Bowers is extremely gifted, though not necessarily all that

Posted on: April 23, 2012 at 11:29:54 CT

assertive...or at least his game doesn't lend itself well to being a go-to guy who takes over games. In that regard, he is perfectly suited to play a role of doing 'Bowers' things on this team and providing great leadership. If he was coming back from injury for his senior year on a depleted roster filled with freshman that we could have potentially seen, I don't think he would have thrived in that role. Instead, we are going to be asking him to be a weakside shot blocker, an offensive tip rebounder, a big that can knock down face up jumpers and draw defenders away from Oriakhi, and someone who can finish on the assists from Pressey/Dixon. He can absolutely excel in that role.

Here is an interesting statistical comparision I did a couple of years ago:

http://www.tigerboard.com/boards/missouri-tigers.php?message=7564678

On a per min basis, he is one of the most effective big men in MU history. I think he is talented enough that even if he isn't 100%, he comes back as a slightly different yet still effective player....similar to how Thames as a freshman was an explosive athlete and then returned as a great back to the basket scorer and hustle guy.