Current Roster's NBA Potential | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Current Roster's NBA Potential

knicksin7 said:
The most NBA players ever on a UCONN squad? No come on, gotta be 04-05

Mek
Ben
Charlie V
Josh B
Hilton
Marcus Williams
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If you are going purely off of the "has a Basketball Reference page" metric, then 2022-23 will likely tie the 2004 squad and 2023-24 has a chance to, as well.

'23 had Sanogo, Clingan, Hawkins, Jackson, and Newton (plus Karaban)
'24 had Clingan, Newton, Castle, and Spencer (plus Karaban and the current juniors)

This year, I would wager real money that Karaban, Mullins, Demary, Reed, and Reibe all get minutes at some point in their careers. Wouldn't be shocked if Ball got a look, and Stewart/Ross have an outside shot.

Anyone that doesn't think Karaban plays NBA minutes does not know ball.
 
Jaydumo20 said:
We can't discount the leap that these guys can make in 2.5 months. Sanogo and AJAX exploded in the last 2.5 months of the 23 season.

A sizeable portion of the boneyard said this about Sanogo and AJAX in January of 23

Sanogo- "He is a black hole down there".

Then he learned how to pass out of the post and won tourney mvp

AJAX- in January and even into early February...
"Bench him"
"He is a liability"
"Look! They're sagging off of him every time! Can't make an NBA roster if you can't shoot"

Wait before we comment on two NBA bodies. Especially Ross, our best athlete.
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Sanago was already a bonafide scorer in his season before his last and had showed more consistent flashes. Neither of these guys have AJ's ball handling skill and atlecticism. Why do UConn fans love to overrate their own players so much? I remember last year people foolisshly thinking Ball could be gone after the tremendous shooting season he had and disregarding his lack of height and defensive ability as a NBA SG.
 
elmcityboy said:
If you are going purely off of the "has a Basketball Reference page" metric, then 2022-23 will likely tie the 2004 squad and 2023-24 has a chance to, as well.

'23 had Sanogo, Clingan, Hawkins, Jackson, and Newton (plus Karaban)
'24 had Clingan, Newton, Castle, and Spencer (plus Karaban and the current juniors)

This year, I would wager real money that Karaban, Mullins, Demary, Reed, and Reibe all get minutes at some point in their careers. Wouldn't be shocked if Ball got a look, and Stewart/Ross have an outside shot.

Anyone that doesn't think Karaban plays NBA minutes does not know ball.
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Not sure "knowing" ball is thinking everyone in the rotation other than Malachi is going get NBA minutes, lol.

You know it's really hard to get minutes in the NBA, right?
 
Mullins - 100% - obvious 2 guard
Karaban - 100% - role player

Ball - 0% - too small, horrible defender, will make a handsome living in Europe as an elite scorer
Reed - 0% - no projectable NBA skill, has the size but not the agility, no jump shot, below average rim protection
Stewie - 10% - has the physical tools and size for a 3, can he develop further?
Reibe - 5% - Has a long, loooong way to go, but has the size and projectable nba skill as a stretch 5. Too early to give a fair rating but it’s better than 0.
Ross - 0% - Other than his athleticism, has no NBA level skill

Every fanbase loves to overrate their guys. To me, the most surprising NBA career out of nowhere in UConn history was Kevin Ollie. On the other end, we had guys like Jordan Hawkins, who may have had the 2nd best jump shot in UConn history after Ray Allen, about to wash out of the league and getting DNPs on the Pelicans. You need to have at least 1 elite level NBA skill (AJax had the athleticism, size and defense to make up for his lack of scoring) to have a shot. If you look at a guy like Reed, who I love, he has no NBA level skills. He has a lot of P5 level skills. Same with Demary. Ball could have NBA level shot making but he is far too small and an even worse defender to make it at that level.
 
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RuffRuff said:
Not sure "knowing" ball is thinking everyone in the rotation other than Malachi is going get NBA minutes, lol.

You know it's really hard to get minutes in the NBA, right?
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At least five players on this team will get NBA minutes. You can book it. I didn't say "will be NBA rotation players", I said "will get NBA minutes."

And yes, I am aware of how difficult it is to make the NBA. Thanks. The team is really good this year. Go Huskies.
 
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DogMania said:
As for Demary, I don't think he's as tall but he's a lot more athletic, is a better Defender
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I seem to recall Newton was a pretty good defender. I haven't noticed Demary's athleticism. He plays mostly below the rim and is not particularly fast. I hear people say what a good defender he is but he has had trouble keeping guys in front of him and not fouling. I'm not saying he is a bad defender, I just don't see him as good as stay Steph Castle or Andre Jackson or from my day, Ricky Moore. I buy that he is our BEST on-ball defender, but that isn't saying much. We don't have a lot of elite athleticism on defense. Maybe Jayden Ross but he has not figured out how to use his athleticism yet. I credit our defense success to better switching and help defense. We are more connected this year and so I credit the coaching staff. Maybe I am just not astute enough to recognize Demary's athletic and defensive greatness, but that's my take for what its worth.
 
thekollieman said:
I think I’m reaching too, but I’m dying to see UConn get a #1 overall pick under its belt so I’m latching onto it as an outside possibility.
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Unless UConn starts recruiting the top NBA prospects, it seems unlikely. It seems either we can't afford their NIL deals or Hurley prefers 4-stars that stay longer.

I like the chances of a UConn player winning the Naismith before being drafted #1 overall. It would be nice if at first our top draftees could actually have a successful NBA career. Our top 4 were all disappointments: Hasheem Thabeet, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Donyell Marshall. It was nice to see Steph Castle win ROY from the 4 spot. He looks like he could be a good one. Ray Allen certainly didn't disappoint at #5.
 
Donyell 360 said:
I seem to recall Newton was a pretty good defender. I haven't noticed Demary's athleticism. He plays mostly below the rim and is not particularly fast. I hear people say what a good defender he is but he has had trouble keeping guys in front of him and not fouling. I'm not saying he is a bad defender, I just don't see him as good as stay Steph Castle or Andre Jackson or from my day, Ricky Moore. I buy that he is our BEST on-ball defender, but that isn't saying much. We don't have a lot of elite athleticism on defense. Maybe Jayden Ross but he has not figured out how to use his athleticism yet. I credit our defense success to better switching and help defense. We are more connected this year and so I credit the coaching staff. Maybe I am just not astute enough to recognize Demary's athletic and defensive greatness, but that's my take for what its worth.
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Newton was an okay defender and his offense was a lot of heat checks, open 3s, and trying to draw fouls on drives.

Demary is a much better natural scorer than Newton was and even shooting 47% from the field and 43% from 3. While being more athletic and a better defender.

He's a much better prospect than Newton was.
 
Donyell 360 said:
Unless UConn starts recruiting the top NBA prospects, it seems unlikely. It seems either we can't afford their NIL deals or Hurley prefers 4-stars that stay longer.

I like the chances of a UConn player winning the Naismith before being drafted #1 overall. It would be nice if at first our top draftees could actually have a successful NBA career. Our top 4 were all disappointments: Hasheem Thabeet, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Donyell Marshall. It was nice to see Steph Castle win ROY from the 4 spot. He looks like he could be a good one. Ray Allen certainly didn't disappoint at #5.
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I think it’s fair to say Okafor and Gordon didn’t reach their utmost potential, but they were both still good (ROY and 6MOY, respectively). Okafor was the face of a franchise until chronic back injuries derailed him and BG was pretty nasty but peaked early and faded. Thabeet was a bona fide draft bust, no disrespect to a great Husky - just a fact. I was an infant when Donyell was drafted so my perspective only goes as far as his wikipedia page.

Edit: did Okafor not get the Naismith award in ‘04?
 
thekollieman said:
I think it’s fair to say Okafor and Gordon didn’t reach their utmost potential, but they were both still good (ROY and 6MOY, respectively). Okafor was the face of a franchise until chronic back injuries derailed him and BG was pretty nasty but peaked early and faded. Thabeet was a bona fide draft bust, no disrespect to a great Husky - just a fact. I was an infant when Donyell was drafted so my perspective only goes as far as his wikipedia page.

Edit: did Okafor not get the Naismith award in ‘04?
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Yeah Gordon and Okafor both got off to pretty good starts to their careers. Gordon both got those pretty big second contracts Calhoun always talked about.

Looking back, Jameer Nelson got the Naismith that year. Him and Okafor were co-BABC NPOYs.
 
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HW611 said:
Yeah Gordon and Okafor both got off to pretty good starts to their careers. Gordon both got those pretty big second contracts Calhoun always talked about.

Looking back, Jameer Nelson got the Naismith that year. Him and Okafor were co-BABC NPOYs.
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Gotcha, that co NPOY definitely just stuck as Naismith for Okafor in my memory. I sometimes forget Kemba “only” got the Cousy award when Jimmer Fredette got Naismith, etc. too.
 
thekollieman said:
Gotcha, that co NPOY definitely just stuck as Naismith for Okafor in my memory. I sometimes forget Kemba “only” got the Cousy award when Jimmer Fredette got Naismith, etc. too.
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Kemba didn't even get Big East player of the year, that honor went to Tyler Hansbrough's younger brother.
 
Mullins - 1st round
Reibe - 1st round
Karaban - late 1st early 2nd. Bench piece.
Reed - 2nd round, probably makes a team on D and rebounding
Demary - ?? Which version? Last week's version for sure. Needs consistency
Stewart - wish it was so, not seeing it
Ross - no.

With Alex my question really comes down to what he wants to do. His parents are (I believe) Ukrainian immigrants. His game is well suited to Europe. Even if he's a 7th man on an NBA team he might choose to go be a star in Europe.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Mullins - 1st round
Reibe - 1st round
Karaban - late 1st early 2nd. Bench piece.
Reed - 2nd round, probably makes a team on D and rebounding
Demary - ?? Which version? Last week's version for sure. Needs consistency
Stewart - wish it was so, not seeing it
Ross - no.

With Alex my question really comes down to what he wants to do. His parents are (I believe) Ukrainian immigrants. His game is well suited to Europe. Even if he's a 7th man on an NBA team he might choose to go be a star in Europe.
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His dream is the NBA. He’s not going to Europe until all avenues to the NBA are closed.

His parents have been here a very long time. I don’t think he has any ties to Europe.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Mullins - 1st round
Reibe - 1st round
Karaban - late 1st early 2nd. Bench piece.
Reed - 2nd round, probably makes a team on D and rebounding
Demary - ?? Which version? Last week's version for sure. Needs consistency
Stewart - wish it was so, not seeing it
Ross - no.

With Alex my question really comes down to what he wants to do. His parents are (I believe) Ukrainian immigrants. His game is well suited to Europe. Even if he's a 7th man on an NBA team he might choose to go be a star in Europe.
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I highly doubt AK wants to play in Ukraine.
 
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superjohn said:
I highly doubt AK wants to play in Ukraine.
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snape GIF
 
superjohn said:
Kemba didn't even get Big East player of the year, that honor went to Tyler Hansbrough's younger brother.
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That sounds insane, but do they give those out with consideration to the conference tournament or just regular season? Cuz UConn was like 0.500 that year.
 
thekollieman said:
That sounds insane, but do they give those out with consideration to the conference tournament or just regular season? Cuz UConn was like 0.500 that year.
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It's a regular season award, Notre Dame finished 2nd in the conference with a 14-4 record while UConn finished 9th with a 9-9 record, and Kemba was shooting tour dates that entire conference season.
 
Donyell 360 said:
I seem to recall Newton was a pretty good defender. I haven't noticed Demary's athleticism. He plays mostly below the rim and is not particularly fast. I hear people say what a good defender he is but he has had trouble keeping guys in front of him and not fouling. I'm not saying he is a bad defender, I just don't see him as good as stay Steph Castle or Andre Jackson or from my day, Ricky Moore. I buy that he is our BEST on-ball defender, but that isn't saying much. We don't have a lot of elite athleticism on defense. Maybe Jayden Ross but he has not figured out how to use his athleticism yet. I credit our defense success to better switching and help defense. We are more connected this year and so I credit the coaching staff. Maybe I am just not astute enough to recognize Demary's athletic and defensive greatness, but that's my take for what its worth.
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Newton had good positional size making it hard for smaller guards to shoot over him. He had good defensive instincts making him a good defender, not a great one. Fortunately we had Jackson and Castle to lock down the other team's best perimeter scorers.

As for Demary, he's a very good defender, though was slowed
early on due to a calf injury where he missed some games. He went a long stretch getting into foul trouble that kept him on the bench, but also limited his aggressiveness. The past 2 games he only picked up 2 fouls in each one. It's no coincidence that he had 5 and 3 steals the past 2 games.

I think he's finally figuring it out.
 
I’m so rooting for Tristen to get a shot. I think he can play enough offense and enough defense and he’s a winner. Why can’t he be a capable backup PG somewhere? Wouldn’t shock me to see Newton back on the UConn bench one day either. Hurley loved him.
 
I think there are a lot of coaches and especially GMs in the NBA that need to be put out to pasture. They have the math wrong on analytics, undervaluing interior play. In addition, too many GMs keep swinging for the fences on athletes, resulting in a lot of players at the end of NBA benches who literally can’t play basketball. Look at the last 10+ drafts, and look at how many wasted, Hail Mary picks there were in the first round of players that never contributed in their careers. Some of that was the result of very undeveloped players jumping to the NBA to get paid, but with House and NIL, there are a lot of experienced, skilled older players, so why are GMs still drafting like it is 2015?

In terms of coaching, there are too many old school coaches that overplay their starters, resulting in a lot of fatigue injuries. OKC has SGA at 33 mpg, and Williams at 30.3. Everyone else is under 30, which is how it should be. On the other side of the coin, Thibodeau was fired for wearing out his starters and Mike Brown is doing the same thing. Doc Rivers wasted the last two seasons overplaying an old roster that broke down at playoff time.

NBA teams need more players that can actually play basketball, and the coaches need to make those players mid season minutes eaters. Colleges paying players is creating deep classes of highly skilled, experienced players that can contribute immediately.
 
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Latest mock on ESPN has Mullins, Karaban, Solo, Reed drafted in rounds 1 and 2. Take it with a shaker of salt though.

Solo - probably tests but has definitive work to do like Silas last year.
 
thekollieman said:
I think it’s fair to say Okafor and Gordon didn’t reach their utmost potential, but they were both still good (ROY and 6MOY, respectively). Okafor was the face of a franchise until chronic back injuries derailed him and BG was pretty nasty but peaked early and faded. Thabeet was a bona fide draft bust, no disrespect to a great Husky - just a fact. I was an infant when Donyell was drafted so my perspective only goes as far as his wikipedia page.

Edit: did Okafor not get the Naismith award in ‘04?
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I think Emeka won defensive player of the year and was a finalist for Naismith but did not win it. No doubt Emeka could have had a better career if not for injuries, but avoiding injury is part of the test of greatness IMO. Ben Gordon was a nice player, but he didn't live up to expectations for a #3 draft pick.

Donyell is my favorite Husky all-time as you might guess. But he was considered one of the greatest busts in the NBA draft history because he was the last draft class without a rookie salary cap. $42M at the time was a lot of money for a marginal player. I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect his lopsided deal was a significant catalyst for the rookie salary cap. His contract really handcuffed the Timberwolves. He hung around the league though and salvaged his career turning into a decent starter, though not an all-star.

I'm still waiting for UConn to have a top 3 draft pick that turns into a bona fide superstar. The way it is structured now, not sure I will see it happen. But as long as UConn keeps winning, I couldn't care less really.
 
Donyell 360 said:
I seem to recall Newton was a pretty good defender. I haven't noticed Demary's athleticism. He plays mostly below the rim and is not particularly fast. I hear people say what a good defender he is but he has had trouble keeping guys in front of him and not fouling. I'm not saying he is a bad defender, I just don't see him as good as stay Steph Castle or Andre Jackson or from my day, Ricky Moore. I buy that he is our BEST on-ball defender, but that isn't saying much. We don't have a lot of elite athleticism on defense. Maybe Jayden Ross but he has not figured out how to use his athleticism yet. I credit our defense success to better switching and help defense. We are more connected this year and so I credit the coaching staff. Maybe I am just not astute enough to recognize Demary's athletic and defensive greatness, but that's my take for what its worth.
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The "best on ball defender" on a top 5 team in just about every defensive metric "isn't saying much".

This place . . .
 
bendm said:
Mullins = Christian Braun
Karaban = Sam Hauser
Reed = Isaiah Stewart
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Funny this got me thinking as old guy:

Mullins - Pistol Pete type fluid movement
Karaban - Bill Bradley
Reed - Willis Reed
Demary - Clyde Frasier
Ball - Wally Wonder of the old Philadelphia Wilt/Greer/Jackson/Walker team
Newton - Earl the Pearl
Cam - Frank Ramsey
Clingan - Walton
Ross - Michael Cooper
Stewart - Kurt Rambis
 
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