Arizona basketball: Red-Blue Game Player Grades

The Arizona Wildcats' annual Red-Blue game took place on Saturday. Every expected major contributor played (other than Kaleb Tarczewski) and here's how I graded their performances:

Ryan Anderson: A

Sean Miller has been adamant that Ryan Anderson could be the team's best player, and Anderson made him look smart. He showed a diverse skill-set. He hit a jumper from near the elbow, scored off the dribble while finishing high off the glass, and also flashed his passing ability when he shuffled a pass in the paint to Chance Comanche for a bucket. Anderson was the game's leading scorer with 15 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Miller said that Anderson has earned the gold practice jersey -- which is given to the best performer -- for three consecutive weeks because of his rebounding numbers.

I think when it's all said and done, Ryan Anderson will be an upgrade over Brandon Ashley. It might seem to be a little premature to say that, but Anderson has received high praise all offseason, and based on his R-B performance, it all seems warranted.

Mark Tollefsen: A

Fellow transfer Mark Tollefsen had quite a game too. After winning the dunk contest, he had 13 points, and eight rebounds. Like Anderson, his aggressiveness on the glass is what stood out the most, especially on the offensive end. He also showed a wide array of skills while playing the three and the four. He scored off of a lefty hook in the low post, hit a three-pointer, had four assists, and really played some tough defense. He uses his length very well on that end and had two steals because of how he played the passing lanes. He told me on media day that he thinks of himself as an extremely versatile player, and he proved it in this one.

Dusan Ristic: A-

Ristic's body transformation is real. He looked so much quicker out there, especially on defense. Offensively, he was a monster in the paint, scoring with a variety of moves using his skill and footwork. For a big man, he has incredible touch around the rim. He finished with 14 points in total. It's amazing to think that Arizona has a center that can get 15 points on any given night off the bench. The one negative from Ristic is that he didn't hit his outside shots, and was a little too trigger happy for my liking out there. He took two threes, and missed them both. I know he can make those shots, but I think he's just too good in the paint to be content with taking them.

Elliott Pitts: B+

Elliott Pitts did Elliott Pitts things. He played solid defense on the perimeter and hit two threes. At this point, Pitts is what he is. And that's totally fine, he's an extremely useful role player, just don't expect to see a huge change in his game this year.

Kadeem Allen: B

To be frank, Allen looked like Arizona's best point guard. He finished with four points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. His defense looked as good as it has been advertised. He was using his height and length advantage to suffocate Parker Jackson-Cartwright all game. On offense, he's a slasher. He has a quick first step and is best when getting to the rim. He shook Jackson-Cartwright badly on one drive and then finished acrobatically at the rim. What can make Allen an extremely effective player is if he can use his slashing ability to open up the offense and create for others. He displayed that he has the potential to do that when on one of his two assists he drove and kicked it out to an open shooter in the corner.

Allonzo Trier: B-

Trier made it clear what he's good at: shooting, getting to the rim, finishing, and creating his own shot. He has a body type that allows him to absorb contact and when you combine that with his shooting ability and overall skill level, it makes him a dynamic scorer. What I didn't like was his reluctancy to pass the ball. He forced the ball into crowded spots and it left him in a position to either take a tough shot or try to pass it out. It resulted in him turning the ball over three times. Other times, he'd just try to iso, and though he creates space easily, that's not what Arizona's offense is looking for. He finished with nine points on 4-9 shooting (1-3 from three), but it's obvious that he will have to adjust to Arizona's team-oriented game. That said, Miller mentioned after the game that he'd rather have to reign a player in from trying to score too much than have to work to get a player to be more aggressive.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright: C-

Kadeem Allen made it difficult for PJC to get anything going. He wasn't able to drive by Allen or really get any good looks against him, and Allen's length and height advantage also made it tough for Jackson-Cartwright to survey the defense. He was held scoreless in 22 minutes, and did manage to have four assists, but also had two turnovers as well. The point situation is already murky, and PJC didn't do enough to solidify his spot in the starting lineup.

Chance Comanche: B

Comanche didn't rebound well, and didn't make a huge impact on defense, but you can see the potential he has. He's a natural athlete and the thing I thought he did best was make himself available for passes near the basket. When he did get a pass thrown his way, he caught it cleanly and fluidly and was able to finish. He also scored on a drop-step against Ristic on the low block and finished with six points. The issue with Comanche is his strength. He's frail and I think a redshirt year would help him massively. Ryan Anderson played some five with Kaleb Tarczewski out, so I'm not sure Comanche will be needed this year. His future is certainly bright, though.

Ray Smith: C

Smith's performance wasn't outstanding, but the most important thing is that he looked healthy. In the dunk contest he didn't look like a guy that is coming off an ACL surgery. In the actual game, he looked fluid and athletic, but basketball-wise he seemed to be forcing things a little bit. He picked up at least two offensive fouls because he barreled into the defense and took a long pull-up jumper early in the shot clock. On the good side, his shooting stroke looked good as he hit one from behind the arc, and he appears more than capable as a ball-hander. One thing we can assume is that he'll offer the offense more spacing than Rondae Hollis-Jefferson did.

Gabe York: B

York, like Pitts, had a game that we're familiar to seeing from him. He hit two threes and finished with 10 points. It'll be interesting to see who will start between York and Trier, and in the Red-Blue game they were basically equals.

Justin Simon: C-

To be honest, I didn't really notice Simon out there. Despite playing 15 minutes, he had a pretty empty stat line -- two points, two rebounds, and a steal. I think the point guard race is between PJC and Allen with Simon as the clearcut third option. And if Miller's starting lineups in the Red-Blue are any indication of how he views the point guards, it seems he agrees since Simon came off the bench.

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What do you think? Did I grade someone too harshly? Was I too generous to someone?

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