Alex Karaban Prospect Overview (No Ceilings)

[HooperScooper]

 

[StllH8L8ner]

There are times where I’d like all the posters to get into a big board room together to have these discussions to see what that crowd looks like. I’d bet it would be highly entertaining.

Probably look like the guys who were sitting in front of me at an early season cupcake game back in the day when they both agreed that Chad Wise (RIP) was going to be a major contributor that year….(he wasn’t)

I love AK but to think he’d have a season like Morrison or Reddick is simply unrealistic. Those guys routinely dropped 30 and 40 point games. They’re all-time great college players. AK is tough as nails but is also streaky as he!!.

 

[kobebeanbryant]

Cute anecdote to leak to the media.

 

[storrsroars]

Sam Vecinie had a mock in today's Athletic. Liam was 8. AK was 24.

And Danny Wolf was 43, but I forgot who he plays for.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Personally, I don’t think going to the gym and practicing free throws when you are already an 82% FT shooting is the answer.

I would have preferred he try to just move on. Practicing free throws after missing two under pressure when you are already a great free throw shooter is going to accomplish exactly what?

He should have done what Hurley told him to do. He has to find a way to get all this weight off his shoulders because that is why he missed those free throws. He does not look like he is having fun. He has always been more on the serious side but right now you can see the pressure he is feeling all over his face and body language.

 

[RuffRuff]

Personally, I don’t think going to the gym and practicing free throws when you are already an 82% FT shooting is the answer.

I would have preferred he try to just move on. Practicing free throws after missing two under pressure when you are already a great free throw shooter is going to accomplish exactly what?

He should have done what Hurley told him to do. He has to find a way to get all this weight off his shoulders because that is why he missed those free throws. He does not look like he is having fun. He has always been more on the serious side but right now you can see the pressure he is feeling all over his face and body language.

Visibly AK has lacked some joy out there this year in his BL, agree with that. Not his nature but would be nice to see him play a little lighter. Need Liam back - guy is not only the best player but a major energy source for the team. Not sure AK was ever truly cut out to be the alpha out there, more the cerebral guide.

 

[jibsey]

Visibly AK has lacked some joy out there this year in his BL, agree with that. Not his nature but would be nice to see him play a little lighter. Need Liam back - guy is not only the best player but a major energy source for the team. Not sure AK was ever truly cut out to be the alpha out there, more the cerebral guide.

Their games enhance each others tremendously. A friend who is a St. John’s fan texted me after the loss and asked if Karaban just had an off night. My reply was if St. John’s lost their best player would they win as many games, probably not. Take Luis off their lineup and what happens to them?

 

[HooperScooper]

Personally, I don’t think going to the gym and practicing free throws when you are already an 82% FT shooting is the answer.

I would have preferred he try to just move on. Practicing free throws after missing two under pressure when you are already a great free throw shooter is going to accomplish exactly what?

He should have done what Hurley told him to do. He has to find a way to get all this weight off his shoulders because that is why he missed those free throws. He does not look like he is having fun. He has always been more on the serious side but right now you can see the pressure he is feeling all over his face and body language.

I'm assuming this was just a way for him to clear his head and give him something to do that he likes (being in the gym shooting) rather than go back to his dorm room and lay awake for hours thinking about missing the 2 free throws. I know I used to do stuff like this when I was in college. He'll be fine. He's a smart kid and I'm sure he'll bounce back the right way.

 

[IndyLives]

Going to the gym at 2am didn't help him, imo. The reason he missed the 2 FTS in a row was more mental than physical execution. His form is usually great. He let the pressure get to him - trying to "force" those 2 FTs in (with a slightly flatter, faster arc), and hitting the back iron. Wasn't close.

 

[bluestreak]

Visibly AK has lacked some joy out there this year in his BL, agree with that. Not his nature but would be nice to see him play a little lighter. Need Liam back - guy is not only the best player but a major energy source for the team. Not sure AK was ever truly cut out to be the alpha out there, more the cerebral guide.

Sadly for us I think with this years scouting of UConn, Alex's limitations are going to be exposed. It seems like since BE play there has been more driving against him and trying to shoot over him. On offence he has defended more closely, reducing his open 3 opportunities. I think (without checking stats) that he has been called for more fouls than before league play. He's the same 110% player but has been less productive. Hence less joy.

 

[aceboon]

Sadly for us I think with this years scouting of UConn, Alex's limitations are going to be exposed. It seems like since BE play there has been more driving against him and trying to shoot over him. On offence he has defended more closely, reducing his open 3 opportunities. I think (without checking stats) that he has been called for more fouls than before league play. He's the same 110% player but has been less productive. Hence less joy.

Less productive compared to non-conf or to last season? Through 5 conference games he's averaging 16ppg on 49% from the field and 39% from 3, he hasn't been less productive compared to last season.

 

[AllHusky]

Cute anecdote to leak to the media.

Not the first time that anecdote has been leaked. It's not uncommon for Alex to do that after he's struggled in a game. Probably a first for foul shooting though, usually 3 pointers.

My biggest concern for Alex is how he seems to be internalizing any perceived team/program "failures". After one of the Maui losses, he was in the presser saying it was all his fault and he had to fix it. More concerning than those ludicrous words, was his demeanor and body language. Tight lipped, tight posture. It made me actually worry for him personally. A guy like him has gotten to where he is by outworking people, and being a type A+ hoopster. Can work against you when there are struggles. "Every mans strength is every mans weakness". He needs to have the freedom to fail like everyone else, and unfortunately, he is the one that doesn't seem to give himself that luxury.

Best antidote for AK is a healthy Liam McNeeley to take some of the heat off Alex, even if it is self imposed.

 

[RuffRuff]

Not the first time that anecdote has been leaked. It's not uncommon for Alex to do that after he's struggled in a game. Probably a first for foul shooting though, usually 3 pointers.

My biggest concern for Alex is how he seems to be internalizing any perceived team/program "failures". After one of the Maui losses, he was in the presser saying it was all his fault and he had to fix it. More concerning than those ludicrous words, was his demeanor and body language. Tight lipped, tight posture. It made me actually worry for him personally. A guy like him has gotten to where he is by outworking people, and being a type A+ hoopster. Can work against you when there are struggles. "Every mans strength is every mans weakness". He needs to have the freedom to fail like everyone else, and unfortunately, he is the one that doesn't seem to give himself that luxury.

Best antidote for AK is a healthy Liam McNeeley to take some of the heat off Alex, even if it is self imposed.

You can definitely sense something with AK. This is a good read. He has a high bar for himself and likely a lot of internal self imposed pressure. He’s a kid that declined the draft last year to come back and 3peat, which for a thoughtful kid like him is a lot of pressure unto itself, especially when the team has apparent limitations that will likely prevent it from getting there.

I was torn about him coming back. Selfishly obviously great, but it will be disappointing if we don’t make a serious run and his draft stock drops because this team exposes flaws vs showcases upside. Last year may have been peak value given the weak class and the UConn buzz. The more mocks I look at the more I even see guys like Liam dropping because there is so much young talent coming out this year. Right now a lot of the mocks I look at have Liam going in the mid teens, many with no AK in first round.

 

[Captbluefin]

Could the concussion still be having a effect on him?

Honest question it’s just a thought.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Could the concussion still be having a effect on him?

Honest question it’s just a thought.

I posted something similar in this thread. Have had three diagnosed for sure concussions and recovery time was different for each one. For me the concussions that knocked me out were much longer recovery periods. The one that knocked me a bit loopy while playing football in high school was much shorter in regards to recovery.

But they are tricky when it comes to diagnosing a person is fully recovered. I remember a few time after the worst one that several month later I would get dizzy for no reason or unexpectedly when I was doing things like walking down stairs. They were all temporary and I am certain my MD was not one of the best, as he always said yeah that will eventually stop and it did, but it wasn’t like they did a CAT scan every time I told him I had a dizzy spell. I was already a bit moody but it seemed to be worse during the recovery period.

I suffered all three before I was 25 and the two worst were related to car accidents.

 

[superjohn]

Guys, AK has played how he's always played since he's been at UConn...he just choked at the line.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Guys, AK has played how he's always played since he's been at UConn...he just choked at the line.

That may well be true. But I remember thinking oh yeah whenever he launched those long jumpers the last two years those usually started runs or were straight up daggers because of the timing.

This year the first thing I think is no it’s too early in the shot clock, bad shot we could have gotten a better one.

Yet his percentage although still a smaller sample size is better this year than last year and about the same as it was his freshman year.

 

[bluestreak]

Guys, AK has played how he's always played since he's been at UConn...he just choked at the line.

I kind of agree with this, although he's had a few games this year which seriously pull down his averages and are kind of a head scratcher.

Gonzaga 8 pts 0-7 from 3pt
Prov 13 pts 1-3 from 3pt
Nova 10 pts 2-7 from 3pt

He's had some uncharacteristic sluggish games.

 

[pj]

Could the concussion still be having a effect on him?

Honest question it’s just a thought.

Guys, AK has played how he's always played since he's been at UConn...he just choked at the line.

Before the concussion he shot 46.8% on 3s and 82.6% on FTs. Since he's shot 36.2% on 3s and 72.7% on FTs.

Similar volume, 47 3pt attempts in each case, and 22-23 FT attempts in each.

Maybe the concussion is responsible for the slight drop off, maybe it's just chance.

 

[imno1]

Sam Vecinie had a mock in today's Athletic. Liam was 8. AK was 24.

And Danny Wolf was 43, but I forgot who he plays for.

Is Wolf the kid who was at Yale last year?

 

[jibsey]

82% is not 100% for those who don’t understand math. That means that 18 times out of 100 there is a miss, and that is BTW exceptional. End of game exhaustion could have contributed to the low arc but whatever it was it’s legitimately in the numbers and it can happen. Unfortunately it happened at the worst time in that game. Making this into a big deal for a regular season away game and trying to read other things into this is not smart, JMO.

 

[aceboon]

I kind of agree with this, although he's had a few games this year which seriously pull down his averages and are kind of a head scratcher.

Gonzaga 8 pts 0-7 from 3pt
Prov 13 pts 1-3 from 3pt
Nova 10 pts 2-7 from 3pt

He's had some uncharacteristic sluggish games.

He did this last year as well, wasn't really sharp in the tournament at all either