A stunning Napier stat

[OxyUCONNtin]

http://nycbuckets.com/2011/12/who-does-more-looking-at-assists/

"Then there’s the fascinating case of Napier. The Connecticut point guard is 18th in the nation in assists at 6.2 per game. The best part is a whopping 32.1% of those have gone for dunks. Consider that no other player has had more than 16.7% of their assists go for dunks (Marshall, mostly thanks to John Henson) and it’s even more stunning. That’s the benefit of playing with Andre Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Jeremy Lamb."

 

[babysheep]

That’s the benefit of playing with Andre Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Jeremy Lamb."

And, of course, playing the frontcourts we've played.

 

[Danzz]

http://nycbuckets.com/2011/12/who-does-more-looking-at-assists/

"Then there’s the fascinating case of Napier. The Connecticut point guard is 18th in the nation in assists at 6.2 per game. The best part is a whopping 32.1% of those have gone for dunks. Consider that no other player has had more than 16.7% of their assists go for dunks (Marshall, mostly thanks to John Henson) and it’s even more stunning. That’s the benefit of playing with Andre Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Jeremy Lamb."

Any stats at this point of the season are meaningless unless they are negative.

 

[bmayuc]

And, of course, playing the frontcourts we've played.

yes, because everyone else has been playing monster frontcourts early in the season except us. Negative Nancy.

To me, this is a very significant stat. It means that when Bazz gets assists they are not cheapies.

 

[dogpause]

Or that he's relying too much on the alley-oop?

 

[Scot-e]

What is people's beef with dunks and ally-opps? They are high % shots and I would love to see about 100,000 more of them before this season is over.

 

[aceboon]

And, of course, playing the frontcourts we've played.

How you've managed to accumulate 32 "likes" is a stat that stands out to me the most. Who is liking your posts, they're pretty much all negative.

 

[UConn990411]

Can you like your own posts? That might explain it.

 

[HuskyCarlJ]

What is people's beef with dunks and ally-opps? They are high % shots and I would love to see about 100,000 more of them before this season is over.

Agree a million times over. Remember when Hasheem would catch a pass inside, lay it up softly and Calhoun would go apoplectic on the sidelines? Dunks are great! Not only are dunks and lobs high percentage, but they're easier to finish in the event of a foul. The percentage of Napier's assists that have turned into dunks is awesome.

Also, check out this breakdown of Andre Drummond with and without the mask. (Doesn't include the Fairfield game.)Without the mask 80% of his dunks have been assisted on (up from 55% with the headgear), and 70% of his total FGs have been assisted (up from 50%). To me, the biggest positive of getting the mask removed has been his ability to finish lobs. I feel like the mask blocking his peripheral vision prevented them from working early in the year.

If an alley-oops there, take it. Same with a drive-and-dish for a dunk. There isn't a higher percentage play on the floor.

 

[Excalibur]

Can you like your own posts? That might explain it.

I think he has an alter ego that pumps the like button.

 

[OxyUCONNtin]

I always felt the alley-oop was a great psychological tool as well.

 

[Dann]

thank this man

 

[Tenspro2002]

If it can continue, that's awesome. But those posters have a point who say that it might not continue as we face bigger frontcourts.

In fact, if you look at it one way, it could be downright worrisome that Shabazz has had to get so many of his assists against overmatched opponents in that manner.

 

[UConn3432]

drummond hasn't been dunking over guys, he's been beating them with his hustle down the court, quick spin moves off the catch and ability to get behind the defense. you would think his amount of dunks should go down but i wouldn't count on it. he wasn't great starting the year and will only get better. moe harkless set the freshman record with 32 last night, but i wouldn't be surpised if AD tops that this year.

 

[bmayuc]

If it can continue, that's awesome. But those posters have a point who say that it might not continue as we face bigger frontcourts.

In fact, if you look at it one way, it could be downright worrisome that Shabazz has had to get so many of his assists against overmatched opponents in that manner.

This post makes no sense at all. The stat was compared to ALL OTHER NCAA PLAYERS. so, when compared to other NCAA players, shabazz was by far the best at getting his guys the ball, uncontested, right at the rim. The fact that there are several people that think this is a BAD thing is really, really ridiculous... gotta love message boards!

 

[UConn990411]

Only this board would try to turn that stat into a negative.

 

[babysheep]

People loved my (pointedly optimistic, mind you) preseason observations of team practices.

People also find my posts funny I guess.

PS "negative" and "realistic" are hardly always synonymous. Please believe, during the first few games when AO and AD weren't playing well and we were turning the ball over, I was one of the more optimistic posters here. It's the fact that some of these struggles have continued through 2 months of games that has caused me to carry a more skeptical eye when looking at this team. Trust me: I want nothing more than to be proven wrong. I want AO to come back and dominate the glass the rest of the season. I want AD to continue his development and shine even brighter. I want JL to start showing up on defense.

 

[babysheep]

yes, because everyone else has been playing monster frontcourts early in the season except us. Negative Nancy.

To me, this is a very significant stat. It means that when Bazz gets assists they are not cheapies.

I guarantee you Kendall Marshall, the guy SN is compared to in the quote, has most certainly played stronger frontcourts than we have (he had 8 assists in that UK game by the way)

I'm not saying SN is a bad point guard, I'm saying that these stats have yet to indicate anything "significant."

 

[Danzz]

Only this board would try to turn that stat into a negative.

It isn't a negative, in fact it is a positive.The stat was primarily accuulated against overmatched opponents so its significance is minimal. The BE season starts now and I hope SN can continue putting up good numbers and I think he will. But to put any weight on that stat is irrelevant.

 

[mauconnfan]

In fact it does make sense in many ways. For those who remember the many games the Cuse have lost in recent years because they fell in love with the alley oop and ried it way too often. w
When it is used correctly it is a game changer when it becomes showtime it can allow the game to slip away. So far so good.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It's a positive in that we aren't dilly-dallying around the rim.

But it's conceivable, even likely, that all those alley-oop/dunk opportunities won't be there against evenly-matched frontcourts. I think it remains to be seen whether Bazz will be able to rack up assists to our bigs against those more conventionally-sized teams.

 

[imno1]

geesh Can we please give Shabazz some credit! and our guys for going up strong. For years we complained about HT, AO, and others not throwing it down.

 

[RichZ]

In a perfect world, half his dimes would be for dunks, and the others would be kickouts for uncontested threes.