I Keep Forgetting about DeAndre

[jfuchs91]

... and then I realize how insanely deep and talented this roster is. Daniels himself is one of the better recruits we've ever gotten, and there's been little chatter about him since the Drummond commitment.

After re-watching some of DeAndre's highlights, he's going to be a stud for us. His shooting ability, ball-handling, size, length, and versatility make him a very intriguing player. While there is some concern that UConn will struggle offensively early on while learning to play without Kemba, Daniels looks like the kind of player who is a natural scorer.

This should be a fun season. Can't wait for it to start!

 

[Bryan Lord]

Agreed!

 

[Rico444]

The thing I'm most excited to hear about him is that he can defend. I remember one of the Huskies saying that after some pickup game this summer. It sounds like he is going to be very good in a lot of different areas.

 

[TheChamps990411]

ive read the name deandre and tracy mcgrady mentioned in the same sentence a couple times. from what ive seen of his game thats exactly who he reminds me of. i think that drummond and daniels could be what rasheed wallace and jerry stackhouse were their freshmen year for carolina many years ago when carolina had just come off of a title and many expected a repeat. it didnt happen because dean smith did not believe in starting freshmen over upperclassmen and it hurt them in the end. if sheed and jerry were starters from day one that team likely repeats imo.

 

[UConnSwag11]

kid is going to be a problem... coming off the bench where he would be starting at other schools if they didn't have 4 returning starters from a NC team, i can't wait

 

[UConnSwag11]

speaking of Deandre...

 

[Dann]

our lenght is so unreal that nba teams are going to want to play preseason games vs us lol.
90% of college teams couldn't match our lamb/scoe/ao/ad lenght to start with. then to look at our bench and see lenght at wing-dd/gif and size with brad/wolf/to is just insane. if we aren't top 5 def all year, then something is wrong.

 

[iam76]

but how does he compare to sam funches

 

[DMW88]

I think DD is going to be a stud too, but, i think he'll take a while to adjust to the college game...he needs to get stronger...if he sticks around for soph year, i think he'll be a star

 

[UofCT]

Everyone in college needs to get stronger.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I think DD is going to be a stud too, but, i think he'll take a while to adjust to the college game...he needs to get stronger...if he sticks around for soph year, i think he'll be a star

i think he`ll be here for atleast two years unless he has a breakout season this year. could you imagine if he plays like ray did his freshmen year coming off the bench?

 

[Sportsman5]

Everyone in college needs to get stronger.

I think he meant that the thing deandre is missing the most is strength. Many players need to improve shooting and dribbling to become great players. However, Deandre could already be skilled enough to dominate if he just gained 10 lbs of muscle and improved strength by 30-40%. I could have interpreted incorrectly though.

 

[UofCT]

I think he meant that the thing deandre is missing the most is strength. Many players need to improve shooting and dribbling to become great players. However, Deandre could already be skilled enough to dominate if he just gained 10 lbs of muscle and improved strength by 30-40%. I could have interpreted incorrectly though.

I just feel like that phrase is used too frequently. "needs to add strength"

 

[YearoftheHusky]

They said that about some kid named Durant too, and he seemed to be OK. Not that DD is KD, but he could be.

 

[UofCT]

What if he is as good? We are going to be the best team of all time.

 

[slumdog]

I just feel like that phrase is used too frequently. "needs to add strength"

Two words: Richard Hamilton.

 

[ctchamps]

Two words: Richard Hamilton.

You beat me by 16 minutes. LOL

 

[UofCT]

You beat me by 16 minutes. LOL

I don't understand

 

[ctchamps]

I don't understand

I was going to make the same post as slumdog that no one believed Richard Hamilton could survive in the NBA because he was considered scrawny and would lack the necessary strength in the NBA. He proved them wrong. Slumdog posted the same thing but 16 minutes from when I was about to make the post.

 

[UofCT]

Oh alright gotcha. Some other guys that come to mind. Reggie Miller, Tayshaun Prince, Steph Curry.. probably about 100 other guys too

 

[nomar]

This thread put this song into my head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2iFqcFcdBU

Enjoy.

 

[Huskybass]

Having watched Deandre play this summer, I think his upside is huge. However, I think he is still a year or two away from really becoming a star, and part of that is filling out and adding some strength.

 

[DogMania]

They said that about some kid named Durant too, and he seemed to be OK. Not that DD is KD, but he could be.

There's a reason why many mention how important it is for players to get stronger and bigger. Because in 90% of the cases it makes a world of difference. For every KD there's 100 players who struggle some their freshman and often their sophomore seasons before they blow up into very good to great players. Obviously, not all of the improvement is due to getting stronger, but in physical conferences, it makes a world of difference at just about every position, especially the front court positions and with the guards who's game is driving it to the basket.

For example, what make Kemba special was his ability to finish with contact. Yeah, that wasn't the main factor, but it was a factor. His improved jumpshot, ability to get by his man and the next and his shot making abilities had a bigger part in it, but if he was being muscled away from the basket and knocked around silly, he wouldn't have been the player that he was.

Lamb was able to over come this issue with his length and shot making abilities. Maybe DD has similar skills. In his clips you can see he has a very nice handle but he's simply not going to be driving easily by many of the physical wings he's going to face in the BE. I think he has a chance to contribute significantly this upcoming season, but expect him to be wildly inconsistent similar to how Jeremy was this past season. Hopefully by the BET he'll put it all together similar to how Lamb did last season.

On factor no one is talking about is his mental make-up. Some kids who have a world of talent coming in, such as Rudy, struggle with confidence issues that prevent them from being the player they capable of their freshman and sometimes sophomore seasons. We'll just have to wait and see how he handles himself, JC and his role once the bright lights come on.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I was going to make the same post as slumdog that no one believed Richard Hamilton could survive in the NBA because he was considered scrawny and would lack the necessary strength in the NBA. He proved them wrong. Slumdog posted the same thing but 16 minutes from when I was about to make the post.

This is one of the most respectful and least snarky replies I've ever read on this (or any of its predecessor) boards. It reads like a law school exam answer that just lays things out clearly one sentence at a time, abandoning its referential cleverness in favor of genuine explanation so that the person who wrote "I don't understand" now understands. A model of civility. Kinda jolting.

 

[61cygni]

Some players can't or won't add much muscle, but it's pretty much beneficial to all except to the point where it significantly slows them down or limits their mobility. I think Lamb knew last year he wasn't going to be driving the lane with a lot of physical contact and his finesse game, his way of slithering into the lane with hardly a bump, and often finishing with a short jumper or floater instead of at the rim showed that.

Hard to think how good he can be if it's true that he has added some bulk and if he seeks out contact more. He already has a nice first step especially off the catch and can be so much more of a slashing threat than last year, could really boost his FTs and assists, especially with a big guy like AD down low.