I'm just talking about progression on one end of the floor. Mullins is a better athlete and can mask some mistakes with it.
I just think they both have high B-Ball IQ's and are instinctual players. Even reading a missed shot and generally where the ball is going to go after it hits the rim seems like something they have in common.
I really just meant that is was a real struggle for both of them early and they got a lot better and both had to shake off early season nagging injuries.
This is as good a spot to chime in. Note the following isn't a criticism on your (Spaceman's) post. In fact I agree with what you posted. With that said...
Do people realize you're all trying to compare a 24 year old seasoned 5th year college senior, that few to no one thought would find his way to the NBA, to a 19 year old college freshman, that many projected as a one-and-done lottery pick?
Cam arrived at UConn as an experienced, Uber-competitive and crafty baller, which few to no one saw coming. His game was and is still below the rim. We all agree that he has plus BBIQ that helps him quickly learn complex schemes, create space for his shot, make purposeful passes and play pretty good defensive for player who doesn't possess NBA blow by your defender and above the rim athleticism. He's also a very accurate shooter both midrange and beyond the arc.
Braylon is less than half way through his freshman season, not to mention one where he missed the first 6 games and was probably not at a 100% till who knows when. A byproduct of missing those early games was his inability to defend without fouling. Remember all those horrible reach-ins and out-of-position bumping fouls that resulted in foul trouble, keeping him off floor. Now that he's healthy and has more game experience, just watching the way he moves, you can see he's much more athletic than Cam. He gets off his 3 ball a lot quicker than Cam and probably most NBA sharp shooters. Has similar high offensive instincts, but not yet as crafty and mature as Cam showed during his 5th year of college hoops.
I find it hard to compare them defensively, again due to the huge difference in experience, plus the much better defensive supporting cast Cam played with compared to this years squad. Spencer struggled early on the defensive end of the floor but gradually improved, though much of UConn's perimeter defensive limitations, sans Castle's lock down capabilities, was masked by their team D concept and paint eraser Donavan Clingan. This year's bigs aren't nearly at his level, so when Braylon and his fellow perimeter players don't get a good angle on who they're covering, the team help and paint defenders just aren't there to make up for that. With that said, their team D has been improving and their defensive metrics are surprising very good despite some of their lapses.
I don't think many here realize how hard it is to keep an athletic and skilled ball handler in front of you without some solid help D. In college and in the pros there are only a handful who can do that consistently and they get schooled from time to time. I see Braylon as plenty athletic to develop into a very good defender, but he just needs time to learn to defend more instinctively and to get stronger, especially at the next level where they allow much more physical contact.
To put this into perspective, we all see young players enter the NBA and struggle to stay and even get on the floor because they're such a liability on the defensive end of the floor. But after a few years of physical practices and whatever game time they could get (including G-League experience that didn't exist till recent years) plus working hard in the weight room to get stronger, some turn into pretty good defenders along with an improved all around game. It's not like they're getting anymore athletic. It's a combination of improved strength, instincts, technique and experience. Cam had some of that as a 5th year senior, which is why he's getting meaningful NBA PT in just his second season, while Braylon is showing his youth and lack of experience, a reason why he's not the complete college player Cam was during most of his 1 season at UConn.
Comparing these two, who share some similar traits but possess some differences is difficult to do primarily due to the vast differences in their experience during their one season at UConn, not to mention how far Braylon's improvement might be by the time they begin tournament play.
With the small amount of visual data, perceiving them as similar players has never jumped off the page for me. In fact, I've found it difficult to come up with any current or past player to compare Braylon to. Usually, right or wrong, I come up with someone, but no one comes to mind, and definitely not Cam Spencer, who is one of my all time favorite Huskies.
