who isnt expecting ball and stew to be critically important? based on givony's scouting report one of them is gonna start (prob ball) and the other is gonna be our 6th man (prob stew).
who isnt expecting ball and stew to be critically important? based on givony's scouting report one of them is gonna start (prob ball) and the other is gonna be our 6th man (prob stew).
givony's projected starting lineup was:Correct me if I'm wrong, but the most common lineup projection I've seen has them both off the bench.
Diarra
Mahaney
McNeeley
Karaban
Reed/Johnson
givony's projected starting lineup was:
diarra
ball/stew
liam
alex
samson/reed
he had glowing reviews for ball and stew, not so much for aidan. i was disappointed to read that b/c i think we need aidan's ball handling and facilitating ability in the starting lineup, but unfortunately it's consistent w/ a lot of the boneyard scouting reports after the open practice earlier this summer
Correct. That's one guy. I'm talking about everyone else. I don't recall seeing a lineup without Mahaney starting anywhere, but I could be misremembering.
It will be what it is. I think Finkelstein is largely speaking to a group that doesn't know as much about our roster as we do. My take is simply: the gap between Mahaney/Ball and McNeely/Stewart is very small, less than many outsiders might realize. Indeed the gap, if there is one, may not even been in the expected direction. Any of those four could start or come off the bench.givony's projected starting lineup was:
diarra
ball/stew
liam
alex
samson/reed
he had glowing reviews for ball and stew, not so much for aidan. i was disappointed to read that b/c i think we need aidan's ball handling and facilitating ability in the starting lineup, but unfortunately it's consistent w/ most of the boneyard scouting reports after the open practice earlier this summer
givony is the best nba scout right now so i'm giving his report a lot of weightCorrect. That's one guy. I'm talking about everyone else. I don't recall seeing a lineup without Mahaney starting anywhere, but I could be misremembering.
Borges also put out a starting lineup prediction without Mahaney. But I don't put much stock into any of these predictions with only 1 day of fall practice. Diarra was gonna start over Newton when they both got here, until game 1 lineups came out and it was Newton.Correct. That's one guy. I'm talking about everyone else. I don't recall seeing a lineup without Mahaney starting anywhere, but I could be misremembering.
Givony watched one practice and perhaps is judging by NBA potential instead of impact on the 2024/2025 UConn Huskies.givony is the best nba scout right now so i'm giving his report a lot of weight
Borges also put out a starting lineup prediction without Mahaney. But I don't put much stock into any of these predictions with only 1 day of fall practice. Diarra was gonna start over Newton when they both got here, until game 1 lineups came out and it was Newton.
People seem to be really down on Mahaney on this board, but I think it's mostly just people conflating positive Ball quotes with being negative Mahaney quotes. I'd still be pretty surprised if Mahaney isn't starting, even if it's next to Ball
the starting lineup or the rotation? i dont recall a lineup change in either of the last 2 seasons unless youre referring to Ball/Castle which was due to Castles injuryAnd we know that the starting lineup through (at least early) OOC play changes as the new/younger players gain real in-game experience. Last year we saw the lineup switch once we started getting deeper into the season and I'd expect to see similar this year.
Am I wrong? I thought the starting lineup had a few changes but maybe I am mistaken and it was mostly the bench order. Regardless, I do think DH has matured as a coach and isn't afraid to shuffle players if he sees fit. I'm kinda expecting Diarra & Johnson to both start the season but either could be moved to 2nd team depending on how new players shakeout. I'd have a hard time believing we'd start a game with only AK as the vet at the beginning of the season but later on...
IMO Mahaney starting is a given. He might have not played that well when Givony was in Storrs, but he is going to be a featured player regardless. When analysts watched practices at this time last year, I remember people commenting on the lack of talk about Spencer too, and we all know how that turned out.That's odd...I feel like I've seen very little starting lineup projections involving Mahaney lately - maybe right after he committed, but not much since as the reports on him have been a bit lackluster. To me, it seems like he is still finding his footing and will get better as the season goes along, but him being a starter feels like it would be surprising at this point.
I agree overall with the sentiment of your post. I don't know if Mahaney will be starting, but the delineation between starting and coming off the bench is a distinction without a difference. Mahaney will be getting at least 20 minutes a game.IMO Mahaney starting is a given. He might have not played that well when Givony was in Storrs, but he is going to be a featured player regardless. When analysts watched practices at this time last year, I remember people commenting on the lack of talk about Spencer too, and we all know how that turned out.
Mahaney is experienced in every type of situation including tournament games against the best team in the country (UConn), he’s a shooter, and they allocated a lot of resources to bring him in.
Hurley came out today and said that Alex is starting and that every other spot is an open competition. That sounds about right to me. He said Solo is the most improved Sophomore, so he might be better than Mahaney.IMO Mahaney starting is a given. He might have not played that well when Givony was in Storrs, but he is going to be a featured player regardless. When analysts watched practices at this time last year, I remember people commenting on the lack of talk about Spencer too, and we all know how that turned out.
Mahaney is experienced in every type of situation including tournament games against the best team in the country (UConn), he’s a shooter, and they allocated a lot of resources to bring him in.
Hurley came out today and said that Alex is starting and that ever other spot is an open competition. That sounds about right to me. He said Solo is the most improved Sophomore, so he might be better than Mahaney.
I always try to remind myself that defense matters. For example, the logical backfill for Castle was Stewart, but Ball got the job despite being woefully undersized. Why? Well the wing defensive responsibilities in our offense are hard and varied depending on who was the 5. I always believed that Ball was ahead of Stew because nothing else made sense. Later, Stewart obviously figured things out.It's definitely possible. He's got the mental and physical attributes if the stars have aligned.
If Solo is beating out the former best player on a top-25 team for a starting spot, our entire team is in good shape. That would be an absolutely bonkers level of improvement for him.