AJax in 2022-23

[CL82]

Yup.

Thabeet 10.8 in '08-09.
Okafor 11.5 in '03-04.

Jeff Adrien never even averaged 10 rb a game despite playing 33+ minutes. He was in the 9s 3x. It's tough to do. I don't expect Jackson to do it either, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's 8+ (a jump from 6.8 this year).

Keep in mind that that 6.8 rebounds was for a team that had a hard time finishing. I could see AJ’s rebounding numbers go down and us being a better team.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I think his avg are something like 12ppg 8rbg 6apg 2spg .9 bpg 3topg

 

[ctchamps]

I want AJ to watch the video of Stick’s dunks and to not only significantly increase his dunk numbers but to scream like Sticks after every dunk. You know. Make a statement!!!

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I think we'll see a lot better Andre Jackson this year off the simple fact he won't be deferring to Tyrese and Cole most of the time.

I'm not so sure he deferred to them. I feel like maybe he lacked the confidence. Of course, no evidence to back it up, just a feeling.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I want AJ to watch the video of Stick’s dunks and to not only significantly increase his dunk numbers but to scream like Sticks after every dunk. You know. Make a statement!!!

Sounds like he needs the proper motivation. Going by the dunking video he tweeted, he may just need to imagine every defender as Akok in practice.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I'm not so sure he deferred to them. I feel like maybe he lacked the confidence. Of course, no evidence to back it up, just a feeling.

Yeah it’s definitely a confidence thing which doesn’t help when you have experienced guys too. I agree with the feeling. Hoping this year since he is the vet it’ll allow him to take charge more.

His game is so intriguing because without the right skills being developed, he’d have such a high ceiling for improvement. If he can finish around the rim consistently he instantly becomes a lottery pick with all his other skills.

 

[ctchamps]

I'm not so sure he deferred to them. I feel like maybe he lacked the confidence. Of course, no evidence to back it up, just a feeling.

I get the opposite feeling. Selvie was a shoot first pass second kind of player. Except he never got to second. AJ is a pass first shoot second kind of player. I expect him to take that second option a lot more this season. My impression was he deferred to the older players out of respect. The exception was Sonogo which the coaches chose as the primary option.

 

[jdb50]

Going from deferring to Cole and Martin last season to having the ball as the shot clock runs down, which happened a lot with us, is a big jump and the question of the offseason. If Jackson can show that he can convert in those situations it will open up his ability to pass as well. It's possible Newton is that guy. AJax has to have a midrange shot to carry the load of scoring in crunch time.

 

[BlueMAB]

Going from deferring to Cole and Martin last season to having the ball as the shot clock runs down, which happened a lot with us, is a big jump and the question of the offseason. If Jackson can show that he can convert in those situations it will open up his ability to pass as well. It's possible Newton is that guy. AJax has to have a midrange shot to carry the load of scoring in crunch time.

Newton is that guy...

(edit - and I'm as big of an AJax supporter as you'll find here)

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Going from deferring to Cole and Martin last season to having the ball as the shot clock runs down, which happened a lot with us, is a big jump and the question of the offseason. If Jackson can show that he can convert in those situations it will open up his ability to pass as well. It's possible Newton is that guy. AJax has to have a midrange shot to carry the load of scoring in crunch time.

Think Hawkins is a huge possibility. Remember when he was playing confident last year he was one of our best scorers. 16 points in 16 mins against Auburn.

 

[Dove]

Jackson is one of the most interesting players I can recall in a UConn uniform. Incredible hops, great vision, averaged 6.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a soph on 36% shooting from 3, and 42% overall. He also averaged 2 turnovers and .6 blocks. He only shot 71% from the line though.

I think we see more offense from Ajax this season and he averages 10-12 points per game, along with 7 boards and 4 assists. I expect a nice bump in free throw % to over 80%, 1 block per game and 2 To. Those numbers would represent decent development, in my opinion.

Are my expectations realistic or is Andre poised for a truly breakout season?

Andre is The Answer.

Your projections are tepid. He shall dominate.

 

[Ratso]

AJ is gonna be a star, h’es Ben Simmons who wants to shoot the ball. That is all

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Unless Sanogo is averaging Oscar Tshiebwe rebounding numbers, someone has to grab the ball lol


Newton

Hopefully Oscar turns into the eating machine Zion is after collecting his first million and we never hear from him again.

 

[AntG168]

AJ is gonna be a star, h’es Ben Simmons who wants to shoot the ball. That is all

Ben Simmons is 6’10.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Ben Simmons is 6’10.

And probably a better shooter. Definitely better scorer

 

[superjohn]

And probably a better shooter. Definitely better scorer

Ben Simmons a better shooter than Jackson? Ummm no.

 

[Kenny11]

Simmons had nba all star talent at 19. Jackson isn’t as good obviously but every player and coach would rather have a competitor like Jackson on their team.
Jackson does have nba potential and probably needs to realize it this year to have a shot at being a late first round pick

 

[Billy Bob]

I want AJ to watch the video of Stick’s dunks and to not only significantly increase his dunk numbers but to scream like Sticks after every dunk. You know. Make a statement!!!

In terms of excitement, nobody compared to Stanley ever in UConn history.

 

[navery12]

And probably a better shooter. Definitely better scorer

There's 0 chance he's a better shooter, Simmons has taken 37 3's in 5 seasons of college and NBA basketball. He refuses to even shoot

 

[RichZ]

I think we see more offense from Ajax this season and he averages 10-12 points per game, along with 7 boards and 4 assists. I expect a nice bump in free throw % to over 80%, 1 block per game and 2 To. Those numbers would represent decent development, in my opinion.

Are my expectations realistic or is Andre poised for a truly breakout season?I think it hinges on a LOT of improvement this offseason, primarily in two areas

• ball handling in the paint
  He has an OK handle except when he is under duress or has to change direction in traffic. He may not lose possession of the ball, but he loses control of it, and ends up taking an awkward shot when he doesn't lose it.
• outside shooting
  For a guy who idolizes Maravich, he certainly never tried to model his shooting form after him. He really needs to throw out everything he does jumper-wise and start from scratch. Study the form of good shooters. As it is, he appears to have modeled his jumper after Ryan Crouser.
  
  Without improvement in those two areas, he's too limited to make a big jump.

 

[husky429]

Ben Simmons a better shooter than Jackson? Ummm no.

Glad to know I'm not the only one that did a double-take. He's better at just about everything BUT shooting.

 

[UConnStats]

He had 18 dunks last year. He needs at least 30 dunks this year.

More importantly, overall Martin made 70 "close 2s" last year and Jackson only 40. That number has to go way up. He's got to be attacking and finishing at the rim (whether by dunk or layup, either is fine).

Martin also 90 FTA, Jackson 63. Also has to go up correspondingly.

People always talk about his shooting/form, but he really needs to attack the rim and get comfortable laying it up. He doesn’t take nearly enough close 2s and his layup game is fairly non-existent. Clear that up and a respectable 3P% is gravy. I think adding more muscle will really benefit him in getting comfortable finishing through contact.

 

[MexicoHusky]

There's 0 chance he's a better shooter, Simmons has taken 37 3's in 5 seasons of college and NBA basketball. He refuses to even shoot

Good numbers. I reluctantly concede the shooting battle to Jackson. Which sounds odd. He's not exactly Reggie Miller.

 

[alphasigko]

Perhaps with his hops he should, if he improves his shooting and getting to the rim, pattern his game after Ja Morant?

 

[HuskyHawk]

People always talk about his shooting/form, but he really needs to attack the rim and get comfortable laying it up. He doesn’t take nearly enough close 2s and his layup game is fairly non-existent. Clear that up and a respectable 3P% is gravy. I think adding more muscle will really benefit him in getting comfortable finishing through contact.

One of the concerns I have is that he doesn't have a midrange game. He uses those floater and finger rolls. With his hops, he would have a devastating step back midrange game like Jaylen Brown flashed last night in the Celtics - Bucks game. Drive hard, when they are on their heels, stop, elevate. shoot.

Yes, we need him to attack and make layups and dunks and I think he can do that. He has his set shot from outside which is somewhat reliable. But he really needs to train himself to use a jump shot with his hands in proper position, because it would be very hard to defend. It's going to take some work.