Alex Karaban Potential

[Huskyforlife]

I'm going to be the contrarian here, I think he'll have a bit of a sophomore slump, better than last year, with flashes of brilliance, especially toward the end of the season, but I think he struggles for a while being the center of attention and won't be as successful as we all expect/hope.

It’s not as popular as calling him the best player on planet earth, and “slump” might be harsh, but this will likely be closer to the truth. We should keep our expectations reasonable.

 

[BoukofJames]

My prediction is he will be a 1st round pick in the 2024 nba draft

 

[freshler40]

Alex's stats and perception are heavily weighed by who is on the court when he is. He is the ultimate team player and benefited from non-conference teams having not seen his game or being the center of attention. That will change this year. His game will continue to evolve.

He needs to quicken his release, think less about passing with adding a quick first step move to the hoop. The year he spent on the bench allowed him to play like a junior along with playing on a team of future professional players. That grace period is over but he is a quick study and a coaches dream.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I agree with a lot of the viewpoints above and think overall Alex will continue to improve in all facets of his game. Last season, team ball movement was excellent and that facilitated Alex being able to get great looks from three. I think if Castle's transition into starter minutes is smooth, then Alex will be the beneficiary of Castle's ability to pass over defenses/skips that find open for others. Alex will get a lot of open 3's that way, so getting up to around 15 pts per game should be do-able given that, his overall progression, and the needed increase in 3 attempts given Hawkins' departure. Onward and upward!!!

 

[wingsfan055]

His most similar comp is N. Jokic from Denver. Same body type, size and wingspan. Both good passers and shooters. Can play both the inside and outside game. Neither are particularly fast, but are quick and agile enough with their feet.

 

[AntG168]

His most similar comp is N. Jokic from Denver. Same body type, size and wingspan. Both good passers and shooters. Can play both the inside and outside game. Neither are particularly fast, but are quick and agile enough with their feet.

What?

 

[husky429]

Taking his game to the next level if going to require some big steps in his development. Ability to drive and finish (especially off one foot) would make a lot of these bold predictions more likely.

Considering his trajectory so far, I have no reason to believe he won't put in the work to be an all-conference 2nd team type of player.

 

[Umami Zen]

Would be advantageous if AK could become a strong secondary rebounder to DC..esp. on the defensive boards.. Could easily see him becoming a threat with outlet passes to the guards/wings on transition/fast break opportunities.. Nadav-like..

All about who he's on the floor with and what is needed by Dan Hurley/game situations.. His BBIQ and adaptability are among his greatest assets.

 

[pj]

I like the Sam Dekker comp, although Alex is a better shooter and if he can remake his body and keep improving skills his ceiling will be higher. That Wisconsin 2014-15 team is a great comp for next year's UConn team: 2014-15 Wisconsin Badgers Men 's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. A lot will depend on how quickly the freshman develop and build chemistry with the returning core.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'm going to be the contrarian here, I think he'll have a bit of a sophomore slump, better than last year, with flashes of brilliance, especially toward the end of the season, but I think he struggles for a while being the center of attention and won't be as successful as we all expect/hope.

I won't disagree with you. I based my numbers on him having some up and down games in the early season and a rougher start to conference play but really finding his groove from February on out. Once Karaban seems to figure something out, he becomes really efficient at doing it.

Very loosely, you could compare it to how Hawkins started his sophomore year and how he finished it.

 

[Chin Diesel]

His most similar comp is N. Jokic from Denver. Same body type, size and wingspan. Both good passers and shooters. Can play both the inside and outside game. Neither are particularly fast, but are quick and agile enough with their feet.

What?

 

[AntG168]

Then it was a bad joke lol

 

[REB1094]

Offensively, I think his biggest area of opportunity would be to take the ball in the mid/high post and go make a play, whether it's a shot or pass. He showed a bit of this towards the end of last season, and he did it in high school, so it's definitely in his bag already. I actually think a big step in his potential as an NBA prospect would be to be able to improve his athleticism to be able to play some SF. He's certainly not going to be a low post big man, so improving his agility to play faster on the wing would be great for him. He's already a nearly perfect stretch 4 shooting 40%, so improvement there is limited (in a good way)

We all know his defense improved throughout the season, but obviously getting quicker and stronger would help, and is expected. It feels strange for me to say he needs to get quicker and play on the wing but also get stronger to hold his own against other PFs, but if he could find a balance between the two then that would make him REALLY tough to handle on both ends of the court

Stats prediction - 13/5/3

 

[BGesus4]

I like the Sam Dekker comp, although Alex is a better shooter and if he can remake his body and keep improving skills his ceiling will be higher. That Wisconsin 2014-15 team is a great comp for next year's UConn team: 2014-15 Wisconsin Badgers Men 's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. A lot will depend on how quickly the freshman develop and build chemistry with the returning core.

While true that Dekker is white, he was also a run and jump athlete….which is the antithesis of how Karaban creates his advantages

 

[Seamus84]

Hoping for Larry Bird.

And Clingan as Jokic

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan = Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky

That is a nice comparison. I think our two may have a little more athleticism (and in DC's case, size), which should give each a higher ceiling.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan = Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky

If Karaban’s comp is Sam Dekker, I hope he pulls his equivalent of Olivia Harlan

 

[auror]

Dekker and Karaban's stats are pretty similar in their respective freshman years. Dekker had a higher usage and had more of a playmaking role, but their splits are pretty close otherwise (Karaban a better FT shooter) and I think Karaban should develop more into that playmaking as he gets more opportunity. Not a bad comp.

Kaminsky and Clingan? Not as good.

 

[Ratso]

if he can defend the 3/4 , he’s on a roster

 

[EZPass]

Play QB too..?

 

[Edward Sargent]

We talked a lot about how Alex played better against opponents the second time around. If that holds true his sophomore season should be great

 

[Waquoit]

We were so good at the end of the season that it felt like AK had a ton of unused inventory. He could have scored more if needed but since everyone else was doing the job his number wasn't called as much as it might have.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Karaban has been a revelation. You never see freshmen as composed and improve as quickly as he did. He hesitated briefly when taking a late 3 against Seton Hall and missed the shot in a game we lost at the buzzer, and he noted that and said he wouldn't hesitate to take the shot ever again. We all saw what happened from that point on. He also started driving the ball to the hoop with great success late in the season.

One thing I'd like to see Alex do more is take advantage of size mismatches by posting up more often. He's such a great passer that it can either lead to a high percentage shot near the rim or an open look from outside if the defense collapses on him.

I’d just like to continue to push back at the notion that we don’t usually see Alex out of freshmen.

Instead, I’d say he followed a good tradition we usually have of having freshman that our composed and ready to play and step up in big moments.

He was so reliable in his role last year and I’m looking forward to seeing that grow.

 

[Incursio007]

He can already put so much pressure on a defense due to his skill set & high IQ. His willingness to drive & finish at the rim really took his game to another level towards the end of last season. Highly skilled, has a great bball IQ, great length & solid athleticism. AJax & others have already attested to his upside potential. I think he’ll have to adjust to being the primary focal point of an offense next season, but IMO, he’s got an NBA future down the line.

 

[Rico444]

I’d just like to continue to push back at the notion that we don’t usually see Alex out of freshmen.

Instead, I’d say he followed a good tradition we usually have of having freshman that our composed and ready to play and step up in big moments.

He was so reliable in his role last year and I’m looking forward to seeing that grow.

I don't know, what he did was pretty special even among the great freshmen we've seen. He lead a national championship team in minutes per game. As a freshman! Even Jeremy Lamb, one of the few freshmen I'd put up there with Alex as far as freshmen go, didn't play a ton early in the season. Shabazz came off the bench and was more of a sparkplug. I was too young to have watched enough of Khalid's freshman year to really know the impact he had, but from what I heard it was great. So I'd say Karaban, Khalid, and Lamb in no particular order are in a class amongst themselves when it comes to freshmen in this program.