hamilton write up from the nike academy

[James]

Second Rounders

Daniel Hamilton 6'8 198 UConn So. (6'8 wingspan)

Based on where we had him rated, Hamilton would have to qualify as one of the biggest disappointments of the event. His body has shown very little development, and he struggles to get anywhere off the dribble. He did not impress scouts as a first round candidate here and may end up being a four year guy at UConn. On the positive side, he measured bigger than expected and does have excellent shooting ability, but will need to diversify his game in order to pique the interest of NBA scouts.

not really the biggest fan of draft net, but aran smith is definitely credible and is close with many nba scouts. anything he writes is pretty legit from an evaluation stand point. This also confirms why nobody was talking about dham during the three day camp...

Dhams lack of body development is concerning, if i recall correctly he said something to the tune of 'i dont lift ,i just do push ups' when he was like a junior/senior in hs. And @Sportsman5 got into with other posters, talking about how doing a ton of push ups the wrong way would be detrimental to him, and not really efficient. He looks about the same size as he did coming in as a freshman...hoping this isn't a daniels situation where he doesn't change at all physically and loses all his blue chip aura. pretty crucial KO is able to develop him as his first big prospect.

 

[mets1090]

I don't see how he'll be a 4 year player. Even if he only gains 10 pounds in 3 years at UConn he'll still have the skills to warrant a late first round pick after his junior year.

 

[Yankees32123]

A summer camp is not going to determine his draft fate. His play this coming season will. He still has 4 months before the season starts, and then 32+ games to prove himself. Not worried.

 

[nomar]

On the other hand,

Daniel Hamilton continued to show what he does best and that is drive hard to his right as well as make plays in transition

http://www.hardwoodinsiders.com/news_article/show/529444?referrer_id=1725933

We all know DHam is a great rebounder and playmaker. We watched him play real games against real teams, not some glorified pickup games. His handle needs tightening but saying he "struggles to get anywhere off the dribble" is a huge overstatement.

 

[Chief00]

I don't see why strength often translates on this board to gaining X pounds? Hamilton needs some weight training to get stronger and by now we should have seen more visible results in terms of body tone. My reports are he does put time in via the court but not so much the weight room. Quite frankly, he needs to do both.
As far as push ups and sit-ups - don't underestimate them if done diligently - but you need to lift too.

 

[James]

A summer camp is not going to determine his draft fate. His play this coming season will. He still has 4 months before the season starts, and then 32+ games to prove himself. Not worried.

him not doing anything worth mention at this camp is concerning to me, anytime napier went to camps he would tend to put on a show and get a lengthy write up from numerous publications. Or even lamb who as a freshman was really thin, came back much more developed after an impressive FIBA run with USA during summer 2011. I'm hoping his game takes the next step this season, the teams success hinges on him becoming a more efficient scorer. more layups as KO was quoted saying. only way he get more paint buckets is increasing your quickness and finishing through contact ability .

On the other hand,

Daniel Hamilton continued to show what he does best and that is drive hard to his right as well as make plays in transition

http://www.hardwoodinsiders.com/news_article/show/529444?referrer_id=1725933

We all know DHam is a great rebounder and playmaker. We watched him play real games against real teams, not some glorified pickup games. His handle needs tightening but saying he "struggles to get anywhere off the dribble" is a huge overstatement.

That guy isn't as sourced as aran smith at draft net is. I'm pretty sure smith takes the input from scouts and formulates his evals. Also paul johnson didn't mention him in his final nike academy write up

 

[upstater]

Last summer, we heard so many negative reports about Hamilton at camps. Seems this summer it's happening again. He looked good to me during games, that's for sure.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Paul Pierce never, ever looked cut.

 

[James]

Paul Pierce never, ever looked cut.

pierce was a crazy athlete in college and has an absurd wingspan. two things hamilton doesn't have

Last summer, we heard so many negative reports about Hamilton at camps. Seems this summer it's happening again. He looked good to me during games, that's for sure.

what camps did hamilton disappoint at last year? in 2013 he tore through the camp circuit, so much so it led to him being a blue chip prospect on most sites ( camps with guys who are in the nba now after 1+done). All i remember last summer was him working out with his brother in houston, then coming up here.

 

[Justin M]

3 Things DHAM Needs to do....

1. Limit TO (2.3 per game, 2nd only to Boat)
2. Improve 3pt shot (34% last year)
3. Improve FT''s (66% last year)

Keep in mind, he is still 19 years old. Sky is the limit

 

[RipCity]

Quick, someone tell Hamilton he's doomed!

 

[MilliniumPrince]

3 Things DHAM Needs to do....

1. Limit TO (2.3 per game, 2nd only to Boat)
2. Improve 3pt shot (34% last year)
3. Improve FT''s (66% last year)

Keep in mind, he is still 19 years old. Sky is the limit

4. Improve first dribble to the hole.

And with that list, I am still damn goad he is a Husky. I hope he plays 4 years (if he wants to).

 

[jibsey]

I don't expect to see a greatly different Hamilton this year. Hope his shooting improves. If his body is so weak how is he getting all of those boards? He has great hands and a knack for where the ball will be. The difference this year is that he will surrounded by better talent overall. We may get a 3rd year out of him. Good for us. No way 4 years.

 

[HooperScooper]

3 Things DHAM Needs to do....

1. Limit TO (2.3 per game, 2nd only to Boat)
2. Improve 3pt shot (34% last year)
3. Improve FT''s (66% last year)

Keep in mind, he is still 19 years old. Sky is the limit

He did improve on all those things in the 2nd half of the season. Hopefully the growth trajectory continues this season.

 

[azescobar]

Am I crazy, or is this actually somewhat good news - meaning that D Ham may not automatically leave after this year, as many expect he would do.

D Ham is not the best athlete and may not wow in these kind of camps, but he can ball, and will have a nice year (hopefully more than nice). But if scouts don't see him yet as an NBA prospect, that could mean he returns one more year, and if so, think about our roster in 2016-2017.

That being said, the draft next year is much weaker than in 2017, at least at the top of the draft, so that will play a factor in any decision. Either way, I'm not worried about how he looked at this camp; KO will get him into shape by the beginning of the season and I think he will have a helluva year. He may be our third or fourth scoring option, chew on that.

 

[upstater]

pierce was a crazy athlete in college and has an absurd wingspan. two things hamilton doesn't have


what camps did hamilton disappoint at last year? in 2013 he tore through the camp circuit, so much so it led to him being a blue chip prospect on most sites ( camps with guys who are in the nba now after 1+done). All i remember last summer was him working out with his brother in houston, then coming up here.

Don't know what camps, only know that people kept tweeting about his poor shot selection, ball hog, etc. I remember Dino Trigonis, his AAU guy, going at it with a couple of writers, maybe Goodman and Rothstein?, on twitter.

 

[cohenzone]

What always intrigues and I find a bit funny is that while I think we all like to see our players do well, is the focus on their NBA potential. As UConn fans we need our guys to be as good a college player as possible. It's entirely possible that a kid who is excellent for us will not translate into top flight NBA material. For the moment, DHam looks like a darn fine college player and if that does not make him attractive to NBA scouts, sometimes they are dumb.

 

[Palatine]

Camps tend to favor guys who can do things on their own. That's why guys like Kemba. Boat and Bazz shine. They control the game. Fast, high flying wings also impress. They are flashy and easy to love. DHam is more of a team player. A point forward. Ad hoc camp teams don't really show his value.

 

[James]

What always intrigues and I find a bit funny is that while I think we all like to see our players do well, is the focus on their NBA potential. As UConn fans we need our guys to be as good a college player as possible. It's entirely possible that a kid who is excellent for us will not translate into top flight NBA material. For the moment, DHam looks like a darn fine college player and if that does not make him attractive to NBA scouts, sometimes they are dumb.

off your rocker again i see, hamilton having to wait until he is 23-24 to get an nba contract puts a cap on his earnings potential. You get to your second contract faster if you declare early and have the advantage of having gained years of nba experience/development while still being under 25. Hamilton becoming a successful pro helps the uconn brand immensely, it points to elite player development at a school that plays in a meh conference. We've had top flight nba material on 3/4 ncaa titles, and its the forumla to how to win even at the college level. develop guys good enough to play at the next level, surround them with solid role players.

 

[Sportsman5]

It seems like he has gained a little size in his upper body, but lower body strength is much more important for basketball. The problem is that doing lower body exercises suck and make it hard to practice. If he loves scrimmaging, then he probably feels like lifting heavy lower body takes away from that. However, that's a short term view point because as he gets more advanced, then working hard to improve weak points is more important than improving strong points.

I think the feedback from scouts about needing to improve strength will spur him to focus more on that.

 

[cohenzone]

off your rocker again i see, hamilton having to wait until he is 23-24 to get an nba contract puts a cap on his earnings potential. You get to your second contract faster if you declare early and have the advantage of having gained years of nba experience/development while still being under 25. Hamilton becoming a successful pro helps the uconn brand immensely, it points to elite player development at a school that plays in a meh conference. We've had top flight nba material on 3/4 ncaa titles, and its the forumla to how to win even at the college level. develop guys good enough to play at the next level, surround them with solid role players.

I think you are off your rocker. You do see the purpose of our program to be an NBA breeder and want to see our best players leave as soon as possible. It's all well and good to want to see the kids do well, but spare me the put downs of Calipari, whose "system" for recruiting sucks, because you and those like you seem to like the idea that it's good for our team when our best players are able to leave at the earliest possible time. In case you haven't noticed, these are mostly the same BYrrs who wonder why any elite recruit would ever play for Calipari or Pitino because their kids don't become the kind of pros that you think they should.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe the stock you put into how an elite recruit evaluates a program doesn't focus all that much in how well particular players develop? The difference between you and me is that I like to see UConn win and I, off my rocker evidently, don't obsess over whether a particular player develops as pro material because I don't see that as a big problem for the way our program is going as you do I'll give your on the rocker mind a hint about why schools like UNC, Duke, UK and KU attract top recruits. They all have the perception to recruits of having decades long winning. They also have had coaches that for sometimes silly reasons, kids want to play for. I'll wager you that there are kids we get now who would not have signed up for Jim Calhoun.

Personally, I think you are nuts to want our best players to leave early. My attitude has nothing to do with whether or not a kid develops, because I like to see players grow. It has everything to do with not being so sure that it makes a grain of difference to recruits if Hamilton develops into a pro or not on your schedule

You also would do well to learn how to disagree with someone without being snarky.

 

[James]

^ TL;DR ... cohenzone thinks recruits don't care about whether players at a school develop into pros fast, despite plenty of uconns recent target notings uconns history in producing pros a major factor in their interest level. Also fyi it isn't 'my schedule', its his timeline. 4 year players rarely get drafted in the lottery and go on to be successes.

 

[cohenzone]

Last note of the day. Some to want us to be Kentucky even though they would deny it. If kids develop fast enough to leave at the earliest possible time, UConns NC chances will be as hit or miss as UKs. It's nonsense to think a program's success is measured by how many kids are able to leave early. That's because you wind up with the supposed non-stud players and young "stars" every year. Take a look at the roster over the last ssy 10 years. See who went pro early, how the team did the following year, how the recruiting want the year ir two after the departures and play a little speculation game about how the team might have done had the studs remained in school. Obviously the result is unknowable but the point is, there is at least as much evidence that stud players leaving early is not as good for team success as any perceived benefit to speculative enhanced recruiting. As I said in another thread. A bird in the hand does count for something. Test your own theories by looking at actual records. Have a good one.

 

[HuskyFich]

Last note of the day. Some to want us to be Kentucky even though they would deny it. If kids develop fast enough to leave at the earliest possible time, UConns NC chances will be as hit or miss as UKs. It's nonsense to think a program's success is measured by how many kids are able to leave early. That's because you wind up with the supposed non-stud players and young "stars" every year. Take a look at the roster over the last ssy 10 years. See who went pro early, how the team did the following year

You promise it's the last note of the day?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Extra! Extra! First time in recorded history UConn basketball player did not gain 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason.