How big a role do think Vital will play next season?

[SeattleHoop]

Role? He's our best player.

Wrong. He is absolutely not our best player. Best leader? Yes, he has a chance to be our best leader. He is going to have to humble himself and defer to more athletic and talented younger players at times. This will take humility, leadership and gratitude. The success of our team will be highly dependent on how he interacts with the new talented guards coming in.

 

[CL82]

More options on the floor will make scoring easier for everyone. I'm hoping for better ball movement on the perimeter that creates open looks or lanes. We should have multiple shooting/driving options.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Have you seen his advanced stats? He's by far our best offensive player and defensive player.

- Last season he had an offensive rating of 114. The last UConn guard to have an offensive rating like that was Shabazz in 2014.
- He shot 41% from 3 (171st in the country)
- 81% from the line (206 in the country)
- Had a true shooting percentage of 61.2% (134th in the country)
- A 17.8% defensive rebounding rate (444th in the country, and thats as a guard)
- A 3% steal rate (146th in the country).
- He had a defensive rating of 99.6 which was by far the best of any guard on the team last year (And about 500th overall for all of D1 at any position).

He was by far our best player last year. Yes he turns it over a lot, but beyond that he's a very good player.

People who dive too deep into numbers and math never see the full picture. Sorry. Reality is more complex and creative than a stat sheet. There are intangibles that aren’t reflected in the books. He prob has better numbers in certain areas than Rudy Gay or Caron Butler, but no way is he in the same league. Sorry

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Wrong. He is absolutely not our best player. Best leader? Yes, he has a chance to be our best leader. He is going to have to humble himself and defer to more athletic and talented younger players at times. This will take humility, leadership and gratitude. The success of our team will be highly dependent on how he interacts with the new talented guards coming in.

Tell me who's a better player on our team?

Alterique? He shot 33% from 3, 42% from 2, 77% from FT, had a 2.6 steal percentage (All worse than Vital) and had a 1:1 Assist to TO ratio.
It's certainly not Polley, Wilson, or Brendan Adams. Carlton I'd say is in the discussion.

 

[Kenny11]

Demanding adulation, how very un-Christian of you.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

People who dive too deep into numbers and math never see the full picture. Sorry. Reality is more complex and creative than a stat sheet. There are intangibles that aren’t reflected in the books. He prob has better numbers in certain areas than Rudy Gay or Caron Butler, but no way is he in the same league. Sorry

LOL, right so the guys that changed the NBA with the advanced analytics didn't see the full picture. Got it.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If Vital is even in any sort of discussion of being your best player you're going to have a losing record.

Which has been the case the past two seasons, and could also very likely be the case next year as well.

People absolutely love Gilbert, but he shot 38% FG, 33% 3PT, and averaged 2.3 TOs a game.

Contrast that with Vital's 45% FG, 40% 3PT, same TOs, but better defense and rebounding.

I like Gilbert a lot, but the Yard wants to somehow will him into being the next great PG. He'll need to stay healthy and prove it on the floor. Hopefully he can.

 

[Kenny11]

I really really really really hope he has worked/is working on his handle. If he does that that'd be a huge boost.

I think Christian works hard on his game and is definitely working on his handle. But he also needs to work on changing speeds with the ball. He still only has one speed which is 100000 miles per hour but as a senior I expect him to improve in that area too. As a freshman he couldn't make layups a lot of the time because he was going too fast...Last season he learned how to make his layups going that same speed. Now he needs some hesitation moves. His court vision is what it is. That is something that can't really be worked on imo.

 

[temery]

He's gonna be a star.

 

[CL82]

Which has been the case the past two seasons, and could also very likely be the case next year as well.

People absolutely love Gilbert, but he shot 38% FG, 33% 3PT, and averaged 2.3 TOs a game.

Contrast that with Vital's 45% FG, 40% 3PT, same TOs, but better defense and rebounding.

I like Gilbert a lot, but the Yard wants to somehow will him into being the next great PG. He'll need to stay healthy and prove it on the floor. Hopefully he can.

Different amount of time handling the ball.

As hinted at above, I'm hoping that the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. I think everyone will look better next year. Depth does that.

 

[SeattleHoop]

LOL, right so the guys that changed the NBA with the advanced analytics didn't see the full picture. Got it.

I’m not going to look up numbers and stats bc I honestly, don’t care too. But I’ll say this, despite your analytics, Hurley is going to put the ball in AGs hands when the game is on the line. And i am sure NBA scouts are looking at a “healthy” AG before Vital. And likely will be looking into Bouk and Gaff by the end of the season also. I want to see us win, just like you do. But the season will prove itself. Vital will be key to us winning games but he is not our #1 player and he is not an NBA player. Sorry

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

I’m not going to look up numbers and stats bc I honestly, don’t care too. But I’ll say this, despite your analytics, Hurley is going to put the ball in AGs hands when the game is on the line. And i am sure NBA scouts are looking at a “healthy” AG before Vital. And likely will be looking into Bouk and Gaff by the end of the season also. I want to see us win, just like you do. But the season will prove itself. Vital will be key to us winning games but he is not our #1 player and he is not an NBA player. Sorry

Sorry, but there is no way they're looking at a guy who's 5'10" and shot 40% from 2 and 33% from 3 with a 1:1 A:TO ratio over Vital. Especially in a 3 and D and spacing league like the NBA. I have no doubt Hurley will have the ball in AG's hand at the end of the game because he's the best shot creator on the team (Getting his own and creating for others). That doesn't mean he's the best player. He's not.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Which has been the case the past two seasons, and could also very likely be the case next year as well.

People absolutely love Gilbert, but he shot 38% FG, 33% 3PT, and averaged 2.3 TOs a game.

Contrast that with Vital's 45% FG, 40% 3PT, same TOs, but better defense and rebounding.

I like Gilbert a lot, but the Yard wants to somehow will him into being the next great PG. He'll need to stay healthy and prove it on the floor. Hopefully he can.

Vitals shooting numbers are better bc he primarily takes set jump shots from a pass, and his lay ups are typically uncontested bc he literally cannot get into the lane the way AG gets into the lane. Like I said, numbers don’t tell the full story

 

[Stainmaster]

Vitals shooting numbers are better bc he primarily takes set jump shots from a pass, and his lay ups are typically uncontested bc he literally cannot get into the lane the way AG gets into the lane. Like I said, numbers don’t tell the full story

Neither does the eye test - didn’t you make a lot of wild assumptions about CV’s character and effect on team chemistry last summer?

Likewise, saying he has to “defer” to Gaffney and Bouknight has to be stemming from emotional dislike. No other explanation.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Tell me who's a better player on our team?

Alterique? He shot 33% from 3, 42% from 2, 77% from FT, had a 2.6 steal percentage (All worse than Vital) and had a 1:1 Assist to TO ratio.
It's certainly not Polley, Wilson, or Brendan Adams. Carlton I'd say is in the discussion.

Alterique and Carlton are clearly better. Both face the focus of the defense and frequent double teams and still score. Carlton shot 60%. Wilson could be, but certainly hasn't been. All three freshman might be, we will see.

Vital is a nice piece to have. He's an efficient scorer once somebody else breaks down the defense. Mostly that was Jalen or Al, drawing defenders away and passing to CV for the open look. As long as other people are attracting defenders, CV is very effective at making them pay. But he doesn't generate his own offense, can't break down his defender one on one, and is a poor shooter off the dribble.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Sorry, but there is no way they're looking at a guy who's 5'10" and shot 40% from 2 and 33% from 3 with a 1:1 A:TO ratio over Vital. Especially in a 3 and D and spacing league like the NBA. I have no doubt Hurley will have the ball in AG's hand at the end of the game because he's the best shot creator on the team (Getting his own and creating for others). That doesn't mean he's the best player. He's not.

Lol! Being able to dribble the ball past a defender is pretty important in the NBA. They’re not taking a guy who can’t do that. And they aren’t taking a guard who can only jump 30” with a slow step. Vital is a great shooter defender and rebounder but he is not a Creator or a High Level Game Changer who can take the ball to the rack against 7 foot Kentucky freaks. We are recruiting and will finally have some players who can do that and Vital needs to know his limitations.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Neither does the eye test - didn’t you make a lot of wild assumptions about CV’s character and effect on team chemistry last summer?

Likewise, saying he has to “defer” to Gaffney and Bouknight has to be stemming from emotional dislike. No other explanation.

Wait and see. And they were not assumptions. Hurley had to have a sit down discussion w Vital for many of the issues I brought up. Vitals humility is key to our chemistry and Hurley knows that

 

[HuskyHawk]

Sorry, but there is no way they're looking at a guy who's 5'10" and shot 40% from 2 and 33% from 3 with a 1:1 A:TO ratio over Vital. Especially in a 3 and D and spacing league like the NBA. I have no doubt Hurley will have the ball in AG's hand at the end of the game because he's the best shot creator on the team (Getting his own and creating for others). That doesn't mean he's the best player. He's not.

As a guard, if you aren't a shot creator, for yourself and others, you aren't the best player on your team. That's what it's all about. That's what separates Shabazz and Kemba from ordinary guys who may shoot higher percentages.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Lol! Being able to dribble the ball past a defender is pretty important in the NBA. They’re not taking a guy who can’t do that. And they aren’t taking a guard who can only jump 30” with a slow step. Vital is a great shooter defender and rebounder but he is not a Creator or a High Level Game Changer who can take the ball to the rack against 7 foot Kentucky freaks. We are recruiting and will finally have some players who can do that and Vital needs to know his limitations.

So Alterique who shot 42% from 2 is good at taking it to the Rim, but Vital who shot 52% from 2, isn't. Got it. I forgot you're using the eye test, so statistics don't matter.

How about this? I'll bet you $100 at 3 to 1 odds that neither of the freshman guards have a better stats than Vital did last year. I'll bet you another $100 that vital shoots better from 2 than Alterique does (since he's so good at taking it to the hole) this year. If your so confident Vital sucks then this should be easy money for you.

 

[pj]

It's a team game, why try to compare Vital to his teammates to see who is "best", it doesn't matter. The key thing - CV will be an integral part of the team and will graduate as UConn's all time leading 3 pt shooter. That's a huge accomplishment for a guy who was rated #166 out of high school (Christian Vital's Crystal Ball Predictions )

 

[casual-yardin]

Role? He's our best player.

Is he better than Jimmy Butler?

 

[SeattleHoop]

So Alterique who shot 42% from 2 is good at taking it to the Rim, but Vital who shot 52% from 2, isn't. Got it. I forgot you're using the eye test, so statistics don't matter.

How about this? I'll bet you $100 at 3 to 1 odds that neither of the freshman guards have a better stats than Vital did last year. I'll bet you another $100 that vital shoots better from 2 than Alterique does (since he's so good at taking it to the hole) this year. If your so confident Vital sucks then this should be easy money for you.

How many contested 2’s does Vital take vs AG? How many more times does AG get into the lane and actually shoot per game compared to Vital? Find those stats for me. Regardless, I’ll do a better bet with you and say AG hits more game winning or game tying shots next year.

 

[superjohn]

Which has been the case the past two seasons, and could also very likely be the case next year as well.

People absolutely love Gilbert, but he shot 38% FG, 33% 3PT, and averaged 2.3 TOs a game.

Contrast that with Vital's 45% FG, 40% 3PT, same TOs, but better defense and rebounding.

I like Gilbert a lot, but the Yard wants to somehow will him into being the next great PG. He'll need to stay healthy and prove it on the floor. Hopefully he can.

Gilbert has never really been healthy. We know even for our best point guards of all-time it's been a real process and they had the luxury of being healthy.

 

[superjohn]

So Alterique who shot 42% from 2 is good at taking it to the Rim, but Vital who shot 52% from 2, isn't. Got it. I forgot you're using the eye test, so statistics don't matter.

How about this? I'll bet you $100 at 3 to 1 odds that neither of the freshman guards have a better stats than Vital did last year. I'll bet you another $100 that vital shoots better from 2 than Alterique does (since he's so good at taking it to the hole) this year. If your so confident Vital sucks then this should be easy money for you.

Vital last year shot it better than Shabazz did his senior year, do you want Vital taking shots for you over Shabazz?

 

[Stainmaster]

Vital last year shot it better than Shabazz did his senior year, do you want Vital taking shots for you over Shabazz?

Why is everyone obsessed with comparing Vital to Shabazz? Is that the standard we’re setting?