Geno has Nika thinking about offense

[SVCBeercats]

Why talk with UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has Nika Muhl thinking about offense

UConn women's basketball guard Nika Mühl is focused on developing her offensive game this summer after talking with coach Geno Auriemma.

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Former UConn Players give their thoughts on our current 2022-2023 team

https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-women-2022-23-season-preview-diana-taurasi-sue-bird-breanna-stewart-20220606-s47maostx5bb3ar32ricutuwam-story.html Taurasi thinks the most important factor for UConn next season will be Paige Bueckers’ health. The 2021 National...

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[oldhusky]

I hope Nika can become more of a factor on the offensive end. When I remember looking at her videos and stats from her leagues in Croatia, I expected her to be an effective player on both sides of the ball. I did not expect her to be a high volume or particularly efficient scorer, more mediocre in those areas, but an exceptional passer who could create opportunities for others with drives to the basket and leading fast breaks.

In her various leagues she was almost always the leader in assists, very near the top in steals, and way higher in rebounds than you would expect for a point guard. Her scoring volume and efficiency were about average, but on the downside a little on the high end for turnovers and personal fouls. It was also clear her scoring was largely limited to two things, wide open spot up threes, and hard drives to the hoop. Very rare jumpers off the dribble or a mid-range game.

At Uconn her assists per minute has fallen short of my expectations. The players and coaches rave about her passing ability, but at Uconn that ability has not been fully unleashed IMO. I think there are several reasons for that. For whatever reason, here she almost never drives, and the team really only looks to get out on the break off of turnovers. As a result Nika has been turned into a half-court point guard that hangs out on the perimeter, makes the sound pass or play, but rarely penetrates to create opportunities to display her creativity.

It may be because at this level she has much more trouble blowing by her defender or finishing at the hoop, and Geno has mentioned the latter, and I tend to think she can get there, but the decision making once she does may be the question. I suspect living with a little higher level of turnovers and maybe just a passable ability to finish on her own is the price to pay for getting a ton of easy looks from her great vision.

With plenty of inside and outside threats, turning her loose to create for others might be a worthy trade-off. In addition looking to break at every opportunity would enhance her game tremendously and could be enhanced by some of the players available this year that weren't last year like Aubrey if healthy, Ayanna, and maybe Ice who seems to advance the ball up court nicely whether by dribble or pass.

Last year Nika was a defensive player, and on the offensive end her game was toned down to make a decent percentage of open looks and sound passes, but don't try to do too much. I don't know for sure at this competitive level, but I think Nika "could" be an effective offensive player as well, but it wouldn't be from her own scoring, which probably could never be much more than average, rather it would be from being exceptional at assisting others, and being turned loose to create even with an occasional missed bunny or turnover. she would have to prove that the plusses offset the negatives, but I would love to see that change given a chance to succeed or fail.

 

[eebmg]

My own theory is that Nika has deferred alot to Paige and in her mind for the better for the team. I think there is a sense at UConn with so many unselfish players that they internally defer to the better players on the team. I also think the shock of Nika seeing Paige's incredible ability as a freshman in those first few weeks made her defer and be less aggressive on offense than she may have been prior.

Of course, she should work on improving on the offensive end and being more aggressive but I could see where Paige (who effectively plays the same position as Nika) is so exceptional that it consciously (or subconsciously) limits her aggressiveness by always putting the ball back in Paige's hands . PS. I think this may have effected CW to some extent and to a lesser extent Evina)

On the positive side, I do not see this deferring impulse in Caroline's game or if reports are accurate with Lou

 

[Bone Dog]

I doubt Nika will be the main pg this season, and it's for the reason others have mentioned. She needs to be a credible scoring threat herself in order to open up those passing lanes. Last two seasons, she often got loose in the paint and could pass effectively from there, but she also often got stuck there having picked up her dribble and needed the team to reset to avoid a 3 second violation. If the defense doesn't bite (i.e. help) on her drive because they don't think she can finish it, she won't be able to pass off of it.

Paige and Azzi are great passers because they are among the best most complete scorers in the country. Caroline has shown some talent for this, too, though her foot speed last season was not optimal. I don't want to see Azzi as the regular pg, because she is so much more productive as the sg. I'd say this is also true of Paige, who would be unleashed as an sg. But she is also very capable of running the point. If Nika is going to be able to relieve Paige of this burden -- not just as a sub, but as a starter who is on the floor with her -- she has to develop her midrange game and her drives through the lane. I'd love to see it, since this is her year. Next year, Ashlynn and KK arrive, and they already have the skills and the nerve to run the point.

 

[oldhusky]

I doubt Nika will be the main pg this season, and it's for the reason others have mentioned. She needs to be a credible scoring threat herself in order to open up those passing lanes. Last two seasons, she often got loose in the paint and could pass effectively from there, but she also often got stuck there having picked up her dribble and needed the team to reset to avoid a 3 second violation. If the defense doesn't bite (i.e. help) on her drive because they don't think she can finish it, she won't be able to pass off of it.

Paige and Azzi are great passers because they are among the best most complete scorers in the country. Caroline has shown some talent for this, too, though her foot speed last season was not optimal. I don't want to see Azzi as the regular pg, because she is so much more productive as the sg. I'd say this is also true of Paige, who would be unleashed as an sg. But she is also very capable of running the point. If Nika is going to be able to relieve Paige of this burden -- not just as a sub, but as a starter who is on the floor with her -- she has to develop her midrange game and her drives through the lane. I'd love to see it, since this is her year. Next year, Ashlynn and KK arrive, and they already have the skills and the nerve to run the point.

Your comment on if the defense doesn't bite is a key factor here. Clearly defenses will be instructed not to overcommit and compared to others driving the lane, make Nika prove she can finish herself at a passable rate, or at least don't turn it over. If she can't avoid more of the downside, Geno will reel her in and take the attempts at penetration away and the upside that can come with it. That is an open question that hasn't been answered yet IMO. If they experiment with giving Nika more rope and it is not working then you drop it, but if they don't see what is possible there Nika's ceiling is pretty limited as mostly just a defensive player.

 

[EricLA]

I'm not sure why so many think Nika is not a credible scoring threat. She was a reluctant shooter, not an incapable shooter, last season.

She shot 34.2% from 3, just a mere 1% point behind Paige (35.3). She shot better than Williams (33.8%), Westbrook (30.5%), Juhasz and Ducharme (awful at 28.8% - especially given how touted her 3-point prowess was coming out of HS. Almost every time she jacked up a 3, I was like "NOOOOoooo"). The only players she was behind were Paige and Azzi (Edwards shot 40% but only on 2-5 shooting the entire season).

I don't disagree at all that Nika needs to be more aggressive in shooting the basketball, but she was literally 3rd best on the team from deep. And that was after an abysmal start to the season where she missed everything (maybe related to her injury) so for the 2nd half of the season, her numbers were actually better since her average started so low.

This team is going to have a TON of scoring threats. We all know Nika LOVES dishing out assists ... "When i get an assist it makes 2 people happy - me AND the person who made the basket". I'm glad that Geno is on her to shoot more. IMHO it's a mindset, not a skill set, that needs adjusting.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

At times I see Nika as this team's Kelly Faris, the defensive Brave Heart. But Kelly came to regret she waited so long to let her offense come out at all. I hope that will not be a regret of Nika's.

 

[EricLA]

It was a good article. Hard to get to but worth the read

But with her college career half over, and with her coach expressing the need for a little more in other areas, Mühl is spending the summer trying to refine the offensive part of her game. She’s trying to place herself in the middle of the stat sheet in a lineup of more gifted natural scorers, which means placing herself at the heart of good ideas.


In short, Mühl doesn’t need to bother much with barrages of 3-pointer. She needs to get more comfortable finishing at the basketball and making consistent pull-up jumpers, just enough to keep defenses honest and support the likes of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

“I’ve definitely been working on my pull-up,” Mühl said. “Overall, my scoring game, I’ve been working on it a lot. I think that’s what I’m lacking. My role is still going to be my role. Nothing is going to change. If I can get those additional things in, that would be great. But if still want get my teammates the ball, I think that’s the best thing to do here with all these great scorers.”

That should be music to everyone's ears. Just love this kid. Great attitude, great work ethic, easy player to root for. Hope she gets that pull up to be $$ and works on finishing at the basket as well. Would love to see her shoot more FT's...

 

[eebmg]

It was a good article. Hard to get to but worth the read

But with her college career half over, and with her coach expressing the need for a little more in other areas, Mühl is spending the summer trying to refine the offensive part of her game. She’s trying to place herself in the middle of the stat sheet in a lineup of more gifted natural scorers, which means placing herself at the heart of good ideas.


In short, Mühl doesn’t need to bother much with barrages of 3-pointer. She needs to get more comfortable finishing at the basketball and making consistent pull-up jumpers, just enough to keep defenses honest and support the likes of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

“I’ve definitely been working on my pull-up,” Mühl said. “Overall, my scoring game, I’ve been working on it a lot. I think that’s what I’m lacking. My role is still going to be my role. Nothing is going to change. If I can get those additional things in, that would be great. But if still want get my teammates the ball, I think that’s the best thing to do here with all these great scorers.”

That should be music to everyone's ears. Just love this kid. Great attitude, great work ethic, easy player to root for. Hope she gets that pull up to be $$ and works on finishing at the basket as well. Would love to see her shoot more FT's...

Proof of my theory.

My own theory is that Nika has deferred alot to Paige and in her mind for the better for the team. I think there is a sense at UConn with so many unselfish players that they internally defer to the better players on the team. I also think the shock of Nika seeing Paige's incredible ability as a freshman in those first few weeks made her defer and be less aggressive on offense than she may have been prior.

Of course, she should work on improving on the offensive end and being more aggressive but I could see where Paige (who effectively plays the same position as Nika) is so exceptional that it consciously (or subconsciously) limits her aggressiveness by always putting the ball back in Paige's hands . PS. I think this may have effected CW to some extent and to a lesser extent Evina)

On the positive side, I do not see this deferring impulse in Caroline's game or if reports are accurate with Lou

 

[JordyG]

I'm not sure why so many think Nika is not a credible scoring threat. She was a reluctant shooter, not an incapable shooter, last season.

She shot 34.2% from 3, just a mere 1% point behind Paige (35.3). She shot better than Williams (33.8%), Westbrook (30.5%), Juhasz and Ducharme (awful at 28.8% - especially given how touted her 3-point prowess was coming out of HS. Almost every time she jacked up a 3, I was like "NOOOOoooo"). The only players she was behind were Paige and Azzi (Edwards shot 40% but only on 2-5 shooting the entire season).

I don't disagree at all that Nika needs to be more aggressive in shooting the basketball, but she was literally 3rd best on the team from deep. And that was after an abysmal start to the season where she missed everything (maybe related to her injury) so for the 2nd half of the season, her numbers were actually better since her average started so low.

This team is going to have a TON of scoring threats. We all know Nika LOVES dishing out assists ... "When i get an assist it makes 2 people happy - me AND the person who made the basket". I'm glad that Geno is on her to shoot more. IMHO it's a mindset, not a skill set, that needs adjusting.

I agree 100%. My problem with Nika, and I voiced it time and again, was that she refused to shoot pull ups, while her ability to finish around the hoop was apparent. I stated many times before January last year that she hadn't attempted more than one pull up all year. I remember during one chat after she attempted and missed a pullup someone said in effect, "See JordyG she can shoot pullups". Frequently Nika would drive inside, throw it toward the rim and hope for a call. But things like working off the screen for a shot, jab steps, fadeaways, stop and pops, and running to her spot in the midrange are as foreign to her as dimples on a frog. Learning to work an effective pull up in the quarter court or even in transition takes years of practice. This year I would be happy if she just showed a good stop and pop off the dribble. That would open up her perimeter game and make assists and pocket passes inside much easier for her.

 

[CL82]

Remember Geno’s philosophy for playing time, you don’t have to do everything perfectly but you do have to do at least one thing really well. Defense is Nika's one thing.

There’s not a doubt in my mind that she will work to stretch her offensive game this year. Really though, all she needs to do is be able to make a high percentage of her open shots, forcing her defender to stay with her. We’ve got enough other people who are capable of putting the ball in the basket.

 

[Kat]

I think that if she drove to the basket more, she'd draw fouls and also defenders would give her a little more room, which would help with both shooting and passing.

 

[Bone Dog]

Its not so simple. Shooting more from the perimeter would help, sort of. But her “mortar shot” takes so long to unfold that if taking more of them forced closer coverage, she wouldn’t be able to make even those. This is a strategy with diminishing returns.

But the passing game we’re all hoping she’ll improve on depends on driving and dishing in the lane. And this is what her inability to finish in the lane undermines. It’s a full package, and Nika is missing more than one element of it to be a good pg in the half court offense. She has plenty of athleticism and foot speed to do all these things. But she doesn’t seem to have the mindset for them. At least not yet.

Of all the things on this wishlist, what can she develop now? I’d guess it would be finishing a drive at the basket. She’s unafraid to drive into the lane, but she rarely tries to finish a drive. Finish a couple each game and the passing lanes will open up for her.

In that video, when Geno tells her not to lower her head, he’s trying to tell her how to finish a drive, or maybe a pull up, not launch a set shot.

 

[Huskee11]

From watching Nika in warmups last season, it was evident to me that the pull up jumper was not something she had ever spent a lot of time on. Her actions seemed rehearsed and a bit unfamiliar.

She is putting in some work on it now, and in a recent video I saw of her it looks much more comfortable and familiar.

An analogy, sometimes golfers practice hitting drivers all the time and become quite good at it, but struggle from 100 yards in due to lack of practice. Nika will get decent at it if she continues to put in the work. Not necessarily with all the moves that Paige and Azzi have, just take it with confidence a couple of times a game when it is there.

KLS is of course a tremendous shooter, but her three pointer was much more developed early on than her pull up game. Her three pointer was shot confidently and with arc, but her pull up was tentative and flat. She has made great improvement on the latter as her career continues to develop.

I have noticed a reluctance at all levels, men, women, college, pro, to shoot the open pull-up from around the foul line. Players either want to take it to the rim or kick it out or step back for a three. The pull up should be a high percentage shot for any good shooter.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think the midrange pull-up fell out of favor in the pros, probably because 3-pt efficiency is so much better there. But in the college game, it still has an important place. Teams like UConn, SC, Indiana, others have relied on midrange shooting for awhile.

 

[TeamFirst!]

When you have Azzi and Paige with you, do we really think Geno wants Nika putting up a lot of shots? Even with Lou. I don't think so. Still, Nika's a valuable player we don't want to lose. And Geno doesn't want to lose her either. It's encouraging that she is improving and at minimun, Geno would probably say she is even if she isn't. Cracking the "guard" lineup is tough on this team. I'd play them all a lot and keep them fresh. In the long run we have fewer injuries with that approach. I see no reason why we can't take that approach this year.

 

[EricLA]

When you have Azzi and Paige with you, do we really think Geno wants Nika putting up a lot of shots? Even with Lou. I don't think so. Still, Nika's a valuable player we don't want to lose. And Geno doesn't want to lose her either. It's encouraging that she is improving and at minimun, Geno would probably say she is even if she isn't. Cracking the "guard" lineup is tough on this team. I'd play them all a lot and keep them fresh. In the long run we have fewer injuries with that approach. I see no reason why we can't take that approach this year.

Not necessarily disagreeing, but why would we "lose Nika"? I don't think there's a player who loves her team more than Nika. Paige might be equal, but Nika BLEEDS Husky blue.

As for shooting, the point others, including Geno, seem to be making is that if she won't take a 3 and/or drive into the teeth of the defense to force rotations and mismatches and/or force someone to come out and guard her, then our offense is basically 4 on 5 and that almost never works out well.

I haven't read anyone on here advocating for "putting up a lot of shots", and she only averaged 3.5 last season. One last thing to add - can't simply rely on 2 players shooting the ball. Shots attempted per game last season:

1. 12.2 Christyn
2. 11.4 Paige
3. 10.3 Evina
4. 9.3 Azzi
5. 8.6 Caroline
6. 6.5 Aaliyah
7. 6.0 Olivia
8. 5.9 Dorka
9. 3.5 Nika

Granted on a team with so much scoring prowess, Nika was not needed to shoot and score, but being more aggressive, IMHO, would open up the court a bit more for the offense to flow forcing defenders to pay more attention to her. It makes the rest of the team better and more open (in theory).

If nothing else she needs to shoot when wide open. I used to go out of my mind when Christyn would have one of those games where she'd jack up 7+ 3-point attempts. I was like "there's as reason no one guards you out there Christyn. JUST STOP with the 3's".

Nika on the other hand, was a much better shooter, especially after getting past her early season slump. When she's wide open, she either needs to shoot, or take the ball to the hoop. Good things are likely to happen. All IMHO of course.

 

[HopJim]

I'm not sure why so many think Nika is not a credible scoring threat. She was a reluctant shooter, not an incapable shooter, last season.

She shot 34.2% from 3, just a mere 1% point behind Paige (35.3). She shot better than Williams (33.8%), Westbrook (30.5%), Juhasz and Ducharme (awful at 28.8% - especially given how touted her 3-point prowess was coming out of HS. Almost every time she jacked up a 3, I was like "NOOOOoooo"). The only players she was behind were Paige and Azzi (Edwards shot 40% but only on 2-5 shooting the entire season).

I don't disagree at all that Nika needs to be more aggressive in shooting the basketball, but she was literally 3rd best on the team from deep. And that was after an abysmal start to the season where she missed everything (maybe related to her injury) so for the 2nd half of the season, her numbers were actually better since her average started so low.

This team is going to have a TON of scoring threats. We all know Nika LOVES dishing out assists ... "When i get an assist it makes 2 people happy - me AND the person who made the basket". I'm glad that Geno is on her to shoot more. IMHO it's a mindset, not a skill set, that needs adjusting.

"She was a reluctant shooter, not an incapable shooter, last season." I would add she was a limited shooter, getting to her 34.2% mainly on wide open 3 pointers. When she did drive, Nikka rarely did well. If she could improve this one facet of her game, getting to the basket, the overall effectiveness of the team and her offensive production would grow dramatically.

 

[Bigboote]

Not necessarily disagreeing, but why would we "lose Nika"? I don't think there's a player who loves her team more than Nika. Paige might be equal, but Nika BLEEDS Husky blue.

As for shooting, the point others, including Geno, seem to be making is that if she won't take a 3 and/or drive into the teeth of the defense to force rotations and mismatches and/or force someone to come out and guard her, then our offense is basically 4 on 5 and that almost never works out well.

I haven't read anyone on here advocating for "putting up a lot of shots", and she only averaged 3.5 last season. One last thing to add - can't simply rely on 2 players shooting the ball. Shots attempted per game last season:

1. 12.2 Christyn
2. 11.4 Paige
3. 10.3 Evina
4. 9.3 Azzi
5. 8.6 Caroline
6. 6.5 Aaliyah
7. 6.0 Olivia
8. 5.9 Dorka
9. 3.5 Nika

Granted on a team with so much scoring prowess, Nika was not needed to shoot and score, but being more aggressive, IMHO, would open up the court a bit more for the offense to flow forcing defenders to pay more attention to her. It makes the rest of the team better and more open (in theory).

If nothing else she needs to shoot when wide open. I used to go out of my mind when Christyn would have one of those games where she'd jack up 7+ 3-point attempts. I was like "there's as reason no one guards you out there Christyn. JUST STOP with the 3's".

Nika on the other hand, was a much better shooter, especially after getting past her early season slump. When she's wide open, she either needs to shoot, or take the ball to the hoop. Good things are likely to happen. All IMHO of course.

Thanks for the shot numbers. I was thinking, when people are asking whether we want Nika to put up a lot of shots, depends on what a lot means. I’ve been thinking averaging 5 or 6. Maybe 8-10 on a day when she’s feeling it, most games 4-5. But most important is making the opponent pay when they don’t cover her.

 

[Bone Dog]

Those shot numbers are interesting, but they don’t tell the whole story. I’d like to see them focused on particular types of opponents: conference, OOC games, BE tournament, NCAA.

 

[EricLA]

Those shot numbers are interesting, but they don’t tell the whole story. I’d like to see them focused on particular types of opponents: conference, OOC games, BE tournament, NCAA.

Ok I'll get right on that.

 

[JBK]

I hope Nika can become more of a factor on the offensive end. When I remember looking at her videos and stats from her leagues in Croatia, I expected her to be an effective player on both sides of the ball. I did not expect her to be a high volume or particularly efficient scorer, more mediocre in those areas, but an exceptional passer who could create opportunities for others with drives to the basket and leading fast breaks.

In her various leagues she was almost always the leader in assists, very near the top in steals, and way higher in rebounds than you would expect for a point guard. Her scoring volume and efficiency were about average, but on the downside a little on the high end for turnovers and personal fouls. It was also clear her scoring was largely limited to two things, wide open spot up threes, and hard drives to the hoop. Very rare jumpers off the dribble or a mid-range game.

At Uconn her assists per minute has fallen short of my expectations. The players and coaches rave about her passing ability, but at Uconn that ability has not been fully unleashed IMO. I think there are several reasons for that. For whatever reason, here she almost never drives, and the team really only looks to get out on the break off of turnovers. As a result Nika has been turned into a half-court point guard that hangs out on the perimeter, makes the sound pass or play, but rarely penetrates to create opportunities to display her creativity.

It may be because at this level she has much more trouble blowing by her defender or finishing at the hoop, and Geno has mentioned the latter, and I tend to think she can get there, but the decision making once she does may be the question. I suspect living with a little higher level of turnovers and maybe just a passable ability to finish on her own is the price to pay for getting a ton of easy looks from her great vision.

With plenty of inside and outside threats, turning her loose to create for others might be a worthy trade-off. In addition looking to break at every opportunity would enhance her game tremendously and could be enhanced by some of the players available this year that weren't last year like Aubrey if healthy, Ayanna, and maybe Ice who seems to advance the ball up court nicely whether by dribble or pass.

Last year Nika was a defensive player, and on the offensive end her game was toned down to make a decent percentage of open looks and sound passes, but don't try to do too much. I don't know for sure at this competitive level, but I think Nika "could" be an effective offensive player as well, but it wouldn't be from her own scoring, which probably could never be much more than average, rather it would be from being exceptional at assisting others, and being turned loose to create even with an occasional missed bunny or turnover. she would have to prove that the plusses offset the negatives, but I would love to see that change given a chance to succeed or fail.

Nika was a great team recruit and defines heart and determination - but - her offense game really needs work
Her 3 point shot, although goes in occasionally looks so un orthodox and she never penetrates and scores unless it is off a steal
We can all make excuses, but I do not like our chances without her improving her offensive game.

 

[Bone Dog]

I like our chances even if Nika doesn't improve her offense. I just don't like Nika's chances for getting more playing time if she doesn't. Even without Nika playing at all, I think we're still contenders for the title. But we'll be an even better team with a more offense-minded Nika.

 

[eebmg]

Nika was a great team recruit and defines heart and determination - but - her offense game really needs work
Her 3 point shot, although goes in occasionally looks so un orthodox and she never penetrates and scores unless it is off a steal
We can all make excuses, but I do not like our chances without her improving her offensive game.

I think her 3pt jump shot given time and space where she can set her feet is pretty good. Of course, she needs to improve the other aspects of her offensive game but what else does she have to do. No need to work on defense.

 

[socal613ws]

At times I see Nika as this team's Kelly Faris, the defensive Brave Heart. But Kelly came to regret she waited so long to let her offense come out at all. I hope that will not be a regret of Nika's.

don't understand that comparison at all, Faris was never committing the fouls that Muhl does.