Poll: who is most likely to lose crunch-time minutes | The Boneyard

Poll: who is most likely to lose crunch-time minutes

Which of these players is most likely to sit in crunch-time?

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champs99and04

champs99and04

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I like to think we have six starters this season. Unfortunately, they only allow you to play five at one time. I understand this is impossible to predict on a number of levels, but since we have nothing else to talk about for a while, who can you most imagine sitting during the most high-leverage possessions?
 
Free throw shooting should be a key factor to make the separation. I think match-ups also will dictate. Most likely one of either Purvis or Adams will be off the court in crunch time. Which means this team could be special. JMHO
 
It's really all situationally dependent. Are we winning and just need to make free throws? Maybe Purvis sits. Are we down big and need to make threes to get back into it? Brimah on the bench.

The only two players I can say for sure will likely be on the floor during crunch time are Hamilton and Gibbs. Our lineup is so versatile this year, that we really have a lot of different looks we can throw at teams.
 
Let's say it's the start of overtime - for the sake of argument, try to eliminate all situational variables.
 
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Assuming Adams is what we think he is, Purvis seems like the most likely candidate to lose minutes down the stretch.
 
champs99and04 said:
Let's say it's the start of overtime - for the sake of argument, try to eliminate all situational variables.
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It's tough to say given that we haven't seen three of our projected top six in a UConn uniform, but I'd imagine that early in the season either Adams or Miller would sit.

I imagine the constants in that scenario would be Gibbs, Hamilton, and Brimah. Hamilton's versatility could really lead to lineups with any two of the other three (Purvis, Adams, Miller). If Miller's defensive and rebounding are what it's touted to be, he'll likely be in the lineup as well.

If anything, this exercise just demonstrates how much talent and versatility our roster has for the upcoming season. First Night can't come soon enough.
 
Not sure what you are asking in this poll as of the 6 you listed, IMHO 5 are starters (Gibbs, Purvis, Hamilton, Miller and Brimah) and Adams would be one of the first off the bench. I think the better question would be who would sit the most of the Calhoun, Facey, Cassell Jr., Nolan or Enosch.

As far as crunch time goes, i think it's situational. Are any of our guys in foul trouble? Are we playing a team that is super big, or super athletic, or super guard/perimeter oriented? To me that would dictate how Ollie works the players in...
 
ericsandiego said:
Not sure what you are asking in this poll as of the 6 you listed, IMHO 5 are starters (Gibbs, Purvis, Hamilton, Miller and Brimah) and Adams would be one of the first off the bench. I think the better question would be who would sit the most of the Calhoun, Facey, Cassell Jr., Nolan or Enosch.

As far as crunch time goes, i think it's situational. Are any of our guys in foul trouble? Are we playing a team that is super big, or super athletic, or super guard/perimeter oriented? To me that would dictate how Ollie works the players in...
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Enosch. If he takes some time off from playing in Germany to visit, he'll have to remain in the stands during our games.
 
Why phrase the OP that way? Why not who plays in OT?
 
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It depends on Brimah's and Purvis's development, and how ready Adams is out of the box.

If Brimah is still a rebounding liability, I can see us going small (unless the other team has a stud offensive big).
If Purvis can't be a reliable second ballhandler, it'll be Adams instead.
If Adams can't handle the pressure, we'll be forced to go with Purvis.
 
Purvis was one of our, if not the best second half player last year. I can live with the FT shooting, unless opposing teams start fouling him on purpose to put him on the line.
 
Posters are used to playing down expectations for freshman because so many highly regarded kids need some time. I'll predict a slow start won't be the case with Adams. I don't think I am going out on a limb at all to say Adams and Gibbs will have the game in their hands at crunch time from day 1. Adams has a history of game winning shots as does Gibbs. That is my opinion, but from another person's eyes, the New Hampton coach told a buddy of mind last weekend that Adams is one of the best players he has seen over all the years going back to his coaching of Lawrence Moten. He said Adams is a star on a team of stars that has the sense and ability to give a team scoring, passing, clutch play, and leadership just when needed. He understands what is needed in the game situation and adjusts his role to deliver. When I watch him, the kid reeks with poise and thrives vs pressure. His competition, including practice, was against the best in the country. When he does turn it over it makes him mad, he rises to the challenge, and the opposing team never ends up scoring in that possession. He blocks a lot of shots for a guard. He has, "IT".

I recall Khalid El-Amin played an early career game vs Florida St and repeatedly drove into the lane and ate the basketball from their 7' bigs. I was impressed that he never repeated that bad play. Adams might have a game where he comes up short of my inflated expectations but like Khalid, he will persevere right away. Boatright hit 3 foul shots under pressure to tie a game and send it to overtime in his first game action, it wouldn't surprise me if Adams was an early hero as well. Trust me, fans will never want to see Ollie take him out of the game. If you don't have high expectations for him then you haven't seen him in person enough.

I don't like the taste of crow so I hope I'm right
 
I suspect if Brimah can improve his defensive rebounding that the lone man out would be Miller. It really is a tough call for KO.

Gibbs: Senior and clutch
Adams: Read @Ricker 's post
Purvis: Team leader, one of our best 2nd half players last year
Hamilton: future 1st rd. pick, creates offense for himself and others best on the team, excellent rebounder
Miller: top 10 def. rebounder in the nation. Excellent defender. Both key in late game situations
Brimah: people knock him here a lot but his defensive prowess is unparalleled and has won us many games (see Florida this past season as a prime example)
 
lange10 said:
I suspect if Brimah can improve his defensive rebounding that the lone man out would be Miller. It really is a tough call for KO.

Gibbs: Senior and clutch
Adams: Read @Ricker 's post
Purvis: Team leader, one of our best 2nd half players last year
Hamilton: future 1st rd. pick, creates offense for himself and others best on the team, excellent rebounder
Miller: top 10 def. rebounder in the nation. Excellent defender. Both key in late game situations
Brimah: people knock him here a lot but his defensive prowess is unparalleled and has won us many games (see Florida this past season as a prime example)
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Gotta keep Miller in there - along with his defensive and rebounding abilities, he's coming in as the best free throw shooter on this team. Those are all extremely valuable in crunch time situations.
 
lange10 said:
I suspect if Brimah can improve his defensive rebounding that the lone man out would be Miller. It really is a tough call for KO.

Gibbs: Senior and clutch
Adams: Read @Ricker 's post
Purvis: Team leader, one of our best 2nd half players last year
Hamilton: future 1st rd. pick, creates offense for himself and others best on the team, excellent rebounder
Miller: top 10 def. rebounder in the nation. Excellent defender. Both key in late game situations
Brimah: people knock him here a lot but his defensive prowess is unparalleled and has won us many games (see Florida this past season as a prime example)
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Only problem there is Miller shot 83% I believe from the FT line and not sure you want that out at crunch time. We will need to see improvement on AB's passing and understanding to have him playing more than an experienced Miller down the stretch. It's a tough call I agree, it will more than likely be a game to game decision rather than a planned one.
 
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It will just come down to matchups and who is playing well and who is not. If everyone is playing well, I would guess that one key will be the matchup situation with Amida. If he is effective, he plays, if not, he sits. If Rodney is struggling with FTs, he will not be in some games at crunchtime. If we're talking the start of overtime, the starters will likely start depending on foul trouble. This is an interesting problem to have and how it is resolved might have a lot to say about how good of a season our guys have. I hope that whoever sits will handle it well (even though they won't like it). If they can come together over the first half of the season with a clear floor leader, this team could be very good.
 
@tcf15 brings up good points on free throw shooting. Purvis has two years of straight up garbage FT line numbers. I've been of the volition that adams would come in here and close games for some time now, and perhaps elevate himself as our best player at times. This leaves purv in the 'dion waiters 6th man role' (the cuse waiters, not the shot hunter nba waiters).

JA steps on campus as a legit alpha dog with a defined position, a bit like boatright but more physical tools/talent . What I love about the gibbs commitment is, he was full aware of Adams coming in and wasn't scared off.
 
tcf15 said:
I'd go with Purvis, strictly based on free throw shooting.
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Man I forgot about this. Dude better be in the gym after practice shooting 100 free throws a day...that was an embarrassment last year.
 
Hot Rod shot 51% at NC State and 54% with us. I would have to imagine that the staff worked extensively with him in the year he had off, and you'd have to figure he focused on it. If an entire year off to practice and great coaching led to a 3% increase in his free throw shooting, then, unfortunately, the odds are probably with him never shooting a decent percentage from the line. Which is bizarre, given that he knocks down 3s at a 35% clip, presumably while being defended.
 
tcf15 said:
Gotta keep Miller in there - along with his defensive and rebounding abilities, he's coming in as the best free throw shooter on this team. Those are all extremely valuable in crunch time situations.
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mauconnfan said:
Only problem there is Miller shot 83% I believe from the FT line and not sure you want that out at crunch time. We will need to see improvement on AB's passing and understanding to have him playing more than an experienced Miller down the stretch. It's a tough call I agree, it will more than likely be a game to game decision rather than a planned one.
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I guess time will tell. I understand having good FT shooters in at the end game is always a plus. I just feel like if we get the RP that finished the year (again, time will tell) it will be incredibly hard to keep him off the court in crunch time - even with the FT woes.

Certainly a nice problem to have and as a few have said will most likely change game to game.
 
James said:
@tcf15 brings up good points on free throw shooting. Purvis has two years of straight up garbage FT line numbers. I've been of the volition that adams would come in here and close games for some time now, and perhaps elevate himself as our best player at times. This leaves purv in the 'dion waiters 6th man role' (the cuse waiters, not the shot hunter nba waiters).

JA steps on campus as a legit alpha dog with a defined position, a bit like boatright but more physical tools/talent . What I love about the gibbs commitment is, he was full aware of Adams coming in and wasn't scared off.
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Gibbs arguably could be 1 of the top 6 guards in the country to start the season (so correct his confidence was not an issue as he gets ready to embark on his dream season). By mid December...JA may very well get the crunch time keys w/Gibbs et al. as long as he is defending at a high level. UConn is not void of options outside of Purvis & J. "Money" Adams. Assuming 1 player in particular is healthy and mentally focused a true wildcard may hit the court this year for UConn and steal some of these so highly valued crunch time minutes. 123-162 from the charity stripe @ a career .759% is a good foundation to be put in the mix as a surprise candidate. Exciting times ahead.
 
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I'll tell you who it won't be: Jalen Adams. The kid is a stud. But I think Brimah will be the one to lose crunch time minutes. I think our crunch time lineup will be Adams, Gibbs, Purvis, Hamilton, and Miller.
 
Really depends, if they can go small I would see Brimah being off, if not maybe Purvis or Adams.

tcf15 said:
I'd go with Purvis, strictly based on free throw shooting.
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Brimah will be IN b'c he is too much of a shot-altering presence on the defensive end --- and he can hit his free throws when it matters...St Joes can testify to that
 
I'll admit that after much deliberation I chose Brimah, which felt weird because I feel like I've been one of his most vocal defenders on this board. And even with that being said, I still have astronomical hopes for Brimah this season - which will finally follow a full offseason - and would not be shocked if he were our best or second best player. Hell, in my opinion, he was our second best player last season - at least until March - which is why it's a bit absurd that I voted the way I did.

My guess is that our crunch-time five will be more dictated by situational variables, as others have stated, just like it was in 2014, when sometimes Kromah would close games, sometimes Phil would close games, and other times it would be Amida. For contrast sake, in 2011, it was pretty much a given that Kemba, Shabazz, Lamb, Roscoe, and AO would close games, at least by the end of the year (Giffey played crunch-time minutes early in the season before Lamb emerged). So I had to use the phrase "most likely" to try to account for the various factors that really can't be qualified until the games start.

Still, I can't shake the memories of the dominant, five-man SN-RB-LK-DD-NG units destroying people throughout the 2014 season, and on the biggest stages. On defense, playing one of the most versatile players in the country in Miller at the five enables us to switch almost anything, and on the other end, the spread look that Ollie was trying to implement last season becomes far more palatable with five guys who can handle, drive, and shoot.
 
I am wondering if KO might do some subbing offense-defense at times late in games.
 
Dogbreath2U said:
I am wondering if KO might do some subbing offense-defense at times late in games.
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I think he certainly will do some of that. I could see him going offense/defense with Adams/Purvis pretty easily.
 
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