Josh Carlton our go-to guy appreciation thread | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Josh Carlton our go-to guy appreciation thread

Chin Diesel said:
What I like when I see Josh making those passes is it means he has been able to slow down the game enough to not only understand what he should be doing but where his teammates should be open based on the defense.

His execution of those passes? Needs some work on touch and location. Some too high, some too low, some too fast, some too slow.

As I said in the Section 121 thread, by next year I expect to see some to Josh to Polley or Josh to Sid alley oops when those players rush the hoop along the baseline from the weakside.

At this point it's apparent Josh has a good touch around the hoop and is showing he can score in a couple of different ways around the rim. He's bordering on becoming crafty.
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This is a good point. While he didn’t make every pass he attempted, I view the fact that he was looking for an open teammate when he was defended well as a huge positive.
 
Rico444 said:
He's getting more consistent as the year goes on. He rarely puts up a complete stinker of a game anymore - he's had a few bad halves lately but always seems to turn things around later in the game. He could turn into a really good player for us as soon as next year if he keeps improving and gets bigger this off-season.
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I agree. Also think that as he earns a better reputation, he'll get a better whistle. That plus more experience should help him get over the consistent foul trouble hurdle that he's still trying to clear.

He lacks springy athleticism but he has a great frame (it's not filled out enough yet but the frame itself is great). He's wider than most of the guys he's going against and he's been using that to his advantage more and more. He's starting to get quite good at moving with a driver down the side of the lane and blocking the ball to himself off the backboard, especially to his right. That's such a huge play to be able to make down the stretch of games.

Add a little more athleticism and strength in the gym and he should make an All Conference team or two over the next couple of years.
 
Josh continues to improve and showed some nice moves yesterday. He is certainly along with AG, one of the building blocks for the next two seasons.
 
Wow u guys are reaching with Carlton here- All conference center? Let’s pump
The brakes a bit. If he can string together 3 or 4 games like yestrday to end the season , I’ll jump more on board but he very easily cud put up garbage Thursday night. I know he’s only a sophomore but he’s pretty much been starting for two straight years here so it’s actually like he’s a junior- minutes-wise. I hope he does well but for me the jury still out Till I see more.
 
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(Areas that are highlighted are improvements from previous year over same period. Red circles are regressions. Highlight with red underline are larger or more important jumps.)

I took a look at Carlton's stats the last 2 years. KenPom breaks it down by conference and overall (including conference), so you can view from several different angles.

My takeaways:

He's improved in most areas. Reeeeally nice to see after the wasteland of big (and overall player) development the last few years. His 2pt shooting greatly ticking up even with more usage is a very good sign for the future.

He's getting to the foul line way more often this year, and slightly increased that rate in conference games against better teams, so it's not just the cupcakes being too small to match up. On the downside, his FT shooting % has regressed a bit, especially in conference play, which is dragging down his efficiency. If he improves in that area alongside further general improvement, his ORTG will spike to elite levels (Big IF for a center, although just getting back to his freshman numbers will do wonders).

His conference defensive rebounding has been very good and that's the first time in years we've had an adequately defensive rebounding center. And his offensive rebounding is still stellar (and even slightly improved from already really good).

I've talked in the past about UConn's poor numbers defending the rim (UConn's defense needs to improve 40% mark), so I'm not getting super giddy about his block rate until that changes. He has cut down on the fouls a bit, although they're still on the higher side.

His turnover rate is still a bit high overall, notably in-conference play as he's taken more possessions. Hopefully this improves as everyone gets more comfortable in Hurley's offense and their roles next year.
 
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I’m much more comfortable about next season with Josh anchoring the 5. He has 2 more years to develop and if he gets some real help down there we could become a legitimate threat in the AAC. We’re going to have guards to go with him, but for the millionth time Hurley has to come thru.
 
ucp990411 said:
Ok. Role player at best. Also a big contributor to our academic issues if I remember correctly
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Giffey? I don't think he had anything to do with our academic troubles. I'm pretty sure he was a fixture on the Dean's List.
 
Carlton has scored at least 10 points 7 times in conference play, did it only 3 times in non conference. Carlton has at least 8 rebounds 7 times in conference play, did it only 3 times in non conference.

If he has 2 strong games to end the season (10/8 lines), then he will have scored 10 points or more in half of the conference games and have at least 8 rebounds in half of the conference games. Don't think anyone would have predicted that mid December. Hats off to the coaching staff for the work they have done with him. Really excited to see how much further Carlton can progress.

While it sucks we missed on a few key big men on the recruiting trail, this dude has stepped up in the middle and bought Hurley & Co time to find some quality bigs. Now maybe we can grab a grad transfer for next year and focus on finding some centers in the 2020 class.
 
auror said:
I've talked in the past about UConn's poor numbers defending the rim (UConn's defense needs to improve 40% mark), so I'm not getting super giddy about his block rate until that changes. He has cut down on the fouls a bit, although they're still on the higher side.

His turnover rate is still a bit high overall, notably in-conference play as he's taken more possessions. Hopefully this improves as everyone gets more comfortable in Hurley's offense and their roles next year.
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He's getting better at not putting it on the floor, but still does it way to much. He's gotta make decisions quicker, and with more authority. Gotten better about clearing out his man with his body, but still pretty deficient in that area.

I don't think Block % is ever going to be that high for him, given his lack of athleticism, and lack of elite height/length to go with it His anticipation and positioning can definitely improve in that area tho.
 
intlzncster said:
He's getting better at not putting it on the floor, but still does it way to much. He's gotta make decisions quicker, and with more authority. Gotten better about clearing out his man with his body, but still pretty deficient in that area.

I don't think Block % is ever going to be that high for him, given his lack of athleticism, and lack of elite height/length to go with it His anticipation and positioning can definitely improve in that area tho.
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What? One of Carlton' strength is he doesn't put the ball on the floor. On offensive rebounds he keeps the ball up. On the give and goes the ball stays high. He puts the ball on the floor when he gets it away from the basket but only rarely otherwise.
 
Palatine said:
What? One of Carlton' strength is he doesn't put the ball on the floor. On offensive rebounds he keeps the ball up. On the give and goes the ball stays high. He puts the ball on the floor when he gets it away from the basket but only rarely otherwise.
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I see him do it on rebounds, when he's looking to go back up with it. It's how he gathers himself sometimes. And that's one reason they get the ball, whether on a turnover, or getting blocked/forced into a bad shot as the defense recovers.
 
Probably just coincidence, but he seemed to get going after Cockburn committed to Illinois.

I think the big thing is that refs are letting him bang a little and be aggressive. I'm also seeing less of guards crashing into him and him being called for a foul when he would go straight up.

I still would love to see him develop a consistent 12 foot jumpshot.

Also, it looks like the footwork is improving on the offensive end.
 
I love Josh's aggressiveness. He knows what he wants to do when he catches the ball and he's decisive about doing it.

I'm not concerned about bringing in a 5 for next year anymore. Josh is going to be all-conference by his senior year (if it takes that long).
 
The kid is skilled. Now he has experience and confidence. I am totally good with Josh being the starter at Center for the next two years. Its the 3 and the 4 that are real concerns, although Akok at the 4 should be a big help.
 
Rico444 said:
I love Josh's aggressiveness. He knows what he wants to do when he catches the ball and he's decisive about doing it.

I'm not concerned about bringing in a 5 for next year anymore. Josh is going to be all-conference by his senior year (if it takes that long).
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You want a good five just to challenge him. But, yeah, as he develops he looks better and better.
 
tzznandrew said:
You want a good five just to challenge him. But, yeah, as he develops he looks better and better.
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I mean yeah, I would prefer to get one this year opposed to next year. But I was worried that we didn't have one lined up for 2019 as of a few weeks ago. Not anymore.
 
His last pass and then the mugging from Alston.

#carltoning
 
Since my post...two great post-up moves and gets a steal!
 

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