Your Top 3 "X Factors" for 2015-16

[RipCity]

Thought this would be a fun thing to discuss, since a lot of us are thinking next year.

Ill start with my 3:

1) Development/production from our bigs:

• We need some post offense for opposing Ds to think about. It'd help us immensely in offensive efficiency and would open up shots outside. Have to do a lot better than 223rd in the country in PPG.
• Facey and Brimah both could stand to get bigger, which would aid in rebounding (154th in NCAA) and Brimah's foul trouble.
• Lubin also nets to hit the gym, but in his case to get more cut/in shape

2) DHam

• He's gotta be the man next year.
• Over time his touch and consistency of his shot should improve, and I think he'll be scary when he does
• Since we lack in rebounding (154th in NCAA) and ball movement (206th in assists), he's going to have to keep his all around production going

3) Adams

• We need to take pressure off of him. He's a stud, but extremely high expectations are unfair and risky.
• Hopefully he can both score a facilitate. If he plays more like a 2, our half-court offense will remain terrible.
• Be a closer. We've all seen how he has a flare for the dramatic. In tournament play, having a PG that isn't afraid in the closing seconds is always huge.

Those are my 3. A lot has to go right for us to be a contender next year, but I think the development will be a lot of fun to track.

 

[Rico444]

We're so young, I could probably list things that each player needs to do better in order for us to get back to the tournament next year. The biggest potential for disaster is the point guard spot, because I don't have a ton of faith in a freshman coming in here and leading our team, and the only other legitimate option at the point (T-Sam) has a long way to go as well, so I would say Terrence improving on running the point is the most important thing at this point. If that doesn't happen, then we're probably an NIT team next year.

 

[mauconnfan]

#1 Jaylen Adams - someone mentioned Trimble from the Terps. He may not need to be as good but damn close at least.

#2 Ball Handler - need someone to relieve JA and take some minutes from TSam against teams throwing a lot of pressure.

#3 Surprise - Whether it be a ball handler or a big man which falls out of the sky, a senior transfer, we do need some luck.

 

[BlueMAB]

1) Rebounding: I know you want more points per game, we all do, but some of that is going to have to come from rebounding. If we can get better rebounding the ball, we can fast break more. But second chances that end up in the basket slow us down a lot.

2) Role players: I agree with you on Adams. Shabazz was able to come in and help run the point as a freshman so Kemba could play off the ball. I think Adams will be capable of that as well. But we also need Purvis and Calhoun to step up and be consistent scoring options. If Enoch can be a guy that stretches the D with a 3 point threat, leaving Brimah more room to operate, and Purvis/Hamilton more room to drive, we'll be better. Brimah is improving; his back to the basket game, and short jumper are significantly better than last year. His hands need to get stronger, but with his defense, his experience, and his willingness to put the work in, he could go from 10-11ppg to 15-16ppg and we'll need him to.

3) DHam: He should average 16+ next year, and get at least 2-3 triple doubles, he has the potential for a triple double every time he steps on the court. Hopefully next year isn't his last at UConn. He's going to see a lot of attention on defense. Thankfully, his vision and ability to get in the lane and toss that soft lob to Brimah are both excellent. His shot is good, and should only get better/more consistent. Needs to get in the gym this off season and put on 5-10 pounds of muscle, he's going to need it as he prepares for the next level.

 

[partyATkemba]

Brimah is going to be a monster next year- Let's not forget he didn't have this offseason to put weight on due to his shoulder surgery.

 

[geordi]

I think the X factor is going to be Purvis. Supposedly, he has the talent to produce at a very high level. We really haven't seen that so far...Ferrari or not.

You have to expect that Hamilton will progress and pick up quite a bit from his Freshman to Sophomore seasons. I don't know if he's a 'go to' guy yet though. He's outstanding distributing and being a point forward and he gets lots of people involved, but can he be the one who actually scores when we need it? I dunno. He's got to learn to make free throws and hit the outside shot more consistently. I'm going to assume he can.

Brimah, with more weight and knowing the game better should also improve substantially. He ought to be able to give us a dozen points or more. That's two scorers although Brimah can be shut down.

Adams may be a stud, but he's still a freshman. That's a crap shoot. Even Stone, if we get him will be a question, although I'd love to have those questions.

Purvis will have to significantly improve his game. He's got to learn to make the outside shot, which will make his slashing more effective. Either way, he's got to learn to make at least 70 % of his free throws...not 50% like now.

I think Purvis is the one that has to step it up or we will be in trouble next year.

 

[OkaForPrez]

@RipCity the rebounding isn't as big an issue as you think. In conference play (I like this stat better because it takes out the outlier games against cupcakes) and using the rebounding % statistic (removes bias of possessions per game and FG% - more misses/more opportunities) Uconn ranks 49th in the country with an avg of 52.9%. We're getting more boards than our opponents. This is up from 49.1 last year which put us at 219 in the country. We're moving in the right direction on the boards. Of course we have a really long way to go here because our decade of dominance inside was built on being one of, if not the best, rebounding team in the country year over year. And we haven't been that for some time.

 

[RipCity]

@RipCity the rebounding isn't as big an issue as you think. In conference play (I like this stat better because it takes out the outlier games against cupcakes) and using the rebounding % statistic (removes bias of possessions per game and FG% - more misses/more opportunities) Uconn ranks 49th in the country with an avg of 52.9%. We're getting more boards than our opponents. This is up from 49.1 last year which put us at 219 in the country. We're moving in the right direction on the boards. Of course we have a really long way to go here because our decade of dominance inside was built on being one of, if not the best, rebounding team in the country year over year. And we haven't been that for some time.

I think Hamilton hitting the boards harder on the defensive end is why we improved as the season went on. I'd like more 2nd chance points still. Good point though, probably not a huge scare going forward. I didn't look into it enough.

Our offense is clearly the problem. I almost put TSam/Ball handling as one, but went with Adams instead, though they overlap some. We haven't been efficient, and haven't given much help to Boat. Hopefully with development we'll have more scoring threats next year, even though we won't have a Boat like we do now.

 

[SubbaBub]

1. I think Hamilton with another year will be fine unless we ask him to do absolutely everything. Need someone to get him the ball in spots which leads to...

2. TSam is the PG next year there is no one else. Adams just needs to fit in, defend and hit jump shots. Relying on a frosh PG is asking for trouble.

3. Need to find someone to hit threes consistently. OC, SC, RP, somebody becuase I don't think we are going to see much more from the bigs on O. They need to work on rebounding.

4. Most importantly, this team will need to gel around the team concept on both ends. No one looking to be the next KW, SN or RB or standing around waiting for one. In spite of the appearance in recent years, we have not won that way.

 

[Excalibur]

IMO, finding a perimeter shooter for next year is just as important as getting another ball handler.

 

[PAHusky]

For whatever reason UConn seems to hugely underperform with any kind of expectations on them and hugely outpace predictions when they're written off. As much as this current team drives me nuts I think next year we'll be good with the chance to be great. I think DHam takes it to an entirely different level and just hits superstar status next year (was it Calhoun that always said the biggest leaps in development were made between freshman and sophomore years?). I think Calhoun and TSam will stay about the same. I'm hoping Brimah keeps improving and develops enough on the offense end that we can dump it down to him and expect him to go to work rather than simply relying on him getting alley oops. I think Facey will make a huge jump - call me crazy, but when he's focused and has even the slightest amount of confidence he can produce at a great level. I think Adams will come in and impress us all. I think Enoch will drive us nuts in the five minutes a game he gets with a few moments where he does something amazing and the entire board goes wild demanding he starts.

Craziest of all, I think Purvis will emerge as a legit option next year. The kid has the talent, in bits and pieces, he just hasn't put it together - but I think it's fixable. The stroke on his mid range game is gorgeous, but he shoots threes with an entirely different form. He can get to the rim when he wants when his jumper is even falling a bit - he just needs that threat to open the lanes up.

so the three things then, I guess, would be: 1. Brimah develops one or two consistent low post moves (stop going right hook all the time!) 2. Facey and Purvis take the next step mentally 3. DHam unleashes

 

[ConnEd]

" I think Purvis will emerge as a legit option next year. The kid has the talent, in bits and pieces, he just hasn't put it together - but I think it's fixable. The stroke on his mid range game is gorgeous, but he shoots threes with an entirely different form."

Sorry, PA, I have to disagree. Purvis has the same, ugly, elbow out. line drive form on his midrange shots that he does on his 3's. It just looks more fluid because he tends to take those shots as jumpers while making a move instead of standing at the 3-point line and slowly lining it up. His shot needs to be taken apart and rebuilt. He's never going to be consistent until he can get his right elbow in under the ball to start his shooting stroke. I love his athleticism. It can be used to get him shots whenever he wants, but I'm afraid those same wide shoulders (and shorter arms) make it difficult for him to have good shooting form.

 

[mauconnfan]

IMO, finding a perimeter shooter for next year is just as important as getting another ball handler.

That too Ex, good call.

 

[gtcam]

We need a few 3pt threats. I don't see it in Omar or Purvis
KO can start looking in the suburbs and the backroads for those kids who just shoot long distance day and night, play for their high schools and average 20 some odd pts a game. If Wisconson, IU, Zaga and other programs can play those types - UConn can also. Some programs have one or two of these types all the time. Not every player has to be an inner city AAU stud who can dunk and crossover.
Hell, some of these kids would probably walk on a first year or two.
There were games last year when Giffs or DD would hit some 3's and that opened up the offense for drives etc.
Not this year.

 

[mauconnfan]

We need a few 3pt threats. I don't see it in Omar or Purvis
KO can start looking in the suburbs and the backroads for those kids who just shoot long distance day and night, play for their high schools and average 20 some odd pts a game. If Wisconson, IU, Zaga and other programs can play those types - UConn can also. Some programs have one or two of these types all the time. Not every player has to be an inner city AAU stud who can dunk and crossover.
Hell, some of these kids would probably walk on a first year or two.
There were games last year when Giffs or DD would hit some 3's and that opened up the offense for drives etc.
Not this year.

Right idea but it's just not that easy. As you mention Giff and DD, after they made shots they also were capable of defending on the other end. While I am sure there are kids from the suburbs who could make some shots for us, can they do everything they good to in order to be a Husky? I agree on Wisconsin and alike, but I doubt there are any of those left right now. A Bobby Sura-type would be perfect! LOL

 

[Palatine]

1 brimah returns
2 DHam returns
3 Adams.

 

[FartMan69]

Basically we need everything to improve.

 

[ctchamps]

1)AB continuing the progression from beginning freshmen season to now. Start of last season he had no clue where he was supposed to be on either end of the court. It was maddening to watch Bazz point where he should be. But by end of season he figured it out. He had no offensive shooting or moves last season other than dunks. He's shown an ability to hit mid range shots and make hook shots. He was primarily a blocker and foul prone but last few games staff has concentrated on getting him into position for rebounds. His shot blocking intimidation has gone down but he's already showing signs of being a force in getting boards. Offseason weights and training should continue this upward trajectory! Quicker decisions on what to do when getting trapped and integrating when to block and when to rebound will make us forget about Stone.

2)Two players have to be able to hit outside shots consistently. The best ball hander in the world can't do much if teams are packing in the defense. Rashad Anderson did not have the best mechanics. He had the confidence. Hopefully OC, JA, RP and DHam develop that confidence.

3) Someone has to be developed on both ends of the court at the four position. I actually think PN could be a great compliment to AB at the 4. At least he's currently the best option by far on the defensive end. Not saying much obviously. But I don't believe Enoch is much different in development than KF. I also believe Enoch can play some five and allow KO more flexibility because of the additional five fouls to play PN and AB together.

4) Another ball handler that can pass better than TSam and shoot better than TSam. Hopefully that person is TSam but the staff is not counting on it. Hence what we are seeing in recruiting.

 

[mauconnfan]

fleudy, did someone change it to "4 X Factors"?

 

[Silk31]

1) Brimah's progression (he's not leaving)
2) D-Ham's progression
3) Will Jalen Adams be as good as we are all hoping he is?

I can't remember the last time I was so hyped for an incoming PG recruit, not even for Kemba (I think that was partly due to me still getting over missing out on Brandon Jennings, not once but twice)

These are the only X factors I can honestly list - the rest of our roster (Purvis, Omar, TSam, Facey, Lubin, SCJ) is who they are, just not that good and I would be surprised to see any real leaps forward by anybody in the group that will be returning, but I wouldn't mind it if any one or more of the supporting cast would actually exceed our low expectations

 

[RayRay19]

Purvis needs to be more fluid. His movements look very stiff to me. Maybe it's just talent but guys like dham just seem to glide everywhere but just looks very stiff almost like he is thinking too much.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Size/weight.- with Enoch coming in and hopefully stone or one of the other two bigs that we've offered that would help us tremendously upfront with brimah. Brimah needs at least 15-20 more pounds on him for him to be a threat on the boards and not get backed down. Unless facey is playing the three next year or stretch four he will need to add weight as well. Although I like his size and bounce. He needs to work out shooting and his handle.

Experience/Confidence.- this year besides boatright we have absolutely zero experience. We are an extremely young team and it shows every game. Next year with a year of experience under their belts I hope they start playing with confidence. Everyone seems to be looking to pass or do a shake and drive. I feel theyll come into their own and know their roles.

Shooting. - besides boat and hamilton no one has been or is a constant threat from behind arc. Omar started to but he has drifted off and purvis once in awhile will hit a few threes. Next year will be nice to see how much time and effort they put in during the offseason.

 

[ZenConn]

Agree with ball handling and shooting. Without Boat's 3PTers, we have 99 3's and shooting 32% from 3 pt land.

It won't really matter how good Brimah, Facy, or any of our bigs get, if we can't shoot, the opponents will pack the zone and dare our guards to shoot from the outside.

 

[7774]

1. reduce live ball/unforced turnovers
2. improve free throw shooting
3. increase time Brimah stays on the court/reduce silly touch fouls

 

[Burnsbros23]

1- Need a true PG