Excellent, short article on Azzi | The Boneyard

Excellent, short article on Azzi

Haven't paid attention to stats, so find it surprising that rebounds and assists numbers aren't greater. Not even 3 assists a game.. And also noticed that she's only shot 39 free throws in 27 games. Not comfortable with contact with her injury history?
 
boontonbomber said:
Haven't paid attention to stats, so find it surprising that rebounds and assists numbers aren't greater. Not even 3 assists a game.. And also noticed that she's only shot 39 free throws in 27 games. Not comfortable with contact with her injury history?
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I think she has shined in terms of physicality. Defensively, sticking her nose into the fray, and absorbing contact on takes to the hoop. Just so many numbers to go around, especially when you average 28 minutes a game.
 
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boontonbomber said:
Haven't paid attention to stats, so find it surprising that rebounds and assists numbers aren't greater. Not even 3 assists a game.. And also noticed that she's only shot 39 free throws in 27 games. Not comfortable with contact with her injury history?
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Doubt it.

1---- A mostly jump shooter doesn't get fouled as much,
2--- A jump shooter that shoots 95% from /t line, more like the defense being uncomfotable getting too close to her.
 
hoophuskee said:
Doubt it.

1---- A mostly jump shooter doesn't get fouled as much,
2--- A jump shooter that shoots 95% from /t line, more like the defense being uncomfotable getting too close to her.
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IMO it's more about the offense and the discipline UConn exhibits regarding taking open, non-forced shots. It's downright rare for UConn to force a shot or even to shoot with contact. (except Sarah) Azzi's a rock IMO. I think she could force more shots.
If she averages 14 shots (?) with UConn, almost all layups, open 3's and pullups off the dribble, what if she played for anyone else and got 20-25 shots a game? We'll see in the W. Female version of Steph Curry? I think so.
 
I'm noticing that when Azzi gets the ball in the open court, like off of a steal, she is blowing past opposing players for uncontested layups even though Azzi is the one dribbling.

Her misses on pull ups in the foul line area tend to be long, off the back rim - a little too flat - for someone who has only missed two foul shots all season, that should be easily correctible.
 
hoophuskee said:
Doubt it.

1---- A mostly jump shooter doesn't get fouled as much,
2--- A jump shooter that shoots 95% from /t line, more like the defense being uncomfotable getting too close to her.
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I just think that she has to be more than a 3 point shooter, jump shooter at the next level. Defenders in the WNBA are really tough. She may very well have get-to-the-basket in her skill set, and just doesn't want to be bothered at the moment. Oh, #2 is a stretch.
 
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boontonbomber said:
I just think that she has to be more than a 3 point shooter, jump shooter at the next level. Defenders in the WNBA are really tough. She may very well have get-to-the-basket in her skill set, and just doesn't want to be bothered at the moment. Oh, #2 is a stretch.
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I think she is more than that. But anyhow she is a unique jump shooter. That's her strength. Why should she go against her strength in games other than occasionally on some specific plays here or there? When she is on the court, I'm sure she has a mindset that the game is not all about her. Sure she could be more aggressive but how much more for this type of team that has such a potent offense beyond just her? And I think she overall her mid-range game hasn't been near as good as her 3pt game so why go overboard and be more of a paint attacker at this point than she has to be when her mid-range needs continual work at the moment?

As for number 2, why do you think it's a stretch? Have you seen her once get knocked to the floor on a jump shot? When she does put the ball on the floor, how often do you see players try to reach in and strip her from the ball? And if players are playing her tight enough to be in her grill, how often do they get called for blocking in order to force a charge or hold her where she makes cuts? Sometimes yeah- but very infrequent. Azzi is 2nd on the team in overall Usage for core players. She's at 25.7%. That's a pretty good Usage number for a team thathistorically shares the ball as much as they do. So there are opportunities to be more physical with her both on the ball and off from othe teams. .

We heard in this latest Marquetta game the Marq coach during a timeout say "Don’t go under the screen on number 35." Wouldn't players then hold or grab her more to prevent her movement if they weren’t as concerned with her foul shooting? Again - she is 2nd on the team in Usage. It's not like she is just a stationary shooter.
 
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