Nika's Performances and Playing Time | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Nika's Performances and Playing Time

oldude said:
There is one thing that Nika does as well as anyone on UConn’s team, boxing out on the defensive boards. Watching Nika throw her body into opposing post players is like watching a honey badger take on a bear. Maybe Nika should play forward for the Huskies. ;)
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I've never seen a honey badger take on a bear, but I bet its worth watching.

Nika is my second favorite player behind AG.
 
All else aside Nika's future is in her own hands. If she performs well, we all know Geno will give her minutes, in all likelihood as a backup. Love her grit, hope she is able to surpass last season's output.
Welcome to the BY the best BB forum in the country, men's or women.
 
You would think that with her ability to apply some pressure defense, that she would get 12-15 minutes out there. With the amount of depth, we have on this team, I would be applying fullcourt pressure. Let the defense, in this case Nika's ability to be a pest out there, create the offense. 40 minutes of Hell.
 
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
 
LCConnFan said:
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
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Killer instinct and the ability to go up a gear in the 4th quarter when it’s needed against the top teams in close games. Both are missing. The problem is that we end the season with a lot of games where neither is needed to emerge victorious. You can’t just turn these things on like a light switch. Some coaches figure it out. Some don’t.
 
LCConnFan said:
The number 1 thing I have noticed about all the groups of UCONN's players, since 2017, is they don't have the 'killer instinct' like the girls before! Most years we had ones that loved to pet furry little kittens, BUT, when that buzzer sounded they'd rip your throat out if you got in their way. These girls are too nice, EXCEPT for Nika! She's the only one that has that UCONN Husky killer instinct that I have missed! It's also why I think we've lost in the final 4's. Mississippi State and Notre Dame ring a bell? Just sayin'.
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There are two notable oversights (UCONN players you want to have in a rock fight) IMO. Both of them were on the floor in the Mississippi State and a recent ND Notre Dame FF loss. I'll give you a major hint: an injury to one of them had a dramatic negative effect on the outcome of the most recent WNBA finals.
 
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With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
 
PacoSwede said:
which could be said about aaliyah, christyn, liv, aubrey and others. ... why is this a notable flaw of nika? a more notable flaw lies with players who lack nika's fire
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We'd all like to see more consistency from everyone on the roster. Still, being inconsistent is an especially 'notable flaw' of Nika because her high end contributions are considerably less impactful than those of at least Aaliyah, Christyn and Liv, and possibly Aubrey (although it's been a while...).
 
PacoSwede said:
which could be said about aaliyah, christyn, liv, aubrey and others. ... why is this a notable flaw of nika? a more notable flaw lies with players who lack nika's fire
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because Aaliyah and Liv provide more rim protection than nika; cristyn is inconsistent offensively but her ups are far better than Nika’s. Name one game Nika contributed more than Cristyn? Please name just one. (you can’t). Not even comparable. As for Aubrey, she doesn’t get much playing time herself but again is a much better defender. Aubrey is quicker, fouls less, and can defend both guards and forwards. True Aubrey is not consistent offensively but neither is Nika. At least the others provide better rim protection, quicker defense, and/or less fouls across the board than Nika.

I don’t understand how so many push that Nika is an amazing top notch player. Nika will have the opportunity to prove her self this weekend. Please taker her actual performance for face value and not “energy” “excitement” blah blah UConn has never out excited themselves to the championship. Skill is required. Including from Nika.
 
oldude said:
With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
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Where did you hear that? I don't even see it on the BY.:confused:
 
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oldude said:
With the news that Azzi is shut down for the next two weeks, Nika will undoubtedly get more PT in the next few games. I hope she comes up big, and I hope Azzi is completely healthy soon.
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is that a good or bad thing? Cause after the 1st 4 games I would much much rather see Caroline.
 
jchuskie said:
is that a good or bad thing? Cause after the 1st 4 games I would much much rather see Caroline.
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There’s a reason Caroline did not play vs SC. She is not ready just yet. Hopefully she will get there soon. Until then, Nika is the best option UConn has off the bench at guard.
 
Geno quoted yesterday on the UConn blog:

“[Fudd’s injury] certainly means more playing time for them. For sure,” Auriemma said of Ducharme and Mühl. “That means more opportunities for them. That means we’re asking more of them. Correct. And they both can do it. Obviously, they’re both capable. Nika showed us last year and Caroline has shown us pretty much every day in practice. But that hasn’t transferred over yet to games. But it will.”
 
oldude said:
There is a thread titled, “Azzi out for 2 weeks minimum.”
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Thank you. I saw it in a news article. The BY thread must have been deleted.
 
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This is a bit of a tangent to the main point of the OP, but I am really saddened by the number of lingering injuries the team is suffering from right now.

I think we all came into the season with high expectations not only of winning almost all of our games, but doing so with efficiency and that special UConn style of seamless flow, well executed cuts and passes, defensive clamp downs, etc.

So disappointing that so many of the players aren't yet able to be at full capacity.
 
Somehow her game really reminds me or Lauren Dixon, just with a better perimeter shot. Seems odd since athletically they are very different. She is a pesky defender, but has a tendency to drive to the basket without much of a plan. Getting caught in the air with no options often leads to her turnovers. I’d like to see her settle in offensively. Facilitate ball movement, hit open shots within the flow, and find open teammates. She’s doesn’t need to be a big time scorer, so if she can do these things, her defense will continue earn her run time.
 
jchuskie said:
is that a good or bad thing? Cause after the 1st 4 games I would much much rather see Caroline.
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In blowouts, expect to see Nika get more time but she appears to also be fighting some physical issues. In close games, I expect that Evina will get more PT.
 
HopJim said:
In blowouts, expect to see Nika get more time but she appears to also be fighting some physical issues. In close games, I expect that Evina will get more PT.
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Evina is a starter so yes she’ll get more time than Nika in close games. Did you mean you expect Caroline to get more time than Nika in close games? Thanks!
 
Kaizen said:
Welcome to BY. Nika will not be a starter this year (may be next year) but she will be in Geno's rotation. I also think she has great potential. And wish she has a fast recovery of her foot injury.
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Unfortunately Nika has limited offensive skills. Really is a poor 3 point shooter and cannot drive to the hoop. She scores must of her points off steals that she perfected.
I do really admire her grit and toughness and I do root for her, but she is under skilled offensively against the top competition that UCONN must figure out how to beat this year.
 
oldude said:
There is a thread titled, “Azzi out for 2 weeks minimum.”
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And according to Geno's post game press conference, it's that nagging back issue again with Aubrey Griffin that has her out indefinitely. That kid can't catch a break.
 
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Cuango said:
While I like Nika, I believe she has been overrated continuously since she arrived at UConn. Sure, she is a gritty, tough player but beyond that has not done a whole lot to warrant the exaggerated (imo) praise she receives from many on this board. She is not a strong shooter/scorer, she turns the ball over more than she should, not a great free throw shooter, can’t create her own shot, and doesn’t draw a lot of fouls. Having said that, (counting down to indignant criticism) she is/was a solid backup for Paige and when Paige was the primary scorer last year she fairly ably ran the point so Geno could play Paige off the ball in an attempt to get more scoring from his primary weapon. This year however, she is hurt, competing with at least two, perhaps three, players who are clearly more talented and who offer things that she simply cannot compete with (Shooting, size, athleticism) even under optimal circumstances. Her strength is in her toughness, aggression, and the example that she sets with those attributes. However, for whatever reason (injury?) she has not brought those to the table yet and finds herself struggling to remain relevant on a team where she desperately needs those attributes to maintain her position in front of more talented teammates. I wish her well, but I believe her minutes are going to be severely curtailed as Azzi, Aubrey, Caroline, and maybe even Mir are simply more talented players.
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As stated by Geno when she was inserted as a starter the team played its best last year. The Arizona game she played only 20 minutes on a bad leg, didn't start came in after Arizona built the lead they would hold.
 
JBK said:
Unfortunately Nika has limited offensive skills. Really is a poor 3 point shooter and cannot drive to the hoop. She scores must of her points off steals that she perfected.
I do really admire her grit and toughness and I do root for her, but she is under skilled offensively against the top competition that UCONN must figure out how to beat this year.
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I believe as a starter her 3 point average was over 40%.
 
JBK said:
Unfortunately Nika has limited offensive skills. Really is a poor 3 point shooter and cannot drive to the hoop. She scores must of her points off steals that she perfected.
I do really admire her grit and toughness and I do root for her, but she is under skilled offensively against the top competition that UCONN must figure out how to beat this year.
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It's completely unfounded to draw this conclusion ("really a poor 3 point shooter") based apparently on tonight's game. Remember that she had an 0-for-America period from the 3-point line at the beginning of last season that lasted longer than this, but eventually (when she played a lot of minutes) she became a credible 3-point shooter.

I think that she and Caroline are in the same boat. If they got a lot more minutes, their play would improve markedly, but it's a Catch-22 because Geno can't afford to give them a lot more minutes until they are more productive.

I think it will work out for both of them, but it may take until mid-January for that to happen.
 
Nick Pignatello said:
I believe as a starter her 3 point average was over 40%.
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@Nick Pignatello
Why can’t you take her games now at face value? She has not showed any improvement in 5 games this year and a whole summer and fall to practice. Not only does she get a chance to prove herself in practice, she also proves each game this year. Cristyn was phenomenal her freshman year but has regressed. No one judges Cristyn based on her freshman year they judge her based on NOW. You should do the same for Nika. Base her game for face value in what she’s doing right now.
 
LoboDays said:
What we don’t know is how Nika will react to having a lesser role this season than she had last season.
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I love how Nika plays the game, BUT if I remember correctly she stayed at UCONN and worked on her game during the summer. Watching her this year (small sample size) she clearly didn't work on her shooting. She has been awful from outside so far. She has to improve if she wants to play.
 
Bills Fan said:
I love how Nika plays the game, BUT if I remember correctly she stayed at UCONN and worked on her game during the summer. Watching her this year (small sample size) she clearly didn't work on her shooting. She has been awful from outside so far. She has to improve if she wants to play.
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Nika and Caroline are in the same boat. The harder they try, the worse they get. They want it so bad.
 
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