Sports illustrated article – Jalen Adams

[SouthBayHusky]

Jalen Adams aiming to become the next great Connecticut guard

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/12/16/jalen-adams-uconn-huskies-sterling-gibbs-kevin-ollie

 

[James]

wow who is this chris johnson guy, is he like the zach lowe of ncaa? really really good stuff here with insider stats to boot

 

[CL82]

Yet while Adams welcomes being mentioned in the same breath as a national champion and first-round draft pick, he pushes back against the notion that they resemble each other beyond their shared geography.

Uh you mean two time national champion and first round pick.
...
This chart is fascinating and support those calling for Jalen to get minutes from Gibbs.

I would have thought having both on would be the best call. Interesting.

 

[James]

Adams is a better defender and pick n roll player, he just gets into the paint easier and surveys the court better than gibbs. The efficiency margin/ net rating is way too high to ignore with adams running the show, it'll be interesting to see how those numbers look in 5-10 games.

The crazy thing is the article states synergy has gibbs has one of the best spot up shooters in the country, So think the adams + gibbs combo on the floor will work sooner than later.

 

[pnow15]

And you would be mistaken if you think Ainge wasn't eyeballing Adams over the rest of this team.

 

[Dogdeacon]

And you would be mistaken if you think Ainge wasn't eyeballing Adams over the rest of this team.

Danny Ainge is eyeballing Jalen ?!

Doubtful, but I suppose not impossible. More importantly why do you think this is worth noting?

 

[Kitaman]

We are fortunate that we have a couple of years to watch this kid develop. Its obvious he's talented and with Ollie can achieve great things. Bringing in Gibbs was great for Jalen, as he can watch the style of the opposing team and their guard tendencies. By next month he will be exploiting that benefit. His freshman mistakes are no different than Kemba's or Bazz's, and comes with the territory.

To me he's all that was advertised.

 

[pnow15]

1) The article is on Adams?
2) Adams is from Boston. So Ainge is aware of him.
3) Adams has by far most upside.
4) NBA coaches have known to give prospects guarantees if the come out and don't work out for other teams.
5) If Adams turns into a superstar next season, Ainge won't get a shot at him.
6) This is a sports discussion site.

 

[Kitaman]

1) The article is on Adams?
2) Adams is from Boston. So Ainge is aware of him.
3) Adams has by far most upside.
4) NBA coaches have known to give prospects guarantees if the come out and don't work out for other teams.
5) If Adams turns into a superstar next season, Ainge won't get a shot at him.
6) This is a sports discussion site.

Nothing personal but I just don't like NBA discussions about our talented freshman (all of them). Only because I want to appreciate and vision them in their UConn unis only. I just don't want (or am not ready) to picture Adams in a Boston uni or any other uni other than UConn, especially during the season.

 

[intlzncster]

And you would be mistaken if you think Ainge wasn't eyeballing Adams over the rest of this team.

I'm sure he was checking out Hamilton too.

 

[aceboon]

PGs drafted in the the lottery and mid first round in back to back years, the trade for Isiah Thomas, I think at this point Ainge has enough PGs.

 

[DALTX]

“When you say point guard to me, it really don’t mean anything to me,” -- Ollie

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I think Adams is still adjusting to the college experience in general. Once this first semester is over I expect you will see an improvement in JA's game (it is still good now). The 1st semester can be a stressful and tiring 1 for some players. It can show in practice (brick after brick) around exam time where sleep deprivation is normal to a first semester Freshman. Shooting %'s will go up and JA will start growing into the future AA we all expect him to be by his Jr. year.

All JMHO.

 

[Kitaman]

I think Adams is still adjusting to the college experience in general. Once this first semester is over I expect you will see an improvement in JA's game (it is still good now). The 1st semester can be a stressful and tiring 1 for some players. It can show in practice (brick after brick) around exam time where sleep deprivation is normal to a first semester Freshman. Shooting %'s will go up and JA will start growing into the future AA we all expect him to be by his Jr. year.

All JMHO.

Excellent point. It can be easily forgotten that these are also students, and all that comes with that. Basketball, although scholarship-ed, is managed with other student activities along with the enjoyment of campus/college experience.

Its management that no freshman can walk into and easily adjust to. Once comfortable and adjusted Adams will improve on court. First semester is always the toughest to stay focused on for students, and that's multiplied for athletes. One and dones don't give a fukk and its basketball and fun times, but that's understandable. Adams is not a one and done, so he is buckling in.

 

[August_West]

I think Adams is still adjusting to the college experience in general. Once this first semester is over I expect you will see an improvement in JA's game (it is still good now). The 1st semester can be a stressful and tiring 1 for some players. It can show in practice (brick after brick) around exam time where sleep deprivation is normal to a first semester Freshman. Shooting %'s will go up and JA will start growing into the future AA we all expect him to be by his Jr. year.

All JMHO.

thats saying something because since he started getting real minutes since the 2nd half of the Zags game he has been our most complete, impactful player. All due respect to Mr.Hamilton who I love too.
Jalen's going to be special. He needs to be on the floor 25-30 minutes a game for us to be at our best, even right now.

 

[Palatine]

Adams can get open in the lane at will. When he starts knocking down that 12 foot J consistently he will be an unstoppable weapon.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

1) The article is on Adams?
2) Adams is from Boston. So Ainge is aware of him.
3) Adams has by far most upside.
4) NBA coaches have known to give prospects guarantees if the come out and don't work out for other teams.
5) If Adams turns into a superstar next season, Ainge won't get a shot at him.
6) This is a sports discussion site.

are we ready to definitively state that Adams has more upside than Hamilton? I'm not so sure, I think we can all agree that both players are STUDS! This is a question I hope we get to debate back and forth all year (and next year ::fingers crossed:

 

[bmayuc]

This Chart Tho...

 

[BUConn10]

is this Chris Johnson guy a national writer for SI? Or is this like a regional/SB nation fan post type thing?

 

[David 76]

Hell! We need this chart on Brimah!

 

[intlzncster]

Hell! We need this chart on Brimah!

God no. Please no. I don't care what it says, the discussion will be exactly the same.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Excellent point. It can be easily forgotten that these are also students, and all that comes with that. Basketball, although scholarship-ed, is managed with other student activities along with the enjoyment of campus/college experience.

Its management that no freshman can walk into and easily adjust to. Once comfortable and adjusted Adams will improve on court. First semester is always the toughest to stay focused on for students, and that's multiplied for athletes. One and dones don't give a fukk and its basketball and fun times, but that's understandable. Adams is not a one and done, so he is buckling in.

Thx ...SpecialK.

Have a good1.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Does anybody still believe that Gibbs is a better choice than Adams? How many more games do you figure they'll need?

For my dollar, give Adams max minutes NOW to get as many freshman mistakes out of the way, bring Gibbs in off the bench as needed, and play for March. Adams/Hamilton/Brimah/Miller/Purvis should be getting the lion's share of minutes. Love that Gibbs came to UConn, but his ideal role now is going to be as a backup and a seasoned vet to lend guidance and support to Adams.

 

[mauconnfan]

Does anybody still believe that Gibbs is a better choice than Adams? How many more games do you figure they'll need?

For my dollar, give Adams max minutes NOW to get as many freshman mistakes out of the way, bring Gibbs in off the bench as needed, and play for March. Adams/Hamilton/Brimah/Miller/Purvis should be getting the lion's share of minutes. Love that Gibbs came to UConn, but his ideal role now is going to be as a backup and a seasoned vet to lend guidance and support to Adams.

Eventually I think no one thinks Gibbs is really a "better" choice" but he's a better choice to start or share minutes with Sterling. Listen, if you don't think we need Gibbsy to be a real good team then you're whacked. If he doesn't add what he's done in his career elsewhere to the team then we will not be very good. Maybe instrad of being so happy so many of you seem to think you're right maybe you should wish as hard these 2 will be an unstoppable combo soon!

 

[intlzncster]

Eventually I think no one thinks Gibbs is really a "better" choice" but he's a better choice to start or share minutes with Sterling. Listen, if you don't think we need Gibbsy to be a real good team then you're whacked. If he doesn't add what he's done in his career elsewhere to the team then we will not be very good. Maybe instrad of being so happy so many of you seem to think you're right maybe you should wish as hard these 2 will be an unstoppable combo soon!

Definitely think Sterling should start, for chemistry alone. I know you shouldn't pander to a kid, but he's a high end fifth year transfer. He didn't come here to come off the bench. If he doesn't start he might 'check out' mentally, so to speak, leading to possible discord among the team. Adams, as a freshman and as a player seems more resilient. Again, I believe you should play the best players, but starting Gibbs (while giving a Adams 30min) takes very little away from Adams, but potentially gives the team a smoother sail.

Also, Adams impact off the bench can be that much more dramatic.