Chances of both Daniels and Boatright returning next year??

[PcketknfNiels]

Daniels had a slow start to the year but I think his game was starting to come together until he hurt his ankle. He missed some time and then had some back issues. I think he should go now because his name is hot and he will impress teams with his offensive skill. He needs to gain strength more than anything and that can be done with an NBA team. Even if he comes back next year and dominates I still think he would be late lottery at best. NBA teams like drafting youth and potential with those high and because of his age and he ins't an elite athlete has more to potentially lose by staying. Boat on the other hand should stay unless he wants to make money overseas right now which is fine. If he comes back next year and plays D like he did this tourney, continues to drive and kick to open shooters and shoots more consistently throughout the year I think he can get drafted or picked up by a team in the off season for workouts and possibly latch onto a team that way.

There will always be a place solidly in the first round for an upperclassmen coming off a monster college season. McDermott, Jimmer, Redick, etc

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Last year was Butler's 2nd season in the league, not his 1st, his rookie year he only played in 40 something games. Last year he saw minutes right off the bat and played in all 82 and was a steady contributor and really elevated himself in the playoffs. As for DD, I'm not pushing him towards him going, I'm putting the argument out there on why he could go and quite a few of ya'll are dismissing the value of workouts, guys rise and fall up the draft boards all the time because of them, I gave the perfect example in T Snell, Tim Hardaway Jr is another example who was not a first round lock by any means when he declared. GMs aren't basing their draft decisions on DraftExpress and NBADraft.net mock drafts, they are evaluating guys based on games and in person when they come in for workouts. Lastly, I keep seeing posts saying that DD can come back and dominate the whole season and improve his standing and draft stock, ya'll do realize we were expecting this type of consistent performance heading into this season and not just the occasional flash and then the impressive stretch to close it out, right? I mean he did the same thing last year that had us thinking we were going to see these type of performances game in and game out, I'm glad he finally turned it on but it wouldn't shock me if he was inconsistent again next year as well.

Of course you lead off with the most irrelevant part of the post and ignore the fact his playing time was mainly due to injuries to players in front of him...

Workouts, while they do matter to a degree, are not something anyone involved with these players should be using as the focal point of a draft position expectation.

Daniels didn't dominate game in and game out because we had a guy by the name of Shabazz Napier submit one of the greatest seasons this program has ever seen. We also played at a fairly slow pace, UConn fans know this, but NBA draft scouts are too busy drooling over too many other prospects to pay that much attention to Daniels. There's a reason why the draft stock rising hype he has now is entirely due to the couole big games he had in the tourney. If DD comes back, he, along with Boat would be the featured players offensively, and being given more shot opportunities virtually guarantees a solid PPG bump. Unless somebody personally guarantees him a solid first round pick, the smart move is definitely to come back and play himself well into the first round, because again, he'll make more upon being drafted and be given much more opportunity to stick in the league for that much more lucrative 2nd contract.

 

[aceboon]

I led off with that point because you were wrong like you've been countless times in this thread and I was correcting your simple ass, the reason Butler played had nothing to do with injuries, its because he's actually good, the same way you noted that Snell isn't beasting like that matters in his rookie year playing for a coach that is notorious for not playing rookies.

Daniels didn't have to put up 27 & 10 every game like he did against Iowa St but you're crazy if you think the reason for his no show games, which he had plenty of, were due to Shabazz. Shabazz isn't out there chucking up 30 shots a game, he has no problem at all deferring which he showed in the Iowa St and UF games. That isn't an excuse at all for Daniels's inconsistent play, and that was pretty evident when Daniels's AAU coach and father had a conference call before the conference tourney telling him to man up and go play and stop being so complacent in games. Now this is the last post I'm making responding to you so go ahead and have the last word since you're so pressed to have it.

Of course you lead off with the most irrelevant part of the post and ignore the fact his playing time was mainly due to injuries to players in front of him...

Workouts, while they do matter to a degree, are not something anyone involved with these players should be using as the focal point of a draft position expectation.

Daniels didn't dominate game in and game out because we had a guy by the name of Shabazz Napier submit one of the greatest seasons this program has ever seen. We also played at a fairly slow pace, UConn fans know this, but NBA draft scouts are too busy drooling over too many other prospects to pay that much attention to Daniels. There's a reason why the draft stock rising hype he has now is entirely due to the couole big games he had in the tourney. If DD comes back, he, along with Boat would be the featured players offensively, and being given more shot opportunities virtually guarantees a solid PPG bump. Unless somebody personally guarantees him a solid first round pick, the smart move is definitely to come back and play himself well into the first round, because again, he'll make more upon being drafted and be given much more opportunity to stick in the league for that much more lucrative 2nd contract.

 

[pj]

Are there really 20 better pro prospects leaving college this year than Deandre Daniels? Frankly, I don't see it. Julius Randle will be a lottery pick and what does he have that Daniels doesn't, other than bulk? Daniels is more skilled and can play both inside and out, on both ends of the court. That's a special ability that the NBA craves. To me, it's neck and neck who is picked first, Deandre or Shabazz, and both go in the top 20, possibly the tail end of the lottery.

Ryan should come back. It's hard to make the NBA as a short point guard. Point guard also takes the longest time to learn. A year of leadership of the team, with it being Boat's team the way this was Shabazz's team, would be an experience he could never get any other way. He'll never be able to lead an NBA team. That's invaluable experience and he shouldn't even think about the NBA, though he may (think about it I mean - don't think he'll actually go).

 

[intlzncster]

Are there really 20 better pro prospects leaving college this year than Deandre Daniels? Frankly, I don't see it. Julius Randle will be a lottery pick and what does he have that Daniels doesn't, other than bulk? Daniels is more skilled and can play both inside and out, on both ends of the court. That's a special ability that the NBA craves. To me, it's neck and neck who is picked first, Deandre or Shabazz, and both go in the top 20, possibly the tail end of the lottery.

Randle's quicker, stronger and more athletic. Plus he's 19.

 

[Alexander]

No way do I see Napier, let alone Daniels, crack into late lottery. Like I said earlier, this draft may not have the stars it was cracked up to have about a year ago but it's not weak enough to let Napier, who many analysts still have just cracking into the first round, into the lottery. Daniels is a sold 20lbs away from thinking about declaring in this draft. Daniels's age will work against them since GMs won't be able to use the "they'll develop into NBA bodies" excuse on picking tall, lanky 18 year old players.

I've personally never been a fan of the mentality that a player's job is done with a ring. Shabazz is a special case. Helped bring in one four years ago and led the team to another this year. His UConn lore is cemented. I'd hate to see Boat and Daniels leave with Shabazz only to leave this ball club leader-less and unprepared. UConn wasn't Boat's team this year, it could be next year. Daniels could go from being a 3/4/5 scoring option throughout the year to a 2nd option, if not 1st. I think Boatright is actually more draft-ready than Daniels to be honest..with that in mind, I have Boat nowhere near ready to be drafted this year. Four years can do Boat good, worked out fine for Lillard.

Talent should speak for itself. If Boat and Daniels can't develop more under Ollie than I doubt they can develop much more under an NBA coach. Coming back, in my opinion, gives them a chance to expand their game, their BBIQ, and leadership under Ollie. A handful of four-year college players, now rookies/sophomores are doing quite well in the NBA lately.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

I led off with that point because you were wrong like you've been countless times in this thread and I was correcting your simple ass, the reason Butler played had nothing to do with injuries, its because he's actually good, the same way you noted that Snell isn't beasting like that matters in his rookie year playing for a coach that is notorious for not playing rookies.

Daniels didn't have to put up 27 & 10 every game like he did against Louisville, but you're crazy if you think the reason for his no show games, which he had plenty of, were due to Shabazz. Shabazz isn't out there chucking up 30 shots a game, he has no problem at all deferring which he showed in the Iowa St and UF games. That isn't an excuse at all for Daniels's inconsistent play, and that was pretty evident when Daniels's AAU coach and father had a conference call before the conference tourney telling him to man up and go play and stop being so complacent in games. Now this is the last post I'm making responding to you so go ahead and have the last word since you're so pressed to have it.

And here we go with the little internet immaturity nonsense. Sure, I was wrong about butler's PT his rookie year, I wasn't wrong about why his PT increased, which you ignored at first, and are now trying to outright deny. Snell not playing much proves my point on DD though.

You simply don't understand basketball if you don't think Bazz being the main option and avg 17 ppg (on a fairly low fg % if we're being honest) doesn't affect DD's ability to consistently get enough shots to have big games. Bazz' FGA weren't consistent either, he would play some games solely to distribute and get others involved (a lot of the time against lesser teams to build other player's confidence) whereas other games he looked to carry us and would take a huge % of the teams shots. Bazz doing that affected everyone's ability to have consistently huge games just due to shot distribution.

Fast forward to next year...If Daniels stays he will, along with Boat, unquestionably be given the lion's share of the shots Bazz is leaving behind, and will at worst be a co-first option with Boat. The end result will be a spike in his scoring numbers and improved draft stock. If he goes now he potentially becomes the next Perry Jones and does nothing.

Disagree all you want, but grow up if you want anyone to take you seriously.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Randle's quicker, stronger and more athletic. Plus he's 19.

And had a more consistent season

 

[champs99and04]

Bazz is the same guy that took six shots against Florida in a national semi-fianal and deferred to Daniels constantly against Iowa State, and every other game he had it going. He's also the same guy that refused to shoot in the first half of early season games - almost to a maddening extent - because he was so consumed with getting guys like Daniels involved.

Daniels was a beast in the tournament, and I think the ankle had something to do with why he was so inconsistent in the second half of the season. But Bazz being so good held Boatright back a lot more than it held Daniels back.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Bazz is the same guy that took six shots against Florida in a national semi-fianal and deferred to Daniels constantly against Iowa State, and every other game he had it going. He's also the same guy that refused to shoot in the first half of early season games - almost to a maddening extent - because he was so consumed with getting guys like Daniels involved.

Daniels was a beast in the tournament, and I think the ankle had something to do with why he was so inconsistent in the second half of the season. But Bazz being so good held Boatright back a lot more than it held Daniels back.

And the first game of florida the game in hartford against Memphis, and countless others where he dominated the ball...

But that's what I'm saying, Bazz wpuld have games where he would defer, and he had games where he dominated (a lot because we needed him to) to an almost suffocating degree. When Bazz dominates the ball it makes it hard for anyone else to have consistently great performances.

 

[huskyharry]

Daniels has no realistic chance of improving from a borderline first round pick to a Top 5 pick. That kind of improvement is so rare between the end of a junior and senior year that I can not remember the last time it happened.

I agree, but realistically he could very well improve from his current early to late 2nd round projection to late lottery/mid-first next year by showing more consistent play and taking advantage of the weaker draft next year.

& most importantly: 1st round is guaranteed $, 2nd round gives your rights to a team but in no way means that they will have to pay you.

 

[champs99and04]

And the first game of florida the game in hartford against Memphis, and countless others where he dominated the ball...

But that's what I'm saying, Bazz wpuld have games where he would defer, and he had games where he dominated (a lot because we needed him to) to an almost suffocating degree. When Bazz dominates the ball it makes it hard for anyone else to have consistently great performances.

Exactly, Bazz had games where he dominated the ball because that's what he needed to do. If Daniels was consistently playing at the level he was in March for the whole season, that wouldn't have been the case.

 

[Rico444]

It's so obvious that some people here are letting their UConn fandom cloud their judgment. DeAndre will raise his stock if he consistently puts up these big games we've seen from him, sure. But it's far from a given that he'll do that. If he has his off nights like this year, then his stock doesn't get better. In fact, unless we win another national title, it's unlikely his stock does anything except drop.

Not saying he should definitely go, but some people are making it seem like it's a no-brainer for him to stay. It's not, and if he decides to declare for the draft I hope our fans take the high road rather than bashing him for "making a mistake."

 

[Leebo]

If he declares, I will have to assume it's because he and the coaching staff got some kind of excellent information that a team wants him in the first round. If he goes that high, there will be no question he made the right choice. If he doesn't, there's no alternative than to think someone made a mistake somewhere.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Daniels' situation reminds me of Boone's and El-Amin's. They were not first round locks, but it was not clear that coming back to college was going to improve their draft status. Those are the toughest calls to make.

Boatright can play himself into the Top 20-25 with a big year next year at point guard.

 

[J187Money]

If age is his negative, what's the benefit of waiting another year to go in the draft?

He would go higher this year all things being equal. Now I think he will get a lot better if he stays so that can outweigh the age factor. He will see a lot of bench in the NBA until he puts on some more size.

 

[imno1]

If DD is told he will picked in the first round he should go. That's a guaranteed contract. And because it's all about your 2nd contract, waiting a year to move up might not be much of an advantage. He will probably be on a better team if he declares this year because he will go later in draft but might not see much playing time next year because of that. He could come back for his senior year and improve his status or he could get injured. Tough decision. I think he comes back though and has a monster year.

 

[J187Money]

FWIW, I have seen zero mock drafts that have Boat or DD in the first round.

 

[babysheep]

Boatright can play himself into the Top 20-25 with a big year next year at point guard.

Shabazz is projected late first/early second round. We've heard scouts saying that if he, at 6'1, was a few inches taller, he'd be top 5. That height difference, despite his legendary performance this season, in the clutch, leading us in all stats except blocks on the way to a championship, is costing him at least 15-20 draft spots.

Now we have Boat, who I have stood directly next to, and cannot be much taller than 5'10. What kind of season would someone with an even greater size disadvantage (in the eyes of NBA scouts) need to have to get to where Bazz is after the season he's had? I feel like Boat would need to practically average a double/double in points and assists. Fortunately, especially if DD returns, he should have plenty of options for distributing, but it will take a lot to get him there imo.

 

[Leebo]

Kemba's not much bigger than Shabazz and he went #9, and I think it's his athleticism, rather than his height, that made the difference. Boat has the athleticism.

 

[ChrisSmith]

I agree, but realistically he could very well improve from his current early to late 2nd round projection to late lottery/mid-first next year by showing more consistent play and taking advantage of the weaker draft next year.

Realistically he could be drafted the same or later next year if he fails to show significant improvement.

Realistically he is already 22 years old, and 23 is old for an NBA prospect.

Realistically he could get hurt next year.

Realistically if he doesn't play professionally next year, that's one less year of his life that he will earn money playing basketball.

Listen, I get there are reasons to come back. There are also reasons to go. Daniels should explore and discuss his options with Ollie, Calhoun, and his family.

 

[upstater]

Realistically he could be drafted the same or later next year if he fails to show significant improvement.

Realistically he is already 22 years old, and 23 is old for an NBA prospect.

Realistically he could get hurt next year.

Realistically if he doesn't play professionally next year, that's one less year of his life that he will earn money playing basketball.

Listen, I get there are reasons to come back. There are also reasons to go. Daniels should explore and discuss his options with Ollie, Calhoun, and his family.

I can understand if he leaves but he could really blow up next year. He didn't play at all as a freshman, then had a up and down year as a soph., and this year he had several bad games but was consistent if you eliminate the games around his ankle injury. If he marginally improves and does it consistently, he could solidify himself as a pick slated to go 15-20. A great season next year bumps him into the 10-15 range. And that's a heckuva lot better than this year's 27-45 range.

 

[upstater]

Shabazz is projected late first/early second round. We've heard scouts saying that if he, at 6'1, was a few inches taller, he'd be top 5. That height difference, despite his legendary performance this season, in the clutch, leading us in all stats except blocks on the way to a championship, is costing him at least 15-20 draft spots.

Now we have Boat, who I have stood directly next to, and cannot be much taller than 5'10. What kind of season would someone with an even greater size disadvantage (in the eyes of NBA scouts) need to have to get to where Bazz is after the season he's had? I feel like Boat would need to practically average a double/double in points and assists. Fortunately, especially if DD returns, he should have plenty of options for distributing, but it will take a lot to get him there imo.

The Boatright I saw in the last 10 games has a decent chance of making the NBA. He elevates for his jumper, and he was sticking it the last 10 games. What he doesn't show is passing skill right now and that's the thing he needs most. Leaping ability: check. Speed: check. Heart and desire: check. Passing: ?. Jump shot: ? needs to be consistent.

 

[CTBasketball]

I can understand if he leaves but he could really blow up next year. He didn't play at all as a freshman, then had a up and down year as a soph., and this year he had several bad games but was consistent if you eliminate the games around his ankle injury. If he marginally improves and does it consistently, he could solidify himself as a pick slated to go 15-20. A great season next year bumps him into the 10-15 range. And that's a heckuva lot better than this year's 27-45 range.

Agree Upstater. Although the draft might be appealing to him, he's going to be playing against Kentucky-type players in the NBA. He didn't exactly go off against UK, but yet again he did take 14 shots. NBA'ers will defend him down low better and have length to stop him from outside.

My point is, I think he needs to stay for another season. And as you said, he could really blow up.

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Exactly, Bazz had games where he dominated the ball because that's what he needed to do. If Daniels was consistently playing at the level he was in March for the whole season, that wouldn't have been the case.

That's why he should come back. He'll be able to play himself into the lottery by doing what he did for a few of the games in the tourney over the entire year.


But who knows, maybe someone tells him they'd take him mid first this year, I personally don't see it but if he gets the offer he should go no question. I'd just rather see him given a better opportunity to succeed in the NBA than sit on someone's bench.