Thank the Good Lord.

Huzzah

W

This is great news, obviously. We really needed him back.

Think Jon can get up to 8-10 ppg just by improved mobility and leaping. Looking for inside finishes next year. Nunn/Healthly Love can also put in double digits on any given night. This is an "unseasoned" but very dangerous roster if the pieces fall right.

Brother keeping my fingers crossed for EJ. He could barely jump over a phone book but maybe only b/c he returned prematurely. Even if he only recovers 60% of his original athleticism that would be huge.

JP1037 said:

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Thank the Good Lord.

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Awesome. No burned Bridges

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Brother keeping my fingers crossed for EJ. He could barely jump over a phone book but maybe only b/c he returned prematurely. Even if he only recovers 60% of his original athleticism that would be huge.

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I have seen you say a few times that JT was a shell of his former self last year. I didn't see it that way. He was not 100% but I would give it 80+% of his prior ability. Its not like he was a 5* athlete prior to the injury. His intensity and focus and effort is most of his game before and after injury. Guy is an asset and a good not great athlete (he is a far superior athlete than most men, he just plays a very athletic game).

Craw also said John wouldn't play until the middle of the 23/24 season. So there's that.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Brother keeping my fingers crossed for EJ. He could barely jump over a phone book but maybe only b/c he returned prematurely. Even if he only recovers 60% of his original athleticism that would be huge.

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From what I understand he is much closer now. Jon is an explosive vertical athlete when healthy and I don't think we get back to that completely. But I do think lateral movement will improve a lot.

By all reports Jon is an incredibly disciplined, hard-working athlete. His return this past season was a testament to his grit & determination. He may never get to 100% of where he was before the injury but then again, he might. If anyone can, EJ can do it. He's that determined & works that hard.

Quinton said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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Brother keeping my fingers crossed for EJ. He could barely jump over a phone book but maybe only b/c he returned prematurely. Even if he only recovers 60% of his original athleticism that would be huge.

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From what I understand he is much closer now. Jon is an explosive vertical athlete when healthy and I don't think we get back to that completely. But I do think lateral movement will improve a lot.

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He gets anywhere close to that original lateral movement, we are solidified as a final 4 contender. His presence defensively is that important for us.

He had great athleticism. He'll never be 100% of what he was athletically. My understanding is he had a 2 year recovery process and came back ahead of schedule after 12 months, but not fully healed. I expect him to be much improved physically next season.

There's a lot of reasons to be excited about the upcoming season. It's probably our deepest team ever. It has a chance to be our most talented team. We'll never match the 2021 team for experience, but no NCAA contender in the one and done era has matched that team's experience level.

JP1037 said:

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Crawfoso1973 said:

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Brother keeping my fingers crossed for EJ. He could barely jump over a phone book but maybe only b/c he returned prematurely. Even if he only recovers 60% of his original athleticism that would be huge.

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I have seen you say a few times that JT was a shell of his former self last year. I didn't see it that way. He was not 100% but I would give it 80+% of his prior ability. Its not like he was a 5* athlete prior to the injury. His intensity and focus and effort is most of his game before and after injury. Guy is an asset and a good not great athlete (he is a far superior athlete than most men, he just plays a very athletic game).

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do you think he grew some hands this off season by-chance?

BUCANDOIT82 said:

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He had great athleticism. He'll never be 100% of what he was athletically. My understanding is he had a 2 year recovery process and came back ahead of schedule after 12 months, but not fully healed. I expect him to be much improved physically next season.

There's a lot of reasons to be excited about the upcoming season. It's probably our deepest team ever. It has a chance to be our most talented team. We'll never match the 2021 team for experience, but no NCAA contender in the one and done era has matched that team's experience level.

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Kansas and Uconn