Akok Akok | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Akok Akok

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Danzz said:
You have no idea how many times I've said the same thing but recruiting keeps dragging you back in. You are infected and there is no cure.
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this was probably already answered somewhere, but how is Akok eligible for this draft? Wouldn't he have to go to G-league for a year and then get drafted?
 
crazyUCfan23 said:
this was probably already answered somewhere, but how is Akok eligible for this draft? Wouldn't he have to go to G-league for a year and then get drafted?
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He is a year removed from HS (he's a post-grad) and he's old enough (19 I believe).
 
djct1999 said:
As a UConn fan, this is a very easy comment to make. Of course, physically he is not ready for the NBA. I am not sure if there is a single person that would say otherwise. But I don't know anything about Akok or his family off the court. There could be other reasons behind this temptation. If thats the case, good for him. I will never fault anyone who leaves early with a first round guarantee. If you can cash one of those checks, you do it. The risk/reward is to great. Again, see Hamidou Diallo. Financially, he would have been better off never playing in college. If the criticism is that Akok is too weak, odds are people will say the same thing next winter. Then what? Sure, as a UConn fan it would be great to think he will be in Storrs for 3 years. Its easy for us to think that. But what would you do if you were in his situation? As a fan, its easy to look at this in a vacuum. I will be pissed if we lose him to another school. But if he is confident that he will get first round money, he should go.
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Your points about Akok's family situation are completely true. None of us know what his motives are there and we shouldn't look down on a kid who tries to do his best to support his family.

That said, there is ample evidence to show undersized kids who spend a year in college come out after one year in much better physical condition, especially someone who is 19 going on 20 instead of a year before. So the odds that scouts will say the same thing about him next year aren't likely.

In college he'll have a full spring/summer prior to school starting of weight training, a full schedule of in-season training all in addition to practices and all that occurs in-season. All of that while having the ability to be on a strictly regimented nutrition program. In high school and prep school, most don't have that level of structure with strength and nutrition programs. It's not at all unreasonable for a kid to put on 20 pounds of pure muscle (and more of pure body mass) in one college year, which would be significantly beneficial to him in the pros.
 
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brasssbonanzaa said:
Your points about Akok's family situation are completely true. None of us know what his motives are there and we shouldn't look down on a kid who tries to do his best to support his family.

That said, there is ample evidence to show undersized kids who spend a year in college come out after one year in much better physical condition, especially someone who is 19 going on 20 instead of a year before. So the odds that scouts will say the same thing about him next year aren't likely.

In college he'll have a full spring/summer prior to school starting of weight training, a full schedule of in-season training all in addition to practices and all that occurs in-season. All of that while having the ability to be on a strictly regimented nutrition program. In high school and prep school, most don't have that level of structure with strength and nutrition programs. It's not at all unreasonable for a kid to put on 20 pounds of pure muscle (and more of pure body mass) in one college year, which would be significantly beneficial to him in the pros.
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Simply playing devil's advocate here but sometimes, for a guy like Akok, a smaller sample size may actually help him. What if plays in college and underwhelms? He can go from being drafted in the first round on pure potential to the second round with non-guaranteed money. Now the uphill climb becomes a lot steeper. Listen, I also agree and want him to come to college. But if he chooses to go pro, presumably with a mid-late first round guarantee, it may just be in his best interests. Whether we agree or don't.
 
tcf15 said:
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Drawing scouts and impressing scouts once there are two different things. Also wasn’t Jalen Lecque there as well? By all accounts he’s much more likely to declare.
 
Next years draft class is stacked. Hard to see him getting a chance in the first round. The potential is there and I can definitely see Hurley turn this kid into a first rounder
 
Whether he's actually considering about going or not, this has been a great PR strategy. He's attracted national attention, possible unwarrantedly so, which definitely helps draft stock.

If he ends up coming to us this will help us. "High Schooler skips draft to attend UConn."
 
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krinklecut said:
Whether he's actually considering about going or not, this has been a great PR strategy. He's attracted national attention, possible unwarrantedly so, which definitely helps draft stock.

If he ends up coming to us this will help us. "High Schooler skips draft to attend UConn."
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Improves draft stock? LMAO. It may get him more attention on the internet, but the thought that NBA scouts and executives are making draft decisions on someone having gone out of their way to get some internet publicity is beyond ridiculous.
 
Some of the negative/questioning comments about Akok surprise me. He is a consensus top 50 player right? What am I missing?
 
jimva said:
Some of the negative/questioning comments about Akok surprise me. He is a consensus top 50 player right? What am I missing?
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Recruting websites rank the top recruits in the country, but this is not necessarily the same thing as ranking the top 50 NBA prospects.
 
krinklecut said:
Whether he's actually considering about going or not, this has been a great PR strategy. He's attracted national attention, possible unwarrantedly so, which definitely helps draft stock.

If he ends up coming to us this will help us. "High Schooler skips draft to attend UConn."
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This “strategy “ has Kentucky/duke as plans b/c written all over it. I feel like a squids sea urchin perched itself on Akok’s shoulder and tempted him with this new focus. This could be a distraction as well next year that I’m not sure we want. Being a top 10 guy with nba aspirations is expected but anything below that is as much a crap shoot as second rounders.
 
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WhereistheDove? said:
I think the point is that his athletic traits outpace his basketball skills at this point. His one year in college may not be at a superstar level, but he'll get drafted based on being long, athletic, and with 3-point range, hoping that the skills to grow into a good NBA starter will come with experience.
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Not sure if this has been said before, but he reminds me a lot of Jaren Jackson Jr. Long, raw, athletic big who shoots 3s, blocks shots, and runs the floor. Definitely not the prospect that Jackson was, and I think it's safe to say that he'll ever get there. A couple of years in college will give him a chance to polish his skills and show them on a national level. If he chooses UConn, I think Hurley will mold him into a pick and pop type that can guard 1-5, defend the rim, and get out on the break.
 
GHSWolverines said:
???
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WhereistheDove? said:
I think the point is that his athletic traits outpace his basketball skills at this point. His one year in college may not be at a superstar level, but he'll get drafted based on being long, athletic, and with 3-point range, hoping that the skills to grow into a good NBA starter will come with experience.
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Exactly. Recruiting rankings and draft potential are not congruent (although often the latter is one part of the former). He's not as polished and is unlikely to be an impact player on offense in the brief time he will be in school. But his skills are incredibly in demand at the NBA level. The league is moving towards starting 5 wings and switching everything while spacing 5 out on offense. He's the perfect NBA role player starter, much better than the college stars who are polished but athletically cant cut it in the NBA and whose skills don't translate. Athleticism and shooting translate. He'll need to work on his playmaking, passing, and close-out attacking, but he's got 2 of the 3 most coveted traits of the current NBA (defensive versatility and spacing).

So he's ranked ~30 in recruiting rankings, but I think he may be the ~20th most likely guy to get drafted from his HS class. Of note, doesn't mean he's one and done necessarily, just that he will get drafted at some point if he continues showing those traits at a high level.
 
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