Based on the two games so far, Love looks great.

If his D could ever catch up with a third of his offensive talent, he would start. Unfortunately, so far it's as bad as it was last year.

The whole D is approaching last years level is the issue. I mean John Browns guards are cooking us

I cringe anytime I see a drive along the baseline. It's basically an automatic lay-up.

Elite guards will torch us all season. Is what it is at this point. I mean these 2 JB guards are having field days

Love's offensive bursts are perfect for the 1st guy off the bench role. He kinda adds a burst of energy offensively when he enters. I kinda like him in that role.

Sometimes, guys who excel in off-the-bench roles have a hard time replicating that success in a starting gig. Not to say that Langston couldn't do it, but you never know. Matt Mayer was dynamite in the 6th man role. He didn't exactly have the makeup to be "the guy," though.

I trust Coach Drew to have his finger on the pulse of the team.

DanaDane said:

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If his D could ever catch up with a third of his offensive talent, he would start. Unfortunately, so far it's as bad as it was last year.

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I had been saying this all offseason, he was just a bad on defense as Cryer and Keyonte were last year. He's also one-dimensional on offense, with no appreciable ability to handle the ball or create shots for others. A 6th man role fits him perfectly. Remember Flagler on our championship team? He only had to come in off the bench and put the ball in the bucket. Nunn is perfect with our starting unit as a lockdown defender and his PG skills take a lot of pressure off of Dennis.

IowaBear said:

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He's probably better off the bench. He appears to be instant offense which will be great throughout conference play

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I agree. I also think JTT should be coming off the bench too since he's utilized better there but then again Scott knows what he's doing.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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DanaDane said:

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If his D could ever catch up with a third of his offensive talent, he would start. Unfortunately, so far it's as bad as it was last year.

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I had been saying this all offseason, he was just a bad on defense as Cryer and Keyonte were last year.

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I think the difference in Cryer and Keyonte vs. Love last year is that Love's issues weren't pouting or loafing on D. I truly don't think he ever has or ever will fully recover the lateral movement he had before the injury. I saw him in person twice at practice prior to the injury and he wasn't that bad on D. It's painful watching him try to move laterally on D as a faster player blows by him on a backdoor or along the baseline. I don't think it has anything to do with effort. I think he just can't move fast enough and that also makes it difficult for him to fight through screens.

Yeah, I never saw an issue with Love's effort or body language....but last year he played defense like he was on skates. Not sure he looks much better this year (but small sample size).