Our bigs - a two headed monster

[WhereistheDove?]

Samson has not been “pretty damn good” offensively. The lob game is either there for him or it isn’t. That’s why his FG% is so high.

Reed definitely shows tons of promise

I’m hoping we’ve turned a corner in getting Samson involved offensively. It looked far better against Texas than it has the rest of the year. It has definitely been more of a struggle against the teams that run auto-switching so it will be interesting to see how we look against that next time we see it.

 

[SubbaBub]

There are two of them, which means they each only need to average better than a foul every 5 minutes. It shouldn't be that difficult.

 

[boog204]

Honorable mention to Singare who did a decent job filling in for the the twice foul committed Samson and Taris on the bench in the 1st half. I was very encouraged, aside from his added penchant for fouling in the few minutes he was in the game. I hope Coach Dan continues to give him some meaningful minutes beyond garbage time at the end of a big win.

I don't. Look he did a decent job. Key word is decent. He looked totally raw and out of his element, committed four fouls in 8 minutes, and caught a rebound while flatfooted. Now we didn't regress when he was in, and that was good, but let's not make it sound like we should giving him minutes. There is a reason that he doesn't play. Seems like a great, great kid, but he's still a total project. The lasting memory of him scoring garbage points against third string A-10 players in a scrimmage and becoming a "secret weapon" is baffling to me.

 

[ctbro1999]

All I know is I'd like our bigs to continue to shoot 78% from the field.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Kid can't win with some people on here. Plays two great games and the commentary after Baylor was about a foul he committed on a missed rebound.

He does need to rebound more. 5.5 rbs/40 mins is comically low for a Center. Fouls suck, he isn’t super strong so he’s at a disadvantage, but establishing position and grabbing boards is very necessary.

 

[alphasigko]

I don’t see how you can argue we are keeping the superior player on the bench. Reed is getting more minutes than Johnson. The plan was always to rotate both players at center. What difference does it make who starts?

Reed starting delays SJ from committing his 1st foul during the 1st 2 minutes of the game.

 

[cp176]

Alex Karaban looks (and is) the best player on the team. Let's not be silly

I cannot imagine this team moving forward without his leadership not to even mention his playing ability. Unless people here want to see the keys to the city turned over to a freshman still feeling his way, Alex Karaban gets annoited not only our best player but our leader as well.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

He does need to rebound more. 5.5 rbs/40 mins is comically low for a Center. Fouls suck, he isn’t super strong so he’s at a disadvantage, but establishing position and grabbing boards is very necessary.

That can be true and this place can also be unbearable when the same three people rush to comment about a missed rebound after he was just instrumental in helping us get a desperately needed win. It shouldn't be impossible to maintain two thoughts at once.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

That can be true and this place can also be unbearable when the same three people rush to comment about a missed rebound after he was just instrumental in helping us get a desperately needed win. It shouldn't be impossible to maintain two thoughts at once.

He sure did play a huge part in us winning. I think the accumulation of missed rebounds is what frustrates, not necessarily just 1.

 

[uchusky32]

Our bigs...will set the record for most fouls from the center position this year?

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I’m hoping we’ve turned a corner in getting Samson involved offensively. It looked far better against Texas than it has the rest of the year. It has definitely been more of a struggle against the teams that run auto-switching so it will be interesting to see how we look against that next time we see it.

If I remember correctly, Texas did a ton of auto-switching vs. us. I think we've studied some film and have started to counter this more effectively. Payoff starting to show in the Baylor and Texas games

 

[superjohn]

That can be true and this place can also be unbearable when the same three people rush to comment about a missed rebound after he was just instrumental in helping us get a desperately needed win. It shouldn't be impossible to maintain two thoughts at once.

We all know he stinks at rebounding and he fouls way too much but if people can't recognize he's been pretty damn good when he's on the court they are just focusing on the negative with him. Being the best lob threat in the country and one of the best shot blockers is a pretty good little package to have. If our guards are seeing him on the roll it's a guaranteed two points and he's taking away two points on the other end with his blocks.

Tarris isn't a lob threat and he still gets lost too much on defense but he's basically an automatic bucket when we feed him in the post and he gobbles up rebounds like crazy.

We know the negatives but the positives far outweigh them, center is again a strength for this team.

 

[husky429]

We all know he stinks at rebounding and he fouls way too much but if people can't recognize he's been pretty damn good when he's on the court they are just focusing on the negative with him. Being the best lob threat in the country and one of the best shot blockers is a pretty good little package to have. If our guards are seeing him on the roll it's a guaranteed two points and he's taking away two points on the other end with his blocks.

Tarris isn't a lob threat and he still gets lost too much on defense but he's basically an automatic bucket when we feed him in the post and he gobbles up rebounds like crazy.

We know the negatives but the positives far outweigh them, center is again a strength for this team.

If you could put the two together, you'd have the perfect player that fouls out in 10 minutes.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

He does need to rebound more. 5.5 rbs/40 mins is comically low for a Center. Fouls suck, he isn’t super strong so he’s at a disadvantage, but establishing position and grabbing boards is very necessary.

Look, it drives me crazy that he misses ~2-3 rebounds per game due to the combination of body type, bad positioning, and/or butterfingers.

However, you have to take the frustrating with the (very) good, and the guy is also averaging 2.6 assists & 6.4 stocks per 40. I'm not sure how that ranks with all other centers, but I did do a quick check of some of the top ones:

Dickinson - 3.1 & 4.4
Kalkbrenner - 1.6 & 4.4
Ballo - 3.5 & 4.1
Omoruyi - 1.7 & 3.2
Goldin - 1.3 % 3.7
Wolf - 4.2 & 4.6

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Look, it drives me crazy that he misses ~2-3 rebounds per game due to the combination of body type, bad positioning, and/or butterfingers.

However, you have to take the frustrating with the (very) good, and the guy is also averaging 2.6 assists & 6.4 stocks per 40. I'm not sure how that ranks with all other centers, but I did do a quick check of some of the top ones:

Dickinson - 3.1 & 4.4
Kalkbrenner - 1.6 & 4.4
Ballo - 3.5 & 4.1
Omoruyi - 1.7 & 3.2
Goldin - 1.3 % 3.7
Wolf - 4.2 & 4.6

I’m not a Samson hater, I love his game, he’s exciting and works his tail off. He just needs to stay on the floor. Half his fouls are really avoidable, like reaching in on a rebound that has already been gobbled by the opponent, or bringing arms down on a guy who is 6 inches shorter than him. Just knock 1-2 of those out a game and he is so much better for us.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Usual warnings about sample sizes, and getting lost in stats without considering "eye test"...and of course these are not direct comparisons of interchanging Samson w/ Tarris and keeping everything else in the lineup the same...

But here's stats & metrics vs. Top 100 teams from HoopExplorer. Includes the Maui Stinker games plus Baylor & Texas....the lineup breakdowns are at the bottom of the stats.

Samson on the court (excluded the double-big possessions vs. Baylor):

Tarris on the court (excluded the double-big possessions vs. Baylor):

Notables:

• The differential in NetRtg (Difference in Adjusted Pts per 100 possessions for Offense vs. Defense) is about 20pts higher for Samson lineups vs. Tarris lineups. Of course, some of this can be explained by different lineups as well, but overall team performance doesn't favor Tarris.
• The OR% (Offensive Rebound %) is 26.8% for Samson lineups, while the Defensive Rebound % is 59.5%. Both are below D1 average. Not a surprise given the eye test.
• Same stats for Tarris lineups improve for both OR% (33.7%) and DR is 75.8%

If you look at the Shot Charts:

• With Samson in, our offensive efficiency has been elite both from 3 and at the rim (all shades of green, above D1 averages). Our Rim protection on defense has also been well above D1 averages
• With Tarris in, the offense doesn't click as well yet. Though we do similar close to the rim. Our overall rim protection on D is significantly worse.

In case you were wondering, all of these data look substantially better for all lineups vs. Baylor & Texas. Let's hope it continues to trend in this direction on Saturday vs. the Zags!

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I’m not a Samson hater, I love his game, he’s exciting and works his tail off. He just needs to stay on the floor. Half his fouls are really avoidable, like reaching in on a rebound that has already been gobbled by the opponent, or bringing arms down on a guy who is 6 inches shorter than him. Just knock 1-2 of those out a game and he is so much better for us.

Agree 1,000,000%

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Samson and Reeds fouls probably result in about 10 added free throws per game to opponent. Whether its by allowing them to shoot the 1 and 1 faster or with actual fouls on opponents while shooting. They need to learn to give up a bucket now and when they are beaten badly. And completely stop reaching at 35 feet from the hoop. The Bigs are probably 1000 to 1 fouls to steal ratio when 35 feet from the hoop.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Usual warnings about sample sizes, and getting lost in stats without considering "eye test"...and of course these are not direct comparisons of interchanging Samson w/ Tarris and keeping everything else in the lineup the same...

But here's stats & metrics vs. Top 100 teams from HoopExplorer. Includes the Maui Stinker games plus Baylor & Texas....the lineup breakdowns are at the bottom of the stats.

Samson on the court (excluded the double-big possessions vs. Baylor):
View attachment 105354

Tarris on the court (excluded the double-big possessions vs. Baylor):
View attachment 105355

Notables:

• The differential in NetRtg (Difference in Adjusted Pts per 100 possessions for Offense vs. Defense) is about 20pts higher for Samson lineups vs. Tarris lineups. Of course, some of this can be explained by different lineups as well, but overall team performance doesn't favor Tarris.
• The OR% (Offensive Rebound %) is 26.8% for Samson lineups, while the Defensive Rebound % is 59.5%. Both are below D1 average. Not a surprise given the eye test.
• Same stats for Tarris lineups improve for both OR% (33.7%) and DR is 75.8%

If you look at the Shot Charts:

• With Samson in, our offensive efficiency has been elite both from 3 and at the rim (all shades of green, above D1 averages). Our Rim protection on defense has also been well above D1 averages
• With Tarris in, the offense doesn't click as well yet. Though we do similar close to the rim. Our overall rim protection on D is significantly worse.

In case you were wondering, all of these data look substantially better for all lineups vs. Baylor & Texas. Let's hope it continues to trend in this direction on Saturday vs. the Zags!

If they work Samson in to the offense like they did against Baylor and Texas, I’m not surprised the offensive metrics are better. He is just such a unique skillset in offense and such an athletic mismatch against almost every other big. The offense against Texas looked better and more dynamic with him in the lineup, full stop.

The biggest problem is that he’s just not capable of creating on his own. His looks have to be system-manufactured, unlike Tarris who can get the ball down low and go to work. And there have been some games where the offense just couldn’t figure out how to work him in. I’m hoping we’ve turned a corner on that and we’ll see more consistent output going forward.

 

[jibsey]

I said this after like one game, and I do t care what anyone says, Reed looks to me like the best player on the team and one of the best bigs in the country, He just doesn’t know it yet. But when he finds out, there will be no stopping him. The staff I think knows this and are like me thinking holy this guy will soon be unstoppable once he figures it out.

I would play a nonstop loop of Sanogo’s footwork and close range shots in his room until it’s welded into his brain. His body is actually stronger and better than Sanogo and his hands are vice grips.

 

[willie99]

Our bigs are good, and their offensive production is enough to free up our shooters and our driving lanes

Our offense is evolving on schedule, looking better every game. As is our defense, as are our bigs

I love being a UConn fan. Fun to watch them grow

 

[uconnfan68]

IMO the Zag's center, Ike, is going to pose some real problems for both Reed and Samson Johnson.

That being said re our Bigs, who is gonna guard Nembhard, Hass?

Ike is salivating at not having to face Sanogo or Clingan.

 

[Umami Zen]

Thought our spacing in Texas game-with more facilitation from Alex/Liam at top of key to help the guards-was much better than previous games. Allowed cutters/PnR action/lobs for the Bigs and/or kick outs to our shooters. Offense is starting to look more refined/efficient. Looking forward to seeing our growth at MSG.

 

[jibsey]

Thought our spacing in Texas game-with more facilitation from Alex/Liam at top of key to help the guards-was much better than previous games. Allowed cutters/PnR action/lobs for the Bigs and/or kick outs to our shooters. Offense is starting to look more refined/efficient. Looking forward to seeing our growth at MSG.

Yeah, we had 21 assists. Somebody was doing something right for that to happen.

 

[tennmike]

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, part of Johnson's defensive problems are mechanical. He bends at the waist, arms hanging down, and he has very little knee bend. This is not an optimal posture for lateral movement. Even Ball has a mechanical problem defensively. His feet are too widely placed when defending on the perimeter. Again, hampers his lateral movement.

 

[AllHusky]

Think the Zags are going to see a team appreciably evolved/developed from the Texas game. Lotsa time, lotsa data, lots to work on and implement, especially with the 2 bigs. Love the post by
UC77Duke 74 regarding fouls and and opponents fouls shots/scoring.

"Samson and Reeds fouls probably result in about 10 added free throws per game to opponent"

Easy fix, big payoff. Discipline, discipline, discipline.

 

[cp176]

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, part of Johnson's defensive problems are mechanical. He bends at the waist, arms hanging down, and he has very little knee bend. This is not an optimal posture for lateral movement. Even Ball has a mechanical problem defensively. His feet are too widely placed when defending on the perimeter. Again, hampers his lateral movement.

"In a stance, you have a chance"!

 

[Iluvsuebird]

Kid can't win with some people on here. Plays two great games and the commentary after Baylor was about a foul he committed on a missed rebound.

You must be related to him. He played two GREAT games???? Against Baylor he scored 13 and had 4 rebounds and he fouled out. Against Texas he had 12 points and 1 rebound. These are Great games to you for a UConn center?????

 

[superjohn]

You must be related to him. He played two GREAT games???? Against Baylor he scored 13 and had 4 rebounds and he fouled out. Against Texas he had 12 points and 1 rebound. These are Great games to you for a UConn center?????

Yes, he was great both games. He was especially great against Texas.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You must be related to him. He played two GREAT games???? Against Baylor he scored 13 and had 4 rebounds and he fouled out. Against Texas he had 12 points and 1 rebound. These are Great games to you for a UConn center?????

This stuff is comical, not to mention boring at this point. I'll go with Hurley's take over yours on this one, "iluvsuebird."