Prob an end of season topic but thinking about this one. Who is better? I loved Dennis, but I think Phelps' aggressiveness with driving is super valuable.
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Phelps vs Dennis
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Last: 8 days ago by Method Man
Dennis was a better defender(only slightly) but Zhu is the better scorer, passer, and rebounder(by far, in my opinion)
It is funny how many rebounds Zhu is grabbing as teams concentrate on Andy.
Phelps is better, but he's also more volatile. Not completely his fault since he's a point guard compared to a wing, but just the truth. I don't remember ever thinking "Dex is absolutely killing us right now" very often.
Dennis was also probably a better overall defender, but Phelps is more disruptive. I don't know if that makes sense, but Dennis was like a solid middle linebacker making all the right plays. Phelps is more like a risk-taking corner that makes a few picks on the season that completely change games.
Dennis was also probably a better overall defender, but Phelps is more disruptive. I don't know if that makes sense, but Dennis was like a solid middle linebacker making all the right plays. Phelps is more like a risk-taking corner that makes a few picks on the season that completely change games.
Completely different players imo . Phelps is basically the Boots replacement . Carter is the Dennis replacement.
Overall team is better this yr than 2 yrs ago but Payne has been a major difference maker .
Overall team is better this yr than 2 yrs ago but Payne has been a major difference maker .
I think calling Carter a Dennis replacement is unfair to Carter, that's definitely not what he was brought here to do even if they play roughly the same position.
If anything I'd say Solo is the Dennis replacement.
But a Phelps vs Boots thread might be spicier for sure. Like Boots is probably "better" but I think Phelps is the exact kind of player this team needed for this season. I'd rather have Phelps than have Boots back.
If anything I'd say Solo is the Dennis replacement.
But a Phelps vs Boots thread might be spicier for sure. Like Boots is probably "better" but I think Phelps is the exact kind of player this team needed for this season. I'd rather have Phelps than have Boots back.
As with all the Aggies, I remember wanting Dexter to be a better 3-point shooter. He made 31% of his threes as an Aggie. He was 44-142 in 2022-2023. That team shot 32% from 3, compared to this year's team at 31%.
As a side note: Dexter Dennis played 35 minutes Saturday for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He filled up the box score with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
In 18 games he is averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 35% from three.
As a side note: Dexter Dennis played 35 minutes Saturday for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He filled up the box score with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
In 18 games he is averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 35% from three.
Have you seen the size of his hands? Zhu has big hands for a guard.PJYoung said:
It is funny how many rebounds Zhu is grabbing as teams concentrate on Andy.
I think it's kind of hard to compare because they're different type of players. I don't remember Dex handling the ball as much as Zhu does and he certainly didn't score 30+ points in game for us. He was also never asked to take over a game like Zhu did at Oklahoma.
I wonder if we have enough guys for an all-time one-year-rental team. Not players that came in and left, but players we know we were only going to have for one season.
Dennis, Phelps, Wilcher, Anthony Collins, Duane Wilson...
Dennis, Phelps, Wilcher, Anthony Collins, Duane Wilson...
You could make the argument for both really, but as in anything the end results is what sticks out in peoples minds. Zhu hasn't been in the tournament, but he's still making his case on how he will stack up against Boots.bobinator said:
But a Phelps vs Boots thread might be spicier for sure. Like Boots is probably "better" but I think Phelps is the exact kind of player this team needed for this season. I'd rather have Phelps than have Boots back.
Boots in the post season:
2021-22 NIT
Average
11 pts, 9 Rebs, 1 assists, 2 steals
2022-23 NCAAT
Penn St - 14 pts, 1 Reb, 3 assists
2023-24 NCAAT
Nebraska - 20 pts, 10 Reb, 5 assists
Houston - 27 pts, 15 Rebs, 6 assists
Zhu in the post season:
2023-24 NIT
Indiana St - 21 pts, 7 Rebs, 2 assists
2022-23 AAC Tournament
UCF - 21 pts, 1 Reb, 7 assists, 3 steals
Kevin Marfo
Christian Mekowulu
Ethan Henderson
Eli Lawrence
Wildens Leveque
Christian Mekowulu
Ethan Henderson
Eli Lawrence
Wildens Leveque
Technically Zhu is better.Method Man said:
Prob an end of season topic but thinking about this one. Who is better? I loved Dennis, but I think Phelps' aggressiveness with driving is super valuable.
November 30, 2022, SMU vs TAMU
Zhu - 33 mins, 23 pts (5-11 from 3-pt), 3 rebs, 1 assist, 1 steal
Dex - 25 mins, 2 pts (0-4 field), 4 rebs, 2 steals
If you watch after Wades winning 3 against Mizzou, Phelps was about to jump the inbounds pass instead of celebrating the shot. Mizzou was lucky they called timeout to even get that last chance.bobinator said:
Phelps is better, but he's also more volatile. Not completely his fault since he's a point guard compared to a wing, but just the truth. I don't remember ever thinking "Dex is absolutely killing us right now" very often.
Dennis was also probably a better overall defender, but Phelps is more disruptive. I don't know if that makes sense, but Dennis was like a solid middle linebacker making all the right plays. Phelps is more like a risk-taking corner that makes a few picks on the season that completely change games.
I think it was mentioned above, but while Zhu has more upside, he also can just kill us at times with his recklessness. I thought that several times in the first half against Georgia. Just bad turnovers he caused himself or empty possessions because he refused to pass.
Maybe time heals all, but I don't remember that from Boots even though there were times we had to unfairly rely on him to carry the offense.
Maybe time heals all, but I don't remember that from Boots even though there were times we had to unfairly rely on him to carry the offense.
Zhu is one of my favorite players. Maybe I'm slightly biased since my son has his headband from the Tech game and wore it multiple times upside down during his junior high basketball season.
Zhu is also being asked to do a hell of a lot more with the ball than Dex was.
I think Dexter was a glue guy in helping unify a team that was a lot younger than this year's team. He also seemed to have some amazing abilities to disrupt the other teams offense at the top of the key with some timely steals to shift momentum. There is a reason he was the conference defensive player of the year at Wichita State.
He also was a total class act off the court. This is the guy that after games at Wichita State would go up in the stands and help the cleaning crew and did it anonymously a number of times until local press got word of it.
I love the new guys as well but none of them compare to Dexter or vice versa because their games are substantially different.
He also was a total class act off the court. This is the guy that after games at Wichita State would go up in the stands and help the cleaning crew and did it anonymously a number of times until local press got word of it.
I love the new guys as well but none of them compare to Dexter or vice versa because their games are substantially different.
Absolute legends.rlb28 said:
Kevin Marfo
Christian Mekowulu
Ethan Henderson
Eli Lawrence
Wildens Leveque
I was talking about this with my wife a few games ago.
I feel like Boots would disappear for multiple games at a time but would traditionally show up big in the biggest games. Zhu seems to Jekyll and Hyde from half to half...and you can see it happen. Tuesday night..you could see him start to lose it (from the stands at least) and you're just begging for coach/staff to recognize he's going south and get a sub in. But they never do. Oddly enough, when he makes a dumb turnover or multiples in sequence, he usually comes up with a brilliant defensive play or two to mostly make up for it.
I feel like Boots would disappear for multiple games at a time but would traditionally show up big in the biggest games. Zhu seems to Jekyll and Hyde from half to half...and you can see it happen. Tuesday night..you could see him start to lose it (from the stands at least) and you're just begging for coach/staff to recognize he's going south and get a sub in. But they never do. Oddly enough, when he makes a dumb turnover or multiples in sequence, he usually comes up with a brilliant defensive play or two to mostly make up for it.
Yeah I can't quite explain it, but Boots wasn't an alpha the same way that Phelps is.
A big part of it is that Boots was awful on defense a lot of the time. I'm not sure how he escaped the same level of criticism for his defense as Taylor gets but he was just as bad.
A big part of it is that Boots was awful on defense a lot of the time. I'm not sure how he escaped the same level of criticism for his defense as Taylor gets but he was just as bad.
bobinator said:
I wonder if we have enough guys for an all-time one-year-rental team. Not players that came in and left, but players we know we were only going to have for one season.
Dennis, Phelps, Wilcher, Anthony Collins, Duane Wilson...
DeAndre
I thought about whether he counts or not. He was always probably a one-and-done guy but wasn't absolutely one because if he wanted to stay he could have.
DeAndre is a top five (at least) "better than people remember" player in Aggie basketball history.
DeAndre is a top five (at least) "better than people remember" player in Aggie basketball history.
Man, I forgot how much of a monster Boots was in the tourney last year.GrayMatter said:You could make the argument for both really, but as in anything the end results is what sticks out in peoples minds. Zhu hasn't been in the tournament, but he's still making his case on how he will stack up against Boots.bobinator said:
But a Phelps vs Boots thread might be spicier for sure. Like Boots is probably "better" but I think Phelps is the exact kind of player this team needed for this season. I'd rather have Phelps than have Boots back.
Boots in the post season:
2021-22 NIT
Average
11 pts, 9 Rebs, 1 assists, 2 steals
2022-23 NCAAT
Penn St - 14 pts, 1 Reb, 3 assists
2023-24 NCAAT
Nebraska - 20 pts, 10 Reb, 5 assists
Houston - 27 pts, 15 Rebs, 6 assists
Zhu in the post season:
2023-24 NIT
Indiana St - 21 pts, 7 Rebs, 2 assists
2022-23 AAC Tournament
UCF - 21 pts, 1 Reb, 7 assists, 3 steals
Zhu
I was in Norman behind the bench. I've rarely seen someone elevate and assert himself the way he did in that game. He channeled his inner Wade Taylor
I was in Norman behind the bench. I've rarely seen someone elevate and assert himself the way he did in that game. He channeled his inner Wade Taylor
"I didn't come here to lose!" Charley Moran
Man, I absolutely loved Duane Wilson. Collins was good as well. Wilson was so good in transition at using bodies to shield off his defender for open looks around the basket.bobinator said:
I wonder if we have enough guys for an all-time one-year-rental team. Not players that came in and left, but players we know we were only going to have for one season.
Dennis, Phelps, Wilcher, Anthony Collins, Duane Wilson...
Zhu is way more frustrating than both Boots and Dennis were. He'll make the most boneheaded turnovers and force terrible shots sometimes, but he can flip a switch and turn it on at any moment.
I think I'd rank them:
1) Boots
2) Zhu
3) Dexter - But he was exactly what we needed for that year
I think I'd rank them:
1) Boots
2) Zhu
3) Dexter - But he was exactly what we needed for that year
The other thing that's interesting on Boots is that nobody seemed to kill him for taking threes even though he was absolutely awful at them. He shot 28% from 3 last year and took 125 of them.
I mean, who else would shoot them. lolbobinator said:
The other thing that's interesting on Boots is that nobody seemed to kill him for taking threes even though he was absolutely awful at them. He shot 28% from 3 last year and took 125 of them.
Yeah I mean he needed to shoot at times, but I just think the dynamic is interesting. Folks on here absolutely kill Taylor and Phelps sometimes (which is fair! not saying it isn't) for their shot selection or their turnovers or whatever, but somehow it seemed like Boots never caught that same level of criticism for his shooting or his defense or anything.
Anyway, apologies to Method for once again re-routing one of his threads
.
Anyway, apologies to Method for once again re-routing one of his threads
.
Boots' 1st year on campus he was actually a really solid 3pt shooter. For whatever reason, he gradually got worse and worse.
Phelps shoots just as many 3s as Boots at a similar percentage. Only difference is that Phelps has never had a track record of even being an average 3pt shooter.
Phelps shoots just as many 3s as Boots at a similar percentage. Only difference is that Phelps has never had a track record of even being an average 3pt shooter.
What's interesting to me is Phelps has actually been pretty good since conference play started. He's at 31% in conference games which is halfway decent.
I generally never have issues with him shooting 3s just because that is how Buzz's system operates. Same reason I never had issues with Boots shooting 3s. If we grab 35-40% of those misses (which is around what we average), the percentages will take care of themselves on a per possession basis.bobinator said:
What's interesting to me is Phelps has actually been pretty good since conference play started. He's at 31% in conference games which is halfway decent.
Think this is purely the fact that Boots never gave off the optics of he was playing out of control even when playing poorly, which Phelps and Wade tend to do a lotbobinator said:
Yeah I mean he needed to shoot at times, but I just think the dynamic is interesting. Folks on here absolutely kill Taylor and Phelps sometimes (which is fair! not saying it isn't) for their shot selection or their turnovers or whatever, but somehow it seemed like Boots never caught that same level of criticism for his shooting or his defense or anything.
Anyway, apologies to Method for once again re-routing one of his threads
Phelps makes some reckless, careless plays, but overall I love the way he plays the game.
He's got no fear s d he's all over the court and comes up big when you need him to.
Phelps is my type of player.
Boots was great, too.
The best thing about our team is you never know where it's going to come from.
Last game was solo, before that was Payne, that OU game was Phelps, another game was manny etc…then there's always Taylor
He's got no fear s d he's all over the court and comes up big when you need him to.
Phelps is my type of player.
Boots was great, too.
The best thing about our team is you never know where it's going to come from.
Last game was solo, before that was Payne, that OU game was Phelps, another game was manny etc…then there's always Taylor
Suckiest sucks that ever sucked
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