IMO, Daniels and Drummond are the keys to the season

[champs99and04]

I know they are freshman, but I think the rate at which they develop is going to play a huge role in determing whether UConn competes for a national title or not. Watching teams like OSU, UNC, UK, and Florida, I think we are going to need these guys to play like men.

At this point I have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of guys like Oriakhi, Lamb, Roscoe, and Shabazz. Bazz is an electric sophmore PG, expected to learn very quickly. We all expect him to make his share of mistakes, but we also expect him to run the offense, make some big shots, and play excellent defense. Considering what he did last year, no reason not to have confidence in him. Roscoe isn't going to do anything to blow you away, but he plays tough defense, grabs rebounds in traffic, runs the floor, and cleans up the offensive boards. Oriakhi is going to have off nights, but he's also going to bring it against top level competition. Lamb is a pure scorer, who is going to be our go to guy, lead the team in scoring, and play great defense.

Drummond and Daniels however, I'm not so sure. If these guys play to their potential as well as last years freshman did this team is going to be in very good shape. Watching Anthony Davis play last night, it was impossible to not be impressed by the way he changed the game, specifically on the defensive end of the court. Now obviously I'm not expecting Drummond to turn into Dwight Howard over night, but 14, 10, and 3 is something he is capable of imo. I won't expect him to average those numbers right now, but by the end of the season I expect him to be crashing the glass, working hard for putbacks, cutting to the rim for lobs, and altering shots on defense. The bottom line is that Drummond will be as good as he wants to be, and the National Title hopes of this team will be shaped by the work he puts in.

 

[champs99and04]

I have been somewhat impressed with Daniels' game so far. He really has a nice shot, he's played decent D, and he runs the floor very well. Still though, I think he's a kid who is going to get a lot better the further we move into the season. Much like Lamb, the more comfortable he is, the better he is going to be. It may take him some time to grasp the sometimes complicated sets Calhoun likes to run, but when he does I expect us to run more plays for him. Again, I see him as very similar to Lamb in that it will take him some time, but by the time March comes around I would not be at all suprised to see him become a focal point of this offense.

You may not see it right now, you may not see it over the next two months, but I think this team has the potential to be a juggernaut on both ends of the floor. Not to take anything away from Olander, but the minutes he has played thus far has suprised me a bit. He has been arguably our best big man, but 36 minutes seems like a lot for a kid who often times played less than five last season. As we move deeper into the season the minute distribution will begin to become clearer to us, and I think Oriakhi and Drummond will be the two guys recieving the bulk of the minutes in the front court with Olander often rotating in.

Obviously my opinion matters not, but I would like to see Oriakhi and Drummond start with Olander rotating in. With a front court as imposing as those two, I think opponents, especially the lesser ones, will be intimidated early as they realize rebounds will not be available. It has suprised me that these two have not played more minutes together this season, almost as if Calhoun is wating until conference play to unleash this tandem. I see this years front court in a similar way that I saw the 08-09 front court, with Orikhi and Drummond playing the roles of Adrien and Thabeet, and Olander playing the role of Gavin Edwards. One thing that bodes very well for the season is that with the emergence of Olander, we now have three quality bigs who could start for a number of teams. Having two good bigs is one thing, but when you then bring another quality big off the bench, that adds another element.

 

[champs99and04]

Over the course of the next month or maybe two months, I believe there will be times when we squint at the sometimes ugly execution on offense. As others have mentioned, last year we were spoiled to an extent because the offense was picked up so quickly. Much of that had to due with Kemba though, and with him gone, it will take longer this year. But if this team has a high basketball IQ (and I believe they do) us fans will reap the rewards of our patience later on in the season. Just imagine Daniels and Lamb coming off screens, Drummond and Orikhi banging and getting position inside, and Shabazz and Boatright attacking the lane. That is why I think Daniels is so crucial. Having one shooter that defenses have to worry about is one thing, but if Daneiels is also in constant motion, defenses will have fits. Because you have to honor Daniels and Lamb on the outside, the paint will likely be less crowded, making it easier for Shabazz to attack the rim and easier for Orikahi and Drummond to go to work without worrying about guards swiping away (because they will be glued to Daniels and Lamb). So with all of that said, this offense has a number of weapons, and a number of guys who can put up big numbers on any given night.

Shabazz, Lamb, Daniels, Oriakhi, and Drummond are the guys I would like to start. IMO, that is our best lineup offensively, and best lineup overall. That is not to minimize the importance of Roscoe, Boatright, and Olander, as they will play key roles off the bench. Despite the fact that Roscoe started for our national title squad last year, I think his game is better suited for coming off the bench. Daniels is a bit more polished than Roscoe at this point in time, so I like Scoe playing the role of energizer/banger off the bench. Again, having two forwards off the bench with the ability of Roscoe and Olander is a significant advantage. Boatright is not a kid I'm not going to heap huge expectations upon, but a kid who is very crucial to this team. We really just need to him to handle the ball to give Shabazz a blow, play solid defense and penetrate the lane. Olander really adds a "high/low" element to the offense, because he can hit that elbow jumper.

So although this is very likely subject to change, the eight mentioned are the guys I'm most comfortable going to battle with right now. Trust me, I have not forgotten the importance of Giffey last year, but at the same time, he has seemed a bit hesitant so far, something that will not mesh well with Calhoun's cut throat style of coaching. Bradley is unfortunately likely to be hurt by the injury, and Wolf is still a year away IMO.

In recap, Daniels and Drummond's development coupled with the development of the other key pieces could be enough to fill the massive hole Kemba has left.

 

[HuskyFan32]

Completely agree with everything. Olander is much improved and has played very well, but 36 min is too much. Id like to See Andre start with AO to get Andre into beast mode from the start and then to have a solid offensive option from a big off the bench who can give us 6 or 8 pts in limited minutes. Drummond comes in and does a lot of things but cant be counted on for offense this early on so Id like to see a more offensive minded option off the bench. Daniels is a beast. By the end of the season I see him emerging as our second offensive option and us running more and more plays for him, ala Jeremy Lamb at the end of last year. We need Alex to pick it up. And Id like to see Roscoe get into the flow of the offense a little more. And obv as with everyone, cant wait to see the Boatshow!! I think hes going to be really good. Hes so long, athletic, and fast and judging by his highlights he should be able to really score.

 

[Waquoit]

Completely agree with everything. Olander is much improved and has played very well, but 36 min is too much.

Sez who? He has earned his PT, it's up to others to beat him out. Last game when the team hit a spurt where they couldn't grab the ball, JC put Tyler back in and he grabbed a rebound after the next shot. I don't know what's up with Roscoe, he's had manos de piedra so far this year.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

The keys are boatright and shabazz

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The key is Shabazz. UConn has never had so many eggs in one basket on a player since Marcus Williams in 2006. We do not have a second guy that can dribble the ball against any kind of pressure defense. Teams like Louisville, Marquette and even St. Johns would eat us alive if Shabazz ever got hurt. Even a team like Georgetown that doesn't press but uses a lot of traps would kill us. We are Shabazz Napier.

I know it is conventional wisdom that every freshman is the program savior and every sophomore is a washout if he isn't a star already, but I would give Smith a little more time. It seems like he is thinking too much out there, and just has to play.

 

[HuskyFan32]

Sez who? He has earned his PT, it's up to others to beat him out. Last game when the team hit a spurt where they couldn't grab the ball, JC put Tyler back in and he grabbed a rebound after the next shot. I don't know what's up with Roscoe, he's had manos de piedra so far this year.

Sez me. I wrote it! Im entitled to my opinion, and you are yours. I completely agree with everything you said as to why he should play. Im arguing that 36 min is too much. That kind of pt is reserved for your go to guys like Lamb and Bazz. I love Olander. I said it this summer that he would have a big year, but Id rather he play less than 36 min and have Andre play more than 18. More like 25 each.

 

[Scot-e]

You'd be wrong. The key player is def Bazz. We do however need all of the above to play well to go anywhere in the NCAAs. I would agree that two of the most exciting players with the most upside are DD and AD.

 

[DogMania]

The keys are boatright and shabazz

I was going to post something similar but you beat me to the punch. Although Boatright is the less heralded of the 3 freshman, I've felt all along that he might be the most important. (Skip to the last 2 paragraphs if you only want to read why I feel Boatright, along with Bazz & Lamb, are the keys to this team's success.)

Let me frame it this way. Coming into the season we had a few known commodities with the caveat we didn't know how much more they would develop. These are the players that we expect to fill major roles and should be capable of filling them:

Oriakhi, Lamb & Bazz

The next trio, Roscoe, Olander & Giffey, fit the category, at least in my mind coming into the season, as not-quite-sure commodities. These are players who contributed that I simply wasn't sure how high a ceiling they might have and if they would be able to elevate their games significantly enough to fill major roles. Of these 3, Tyler has been the biggest surprise so far. Roscoe has come out of the gate slowly. Hasn't quite picked up where he left off and even more importantly, taken his game up a notch. Hopefully he will as the season progresses. Giffey has been slowed by injury plus has a log jam of wings to climb over. His energy level and effort on D has been very good, though he's been a tad mistake prone.

The next pair, Bradley & Wolf, fit the cat of I-have-no-clue what they are capable of. One of the two would have been a more important cog if Drummond hadn't pulled his 180 and joined the program. So far JC seems to have little confidence in Wolf and is reluctant to give any of AO's, TO's or AD's minutes to him.

IMO, the Keys to success lie somewhere among the 3 freshman, though mostly on the shoulders of Ryan Boatright. UConn goes crazy deep at all positions except the 1 & 2. Since I don't think one season is enough for Drummond to develop into an consistent impact player, plus all the depth we have at the two post positions, I don't see him as a make-it or break-it ingredient to succeed this season. UConn proved it could win an NC last season without an offensive dominating front court.

As for Daniels, he's made a strong statement as far as UConn's best offensive wing, well 2nd best if Lamb ends up logging some minutes at the 3. Since the team has a lot of wing depth, the team would still be very good w/out a major contribution from him.

Last but far from least, Boatright is arguably the most important additive to UConn's recipe for success. He not only fills the back-up PG role, but the back-up 2G role as well. Add to that, I see JC using a 3-G set, again if you view Lamb as more a 2 than a 3, by putting him on the floor along with Bazz and Lamb. Without him this team has just 2 guards for the backcourt and the level of play will take a huge hit when having to sit either or both of them. Add Ryan to the mix and you not only have a player who can give those two a rest, but one that will keep the level of play at a high level. I'm not saying he's going to produce as well as Bazz or Lamb, but he's a huge upgrade compared to any other player that has been asked to eat up some backcourt minutes. IMO Lamb is so much more productive at the 2 or 3 than he is at the one. Being able to play Jeremy at the two wing positions for his full 35 to 40 minutes maximizes his skills, plus I'm pretty confident that Ryan will be able to play the 1 at a higher level than Lamb can once he works himself into the rotation. We won't know that for sure until he's allowed to play, but I'll be shocked if he doesn't contribute as much as if not more than Bazz did his freshman season.

If you look at this from the who's least expendable, Lamb probably is the answer though one could make an argument about how important PG play is to a team's success. Lamb withstanding, if you were to take any player off this team, the two that stick out as having the biggest impact would be Shabazz or Ryan. Few teams have been successful w/out having an adequate backup at the PG position. Hum...the more I think about this, the more I see how silly it is to pull Lamb from all this. IMO the best answer should be any one of Lamb, Bazz & Boatright. For this team to be among the nation's best, they need 3 players who can man the backcourt. You can steal a few minutes by playing Daniels or Giffey at the 2, but you can't play an entire season or survive and advance in the BET or NCAAs with just 2 guards. Last season they had 4 manning those two spots, Kemba, Lamb, Napier & Beverly. And of those 4, Kemba was a once-in-a-life-time player who could stay on the floor for 40 minutes and play at a very high level for about 38 of those minutes. We need the NCAA make a decision on Ryan ASAP. The longer they take and the longer he has to sit out, the longer it will be for him to play his way into the rotation and play at the level UConn needs.

 

[champs99and04]

Completely agree with everything. Olander is much improved and has played very well, but 36 min is too much. Id like to See Andre start with AO to get Andre into beast mode from the start and then to have a solid offensive option from a big off the bench who can give us 6 or 8 pts in limited minutes. Drummond comes in and does a lot of things but cant be counted on for offense this early on so Id like to see a more offensive minded option off the bench. Daniels is a beast. By the end of the season I see him emerging as our second offensive option and us running more and more plays for him, ala Jeremy Lamb at the end of last year. We need Alex to pick it up. And Id like to see Roscoe get into the flow of the offense a little more. And obv as with everyone, cant wait to see the Boatshow!! I think hes going to be really good. Hes so long, athletic, and fast and judging by his highlights he should be able to really score.

I definitely think it is possible for Daniels to become the second offensive option at some point this season. It seems like this season Jeremy is playing the role of Kemba (at least scoring wise) and playing it pretty well, but we still need somebody to play the role of last years Lamb, and I think that guy can be Daniels. Shabazz can definitely score, but with the lack of a ton of guys who can handle the ball, he will probably be asked to run the offense more than score.

Can't wait to get Boatright back. I think people will be suprised with how much better he will make the team, simply because it puts other guys in their natural positiions.

 

[champs99and04]

Sez who? He has earned his PT, it's up to others to beat him out. Last game when the team hit a spurt where they couldn't grab the ball, JC put Tyler back in and he grabbed a rebound after the next shot. I don't know what's up with Roscoe, he's had manos de piedra so far this year.

Something to consider:

Oriakhi had nine boards and eight points in 17 minutes, Drummond had eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks in eighteen minutes, while Olander had seven points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 33 minutes. So basically equal production except for the fact that Olander played twice as many minutes as the other two. So Olander has earned his minutes, but Oriakhi and Drummond are deserving of more minutes also.

 

[HuskyFan32]

The key is Shabazz. UConn has never had so many eggs in one basket on a player since Marcus Williams in 2006. We do not have a second guy that can dribble the ball against any kind of pressure defense. Teams like Louisville, Marquette and even St. Johns would eat us alive if Shabazz ever got hurt. Even a team like Georgetown that doesn't press but uses a lot of traps would kill us. We are Shabazz Napier.

I know it is conventional wisdom that every freshman is the program savior and every sophomore is a washout if he isn't a star already, but I would give Smith a little more time. It seems like he is thinking too much out there, and just has to play.

What about Lamb? His handle is much improved. Giffey, Daniels, and Roscoe can all handle the ball. Granted, theyre not great dribblers but they can all dribble it upcourt. And obviously when Boatright get back hell help immensley. This team has far more ball handlers than the 06 team which had one primary dribbler (williams) and one servicable one (Denham) and not much else. Gay wasnt a very good dribbler.

 

[TopDog18]

Sez who? He has earned his PT, it's up to others to beat him out. Last game when the team hit a spurt where they couldn't grab the ball, JC put Tyler back in and he grabbed a rebound after the next shot.

Olander has greatly improved this year. But to be playing 35 min a game makes no sense. Especially with Drummond only 15 mpg and AO 21 mpg. We will not be at our best with AO and AD playing that little this year. I also believe people are overrating his play due to his performance last year . He has definitely improved his overall play but he's playing 35 mpg and is only putting up 7ppg (5-13) and 7rpg and shooting. Those numbers aren't exactly earth shattering

Last game: AO 17 min 8 pts 9 reb
TO 33 min 7 pts 7 reb

And to say TO is outperforming AO and has earned playing time over AO is just not the case at all. Take last game, AO outperformed TO in half the minutes. Calhoun just has an extremely quick hook on AO this season thus far. Olander will be very valuable this season, as a serviceable backup. I know its early in the season but I want to see AO and especially AD develop during this cupcakes, because come Big East play these two will be our guys in the post. So hopefully we see both of them get more minutes tonight.

 

[champs99and04]

The key is Shabazz. UConn has never had so many eggs in one basket on a player since Marcus Williams in 2006. We do not have a second guy that can dribble the ball against any kind of pressure defense. Teams like Louisville, Marquette and even St. Johns would eat us alive if Shabazz ever got hurt. Even a team like Georgetown that doesn't press but uses a lot of traps would kill us. We are Shabazz Napier.

I know it is conventional wisdom that every freshman is the program savior and every sophomore is a washout if he isn't a star already, but I would give Smith a little more time. It seems like he is thinking too much out there, and just has to play.

Shabazz is definitely an important part of the team, but what I'm trying to get at here is that I have a better idea of what I'm getting out of Shabazz than I do Drummond and Daniels. We've seen Shabazz play plenty. I have confidence in him, I think most people have confidence in him. He's no Chris Paul but he is a decent passer, good shooter, and good defender. This is his first year running the point full time, but he did have experience last year with Kemba often playing off the ball.

Smith posted a bit of a concerning stat line the other night: 17 minutes, 1 point, 1 rebound, 0 blocks. I'm likely to give him a pass for what he was able to do last year but there is no doubt he has to step it up.

 

[champs99and04]

I was going to post something similar but you beat me to the punch. Although Boatright is the less heralded of the 3 freshman, I've felt all along that he might be the most important. (Skip to the last 2 paragraphs if you only want to read why I feel Boatright, along with Bazz & Lamb, are the keys to this team's success.)

Let me frame it this way. Coming into the season we had a few known commodities with the caveat we didn't know how much more they would develop. These are the players that we expect to fill major roles and should be capable of filling them:

Oriakhi, Lamb & Bazz

The next trio, Roscoe, Olander & Giffey, fit the category, at least in my mind coming into the season, as not-quite-sure commodities. These are players who contributed that I simply wasn't sure how high a ceiling they might have and if they would be able to elevate their games significantly enough to fill major roles. Of these 3, Tyler has been the biggest surprise so far. Roscoe has come out of the gate slowly. Hasn't quite picked up where he left off and even more importantly, taken his game up a notch. Hopefully he will as the season progresses. Giffey has been slowed by injury plus has a log jam of wings to climb over. His energy level and effort on D has been very good, though he's been a tad mistake prone.

The next pair, Bradley & Wolf, fit the cat of I-have-no-clue what they are capable of. One of the two would have been a more important cog if Drummond hadn't pulled his 180 and joined the program. So far JC seems to have little confidence in Wolf and is reluctant to give any of AO's, TO's or AD's minutes to him.

IMO, the Keys to success lie somewhere among the 3 freshman, though mostly on the shoulders of Ryan Boatright. UConn goes crazy deep at all positions except the 1 & 2. Since I don't think one season is enough for Drummond to develop into an consistent impact player, plus all the depth we have at the two post positions, I don't see him as a make-it or break-it ingredient to succeed this season. UConn proved it could win an NC last season without an offensive dominating front court.

As for Daniels, he's made a strong statement as far as UConn's best offensive wing, well 2nd best if Lamb ends up logging some minutes at the 3. Since the team has a lot of wing depth, the team would still be very good w/out a major contribution from him.

Last but far from least, Boatright is arguably the most important additive to UConn's recipe for success. He not only fills the back-up PG role, but the back-up 2G role as well. Add to that, I see JC using a 3-G set, again if you view Lamb as more a 2 than a 3, by putting him on the floor along with Bazz and Lamb. Without him this team has just 2 guards for the backcourt and the level of play will take a huge hit when having to sit either or both of them. Add Ryan to the mix and you not only have a player who can give those two a rest, but one that will keep the level of play at a high level. I'm not saying he's going to produce as well as Bazz or Lamb, but he's a huge upgrade compared to any other player that has been asked to eat up some backcourt minutes. IMO Lamb is so much more productive at the 2 or 3 than he is at the one. Being able to play Jeremy at the two wing positions for his full 35 to 40 minutes maximizes his skills, plus I'm pretty confident that Ryan will be able to play the 1 at a higher level than Lamb can once he works himself into the rotation. We won't know that for sure until he's allowed to play, but I'll be shocked if he doesn't contribute as much as if not more than Bazz did his freshman season.

If you look at this from the who's least expendable, Lamb probably is the answer though one could make an argument about how important PG play is to a team's success. Lamb withstanding, if you were to take any player off this team, the two that stick out as having the biggest impact would be Shabazz or Ryan. Few teams have been successful w/out having an adequate backup at the PG position. Hum...the more I think about this, the more I see how silly it is to pull Lamb from all this. IMO the best answer should be any one of Lamb, Bazz & Boatright. For this team to be among the nation's best, they need 3 players who can man the backcourt. You can steal a few minutes by playing Daniels or Giffey at the 2, but you can't play an entire season or survive and advance in the BET or NCAAs with just 2 guards. Last season they had 4 manning those two spots, Kemba, Lamb, Napier & Beverly. And of those 4, Kemba was a once-in-a-life-time player who could stay on the floor for 40 minutes and play at a very high level for about 38 of those minutes. We need the NCAA make a decision on Ryan ASAP. The longer they take and the longer he has to sit out, the longer it will be for him to play his way into the rotation and play at the level UConn needs.

Interesting post, and I agree with many of the observations you made. One point I disagree on is Drummond not being able to develop into a consistent impact player. Judging by his first four games or so, he's a bit more raw than I expected. That said, a kid with his combination of size, length, height, and athleticism should be an impact player so long as he works hard. That's not to say that Drummond isn't playing hard, but I think he's the type of kid who doesn't know how could he can be. Calhoun is a master at getting everything kids have if they are motivated enough. We don't need Drummond to score 20 a game or anything. It's the little things I'm most concerned with, such as rebounding, screening, and protecting the rim. If he does these things he will have a big impact.

Many have disagreed with my original point, and looked to Bazz and Boat as the two most important players. I think in terms of guys we can least afford to lose, Bazz, Boat, and Lamb are the three in some order, as you stated. At every other position we have depth. What I was talking about was more development than anything else. Drummond and Daniels are the two guys that I think need to develop into key contributers for this team to meet its potential.

 

[champs99and04]

Olander has greatly improved this year. But to be playing 35 min a game makes no sense. Especially with Drummond only 15 mpg and AO 21 mpg. We will not be at our best with AO and AD playing that little this year. I also believe people are overrating his play due to his performance last year . He has definitely improved his overall play but he's playing 35 mpg and is only putting up 7ppg (5-13) and 7rpg and shooting. Those numbers aren't exactly earth shattering

Last game: AO 17 min 8 pts 9 reb
TO 33 min 7 pts 7 reb

And to say TO is outperforming AO and has earned playing time over AO is just not the case at all. Take last game, AO outperformed TO in half the minutes. Calhoun just has an extremely quick hook on AO this season thus far. Olander will be very valuable this season, as a serviceable backup. I know its early in the season but I want to see AO and especially AD develop during this cupcakes, because come Big East play these two will be our guys in the post. So hopefully we see both of them get more minutes tonight.

That's definitely a good point. Olander is getting praise, and deservedly so, but I think his praise comes more relative to expectations. If Oriakhi was putting up the numbers Olander has been putting up I think many posters on here would still be disappointed. To me it seems like the classic case of Oriakhi getting the quick hook because Calhoun wants to let him know how important it is that he maintains focus as we move into the tougher part of our schedule. You would notice this in 09-10 as well, as Calhoun would often pull Dyson out of games quickly.

 

[freescooter]

The key is Shabazz. UConn has never had so many eggs in one basket on a player since Marcus Williams in 2006. We do not have a second guy that can dribble the ball against any kind of pressure defense. Teams like Louisville, Marquette and even St. Johns would eat us alive if Shabazz ever got hurt. Even a team like Georgetown that doesn't press but uses a lot of traps would kill us. We are Shabazz Napier.

I know it is conventional wisdom that every freshman is the program savior and every sophomore is a washout if he isn't a star already, but I would give Smith a little more time. It seems like he is thinking too much out there, and just has to play.

Agree with this analysis. We'll be a very good team even if Drummond never leaves the bench. We'll be very ordinary without Shabazz Napier.