I'd like to address bitterwhiteguy for a bit.
First of all, I haven't been around to read all his musings on Shaka Smart over the 6 years Smart was the head coach, so I don't have that bit of scarring to deal with - which I would have if I had bothered to read his stuff during that time, because I was done with Smart midway through year 2, and only saw confirmation of what I'd seen up to that point for the next 4 1/2 years.
bitterwhiteguy and I have very different takes on being a fan and follower of the team. bitterwhiteguy - at least what I've read and heard on his podcasts - likes to pontificate from the perspective of if he was running the program. Nothing wrong with that. Lots of fans do exactly the same kind of thing, whether it's running the program, playing as quarterback, being the playcaller, what have you. Heck, I do it, too.
But I tend to prefer to try to put myself inside the coaches shoes, figure out what they're thinking, what their priorities are, how they're approaching the team/game, and then come to grips with it as a fan. I find it relieves some of the frustration that thinking as if you're the head person and what you would do instead produces in people, although it's certainly not perfect. I'd also emphasize that everyone needs to figure out their own way of being a fan. I'm not telling you how to follow sports. I'm simply explaining a fundamental dichotomy I see between BWG and me.
BWG feels strongly Beard needs to run a better offense. He feels like Beard needs to do a better job of managing the roster for the future. He feels like Beard runs off too many players. You see elements of all of these in the above post. These are BWG's priorities. He is entitled to them. Now I will shift the perspective to Beard, and talk about how misplaced they are (which to BWG's credit, he acknowledges in this post: https://bitterwhiteguy.substack.com/p/shooting-from-the-offseason-a-review?utm_source=%2Fprofile%2F15571326-bitterwhiteguy&utm_medium=reader2&s=r
Beard's identity is built around defense. It always has been. It always will be. If someone is expecting Beard to start running secondary breaks off of made baskets, they're kidding themselves. He's not going to value the kinds of players he would have to recruit to build that kind of team. He's not going to field offenses that give players a ton of freedom to create. He's going to TALK like he will, and he might even want to in his mind, but his defensive proclivities, his need to micromanage, and his severe allergic reactions to poor shooting and turnovers will never allow him. If that sounds like a frustrating future for you as a Texas fan, you should take Clayton Williams' advice, sit back and relax, and learn to enjoy it.
Playing time at Texas will be dictated by how well can you defend switching on screens. As a player, upon reaching the 40 acres you will enter a brainwashing tube, so that when you come out, every time you address the media or fans you will talk about how the team's identity is built on defense. If the media does too much fawning of a player during press conferences regarding their offensive proclivities, either during a game or referring to their career, Beard will swiftly interject to say something about how they don't turn the ball over, or how good they played on defense. It's practically like clockwork. Both Tre Mitchell and Andrew Jones had issues earning more minutes - specifically early in the season for Jones - because they weren't playing well enough on defense. BWG wants to argue how Texas needs shooters on this roster. I don't disagree with him. @shadow_operative who I have 1000x more respect for as a basketball analysis than BWG, has made that very point several times. But what I'd argue is what's the point of bringing in a shooter if they can't be effective on switches the way Beard demands (And he DEMANDS it. Loudly, vociferously, in your face style. He is very comfortable making the people around him feel uncomfortable). Because they are simply not going to see the floor enough to make a difference. They're going to make Beard unhappy when they're out on the floor, and they're going to be miserable playing at Texas. Honestly, that's Mosley. He's a very good shooter, although it's unclear how it translates to the Power 6 level. What's undeniable is he's not all that great of an athlete, which makes it harder to envision him getting in Beard's good graces enough for anyone involved to be happy.
The idea that Tyrese Hunter is Marcus Carr - as @HtownHorn has already alluded to in many fewer words than me - is ludicrous. Carr is a better shooter with a better midrange game. Carr is 3" taller. Carr is several years older and better physically developed. Carr also can't take his guy off the dribble and consistently get into the paint. Hunter can. Carr can't dunk the ball. Hunter can with ease. Carr isn't the on the ball defender Hunter is. Carr is not necessarily a weakness, but Hunter has quick twitch hands and excellent anticipation on and off the ball.
People constantly talk about defenses sagging and going under screens with poor shooting teams. And you know what? That's a legitimate gripe. But Hunter is the quickest PG we've had since TJ Ford, who also couldn't shoot from outside worth a crap. I am NOT saying Hunter is as good as TJ Ford. He's nowhere close. Ford was Allen Iverson quick. That's simply not a bar Hunter is going to achieve. What I am saying is that Hunter can still put pressure on defenses by taking defenders off the dribble and getting to the basket in ways Carr couldn't, no matter what defense is being employed. I would argue on offense that was UT's BIGGEST weakness last year - the inability to take defenders off the dribble. Bringing in Rice, Morris, Dillon Mitchell, and Hunter addresses that in a HUGE way. Sure, someone is going to have to hit some threes, but being able to drive the basket, and either kick, pass to another player under or around the basket, or draw the foul/get inside the paint points is going to feel like a revelation after watching the offense last year, where it felt like scoring inside the paint was against the rules. Oh, and we'll actually see some players dunk with some regularity now, too, rather than all the missed bunnies from last year. Sure, Carr and Allen still won't be able to, but Rice/Morris/Mitchell/Hunter all can. Mitchell will be one of the best dunkers in all of college basketball as a true freshman.
The last thing is roster construction, which BWG goes into detail regarding Hunter. Let's be really clear about this. Beard doesn't give a shit about roster construction for the future. If that's the hill BWG chooses to die on, I wish him and his torn out entrails god speed. The man is proud of the job he did at a series of short term jobs where roster construction on the fly was part of what made him successful. When you hear him talking about the transfer portal and NIL, he's the br'er rabbit about to be thrown in the br'er patch. Probably Chris Beard's greatest strength - and he has a lot of them - is his overriding sense of urgency. His unrelenting intensity also demands that sense of urgency from everyone around him. It can be exhausting to work for someone like that, but they're also more capable of bringing out the best in the people around them - if they don't run as fast as they can to be away from it.
Every year he's going to go out and try to get the best players he can, whether in high school or transfers. What he'll be looking for is a work ethic, specifically on the defensive side. He's going to look for athleticism and length. He's not going to care about the amount of eligibility they have left, or what they'll look like 3 years from now. That's not his mindset. He's going to grab the most talented players he can who fit that template. He'll try to sell everyone into buying into the team concept, with positionless players who can all bring the ball up the floor, shoot from the perimeter and mid range, and the best 5 will play regardless of some kind of pre-defined position. I think some of this is going to end up being bullshit, because it's not realistic to have a team where anyone can bring it up the floor, regardless of how much Beard likes spouting that line.
And then he's going to employ a defense that will always be among the country's leaders, with an offense that emphasizes efficiency with low turnovers and deliberate shot selection. The next year rinse and repeat. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, I get it. Different strokes for different folks. After the 6 years of Shaka Smart, I'm all for it. I think this is an excellent formula for having consistent NCAA tournament success. I don't know how many national championships it will bring, but one would increase the amount this program has won in its history by an infinite percentage. Regularly making Sweet 16s and only losing in the first round in a blue moon would send me into dreamland, basketball fan-wise. Which is the journey I feel like we're embarking on for as long as Beard is at the helm.
Don't know if BWG can ever get on board with any of that. And, frankly, I don't really care. I am grateful for spurring on basketball discussion. Like the saying goes, if you want help on the internet, don't post a question. Post the wrong answer. You'll get people leaping over themselves to tell you how wrong you are and why. I feel like this is what BWG has done with his takes on Beard the entire time. So there's an element of gratitude about that.