Just a Bear in Frog World said:

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He has yet to establish himself as the go to guy. He doesn't have to be though on this team with the talent around him. He lacks consistency and it is hurting his draft stock.

Does Baylor run specific sets for him?

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Maybe off inbound plays? I'm trying to think back through the current season and it feels like outside of when the player hands the ball off at the top of the key or just outside the arc then sets up a screen for the cutback it's mostly motion around the arc until we get a favorable matchup from the defense making a bad switch. Then it's iso and either a drive then hit the open guy if anyone is crashing for an easy shot at the rim or open three.

We do sometimes run that baseline off ball staggered screen to free up a guy to have an open look and we're very good at it but idk if that's for any specific player this year like it was for Jared, MaCio, and Davion.

CTbruin said:

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So many experts

I enjoy watching Mayer play and will miss him next year

His shot may not be falling, but he busts his butt every time on the floor

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What the **** is the point of a message board if you can't bounce thoughts off of other people when someone seems a bit off their game? Go to the ODB site if you want straight reviews and no one opining.

It's wild that so many Baylor fans only see **** in black or white and that if we aren't saying he's good then surely we are saying he's horrible which I can assure you NO ONE thinks that. I know it's hard to fathom but he looks more subdued this year compared to his first three and he's a guy who **(trigger warning: I'm stating an opinion on a Baylor player)**
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plays better when he has the confidence of thinking anywhere past half court is in his range.
So far it doesn't seem like he has the same bravado as he had his first three years. Starting might not be as nice of a fit for him as 6th man. It happens. It's not a slight on him.

Some pitchers are stars when they come in as a reserve but aren't as good when forced to start. Different sports but the mentality is the same. You can't be the spark plug if you're on the court from the tip and he's a really damn good spark plug. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if that's his actual niche and that's why it feels off. Let's try Cryer starting and Mayer first off the bench and see if he returns to form.

Once again, people have made generational wealth in the NBA by being career 6th men. Some even get better contracts than starters do because it's a position that's just as important as a starter. Teams need guys who can come off the bench and light it up. Mayer proved he can do that. Why not put him back in that spot?
You don't even have to cut back on his minutes. If he's hot coming off the bench then let him stay in. You aren't forced to have your starters play the most minutes.

The names of the schools we played are stronger than their actual teams are. Look at who we played and see the teams they beat.
MSU:
Butler-only good win @OU
Loyola-only good win @DePaul
UCONN-great win vs Auburn
Minn-only good win vs Miss St
Nova:
Tenn-only good win(s?) vs UNC & Colorado
*Nova has also only beaten 3 teams with more wins than losses*
Oregon:
SMU-only good(?) win
VCU:
Only wins vs teams w/ winning records are Vandy, Campbell, FAU
ASU:
good win vs Creighton

After tonight there's no way you can't say something isn't up with him.
I hope it isn't something like an injury and that he's instead in a rut. Maybe the break until the 28th will help him if he's jaded or something. If it's not being jaded and something personal or physical I pray it gets resolved for his long term well-being.

How do you help a gunner get out of a slump? Let him go out there and tell him he has a permanent green light or let him sit a game to gather himself? Maybe he does need to move back to first off the bench. It's sad that he doesn't seem to be playing with as much vibrancy this season.

Also, his AST is only 1.30 so it's not like he's suddenly gotten better with the ball. Has had 27PFs so far as well, I think tied with Flo for most on the team.

Please no green light.

Ok, I give. Time to cut the hair.

If we're gonna do it NWST is the only time to give it a shot. I don't think he could shoot us into a loss vs them even if he tried.

They beat Dallas Christian recently. I thought that was a private pre-k to 12th grade school?

At this point I'm not worried about him

Just think he may be a known quantity

I lose IQ points every time I read this thread. And I don't have any to spare.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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I think you actually nailed it on the head a few posts above....Mayer's best role is a 6th man where he can come off the bench and attack defenses. I have posted for weeks in different threads that I think Sochan would be a better fit with the starting unit which would allow Mayer to shift back to his 6th man role where he was dominant the past 3 seasons. And is not a knock on Mayer, our top 8 guys are all starters, it's just a matter of finding the right lineup combinations. Sochan I think is the ideal "glue guy" to blend in with the starting unit while right now I think trying to mesh with the starting unit is still messing with Mayer's rhythm and he is pressing. Team chemistry can be hard to develop even in an unselfish culture like we have in place. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Agree. Mayer is at his best when he can come in off the bench as a change of pace and wreak havoc.

Vinny Johnson had a great NBA career coming in hot - The Microwave!

I'm actually more in the camp of Cryer starting and having a 3 guard lineup like last year. Only real issue is he might be exactly like Mayerbetter off the bench. There's no reason both can't get good minutes and Cryer is playing amazing right now.
But all of that is my heart talking. My head says Sochan is the best option. He has experience playing at a tougher level than anyone else on our squad (National Team play) and that is invaluable. I'm afraid he's going to end up playing himself into a good draft projection and then leave hahah.

The next issue is Flagler might be uncomfortable in a starting role as well. His might be more of a slump but that 9.7 efficiency rating is real bad for a player who has the ball as much as he does. Thamba's role isn't to make baskets so his is being low is understandable.

We could very well have 3 players (Mayer, Flagler, Cryer) who are best when coming off the bench. So far no problems but we haven't played a team as strong as ISU yet.
Don't let KenPom fool you with having them in the 40's they'll make a huge jump in it once they play their 12th game and KenPom stops using things from last season in their rankings.

Vinny, Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, and Lou Williams all fit the Mayer mold of being killers coming off the bench first.
Also a benefit of coming off the bench is that you can get acclimated to the pace and flow of the game without having to worry about messing up on the court like you would as a starter.

Okay, idk if this has been brought up on a different thread but what if this "Our Time: Baylor Basketball" docuseries has messed with him. He was the big name coming back for MBB so maybe it has a little too much focus on him so the pressure from the show has made him have such a hard time?

It would actually also explain Flagler having issues since he was named the heir to the spots that Teague, Butler, and Mitchell had last year.

That's a lot of pressure for both players as it is but if you add cameras documenting the team that's a lot to have to take in. That could be causing them to push a little too much and maybe even become jaded towards the sport.

It wouldn't be as much of an issue for Thamba and JTT because they already knew what was expected out of them this year since it was the same as last year. Flagler and Mayer were the only ones stepping into new roles with high expectations.

Robert Wilson said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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I think you actually nailed it on the head a few posts above....Mayer's best role is a 6th man where he can come off the bench and attack defenses. I have posted for weeks in different threads that I think Sochan would be a better fit with the starting unit which would allow Mayer to shift back to his 6th man role where he was dominant the past 3 seasons. And is not a knock on Mayer, our top 8 guys are all starters, it's just a matter of finding the right lineup combinations. Sochan I think is the ideal "glue guy" to blend in with the starting unit while right now I think trying to mesh with the starting unit is still messing with Mayer's rhythm and he is pressing. Team chemistry can be hard to develop even in an unselfish culture like we have in place. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Agree. Mayer is at his best when he can come in off the bench as a change of pace and wreak havoc.

Vinny Johnson had a great NBA career coming in hot - The Microwave!

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VJ got his "Microwave" name from the fact that when he hit a few clean swishes from distance, look out, he would fill it up the next several times down the court--often from even further distances.

Also, pretty sure Vinnie was Haller's prized starter.

Replied to a post from page 1 we've already discussed like a dumbass.

Don't worry

Be happy