Z vs Winston

Submitted by TrueBlueLaw on

Hark back a few years ago when Michigan abandoned its pursuit of Winston in favor of taking Zavier (who expressed late interest).  I’m sure the details of that recruiting dance are more complicated than that, but – watching Z’s game and growth compared to Winston’s – I’m so happy things worked out the way they did.  We got the better point guard. 

bacon1431

March 5th, 2018 at 8:57 AM ^

Edwards, Carr and Winston are going to be great offensive players in the conference (already are really) going forward. Glad we have the type of player that can mitigate them.

Hail-Storm

March 5th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^

I think Izzo is going to make it out of this, because there is so much fight from all levels there. 

I also want him to be there one more year minimum, so Beilein can sweep him next year to get .500 against him.  If we would get him in the tournament, then maybe Michigan could be above .500 against state under Beilein. 

Indy Pete - Go Blue

March 5th, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^

Z is a lion of a man. He leads this team and sets the tone defensively. Here is a very good article talking about the rivalry between the Simpson and Winston that really colors the background of their recruitment:

https://theathletic.com/209647/2018/01/11/cassius-winston-vs-zavier-simpson-is-a-story-of-2-players-2-scholarships-and-now-1-rivalry/

And another about his leadership on defense:

https://theathletic.com/260616/2018/03/03/the-story-of-zavier-simpson-a…

I apologize in advance if you are not subscribed as The Athletic is not free. However, I encourage you to sign up for the free trial now. Brendan Quinn's stuff alone is worth it.

Occam's Razor

March 5th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^

I just remember freaking out b/c that led to MSU getting Winston and Langford while we we're fresh off of losing Tyus Battle to Syracuse. 

But holy hell has Z improved. It's been Walton-esque for sure. 

Space Coyote

March 5th, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^

Is how good would Winston be under Beilein. Winston's biggest short coming is his D, something that I'm not sure he would have been to mitigate largely at Michigan (and something he should be able to improve under Izzo, but hasn't yet). But his offense is legit, how incredible could it have been under Beilein?

stephenrjking

March 5th, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^

This is an interesting contrast. Simpson keys a team that is defensively one of the best in the country (!), something that would not be likely if Winston was the one on the floor. And our defense is the reason the team is so good relative to the offensive talent that is present.

I'm not an expert here but I agree with you. I don't think Winston's additional offensive tools would make up for losing Simpson's lockdown defense. And, FT shooting aside, I don't think it's close.

Blue In NC

March 5th, 2018 at 9:07 AM ^

I am going with the hot take of Winston would be a much better player if under Beilein than under Izzo.  But glad to have Z and how he is developing has been incredible.

BoCanHam15

March 5th, 2018 at 9:07 AM ^

There are some people that only post here when Beilein does bad. Ya know like recruiting wise? I wonder how his keyboard feels when he can’t type Beilein has missed on sooooo many top recruits and how he cannot close with the Mamba types. I’m sure he’s quite sad of our success. Despite how bad our recruiting has declined with all the top 5 star recruits! Lol

Mike Damone

March 5th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^

forget Bohannon w Iowa.  Dude can score, and Z blanketed him and forced him into 3-14 shooting.  We lose that game without Z, in my opinion.

He was absolutely phenomenal through the tourney.  Amazing how far he has come from earlier in the year, when he wasn't even starting.

With Dejulius coming in next year, we are going to have some great point guard play for many years to come...

The Fugitive

March 5th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^

I love his hook passes in the lane to the big men at the basket. They are a thing of beauty.

I'm confident he'll fix his FT stroke. Can't wait for more BUFF MAN STRUTTING

lbpeley

March 5th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^

that got the lesser coach. I would bet a lot that had Winston chose Beilein he'd be a lot more complete.

davking1980

March 5th, 2018 at 9:16 AM ^

Needs to create a meme of Z's face in a grim reaper costume in a graveyard lording over gravestones with names of Bohanon, Palmer, Winston and Edwards.

ThatTCGuy

March 5th, 2018 at 9:22 AM ^

Winston is a good player, but give me Z every time. Winston has one elite trait (his three point shooting). Z is an elite passer, can score off the dribble, and spent the entire tourney locking down some of the Big Ten's best guards.

oriental andrew

March 5th, 2018 at 9:52 AM ^

think of where Zavier Simpson was at this time last season, or even early in the season. People were bemoaning his average-at-best play. Of course, he clearly blossomed, as PGs do under Beilein. 

I imagine it would have been much the same with Cassius Winston, if he were a Wolverine. Take that "one elite trait" and pair it with elite player development and training and you'd have a heckuva PG. 

Not to say I'm not more than happy with Simpson, but Beilein & Co. could have done wonders with Winston. 

Hail-Storm

March 5th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^

Burke became a national player of the year in his second year at Michigan. So when we see a point guard who has a decent freshman year struggle in their second year (Walton, Simpson) and take a little longer to develop, we assume bust or go nuts.  It really is amazing how good Michigan's point guards become and how much they develop and grow.  The attention to every detail is so critical.  I also think Beilein knows who to push and how.  He knows Moe is confidant and has no problem telling him that he stinks, knowing that Moe can take it and move on.  With Irvin and Walton, he knew to give Walton the confidance to just take the shot, and take the pressure off of Irvin.  He doesn't coddle players, but I think his honesty in telling the players what they are doing wrong and giving them the chance to fix it is huge.

Izzo's players look great when they are running the court and playing loose, yet Izzo get's them into sets that they can't get out of, and seems to bench players for bad play without instruction and getting them back out there. Izzo and Brian Kelly remind me of each other somewhat.  Both very successful coaches who seem to break some players down when they don't execute. 

Naked Bootlegger

March 5th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^

It's almost as if Z has emerged from a cocoon as a completely different player.  Can't think of an appropriate moniker for this scenario, though.   B1G Network color commentators, can you please help us adopt a nickname for Z that properly captures his transformation?

(Somewhere, Darius Morris shutters)

lhglrkwg

March 5th, 2018 at 9:49 AM ^

I don't follow basketball super close, but Izzo seems always get 5* guys who hang around East Lansing forever because they never develop significantly. Meanwhile, Beilein is scooping up your 3*/4* tweener guys and they're all going to the NBA. I wonder if Z > Winston isn't because Beilein > Izzo and not because it was a mistake in the recruiting rankings