same type of improvements.

If he does, though, not only will I have plenty of egg on my face, but we'll be pretty good as well.

It was mentioned earlier how Erdmann and Brewer both averaged over 20 a game, but that was for totally different reasons. If those guys didn't go for 20+ a night we were completely sunk. This team will have far more weapons than those '97 or '98 teams. There's no Robert Allison in this group (and I liked Robert), except for maybe under the basket. I have no idea what we're going to do at the "5".

If it's Orlando................gulp.

 

[BigTime]

That's the problem with throwing out that Willie's going to get 25 points a game. That means is Gallon gets 13 the duo will be as good or better than what we had last year and I don't see any way that's remotely possible.

Willie may prove me wrong, but I don't see him making anywhere near the leap Blake made. I don't think Willie's got near the intestinal fortitude Blake does. We've seen Willie pout, mope and all that other stuff. We saw Blake do that a bit his freshman year, I realize that, but I just don't see Willie making the same type of improvements.

If he does, though, not only will I have plenty of egg on my face, but we'll be pretty good as well.

It was mentioned earlier how Erdmann and Brewer both averaged over 20 a game, but that was for totally different reasons. If those guys didn't go for 20+ a night we were completely sunk. This team will have far more weapons than those '97 or '98 teams. There's no Robert Allison in this group (and I liked Robert), except for maybe under the basket. I have no idea what we're going to do at the "5".

If it's Orlando................gulp.

I would say that Blake pouted more his freshman year than Willie did last year. But I understand what you are saying. I am not sure that Willie has the same drive to be great that Blake did, but Willie has got the scorer's mentality to get 22 per (same average as Blake). Will he do it? I think so. There is a reason that he was just projected 3rd in next year's draft despite not having a true position, not having a textbook jumpshot, and really only being 6'2. Its because the guy can flat out score the basketball. Find me a better finisher off the dribble with contact in college basketball. Next year will be Willie's team. He knows it. You know it. I know it.

Let's just hope that Orlando and Ryan find their inner Johnnie Gilbert and we might just have ourselves another good team!

 

[Smash Williams]

Some of you are underestimating what a dynamic scorer he really can be.

This.

I think most fans are underestimating Willie because they weren't overwhelmed by his overall performance last year even though they were happy to get that kind of production out of a freshman. However, it's a completely different dynamic without Blake on the team. Willie averaged 14.6 PPG despite playing a sidekick role that was a completely alien to him. It seemed like he struggled to figure out when to be aggressive and was far too passive at times as he tried to fit into a complementary role. In the games in which the team struggled or in which Blake was out, Willie's instincts kicked in as he looked to score without shame. I think the Texas and Kansas games without Blake were a good indicator of what to expect from Willie in terms of production next season.

I love Willie's mental make-up on the court. He plays with no fear in the face of adversity. In the UNC game, for example, everyone was struggling to hit shots, and in the second half there were certain veteran players passing up open looks because they were afraid to shoot. However, Willie Warren the freshman kept firing even though his shots weren't falling either.

The underestimation of Willie's abilities were most evident when 2009 draft projections started coming out with Willie's name. A lot of OU fans seem to be in disbelief that he was a projected lottery pick. I don't think people really get how good he is. They look at the numbers and the inconsistency last season without really putting those things in context. His scoring ability is remarkable, and people are finally going to see it when Willie is actually the #1 option.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I don't know how many points he will average. All I hope to see is him playing more consistently on both ends of the court. He is very talented and if he can bring it every game, that will quiet any critics he may have.

 

[oSuJeff97]

Blake averaged 14.7 his freshman year and Willie averaged 14.6, so why can't Willie have a big offensive explosion like Blake?

Because elite guards are just much easier to defend, on the whole, than elite centers.

How many teams in the country had someone big and athletic enough to defend Blake Griffin? Maybe 2 or 3?

OTOH, almost every decent team will have some sort of wing player who is athletic enough to defend a really good shooting guard or small forward.

 

[thebigabd]

Because elite guards are just much easier to defend, on the whole, than elite centers.

How many teams in the country had someone big and athletic enough to defend Blake Griffin? Maybe 2 or 3?

OTOH, almost every decent team will have some sort of wing player who is athletic enough to defend a really good shooting guard or small forward.

Great point. I agree....

 

[Sooner23]

Because elite guards are just much easier to defend, on the whole, than elite centers.

How many teams in the country had someone big and athletic enough to defend Blake Griffin? Maybe 2 or 3?

OTOH, almost every decent team will have some sort of wing player who is athletic enough to defend a really good shooting guard or small forward.

Great point. I agree....

The elite guards always find ways to score, in every level, no matter who is guarding them. Jodie Meeks averaged 23 in the SEC, Marcus Thornton averaged 21 in the SEC, James Harden put up 20 in the Pac-10, Jerrell McNeal averaged 19.1 in the Big East, andToney Douglas averaged 21 in the ACC. Even your own James Anderson averaged 19.1 in Big 12 play, and he has nowhere the ability to create his own shot like Willie does. Those guys were most certainly the focal point of the opposing defenses, and were most certainly being guarded by some pretty good athletes in those conferences. And Willie is every bit the scorer they were.

If you can score, and you are the focal point of the offense and get shots, you're going to score. Willie was the second option of the offense last year, was extremely passive and still managed almost 15 a game as a freshman.

This year (1) He's going to be a better player (2) The offense is going to be tailored around him (3) He's going to take more shots. He's also going to have a better playmaker next to him in TMG who will be extremely good at penetrating and setting him up. I think he will get at least 20, and if I had to guess will be in the 22-23 range.

We even got a preview of this year last year. I would say two of the tougher defensive teams we played were at Texas and Kansas. And when we played them without Blake, Willie averaged 25 points in those two games (27 against Texas and 23 against Kansas) despite the fact the other team knew he was the No. 1 option, and know that without Blake we had no low-post scoring threat. And if you take it a step further, Willie we will have a better inside game next year with Tiny than we had in those two games without Blake when he averaged 25.

I also think people are overrating our supporting cast in terms their ability to score. Willie is heads and shoulders our best scorer, and we're going to need him to take a ton of shots (probably 20 a game and at least six free throws a game). So I'll be surprised if he doesn't get the 20+.

 

[BigTime]

The elite guards always find ways to score, in every level, no matter who is guarding them. Jodie Meeks averaged 23 in the SEC, Marcus Thornton averaged 21 in the SEC, James Harden put up 20 in the Pac-10, Jerrell McNeal averaged 19.1 in the Big East, andToney Douglas averaged 21 in the ACC. Even your own James Anderson averaged 19.1 in Big 12 play, and he has nowhere the ability to create his own shot like Willie does. Those guys were most certainly the focal point of the opposing defenses, and were most certainly being guarded by some pretty good athletes in those conferences. And Willie is every bit the scorer they were.

If you can score, and you are the focal point of the offense and get shots, you're going to score. Willie was the second option of the offense last year, was extremely passive and still managed almost 15 a game as a freshman.

This year (1) He's going to be a better player (2) The offense is going to be tailored around him (3) He's going to take more shots. He's also going to have a better playmaker next to him in TMG who will be extremely good at penetrating and setting him up. I think he will get at least 20, and if I had to guess will be in the 22-23 range.

We even got a preview of this year last year. I would say two of the tougher defensive teams we played were at Texas and Kansas. And when we played them without Blake, Willie averaged 25 points in those two games (27 against Texas and 23 against Kansas) despite the fact the other team knew he was the No. 1 option, and know that without Blake we had no low-post scoring threat. And if you take it a step further, Willie we will have a better inside game next year with Tiny than we had in those two games without Blake when he averaged 25.

I also think people are overrating our supporting cast in terms their ability to score. Willie is heads and shoulders our best scorer, and we're going to need him to take a ton of shots (probably 20 a game and at least six free throws a game). So I'll be surprised if he doesn't get the 20+.

:aggieandabdgettingownedicon :clap

I agree wholeheartedly, 23. The best part is that Willie has a great chance to be better than all those guys.

He will get his 20 plus per game. Book it.

 

[NashSooner57]

Because elite guards are just much easier to defend, on the whole, than elite centers.

How many teams in the country had someone big and athletic enough to defend Blake Griffin? Maybe 2 or 3?

OTOH, almost every decent team will have some sort of wing player who is athletic enough to defend a really good shooting guard or small forward.

This says it all IMO.

 

[BigTime]

This says it all IMO.

Might want to read 23's post, and then realize that WW will be better than the kids that he listed (I think).

It was a nice thought by jeff, but 23 flat out owned him with relevant players and stats from last year (including a guy from his own team who nearly put up 20 during conference play against teams that have the defensive stoppers that he was talking about).

WW will get his 20 per. I am not going to say 25, but I feel good right now about 20 plus. :willie922_jpg_xs:

 

[OUsky]

23

 

[Cheno]

I think WW averages 18-19.
I think Cole Aldrich is NPOY.
I don't recall Blake "pouting" as a freshmen. Now he complained to the refs but it never was an attitude issue as far as with the coaches, players, work ethic, etc.

 

[FaithfulSooner]

Let's make sure we use this thread as a reference point for this year. It looks like some people are going to be very surprised at the performance of the young cats. I love this board! BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!

 

[boksooner]

22.3 points

 

[triplefatty]

19.8 ppg, 22.25 in phillips 66 big 12 conference play.



6 points vs KSU in Norman, on 3-17 shooting. Frank comes up w/genius gameplan to stop warren as KSU snags 75-71 thriller @ LNC. Capel after game blames himself for loss. Clemente taunts fans after game, this board calls him thug. KU fans join in the thug talk and I try to defend den-clem. it doesn't go well, and i stop posting here for a few weeks. eventually, i come back and we are friends again.

 

[oSuJeff97]

It was a nice thought by jeff, but 23 flat out owned him with relevant players and stats from last year (including a guy from his own team who nearly put up 20 during conference play against teams that have the defensive stoppers that he was talking about).

:ez-roll:

You certainly are the king of hyperbole, BigTime... no question there.

How did 23 "own" me?

I never said that WW or any other elite guards wouldn't/couldn't score 20 ppg.

I was simply responding to the previous question of "if Blake could 'explode' whey couldn't Willie?"

I stated my opinion as to why that might not be the case... a player like Blake Griffin is MUCH harder for most teams to defend than a player like Willie. Period.

 

[Sooner23]

Let's make sure we use this thread as a reference point for this year. It looks like some people are going to be very surprised at the performance of the young cats. I love this board! BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!

Hey, don't get me wrong man. I certainly hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see a more consistent Crocker, Wright/Allen improve their offense and freshmen like Tiny and TMG able to score enough where that Willie doesn't have to put it all on his shoulders at times.

 

[BigTime]

:ez-roll:

You certainly are the king of hyperbole, BigTime... no question there.How did 23 "own" me?

I never said that WW or any other elite guards wouldn't/couldn't score 20 ppg.

I was simply responding to the previous question of "if Blake could 'explode' whey couldn't Willie?"

I stated my opinion as to why that might not be the case... a player like Blake Griffin is MUCH harder for most teams to defend than a player like Willie. Period.

That usually is the retort of someone who just got owned. I was just giving 23 his props for taking your point and poking (pun intended) huge holes in it from just last year's data. I just found it humerous that is all.

I don't think anyone is saying that a player like Blake isn't harder to guard. But that doesn't deny the fact that Willie can't make the jump to becoming a 20 point scorer. I mentioned something earlier that I think will really help (it hurt Blake) and that is FT shooting. Also, cbb is a guard's game. Willie will touch the ball everytime down the floor. Blake didn't get that luxory.

One last thing, Capel has been all about running a guard-focused offense until Blake got here. He did it a VCU. Willie has a real chance to flourish under Capel.

Those of you putting under 20: Do you feel that Willie isn't good enough to get 20 or more? Do you think our offense won't be that potent? Or do you think that other guys will get enough points to keep Willie from getting 20 per? Just curious.

 

[DSMok1]

The elite guards always find ways to score, in every level, no matter who is guarding them. Jodie Meeks averaged 23 in the SEC, Marcus Thornton averaged 21 in the SEC, James Harden put up 20 in the Pac-10, Jerrell McNeal averaged 19.1 in the Big East, andToney Douglas averaged 21 in the ACC. Even your own James Anderson averaged 19.1 in Big 12 play, and he has nowhere the ability to create his own shot like Willie does. Those guys were most certainly the focal point of the opposing defenses, and were most certainly being guarded by some pretty good athletes in those conferences. And Willie is every bit the scorer they were.

I will note that most of those players played on subpar teams... Usually, if a player is averaging 20+ it isn't a good sign for the team--because either a) there aren't other players who can score on the team or b) the player is a ball-hog. Neither are good. Usually, the best teams are balanced. If OU wants to be very good, Willie can't be taking THAT many shots a game. He needs to shoot the good shots and not shoot the bad shots (unlike some of the scorers listed).