Chances of both Daniels and Boatright returning next year??

[johnhuskies95]

DD is in a different situation than a lot of the other guys who "stayed too long" in that he has something he can improve upon in another season that is tangible and most definitely holding his draft stock down - his size. 6'7" <200 in the NBA is a tough go. My gut on him right now says he declares but doesn't hire an agent.

He has to make a decision either way by April 15th. The testing the waters all the way until late May thing is done.

 

[djct1999]

There is a graveyard of kids like Daniels who had a chance to come out early and be a first round pick and stuck around too long only to not get drafted.

ie. CJ Fair. The kid has played well each year and his draft status has decreased at the same rate.

 

[djct1999]

DD has a huge dilemma. I am not convinced he will get picked in the first round. Yeah, he had 4-5 "level 5" games but also had 5-10 complete no-shows. Those 4-5 games were eye-popping good, the others equally "eye-popping". If he comes back next year and plays the way he did at the end of this year, he easily goes lottery. If he comes back and disappears, he goes undrafted. Tough decision. I still think if he gets a promise in late first round, he should jump on it. Take the 2 year guarantee and prove yourself!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The more I look at the draft lists, the less I feel confident Daniels will go in the first round, but the Fair analogy is a great one.

I liked the trial draft period where kids could try out with NBA teams and get feedback. It was good for the teams and good for the kids. Daniels could have really used a trial period this year.

 

[tzznandrew]

The more I look at the draft lists, the less I feel confident Daniels will go in the first round, but the Fair analogy is a great one.

I liked the trial draft period where kids could try out with NBA teams and get feedback. It was good for the teams and good for the kids. Daniels could have really used a trial period this year.

K helped end that because he thought it was unfair to teams (i.e. coaches) to have that much uncertainty. The uncertainty sucked as a fan, but for the players it was much better, and I'll err on the side of giving the players the benefit.

 

[champs99and04]

Daniels and Boatright have done more for this program than all but a handful of guys who have ever played here. If they decide that they've conquered college basketball and want to start earning a pay check for their talents, I wouldn't blame them at all. If they decide to return for a title defense, awesome.

Frankly, it is a really tough call, and I'm not sure which way I'd advice them to go if I had any say in the process (which I obviously do not). I doubt either one of them is a first round pick this season, but would they be first round picks next season if they returned? IMO, probably not. But then again, I said the same thing about Bazz last season, and everything clearly worked out for him.

I'd say Boatright has more to gain by returning. He was obviously phenomenal in the tournament, and he was indispensable all year, but sharing the back court with the best PG in American definitely restricted his ability to showcase his talent to some extent. I mean, in the national title game he took six shots - next season, I'm guessing he'll be taking 12-15 shots regularly and hitting them with a high degree of frequency. Additionally, his progressions as a play maker and decision maker towards the end of the year demonstrate how good he can become if given free reign, which he will have next season.

As far as Daniels is concerned, I'm not sure I wouldn't advice him to go. Daniels might be the player we saw in the tournament, or he might be the player we saw during the regular season. I'm not sure, but I bet the scouts are going to be intrigued by the kid who went for 20 & 10 twice in the tournament, proved he could guard bulkier players, and displayed what a match-up problem he can be as a stretch four and pick and pop guy. If he thinks he can improve his stock by returning to Storrs and dominating for a year, great. I wish them both the best regardless.

 

[BoatShow]

DD should absolutely come back. If he puts it together for the whole year he could go 18 and 10 and be assured of a lotto pick. But he'll be an ancient 23 yrs old by next years draft!!!

 

[Husky25]

Tim Duncan says hi.

DD should absolutely come back. If he puts it together for the whole year he could go 18 and 10 and be assured of a lotto pick. But he'll be an ancient 23 yrs old by next years draft!!!

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Perhaps this is selfish but I'm 100% certain boat should come back for the opportunity to be what bazz was this year, one of the stories of this year's team was bazz prepping boat to take over next year.

If Daniels were to stay and work on his confidence and consistency I think he could be a lottery pick next year. When he's been on he's been the best player on this team the last 2 years. However, if a team tells him they'll take him in the lottery this year then we can't fault him for going.

 

[tentoes4rings]

daniels could be lottery with workouts. he is a legit nba small forward. i said before the game, i would trade a ring for his senior year.

I said the same thing. The reason for always wanting him back was to hopefully go to a Final Four next year but getting the ring a year early seems like more than a fair trade to me. The greedy side of me wants him back for another!

 

[PcketknfNiels]

I honestly can't believe so many people in here think DD is a 1st rounder. He has massive potential but has been nothing close to consistent and nobody on this team has been getting enough credit for this run besides Bazz because everyone wants to compare it to 2011 where the media storyline still seems to be that it was Kemba and a bunch of nobodies.

 

[Palatine]

UConn will have a good team no matter what happens with Boat and Daniels. Next man up.

+1

 

[Palatine]

I honestly can't believe so many people in here think DD is a 1st rounder. He has massive potential but has been nothing close to consistent and nobody on this team has been getting enough credit for this run besides Bazz because everyone wants to compare it to 2011 where the media storyline still seems to be that it was Kemba and a bunch of nobodies.

Since the NBA draft is based on potential. And you concede that DD "has massive potential." Why don't you think he is a first rounder?

 

[J187Money]

Since the NBA draft is based on potential. And you concede that DD "has massive potential." Why don't you think he is a first rounder?

Age. If he was 19 he might be a lottery pick.

 

[aceboon]

I honestly can't believe so many people in here think DD is a 1st rounder. He has massive potential but has been nothing close to consistent and nobody on this team has been getting enough credit for this run besides Bazz because everyone wants to compare it to 2011 where the media storyline still seems to be that it was Kemba and a bunch of nobodies.

I'd imagine scouts like what they saw in the tourney from DD, on top of the games we've seen the past two years where he lived up to his abilities. If DD were to show out in workouts against comparable SFs, that could easily secure himself a 1st round spot. I keep going back to this comparison, but Tony Snell, another LA kid, was in the same position last year with New Mexico. He played with two other guards who handled the ball in Kendall Williams and Hugh Greenwood so the ball wasn't always in his hands and was used as a spot up shooter, and a couple dribbles and rise up/shooter just like DeAndre(DeAndre has a nice post game too tho). He would always mix in very good games along with games in which he didn't show up, then at the end of last year he had a great MWC tourney, then went pro and was considered a borderline 2nd round pick. Well, dude performed very well in workouts and showed stuff scouts didn't know he had and had a guarantee from the Knicks with their 1st round pick, but the Bulls scooped him up before then.

Now with DD it will be a risk to go pro since there basically isn't a "testing the waters process" anymore, but DD has been described as a workout warrior, and someone who always looks great in practice but doesn't always translate it to games. If DD looks great in workouts and goes 1st round it will be worth it for him instead of coming back, possibly being inconsistent again, or even worse possibly getting injured and having a setback like he had this season with the sprained ankle and back spasms. Then you run the risk of being labeled a 23 year old inconsistent player who will never live up to his potential. That's exactly what happened with LaQuinton Ross this year for Ohio State(minus the age thing), who finally put it together during an Elite 8 run last year, came back to OSU and was the same inconsistent player, got knocked out in the 1st round, and has now decided he might as well go pro now instead of risking going through the motions again next year in his senior year.

 

[selles]

I'd imagine scouts like what they saw in the tourney from DD, on top of the games we've seen the past two years where he lived up to his abilities....

Good post. Remember when DD hit that contested turnaround in the first half of the Championship and a shocked Kerr said "Wow!...that was a Nowitzki move". I suspect that was of far more interest to NBA scouts than the fact that DD got in foul trouble and struggled to get back into the offensive flow. He had a brilliant tournament, showed his offensive versatility, showed his range, showed enough handle to get to the rim, showed he can defend and rebound in traffic. He's on the NBA radar now, and if you get there and stay in college your game starts to get nitpicked to death.

Sure, there's a possibility he could return, average 18 and 9, and go higher next year. But really, how likely is that given that we have 2 new alpha dog scorers coming in? And you certainly can't count on having the same tournament showcase.

Much as I'd love to have him back for UConn's sake, if he were my son I'd say go.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Since the NBA draft is based on potential. And you concede that DD "has massive potential." Why don't you think he is a first rounder?

Age, lack of physical strength at his age (look at Randle physically vs DD), lack of consistency, and the lack of credit anyone other than Bazz is given nationally.

His situation is like Lamb's after 2011, except Lamb was younger and therefore a more attractive NBA prospect at that time, and he stayed and was a lot better for it.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

I'd imagine scouts like what they saw in the tourney from DD, on top of the games we've seen the past two years where he lived up to his abilities. If DD were to show out in workouts against comparable SFs, that could easily secure himself a 1st round spot. I keep going back to this comparison, but Tony Snell, another LA kid, was in the same position last year with New Mexico. He played with two other guards who handled the ball in Kendall Williams and Hugh Greenwood so the ball wasn't always in his hands and was used as a spot up shooter, and a couple dribbles and rise up/shooter just like DeAndre(DeAndre has a nice post game too tho). He would always mix in very good games along with games in which he didn't show up, then at the end of last year he had a great MWC tourney, then went pro and was considered a borderline 2nd round pick. Well, dude performed very well in workouts and showed stuff scouts didn't know he had and had a guarantee from the Knicks with their 1st round pick, but the Bulls scooped him up before then.

Now with DD it will be a risk to go pro since there basically isn't a "testing the waters process" anymore, but DD has been described as a workout warrior, and someone who always looks great in practice but doesn't always translate it to games. If DD looks great in workouts and goes 1st round it will be worth it for him instead of coming back, possibly being inconsistent again, or even worse possibly getting injured and having a setback like he had this season with the sprained ankle and back spasms. Then you run the risk of being labeled a 23 year old inconsistent player who will never live up to his potential. That's exactly what happened with LaQuinton Ross this year for Ohio State(minus the age thing), who finally put it together during an Elite 8 run last year, came back to OSU and was the same inconsistent player, got knocked out in the 1st round, and has now decided he might as well go pro now instead of risking going through the motions again next year in his senior year.

If he gets a strong guarantee of a high pick from a team then he should go. Snell hasn't been an NBA force and the Ross comp isn't valid IMO.

But, didn't Calhoun always try to advise players to go when they're ready to stick around in the NBA long enough for that 2nd contract? Why is that not the case here? Does anyone here truly believe he'd develop more in the NBA next year than here?

 

[DogMania]

Boat has a great deal to gain by returning next year and improve his stock just as Kemba and Bazz did. He showed that he has the ability to be that go to scorer like the two aforementioned most outstanding NCAA Tourney were while they led UConn to NCs. Showing that he can be that lock down defender for an entire season as a sub-six foot guard will go a long way at getting drafted, hopefully somewhere in the first round next year.

As for Daniels, I'm not as sure. By returning, he runs the risk of not improving enough where NBA franchises don't believe his ceiling is all that high and worth a first round pick. On the other hand, his inconsistent play might not have been enough to make him a first round lock, and by returning, if he plays at the high level that many of us have witnessed at times but on a consistent basis next season, he could play himself into the upper half of the first round or at least improve his chances of being a first round lock, even if it's in the latter half.

DD demonstrated some eye popping NBA plays such as that baseline drive and dunk in the championship game, and that quick trigger fade away J he knocked down consistently in the tourney that I'm sure a lot of NBA GMs took notice of.

Unless there's a team that contacts DD and promises to take him in the first round, I think he and Boatright return.

 

[Mike Honcho]

It's brutal this year with just a week before being forced to make a decision. Fortunately, KO has an extensive NBA rolodex and can get direct feedback on DeAndre's draft prospects with a couple of phone calls. Next Tuesday will be very interesting.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Lets be honest for Boatright the chief impediment to an NBA career is size.
He is a freakish athlete, with a sick handle.
Unless he grows over the summer another year won 't change that.
I realistically don't see how another year will benefit him.

Would I love him to return yes, especially if he is on schedule to graduate.
Does it help his NBA aspirations. Marginally , he proved he can defend ,and run a team. What does he have to prove.

DD one of the most skilled wings we've had since the days of Rudy Gay.He has potential lottery pick type skills.
Great rebounder,showed he could take it to the hoop, great mid- range or long range jump shooter. He has the tools but needs the strength and confidence ,that an additional year will give him. He needs to come back.

 

[Greathusky]

Boat: 80%.

DD: 50%.

For those who aren't math majors, that would make 40% both come back.

Isn't that 130% or is my math wrong?

 

[WhartonHusky]

Keep in mind that there were plenty of scouts watching Uconn games all year long. Perhaps they were there to watch Bazz, but they are very familiar with DD's (and Boat's) body of work. I doubt a turnaround jumper or single drive/dunk will move a guy up the draft board that dramatically.

This is a strong draft and so while DD may not improve greatly with another year at Uconn, he will be more valuable in a weaker draft. In addition, it shouldnt be hard for KO to get the necessary intelligence on where DD is likely to fall. I doubt anyone really believes he is top 20 this year, which means the teams looking at him are playoff teams. Teams that are good already and probably trying to fill in some holes. So the analysis probably comes down to assessing whether or not ten or so teams would find DD attractive. If not, he would slip to round 2 and probably benefit from returning to school

 

[Leebo]

Can anyone find a mock draft with Boatright or Daniels on it? I haven't been able to yet.

 

[aceboon]

If he gets a strong guarantee of a high pick from a team then he should go. Snell hasn't been an NBA force and the Ross comp isn't valid IMO.

But, didn't Calhoun always try to advise players to go when they're ready to stick around in the NBA long enough for that 2nd contract? Why is that not the case here? Does anyone here truly believe he'd develop more in the NBA next year than here?

Right, because as a pick in the 20s Snell was expected to be an elite wing right off the bat...take a look around the NBA, nobody in that draft is a "force", but I'm not really sure what the point of that is, its about getting drafted and continuing to develop, college isn't the only place you develop. Jimmy Butler played very little his rookie year and he's now one of the better 2 way wings in the NBA. As for the Ross comparison, I didn't see you list a reason why its not valid..