Samson Johnson | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Samson Johnson

jdb50 said:
The breakout player for this season is Stewart. Period. Samson gets off the floor faster than any player I have seen at UConn. He gets up and down the court way faster than opponents bigger players can. He passes well. He is a team player. Fans here may under rate him but opposing coaches don't.
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Stew is intriguing. We saw him explode from 3 in that game last year, and we also saw him defend pretty big players. Can’t wait.
 
Still think Samson continues to be overlooked and underappreciated by the board. While he has areas to improve, his positives are taken for granted. By the end of this year most will be surprised by his break out season, while others of us saw it coming.
 
AllHusky said:
How fast can Reed get close to his potential? I think he is a big talent, not a matter of if, but when. He has alot to do, but he can do it.

Samson going to bring it, my question is how much can he bring? I think we’ve seen his limitations(and I love SJ!!)
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Samson had three limitations last year.

Moving when setting screens resulting in a foul.
Reaching for the ball playing the high hedge resulting in a foul.
Using his arms instead of his body when an opposing five was backing him down near the basket resulting in a foul.

Samson’s problem was staying on the court because of foul trouble. I believe he had the best offensive efficiency on the team in his limited minutes.

The majority of his fouls were the result of those first two reasons with the exception of the times he was defending against really strong centers.

More important than weight gain is increasing his lower body strength and core. That will help with the third foul issue. If that is not possible that’s where Reed will be utilized . But for many if not most games he has to overcome his reflexive bad habits that result in fouls in the first two situations I listed.

I would love to see what Samson could do if he could play 25-30 minutes a game.
 
johnson had good court vision, which is why he was able to pick up so many easy slams. he's gotta work on fouls and strength though to really get major minutes. He was a critical sub last year, but still has to show more to be 1/1a kind of option.
 
I think folks on this board under estimate Samson's talent and upside. He still has plenty of head room. Remember, going into the 2022 Season when DC was a freshman, he was a starter until he got hurt. That Summer he was flashing a toolkit of skills. Given the structure and strengths of that team, Hurley and staff adjusted accordingly. It gets to a point where once a team develops a certain level of chemistry, Samson was only asked to do a few things the team needed at the time once he came back. That particular year he lost a lot of opportunity to develop real game experience with that foot injury.

Last year was a regrouping year for Samson and coming into this year I think he will be in a position to flourish and showcase some other skills that he has. I will be looking for his mindset to shift to that upper classmen leader, 2 time champion mindset and trust that Hurley and staff will put him in a position to take that next step.

Hurley as always said that Samson has the raw talent to be on that wall. One thing that I come to recognize from Coach Hurley, is that when he states these kinds of things about a player, he's been 100% spot on.

I'm going to continue to trust the process.
 
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DMIL said:
I think folks on this board under estimate Samson's talent and upside. He still has plenty of head room. Remember, going into the 2022 Season when DC was a freshman, he was a starter until he got hurt. That Summer he was flashing a toolkit of skills. Given the structure and strengths of that team, Hurley and staff adjusted accordingly. It gets to a point where once a team develops a certain level of chemistry, Samson was only asked to do a few things the team needed at the time once he came back. That particular year he lost a lot of opportunity to develop real game experience with that foot injury.

Last year was a regrouping year for Samson and coming into this year I think he will be in a position to flourish and showcase some other skills that he has. I will be looking for his mindset to shift to that upper classmen leader, 2 time champion mindset and trust that Hurley and staff will put him in a position to take that next step.

Hurley as always said that Samson has the raw talent to be on that wall. One thing that I come to recognize from Coach Hurley, is that when he states these kinds of things about a player, he's been 100% spot on.

I'm going to continue to trust the process.
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Does he have those skills? Does he have an inside game other than flushes? It wasn’t asked of him but I hope he does.
 
Iluvsuebird said:
That’s a leap too big for me. This coaching staff has too many success stories for us to say that. What I will say is this: Samson often times shows very low b-ball IQ defensively. Even if he improves on that aspect, it would make him invaluable.
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To be fair, the high hedge often put him out of position. He wasn’t Whaley out there, but he was usually good. I’m hoping for better rebounding, and shot blocking. He’s capable of both.
 
The interesting thing about Samson is that 12 ft. off the ground he catches the ball easily.
When his two feet are on the ground, he fumbles it and gets it poked away.
 
I believe Samson will cut down on the handsie fouls and moving screens. Rebounding is where he really needs to show improvement. Even with his slight frame he should be a better rebounder with how quick he can get off the ground. I think we‘ll see a much improved Johnson as a senior.
 
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Drame said:
How do we know hes that far behind offensively? Hurley doesn't always let players show their full repertoire i.e. Castle running the offense, Clingan taking threes. And that could just be because they haven't coached and practiced those things for the offense they want to run. It may not be because they don't have those skills or potential for those skills. I still see Samson doing more, like at the T pick and pops and one dribble drives. We'll see.
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I don’t think anyone is underestimating what Samson brings to the table. He made great strides last year to become a very key component to another NC team, his leaps were noticeable. But so were his weaknesses that still exist. There were a few games DC got in foul trouble and so did he which created some issues. He is an awful rebounder and doesn’t box out well at all. He can’t shoot despite the early reports that he can, maybe he proves us wrong one can hope.

Having said that, he is athletic as hell. He can run the court like a gazelle and creates havoc off the pick and roll. He can guard a little but needs to get better against the physical bigs.

He’s a fantastic 2nd option Big off the bench and I think Reed and he will be a nice 1-2.
 
TheChamps990411 said:
Lets hope the weight gain is a positive and not an issue like it quickly became for DC last season. If he put on that weight and its mostly muscle and hes still the explosive athlete hes shown he could have a huge breakout next season and end up a first round pick. Lets hope he ends up the latter because we all love that kid. I think besides making this team yet another ridiculous power house its safe to say we would just be happy that such a hardworking and loyal kid puts himself in a position to take care of his family for many years to come. Hurley did say he had insane upside when he first stepped on campus.
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I am confident that the weight gain will be for the much better. Staff and S & C coach keep a close eye on him and no one wants him to succeed more than them. I hope he has a great season and surprises everyone.
Tons of raw talent there and really looking forward to his contributions next year.
He already is a highlight film maker with his athleticism.
 
Anyone can put on weight. Can SJ put on weight and retain his quickness and athletism? If he can, he becomes a more dangerous player. If not, he becomes the same player only slower.
 
I’m excited for Samson next year. I believe him and Reed will both look improved and be impact players.
We will have a 40 page thread in mid November agrueing about the starter.
we will have another 2head monster center rotation again.
Which feels like 3 peat material.
 
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uconnfan68 said:
To be fair, the high hedge often put him out of position. He wasn’t Whaley out there, but he was usually good. I’m hoping for better rebounding, and shot blocking. He’s capable of both.
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"ISAIAH WHALEY! THE WRENCH!!!!!"
 
Not sure if it has been said, but Samson should focus on his defense. I don’t think he will ever be good enough offensively to be much of a scorer. But with the right focus he could become an elite defender at the next level. He is athletic enough to cover almost every stretch four and could even guard a big wing at the next level.

I think we are going to see a great improvement in his defense as Danny will make him understand his chance at catching on at the next level is going to be on defense.

If he keeps his explosiveness when he jumps as he continues to add weight and fill out as he matures I really do think he has the ability to carve out a decent professional career. But his offense will not be the reason.

Defense and using those incredible gifts to become a lock down defender is what will get him a roster spot at the next level.
 
DMIL said:
I think folks on this board under estimate Samson's talent and upside. He still has plenty of head room. Remember, going into the 2022 Season when DC was a freshman, he was a starter until he got hurt. That Summer he was flashing a toolkit of skills. Given the structure and strengths of that team, Hurley and staff adjusted accordingly. It gets to a point where once a team develops a certain level of chemistry, Samson was only asked to do a few things the team needed at the time once he came back. That particular year he lost a lot of opportunity to develop real game experience with that foot injury.

Last year was a regrouping year for Samson and coming into this year I think he will be in a position to flourish and showcase some other skills that he has. I will be looking for his mindset to shift to that upper classmen leader, 2 time champion mindset and trust that Hurley and staff will put him in a position to take that next step.

Hurley as always said that Samson has the raw talent to be on that wall. One thing that I come to recognize from Coach Hurley, is that when he states these kinds of things about a player, he's been 100% spot on.

I'm going to continue to trust the process.
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To be fair to Samson, I’m pretty sure when Hurley made those comments about his wall potential he was envisioning him more like a Deandre Daniels type of 4, not playing center.

Since then, our offensive system has had a complete overhaul and Samson is being used “out of position”. He is a unique player with a unique skill set and can work in our system, obviously, but people have to remember when Hurley talked about wall potential he had a different vision at the time for Samson’s role.
 
McLovin said:
To be fair to Samson, I’m pretty sure when Hurley made those comments about his wall potential he was envisioning him more like a Deandre Daniels type of 4, not playing center.

Since then, our offensive system has had a complete overhaul and Samson is being used “out of position”. He is a unique player with a unique skill set and can work in our system, obviously, but people have to remember when Hurley talked about wall potential he had a different vision at the time for Samson’s role.
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That’s fair but vision or not his skill set doesn’t point to Daniel’s at all, even if he wasn’t directed to be a 5 now.

He is what he is right? A real nice 2nd option at the 5 and potentially with improvement in some areas could get more minutes at the 4 on occasion. But for now we’re lucky to have him as that 7th man off the bench on yet another really good Husky basketball team.
 
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I'm hoping that on offense he is allowed to step out and hit mid-range shots and an occasional 3.
According to Dan Hurley last year that was a strength of his, but we didn't see any of that.
 
mauconnfan said:
That’s fair but vision or not his skill set doesn’t point to Daniel’s at all, even if he wasn’t directed to be a 5 now.

He is what he is right? A real nice 2nd option at the 5 and potentially with improvement in some areas could get more minutes at the 4 on occasion. But for now we’re lucky to have him as that 7th man off the bench on yet another really good Husky basketball team.
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We have way too many bodies at the 2-4 for him to get any run at the 4, especially if he didn’t get any run there last season with Karaban having basically no back-up until Stewart came on late in the season.

But, yes, that is the point I was making… he is who he is at this point. There is obviously insane potential with his height / speed / athleticism, and if any staff in the country can get the most out of it to benefit the team as a whole, it’s our staff. But I think the expectations of him being an NBA lottery pick should be put to rest, in fairness to him.
 
Clingan shooting 3s is efficiency at its worst. Not even sure why it’s a discussion. It takes him away from the rim where he rebounds and forces defense to collapse to free up the real shooters.

I get endorphins are flying high these days, rightfully, but unless Samson makes some serious leaps, he’s not what I would call a NC caliber starting center. It’s Reeds to lose, for many reasons. Samson remains a very raw player 3 years out, with ample limitations. If you check his +\- on year I’d think you’d see one of the lowest on team.
 
Drame said:
You said Clingan didn’t shoot any threes because he wasn’t good enough. Yet he shot the same percentage as Castle who took 75. My premise that Hurley didn’t want Clingan to shoot more threes because it didn’t fit the system is correct. Your premise that Hurley didn’t want Clingan to shoot threes because he’s a bad shooter is wrong.
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This is just laughably dumb. It didn't fit the system? The same system that had Sanogo put up 52 3's the year before? If Clingan was capable of consistently making 3's he would have been taking them, Hurley is not going to actively limit the offense
 
If he is 5 or 10 feet open at the top of the key and he makes them consistently in practice then take it. Just one or 2 made from there will free up other players down the line. We have a ton of good 3 point shooters so it shouldn’t be common for him.
 
gtcam said:
I'm hoping that on offense he is allowed to step out and hit mid-range shots and an occasional 3.
According to Dan Hurley last year that was a strength of his, but we didn't see any of that.
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I'm hoping he can hit mid-range jump shots and an occasional 3. That is a different player if it comes to pass. Not holding my breath though. Disciplined defense and rebounding gotta happen, those jumpers would be icing on a helluva cake.
 
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