More Praise for Napier from ESPN Daily Word

[EdgewoodNHV]

http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/dailyword131121/daily-word

 

[UChusky916]

I think Brennan put it best:

I think he's figured it all out. Napier has always been a dangerous combination of scoring and playmaking at the point guard spot, but he's never quite found the balance between creating points and creating for others.

It helps that he has weapons on the floor all around him, but finding the BALANCE of passing and shooting is key.

I think we'll see more and more of the talking heads mentioning Shabazz as the season progresses. This is only the beginning.

 

[ctchamps]

I think Brennan put it best:


It helps that he has weapons on the floor all around him, but finding the BALANCE of passing and shooting is key.

I think we'll see more and more of the talking heads mentioning Shabazz as the season progresses. This is only the beginning.

I have a slight different take. Last season the team necessitated Shabazz play the way he did. This season the team is different and he has adapted his play accordingly. He figured things out last season. Now a number of other players on the team are figuring things out as well.

 

[upstater]

Lots of ESPN.com hype about tonight's game

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...boston-college-next-acc-sleeper-espn-magazine

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9997467&categoryid=2459792

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation

2K SPORTS CLASSIC (New York City)
Connecticut vs. Boston College, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Indiana vs. Washington, 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Need to know: Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier appears to have finally found his sweet spot. Napier has posted a 135.5 offensive rating thus far. It's still early, of course, but that's a 20-point increase over last season's efficiency metric, despite Napier using almost exactly the same number of possessions in 2013-14 (24.4) as in 2012-13 (24.3). The difference? Fewer shots. Napier is hoisting just 17.9 percent of available attempts this year, down from 24.0 last season, and his assist rate has leapt from 27.9 to 36.3. He's shot just seven 3s; he's made six. This is all small-sample-size-disclaimer stuff, of course, but it is worth noting: Napier is keeping UConn's top-10-level offense humming less through scoring than everything else. Against Boston College -- a slightly disappointing 1-3 team with an efficient offense and a downright brutal (ranked 294th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency-level brutal) defense -- Napier's smooth command should be on full display.

Here's Jeff Goodman on point guards, not on the game, but the need for PGs:

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/jeff-goodman/post?id=1253

It’s difficult to win a national title without a quality point guard. Peyton Siva led Louisville a season ago, and Marquis Teague was a first-round pick on Kentucky’s loaded national title squad in 2011-12. UConn had Kemba Walker, Ty Lawson led North Carolina to the title in 2008-09 and Kansas had a pair in Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins.

Let’s face it: You aren’t cutting down the nets without a high-level point guard. Just look at North Carolina when the Tar Heels lost Kendall Marshall a couple of seasons ago. They didn’t have a shot.

Teams that don’t have to worry at all about their point guard situations in 2013-14: Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Gonzaga and Notre Dame. I’m not concerned about Kentucky, Florida and Syracuse -- even though all three will likely have freshmen at the controls.

It’s time to take a look at quality teams that have question marks at the position, and we start with a program that could wind up cutting down the nets if the point guard spot is solidified.

 

[HooperScooper]

And none of them even mentioned his insane rebounding numbers for a PG. I guess maybe because they know that won't continue. Well, as long as the players up front start carrying their load!