I don't see how Puryear is being undersold at all.

Posted on: August 7, 2018 at 00:54:00 CT

He has been a solid player. He is a career 10 ppg scorer, 5 reb, 80% free throw, and solid 45% field goal shooter. His only real draw back is as a consistent 3 point shooter but he has hit some key ones. I expect all of those numbers to be the case this year even though as you say he won't start. Like Jontay last year, he can be a legitimate candidate as SEC 6th man of the year. The only criticism may have been of him as a primary score, which he was miscast as his first couple of years due to no fault of his own.

Which brings me to Giest. Because his problem is also being miscast. People are justifiably concerned with him being the number 1 option as point guard because he is not that. Again he is in that role through no fault of his own. The mere fact that anybody or the coach is saying a 6'11 center/forward has to take pressure off him as a ball handler just because they are a better at that, also as a play maker and possess better basketball IQ is a problem. Actual starting caliber points don't need that. Though it may be a necessity, there are ways to work around it. To me it's not ideal to have to do that though for a couple of reasons. I think he'll be around his career averages (maybe slightly higher) in all categories too. I'm pulling for him but it's my biggest skepticism of this years team by a vast margin. Hopefully he surprises and makes me eat my words, which I'll be happy to do.

Edited by longtimereader at 01:03:04 on 08/07/18