Jalen Adams as a Freshman

[JMick]

As far as stamina, being a fan of boxing I've learned that some guys with bad stamina work on their conditioning all the time and yet they still tire out easier than other guys. Often times having bad stamina is just genetic, which is possibly the case here.

You are right about his outside shot but to me the biggest thing is his regression with his handle. He has never had great handle for a pg, but it seems to have gotten worse, especially this season. I guess it could be mental but for some reason I can't really picture Jalen doing 2 ball dribbling drills for an hour every day in the summer like guards that want to be great do.

Stamina definitely has a genetic component. I never had any. Used to spend 3 hours a day on conditioning during the off season when i played football. 5AM morning workouts and then again after school. I improved my speed but never really increased my endurance. Seems like science backs it to a point

'Endurance gene' for Olympic-level athletes: Genetic basis for muscle endurance discovered in animal study

 

[joober jones]

I remember when he was a freshman he was benched for a half because he was mad at someone on the team for not giving enough effort. What happened to that Jalen?

 

[Excalibur]

If I'm playing amateur psychologist, I just don't think he handles adversity well. He seemed to have fire as a freshman, and early in his sophomore year he did take over some games, but once it was clear that we weren't winning his play slipped dramatically. He looked like he was buying in again early this year, but as a square peg playing off the ball in the round hole of our current lineup, he just looks disengaged.

 

[Kenny11]

If I'm playing amateur psychologist, I just don't think he handles adversity well. He seemed to have fire as a freshman, and early in his sophomore year he did take over some games, but once it was clear that we weren't winning his play slipped dramatically. He looked like he was buying in again early this year, but as a square peg playing off the ball in the round hole of our current lineup, he just looks disengaged.

I agree although on Saturday at least he looked very locked in on defense which was nice.

 

[Edward Sargent]

I dunno but at some point this season Jalen may have realized he's not making the NBA

 

[auror]

I know we’re all frustrated but the scapegoating of JA is infantile. How many times are you and others going to post analysis of his body language to try and prove something that the numbers don’t show? Here are some actual facts.

He’s 6th among AAC guards in effective FG% so he’s scoring pretty efficiently. 1:1 assist:turnover is not great but since Hurley can’t be criticized because of our awful front court, how can Jalen be?

..

JA is no Kemba or Bazz and he’s probably not even the best guard in the league, so not what we all hoped for. But he’s not a disaster - he’s a damn good player that stuck it out. He does not deserve to be a scapegoat - he deserves a fair accounting of his time here.

In the games against the 7 non cupcakes so far...
44% from 2, 32% from 3 with 4.2 TO/G on 26% possession usage (22% turnover rate) with a negative assist/turnover ratio.

He's not garbage, but he's just not where a senior lead guard should be.

 

[HuskyFich]

Now I definitely hoped and believed Jalen might make big strides this year, but...

Just a basic question for anyone who thinks they’re a coach and has identified all the “flaws” and problems with JA....

If you are gameplanning against UConn, would you..

A) Shut down JA and hope everyone else beats you

B) Play a zone that makes JA less impactful

C) Play switch on all players defensively not allowing JA to curl and penetrate on ball screens...making him dish it to a big or another player

D) All the above

No one on this roster besides JA scares any team on their own. Just facts.

Also high tempo offense usually means more turnovers, less dribbling, and more scoring....all have happened this year(I year one of a new system)

Jalen hasn’t become Kemba or Bazz, but he also doesn’t have an Oriakhi, a Deandre or a Boatright.


Get off his ass.

 

[uconngb]

I know we’re all frustrated but the scapegoating of JA is infantile. How many times are you and others going to post analysis of his body language to try and prove something that the numbers don’t show? Here are some actual facts.

He’s 6th among AAC guards in effective FG% so he’s scoring pretty efficiently. 1:1 assist:turnover is not great but since Hurley can’t be criticized because of our awful front court, how can Jalen be?

He played 38 mins a game last year and 30 this year - but let’s criticize him for “tugging at his shorts.

Most importantly, he’s answered the bell time and time again - he’s played hurt (ankle 2? years ago), he’s played 45 mins in an OT game, and most of all, he’s stuck with a program that many haven’t. And let’s face it - this has been an absolute debacle for 3 years. Everyone focuses on the fact that he hasn’t given us what we expected, but do you think he’s gotten what he expected from his time here?

Lastly, anyone who can’t bring themselves to criticize Hurley because of the frontcourt (the “USF is talented” or “we’re playing 3 on 5” crew), shouldn’t criticize the player most impacted by opposing teams being able to key on him.

JA is no Kemba or Bazz and he’s probably not even the best guard in the league, so not what we all hoped for. But he’s not a disaster - he’s a damn good player that stuck it out. He does not deserve to be a scapegoat - he deserves a fair accounting of his time here.

Kemba played 37 minutes a game his junior year. Shabazz averaged 36 minutes a game for his last 3 years. I don't ever remember them sucking as much wind, and they had the ball just as much, if not more, than Jalen does. As a 20-year old kid who should be in the prime shape of their lives, you shouldn't always look like you're exhausted. I think a lot of his careless turnovers area a direct function of how tired he is. I honestly believe there is a causal relationship. You may disagree.

 

[JMick]

I remember when he was a freshman he was benched for a half because he was mad at someone on the team for not giving enough effort. What happened to that Jalen?

It's almost like the fire was coached out of him or something...

 

[joober jones]

Playing off the ball doesn't work for him. I had concerns of this when AG came back, as JA almost always played poorly in the past when Gilbert was in there with him playing the point.