Daniel Hamilton Illusion

[Kitaman]

Almost every box score DHam puts up absolutely great numbers. In fact today's box score alone says he's our best player: 19 points, 11 boards today. The kid plays almost like the game is easy for him.

The illusion is that watching him it seems he's prone to turnovers, bad plays, wild dribbling and poor shot selection. However he was 8 for 14 with only 2 turnovers (looked like twice that number). Yesterday he had 32 points, 12 boards and 8 assists (4 OTs) playing 55 minutes.

The other illusion is that during games it always seems others are playing better than him, but it could just be that DHam is so calm and seemingly doesn't show intensity (although its there).

Anyway I've got to change my glasses because this kid is a stud even though it surely looks different when he is playing. I also think now that March is secure, he will become 'famous' in the next 2 weeks showing the world how good he really is.

Just saying that DHam has now become my favorite player, and I am changing my glasses to focus on his positive contributions he's making and to appreciate him more. No more continuous frustration with me and him.

Without him we are an average team, with him we can beat anybody and hopefully everybody this month. We've got a pretty good player on our team who's only a sophomore.

 

[JMick]

Hamilton started strong, then dropped off of a freaking cliff, and then started picking it back up again towards the end of the year. I think the Hamilton we've seen the last two games is the one we've been expecting all year. If he can keep it up we are a more than capable of a run

 

[fgbrault]

I think you captured my feeling perfectly. It always seems that he has played far better than I realized during the game.

 

[lavuuk153]

Hamilton is so frustrating to watch at times...I think because it's obvious the talent is there and you're waiting for it to come together. I was like that with Boatright during 2014. Luckily he went from frustrating to one of my favorite players ever

 

[UConnSwag11]

Hamilton started strong, then dropped off of a freaking cliff, and then started picking it back up again towards the end of the year. I think the Hamilton we've seen the last two games is the one we've been expecting all year. If he can keep it up we are a more than capable of a run

On top of that, brimah and miller need to stay out of foul trouble big time. If it means brimah coming off the bench and putting up with Phil for 4 minutes or so then so be it. Miller needs to stop doing stupid fouls. Also adams needs to keep playing at the level he has been the two games. But agreed. The aggressive, demanding hamilton the past two games needs to show up every game going forward

 

[storrsroars]

When DHam is throwing up a desperation 3 and taking a shot clock violation because he already passed up an open look thinking pass-first, the team gets that TO, not DHam, correct?

I think the "illusion" you're referring to is simply that with the way he plays, fans get frustrated with the bad decisions and brain cramps more than they notice the great plays. And DHam has had plenty of both. But he is - for now - by far the most talented and gifted player UConn can put on the floor. JA is coming on strong though.

 

[aceboon]

if you're saying DHam has put up great numbers in the boxscore then you must be ignoring his shooting percentages. There really isn't much of an illusion to me, for 2 years DHam has been a subpar shotmaker(and sometimes reluctant shottaker), and for a team that has struggled offensively it kills them. The past 2 games he's been making shots(I'll deal with an 8/23 against Cincy's D), the team needs him to keep doing that. You'll deal with some of the occasional bonehead TOs if he can just make shots.

 

[djct1999]

I have said it before and I will say it again.............this team will go as far as DHam takes it. If he attacks the basket, he is almost impossible to guard. It started with the second half of the UCF game. It has continued through this tournament and there is no question UConn is a much different team when he plays like this.

 

[BoatShow]

He's playing defense for the first time in 2 years

 

[nomar]

Hamilton started strong, then dropped off of a freaking cliff, and then started picking it back up again towards the end of the year. I think the Hamilton we've seen the last two games is the one we've been expecting all year. If he can keep it up we are a more than capable of a run

It's apples and oranges but I remember our star player really struggling with his shooting during the conference regular season in 2011.

 

[JMick]

It's apples and oranges but I remember our star player really struggling with his shooting during the conference regular season in 2011.

Boatright struggled in 2014, also, until the tournament started.

 

[Gurleyman]

You can see where his smallish wingspan hurts him. He needs a little extra room and has to be a little extra-creative to get shots off (leaning a little more, fading a little more, rushing it a little bit, not exploding to the rim), and that often results in misses. He doesn't get many easy baskets and his efficiency suffers, so you can't always count on his offense. He doesn't have that one thing that scares you defensively (a deadly three-point shot, the ability to elevate over people, etc.) that sets up everything else. You don't necessarily have to run second defenders at him off the dribble - you can play him for the pass and make him make a tough shot.

But there's a certain level of frustration we have with him that isn't fair. He has a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio this year and he's not a point guard. That's ridiculously good. He turns it over 2.4 times a game, which is a number that comes with the responsibility of making plays and taking chances. Marcus Williams is beloved as a basketball savant, and he turned it over almost 4 times a game as a junior. And that wasn't all that bad either - you take some chances to give people layups and sometimes the ball gets deflected, but in the end, you create more than you give away (MW had a lot of lazy turnovers too, but that's neither here nor there).

He and Caron Butler are the only players we've ever had who can attack the defensive glass like a madman and then take off out of there with the ball and lead a break. There was a play against Cincinnati when he was double-teamed in the corner, the second defender went in for the steal, and it looked like a sure turnover, and somehow he quick-dribbled out of pressure and got someone else an easy look. It was the sort of quick move you'd expect out of a Kemba, but he did it at 6-7.

Next year, with the growth of Adams and the addition of Gilbert, Hamilton will be able to use his skills more often as the secondary attacker against a broken down defense, instead of needing to break down defenses himself so much. If you can get him in 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations in the halfcourt, his ability to make quick reads and get teammates layups is next level stuff. And then if he can just develop confidence in a rhythm jumper, he'll have all the pieces for an All-America type season.

 

[Dove]

Notice he ain't dribbling the ball up court?

Interesting.

 

[Gurleyman]

Notice he ain't dribbling the ball up court?

Interesting.

That probably depends on matchups - he had Dingle on him a lot, who is an aggressive 94-foot defender. We strategically probably didn't want him to burn energy bringing the ball up against defensive pressure after playing 55 minutes against Cincy. If we were playing a team that was aggressively up on our guards, but didn't have a wing defender who could stay with DHam, he might have been the one to bring it up.

 

[SubbaBub]

Gets by being a physical mismatch against whoever is guarding him. Too big for small guys and too quick and shifty for big guys. Huge wingspan also helps him get by and over defenders as well as rebound.

Problem is his game has a lot of holes. Can't drive much past the FT line, his outside shooting isn't at sniper level. Relay mostly on a midrange game of circus shots. Well practiced that it disguises poor decision making. A street ball game of the highest order.

His playmaking game is also based on him drawing attention from multiple defenders, which is good, but he often misses the pass for the easy bucket or open spot up shooter. The lob is effective, but not always the best play. The floater is too often the last second prayer.

If he could simplify his game to drive and get fouled or an and-1, drive and dish, and catch and shoot from multiple spots on the floor he'd be an unstoppable force. It's unclear if he is quick enough to develop that game.

His work in the OT seasions, support that he should play more direct to the hoop. Cincy couldn't stop him.

 

[aceboon]

His wingspan is basically the same size as his height, its not huge at all.

Gets by being a physical mismatch against whoever is guarding him. Too big for small guys and too quick and shifty for big guys. Huge wingspan also helps him get by and over defenders as well as rebound.

Problem is his game has a lot of holes. Can't drive much past the FT line, his outside shooting isn't at sniper level. Relay mostly on a midrange game of circus shots. Well practiced that it disguises poor decision making. A street ball game of the highest order.

His playmaking game is also based on him drawing attention from multiple defenders, which is good, but he often misses the pass for the easy bucket or open spot up shooter. The lob is effective, but not always the best play. The floater is too often the last second prayer.

If he could simplify his game to drive and get fouled or an and-1, drive and dish, and catch and shoot from multiple spots on the floor he'd be an unstoppable force. It's unclear if he is quick enough to develop that game.

His work in the OT seasions, support that he should play more direct to the hoop. Cincy couldn't stop him.

 

[Matrim55]

His wingspan is basically the same size as his height, its not huge at all.

Yeah. To put it into perspective, Hamilton is 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, while Adams is 6-foot-2 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

IMO wingspan is kinda overrated. It is a good asset to have a long winsgspan, but I don't think it matter THAT much that he has a 6'8 wingspan

 

[Huskyforlife]

Hamiltons defense today was brutal though, he falls asleep and jumps at every fake. Ricky needs more one on one with him.

 

[Huskybass]

Spinderella can be very frustrating, but she is still the prettiest girl at the dance.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Hamilton started strong, then dropped off of a freaking cliff, and then started picking it back up again towards the end of the year. I think the Hamilton we've seen the last two games is the one we've been expecting all year. If he can keep it up we are a more than capable of a run

He was finding seams in a real good Cinncy D yesterday. I was very impressed.
If he ever get better at shot selection he will have quite a future.

 

[JMick]

He was finding seams in a real good Cinncy D yesterday. I was very impressed.
If he ever get better at shot selection he will have quite a future.

If he could lower his dribble and improve his shot selection he could be an All-American

 

[zls44]

His handle today was maybe the best its been all year. There was one trip up court where Temple was pressing and the ball got knocked away but he was able to recover, use a tricky-dribble and re-set the offense.

 

[huskypg21]

To add some more context to this thread

In the most recent UCF game:

Started the game and play first 2 minutes. Pit stop. Subbed BACK IN at 15:03, played the next 2 minutes. On to HALFTIME.

DHAM then rocked his warm up jersey for first 5 minutes of the 2nd half.

Executive Summary
For the first 25 minutes of UCONN’s final regular season game at GAMPEL:

IN THE GAME 4:00 minutes
PINE BROTHER: 21:00 minutes
I am entitled to use that term because I was a PINE BROTHER, though in the Field House, exactly 50 years ago.

Apparently he had his “COME TO K. O.” awakening while he was on STANDBY duty.

When he returned he showed at lot more defensive intensity, which I would opine has carried forward from there. That has made a huge difference to the Huskies pot-season prospects.

Hopefully he will soon say the phrase that will let us all know that he is true Husky Blue:

“At first, I didn’t get it.”

But maybe not, according to HuskyfForLife

 

[huskypg21]

Pot-season. Yikes! Mea culpa.