Virginia Tech Men's Basketball: The Matrix 1.3

Welcome back to the third iteration of Thekeyplay's deep dive into the past, present and future of Buzzketball. As the season has progressed, many preseason predictions have proved to be both amazingly true and wildly off-base. Raise your hand if you thought Christian Beyer would become this team's most balanced post threat by this point in the season? Anyone? Exactly.

The loss of starting center Joey van Zegeren and prolonged injury to leading scorer Justin Bibbs provided extended minutes to various role players during conference play. This not only allowed the entire roster ample opportunity to earn playing time, but it also provided the fanbase a look behind the curtain to see exactly what each player brings to the table.

Let's be honest — Version 1.1 of The Matrix had Mr. Beyer firmly entrenched at the bottom of virtually every category based primarily on the fact that he was doing his best Paul Debnam impression at the end of Buzz's bench.

Fast forward two months and Beyer has established himself as a prototypical "Buzz Williams guy," maximizing his skillset by attempting to out-work his opponents.

For those of you who are new to The Matrix or can't quite remember what each of the categories entail, read Version 1.1.

The Matrix 1.3

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Alpha Male

Leading scorer Justin Bibbs' absence due to head injury created an offensive vacuum heading into the meat of the Hokies' conference slate. Enter Adam Smith. The peanut butter to Bibbs' jelly, Smith stepped up when the Hokies needed him most, none better than his game-winning performance against the Pitt Panthers.

More gunner than multi-dimensional offensive threat, Smith continues to be plagued by hot-and-cold spells. A rhythm shooter, Smith's ability to score in bunches has kept the Hokies close in a number of games that were on the verge of slipping away.

This offense has been at its best when Smith wasn't the sole scoring option, and that's okay. Scoring is his game, but where I've been most impressed has been Smith's ability to step up and lead. As Devin Wilson's confidence and court time have dwindled, Smith has been much more assertive on the floor.

Has he demanded the rock a bit more than I would like? Probably. Has he been forced to play the point a bit more than Buzz would like? Absolutely. (I would argue Syracuse's furious comeback was the result of the team's glaring need for an adept leader at the point). At a minimum, I've been pleased by his initiative to fill the void created by the collective loss of JVZ, the injury to Bibbs and the decline of Wilson.

It will be important for this team to have senior leadership heading into this offseason, and it is comforting to see Smith visibly ascend into that leadership position well before the season wraps up.

Floor General

What a strange season it has been for Devin Wilson. After playing virtually every minute of his freshman year under former head coach James Johnson, Wilson has seen a steady decrease in his minutes. While some may suggest it is a way of limiting his minutes, I suspect there's more to it. With a number of guards on the roster that do multiple things well, Wilson has been exposed as a limited offensive player. I think we can all agree that his best skill is passing the ball. Aside from that, does he do anything exceptionally well?

He hasn't developed as a proficient primary ball handler, and his glaring lack of confidence shooting from outside of 12 feet has really limited this offense. Because defenses no longer respect him as a perimeter threat, they tend to sag back, clogging up the lane. To make matters worse, the pick-and-roll game that Wilson traditionally excelled in has become a non-factor as defenses are no longer forced to defend him on the keep.

All the while, guys that are less developed distributors but more dangerous scorers have seemingly passed Wilson on the depth chart. Maybe I'm reading too far into things, but I haven't seen him take the reins of this team while on the court.

Wilson had a good eight-minute stretch in the first half against Miami, doing some damage in the paint thanks to some clever post moves. With his confidence raised, he commanded the huddle during stoppages in play. Rather than carry that voice throughout the rest of the game, it was no where to be found during Miami's extended run in the second half.

Over the last six weeks, I have seen Adam Smith and Will Johnston dominate the huddle over the incumbent Wilson. That's a troubling development to me, because coming into this season he and Joey van Zegeren were viewed as the leaders of an otherwise green squad. Fast forward 4 months and it's looking increasingly possible that this team could enter next season without either of the two.

So what will become of Devin Wilson when the season wraps up? Is there a place for him on this team next season? This is a topic we will discuss in greater detail as the season wraps up, but with the incoming freshman class (namely Justin Robinson) and Seth Allen already in the fold, you have to wonder how Wilson fits into Buzz's long term plans.

Rim Protector

There's a large part of me that just wants to skip this category altogether. I'm surely not alone in being absolutely sick of hearing various announcers rehash the same tired (but true) statistic about how the Hokies have been massively outrebounded this season. It's similar to the three years of "6-6", 255 pounds" when referencing Logan Thomas, but the opposite. At least the Logan references caused the corners of our mouths to curl, excited for the impending moment when LT3 trucked a hapless defender. Now we just groan with each reference to our height deficiency, bracing ourselves for another replay of Will Johnston getting tossed around like a rag doll.

Following the departure of JVZ, the Hokies are left with a couple of tall guys and another who has essentially been asked to pretend to be tall.

Satchel Pierce's abrupt shift from the kiddie pool to the deep end appeared to be too much too soon; he did his best to hold his own, but clearly has a long way to go. It's hard to be an impact defender and above average rebounder when both your instincts and your footwork are consistently one step behind.

Christian Beyer is a warrior and probably the Hokies' strongest two-way post player right now, but he will be moving on to medical school next fall. I've detailed Shane Henry's abilities during previous matrices, but he would be better served playing the four alongside a capable center that can pick up his offensive slack.

So where am I going with this? As we head into the season's stretch run, the Rim Protector category has become the toughest to project. The four- and five-guard lineups have made it challenging to truly understand the abilities of many of the Hokies defenders.

I'm not convinced Big Satch is the answer at center, and I have no idea what a guy like Kerry Blackshear will offer next season. It has been obvious from the outset that the Hokies need to get bigger next season; however, the absence of JVZ has exacerbated an already thin frontcourt, making off-season improvements in this area more vital than ever.

Lock-down Defender

Here's the thing with Malik Müller: The dude has gone from complementary ball-handler to bench warmer to stalwart post defender in 24 games. He's a stout 6'-3" guard jockeying with guys 6+ inches taller night-in and night-out, yet he continues to sprint up-and-down the court; move well off the ball in offensive sets; and is constantly unafraid to step in and take a charge (or three) in the paint.

Most guys would be bruised and battered after the hits he takes each game. But thanks to a traditional German diet consisting of wursts, spaetzle, pickled cabbage and a side of Black Forest Cake, Dots nary bats an eye at the American weaklings trying to break him.

In all seriousness, Müller has exemplified the Buzz Williams way over the last few weeks. He has played as hard as humanly possible — sometimes playing a bit too hard, picking up the occasional silly foul — and has proved to be both a clutch and calming influence for this young and shorthanded team.

I can't help but watch Müller and think of Deron Williams during his time at Illinois. Consider Williams' and Müller's freshmen seasons:

There are a couple of variables that nudge specific categories one way or the other — Müller has spent half the season matched up against taller opponents, while Williams played the two alongside Dee Brown. I would argue Müller's assists number is not an accurate reflection of his abilities as a distributor, as this Hokies team has struggled to convert scoring opportunities and is incredibly guard-heavy.

Re-watch the Georgia Tech game and pay close attention to the deadly high-low game executed by Dots and Beyer. Williams, on the other hand, paired with Brown to account for nearly 53% of the Illini assists on a team stocked with dangerous frontcourt scorers.

Sure, he's probably not as quick or as strong driving to the hoop as Williams was, but give him time to develop. It's not just Müller's frame or ability to shoot from distance that draws comparisons to Williams; it's the way that he confidently handles the ball, makes the pass and then immediately sprints away from the ball as part of the offense.

Where many guards make a pass and then re-position themselves to receive the ball back, Dots selflessly immerses himself into the system off the ball. Everything is done with purpose and energy.

Maybe he's not truly locking anyone down on the defensive end. Maybe he lacks the adequate lateral quickness to guard guys more his size once this team gets true post players into the program to alleviate the need for Müller's strong base. But dammit do I love how he has stepped up to help this team out where they needed it the most.

Energy Guy

Ahmed Hill may have already set a record for the most charges on fastbreak dunk attempts. In Version 1.1, I included a clip of Henry exploding up-court and picking up a charge. Last Tuesday against Georgia Tech, Hill did virtually the exact same thing.

We've all played with an Ahmed Hill before (though typically they are considerably less talented players). They're that teammate that has absolutely no fear, playing with a constant disregard for their own safety. Up by twenty points or trailing by thirty, they're continually playing at an 11 while the rest of team is at a 7. If anything, the more dire the circumstances, the harder they play. You call them stubborn; your coach admires their heart. They're the coach's favorite player and your most frustrating teammate, because they regularly remind you that there's always more effort to give.

At times he looks overly excited to get up and down the court, but how can you not love his effort? As the season has worn on, Hill has settled into his role as a mainstay at the wing. His offensive game — especially his distance shooting — has developed nicely, and he has fought hard on the defensive end despite being matched up against bigger foes.

When you pair Hill with Jalen Hudson and Shane Henry, you have a group of spark plugs that can immediately alter the game based purely on their athleticism and attacking mentality. It has become increasingly clear why Buzz worked to get Hill to Blacksburg — they're a fantastic match.