Samson Johnson question | The Boneyard

Samson Johnson question

Hoops91

Hoops91

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Clingan is going to the NBA. Johnson waited in line, similar to what Clingan did with Sanogo. The question is will Danny look for a transfer to be the starting center or will he give that to Johnson and only look for a backup? If he adds a starting center is Johnson OK coming off the bench again? It will be interesting how that plays out...
 
Its not a bad question. Ideally, I would love a starting center with more tools and a better rebounder but Johnson has some talents that are unique and we utilize well. We need to keep him. He is so fast running the court, so explosive getting off the floor, and he provides a change-up with a more traditional center that teams really struggle adjusting to. I don't think Hurley promises starting positions anyway so should just tell him we need him back and he will have every opportunity to start if he earns it. I also think he will improve.
 
SJ is listed at 205 lbs. He just can't match up against many Centers as a full-time starter. I love his skill set. But we also need a legit banger down low as matchups dictate.
 
I’m sure the staff will have a very real conversation with Johnson about what he needs to improve on to have a realistic shot at starting next year. Ie, they’re going to bring in a starter-level center and Johnson will need to beat him for the starting spot if he wants it.
 
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Hoops91 said:
Clingan is going to the NBA. Johnson waited in line, similar to what Clingan did with Sanogo. The question is will Danny look for a transfer to be the starting center or will he give that to Johnson and only look for a backup? If he adds a starting center is Johnson OK coming off the bench again? It will be interesting how that plays out...
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Plenty of playing time for both. Particularly given Johnson propensity for fouls
 
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It's the coach's job to improve the roster. That doesn't mean that who he brings in will be guaranteed to start, it just means that Hurley is obligated to make his team better every year.

If that means bringing in a center that can start day one, then that's what he'll do.

The guys that are here know what they have to do to play.

They are students first, but it's also somewhat of a business too.
 
Isn't Sampson going to need to develop some sort of outside game if he hopes to play as a pro somewhere?

He's not a true 5, he has the body of 3/4....if he had some outside game would be a game changer for him.
 
Nothing wrong with being a career backup on this caliber of team. Plenty of players have come through UConn without ever being a starter, but made some great contributions to the success of the program. I think the staff is looking for a starting 5, and I really hope Samson is ok with a similar role as this year. This team wouldn't have won back to back titles without his contributions.
 
I don’t know. I have hopes he can develop into a good starter. Get stronger. Focus on defense fundamentals. Develop something other than an alley oop finish. I feel like he could be a starter if the chips fall right.
 
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Greedo said:
Nothing wrong with being a career backup on this caliber of team. Plenty of players have come through UConn without ever being a starter, but made some great contributions to the success of the program. I think the staff is looking for a starting 5, and I really hope Samson is ok with a similar role as this year. This team wouldn't have won back to back titles without his contributions.
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Johnson is capable of starting. He needs to bulk up.

If he adds 20 lbs of muscle, he can take the pounding of a whole game.

Clingan weighs like 280 on his frame, no clue what Johnson weighs but more weight would do wonders for his game and draft stock
 
The Frog said:
SJ is listed at 205 lbs.
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Just an....FYI, that was his FR weight, though as posted above another 10-15 lbs would help...

1712765251020.jpeg
 
MexicoHusky said:
Starting at the 4 is a possibility as well.
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No, it’s not. We just saw for two straight seasons the importance of having a guy who can shoot, dribble, pass, space the floor, make quick decisions etc etc from that position in Karaban. They aren’t going back to a line up with a guy whose skill set has none of those attributes. The reality from Samson is he’s a good back up and certain matchups favor the skill set he has. The fact that the staff is already doing work on centers in the portal tells you what they think the team needs are…
 
MexicoHusky said:
Starting at the 4 is a possibility as well.
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Well there was some truth to that at the time (in 2022-23), but his injury in 1 game was a blessing in disguise. Hurley actually broke camp with Samson the starting PF. Then AK had to take over the 4 which reshaped it for Dan Hurley's 4 out line-up on the NC run in 2023 and the rest is history.

1712766135631.jpeg
 
Samson hit some short jumpers/floaters against St. John's at home. He has a decent shooting stroke but will need to work hard to make it an effective part of his game (I agree that this will be a critical part of his development going forward if he wants to play professionally).
 
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Competition is a good thing. This is a highly competitive, championship level program, the only way to keep it that way is to make these professional players (and they are professionals now) compete for playing time.
 
B1GEast said:
Johnson is capable of starting. He needs to bulk up.

If he adds 20 lbs of muscle, he can take the pounding of a whole game.

Clingan weighs like 280 on his frame, no clue what Johnson weighs but more weight would do wonders for his game and draft stock
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I think this is right. He may not need 20 pounds but he needs to add strength and some bulk. A elbow jumper, a baby hook, and he needs to learn to set stronger screen without fouling. Suddenly the BY will change opinions.
 
SJ should talk w/Hass to learn how and what Hass did to make the radical improvements in his game from last year to this year. If SJ works that hard and gains 20+ pounds in bulk and muscle, and figures out how not to foul (5 fouls in 5 mins played on Monday) he just might move into the starting 5 role. (Questionable at best)
 
Chasing greatness is about asking the hard questions and coming back with real, often difficult, answers. SJ was great for us this year, but his PF/40 is still over 7, which does not work for anything other than a positional rotation. I trust our staff to have real, honest, forthcoming conversations with these guys. There's several that need to be had, and definitely not all bad.
 
He needs to get on that hilton armstrong diet when he became jacked as an upperclassman and a lottery pick out of nowhere. Either way uconn will need some more size at the 5 to really compete next season
 
He's a good back up. Would hate to lose him in the portal becuase he has great value. I do not think UConn can go into the fall with him as the starting center and hope to 3 peat. There are better options available to us. Hopefully we can grab one.
 
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