Starting lineup for Arkansas game

[DogMania]

Can we stop with this nonsense? Through seven games, Napier is averaging 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals per game (while shooting nearly 50%) at the point guard position. Yes, he turns it over a bit too much, but how can anybody possibly claim that he hasn't "played the point effectively?"

He was atrocious against Central Florida. He basically carried the team on his back in the other 6 games.

And regarding the actual intended topic of this thread - if Kemba coming off the bench worked in 2009, and Napier coming off the bench worked in 2011, there is very little chance that Calhoun is going to start Boatright this year.

Well said KBF! Let me add to it that there are multiple factors to why his TOs have been high and will likely decrease as the season goes on.

1. As the primary handler, the ball is in his hands the most which increases the odds for TOs. A Player who's laying close to 40 minutes at the point, is going to have more TOs than one that plays only 25 to 30 minutes at that position. The addition of RB to the line-up will allow JC to play Bazz off the ball, which will reduce the TOs.

2. Add to the above the fatigue factor where he had to log close to 40 minutes a game where he primarily had to play on the ball. Unlike Kemba last season, Bazz couldn't move off the ball for very long, if at all, until RB was able to play. We simply weren't getting fresh minutes from Bazz which led to some fatigue driven mistakes. With the addition of RB, instead of getting 38 minutes where Bazz is fresh for maybe 28 of them, JC can get a full 30 to 35 highly productive minutes out of Bazz spit between the 1 & 2. You also have to factor in the Lamb was logging a lot of minutes, forcing Bazz to do too much because his backcourt mate wasn't firing on all cylinders due to fatigue. IMO, we're simply going to get more quality minutes out of SN, RB and JL, splitting the 80 minutes (plus stealing 10 to 20 from the 3) between them. Instead of Bazz having to initiate most of the offense, RB and JL will be sharing more of that load. We should see the TOs go down as a result of this. It will be interesting to see if the backcourt and total team TOs go down over the next over weeks. What might taint that stat is the level of competition will be greater, but even so, I expect the TOs to slowing go down throughout the season.

3. As the only guard who was capable of breaking his man off the dribble (IMO Lamb has some limitations in this area and has been pretty much shut down when he has the ball in his hand at the top of the key) Bazz was pretty much asked to do too much. Some of his teammates have struggled to knock down shots, forcing Bazz to shoulder more of the offense than he is efficiently capable of doing. The addition of RB on the floor at the same time creates a pick your poison scenario. If teams try to trap any one of the 3 guards, once that guard successfully delivers the ball to one of the other two there will be a lot of space for them to operate. With just two on the floor the trap can go heavy to the side where the other guard is, plus rotate a player over to that side as well. Having that extra guard who is capable of created his own offense reduces the guard with the ball from having to do too much, plus making the backcourt extremely dangerous.

What makes UConn's backcourt so scary is if you try to play them straight up, both Bazz & Boatright can take their man off the dribble, especially RB. If teams try to zone us now, I think our guards will be able to slip between the seams of the zone. RB is going to force teams to quickly squeeze that section of the zone when he starts his attack because he's so explosive to the hole. I think he's capable of passing it to either Bazz or Lamb who should be able to catch and drive it through the gap that's created by RB.

Until I saw with my own eyes the impact that RB had with UConn's half-court offense, I didn't realize the PT impact he's going to have on this team. I think we're going to see a lot of 3-G sets, where Lamb is going to pick up some of the Wing PT squeezing what's left to be divided between Daniels, Roscoe and Niels. I think Niels is hurt by this the most. He's only going to get limited fill in minutes and unlikely rotation minutes unless he beats out the other two. Scoe can at least split his time between the 3 & 4, where Deandre's minutes are primarily at the 3. Maybe against some smaller front-courts DD will get some minutes at the 4, but that spot is crazy crowded with Scoe, Olander & Oriakhi battling for PF minutes.

I'm sure match-ups and how well players performed in practice and during the game will have an impact on the rotation, but my guess is as follows:

Starters: RB*, SN, JL, TO & AD (* I would not be shocked if JC decides to bring RB off the bench for some instant energy, plus reduce the chances of getting into so serious early backcourt foul trouble. Until AO and RS turn things back around, this might be UConn's best line-up.)

Bench:

DD the first off the bench to replace one of the guards.
RS or AO the first off the bench to replace one of the post players.
NG to come in for some spot duty unless he is able to beat out DD and RS at the 3.

MB will be able to play soon, but I don't know how soon he will be ready to steal some minutes at the 4 or 5. He had his work cut out for him even if he started the season healthy. With AO struggling the window was there for him to show JC what he could do, but the injury set him back, plus Olander has played very well so far (minus the bad game against FSU) .

 

[DogMania]

Really?!!?!

Also disagree on Daniels being a defensive liability ... the kid has shown some flashes of great defense.

Add me to the list that thinks Daniels has played very well on defense. I think his lateral movement is just fine. His biggest problem is his lack of assertiveness lately. I just think the role of the role-player is problematic for UConn. You know there is a green light for SN, JL and RB to shoot the ball anywhere on the floor, and AD & AO to shoot the ball in the post, but the others have to pick their spots, being careful not to take too many shots, or too few.

Seems lately, DD has been reluctant to take the open J, especially after missing his first attempt.

RS hasn't been as reluctant but seems to be struggling with the few shots he takes. As I've mentioned this before, it's a lot easier to knock down shots when you know you're going to get 8 or more of them. When your allotment is more in the 2 to 5 range spread throughout the game, it's a lot tougher especially when you miss your first couple shots. Impossible for them to get into rhythm when their role is not take many shots.

TO who is capable of knocking down Js, had a horrible shooting game against FSU. Just about all his shots were wide open. It seemed FSU was willing to give him that shot so that they could apply more pressure on the other 4 players. I like how he was willing to take what was given to him, but he needs to convert them at a better clip, like he had with some of the prior games.

Getting back to the point, DD has been very good defensively, which along with his 3 pt shooting will be the reason for JC to put him in the game. He along with RS and TO need to defend and rebound like madmen when in the game. On offense they need make good decisions with the ball and take good shots and convert them. Roscoe has been very active when he's in there, but has been killing us with a rash of traveling TOs lately. Other than the Coppin State game, he's not been very good on offense.

This team simply needs time. I think the addition of RB will help solidify the rotations. Even though Boatright will impact the PT distribution, I think his presence along side Bazz and Lamb, will help make the other players on the floor with him better. I think there will be less forces on offense and it's only a matter of time when players who are struggling lately will begin to come around.

 

[caw]

Love Bazz but he is a tad limited athletically. He isn't in the Kemba/Boatright athletic department. He is a fantastic ball handler and a very good shooter. He is not the best PG UConn has ever had yet but he is probably in the top 5 for starting soph PGs. His game also isn't predicated on playing at 100 mph, he has a bit of that Marcus Williams/euro-step style to his game that allows him to break down the D without being a freak athlete.

Boatright looked pretty good but wasn't really running the offense that much against FSU. I think he will see plenty of pt but won't be starting at the 1 unless Napier is hurt or lamb is hurt or one enters a prolonged funk.

Please remember UConn is also the school that had Ray Allen/Kemba Walker/Charlie V come off the bench as a freshman, even if they were more athletic than the player starting over them.

 

[bmayuc]

Bazz is a + athlete. His lateral quickness is elite, change of direction and body control are elite, and ballhandling is elite. Hand/Eye(shooting) is great. He isn't as fast as Kemba or Boat, but really who is? Those guys are 1%-ers. Whoever said Shabazz is "limited" athletically is simply not very good at assessing athleticism.

 

[huskymania]

When compared to a freak like Boatright, sure Napier has limitations athletically. But can you really tell me that you've watched Napier play this year and thought "man, if only he was more athletic he would have made that play?" Napier is occassionally frustating because he'll turn it over or take a bad shot once in awhile - that's due to poor decision making, not poor athleticism. And again, the guy has averaged 18, 6, and 5 thus far - unathletic six footers don't do that in Division 1 basketball.

And by the way, Boatright is no more of a "pass-first" point guard than Shabazz is.

I agree that Napier can play I said that since the first post. He is more effective playing off the ball as a 2 guard where his shooting ability can be maximized, and where he can score points for us. Boatright's speed and vision are better suited for him to take control of the team at the 1 because he can create for himself and for everyone else on the team. Napier doesn't have the breakdown ability, and handles the ball too much cause the offense to become stagnant, and everyone watching while he chucks some deep jumper with the shot clock winding down.The three guard set of Boat, Bazz, Lamb, and Roscoe and Drummond in the front court will be beastly on teams. Roscoe deserves the nod because he provides great defense and rebounding, and toughness to the team, which every team needs to win championships. We don't need Roscoe to score much if at all with all the weapons we have on the court. He will get points on put backs and dunks.

 

[aceboon]

shabazz said he wants to pass first but right now needs to score

And he does need to score, which is why I don't understand why people are getting on Bazz so much for shooting(not directed at you). I thought he took some questionable shots in the last game but other than that he's been fine and he should be taking the 2nd most shots on the team because he's the 2nd best shooter on the team behind Lamb and you could argue he's the best right now when you factor in Lamb's early struggles from 3. I'd much rather have Bazz shooting than AO tossing up offbalance hookshots from his hip or Roscoe bricking. Before Ryan joined the team you could argue that the only players capable of creating their own offense were Bazz and Jeremy, it would've been a waste for him to be trying to constantly set the table and pass first given his scoring ability. So far I think he's done a pretty good job at balancing between scoring and passing.

 

[DogMania]

Bazz is a + athlete. His lateral quickness is elite, change of direction and body control are elite, and ballhandling is elite. Hand/Eye(shooting) is great. He isn't as fast as Kemba or Boat, but really who is? Those guys are 1%-ers. Whoever said Shabazz is "limited" athletically is simply not very good at assessing athleticism.

Bazz is more quick than fast & explosive. He's not an elite athlete but plenty athletic, making up for what he doesn't have with super quick hands, smarts, nifty ball handly, plus-body control, a whole lotta this and a whole lotta that. Smart, quick and tricky best describes his game. I love that funky change of direction two step move he does when driving to the lane. It often looks like a travel but clearly isn't. Fortunately the refs seem to be prepared for that move and call it correctly. The other thing he's added to his bag of tricks is his ball fakes. My gosh, I thought he had to travel on a couple of them, but after replaying them, notice he didn't.

He's probably the most unpredictable driver, I've seen in some time. He seems to divide his paint attacking moves between taking it directly to the basket, tossing the quick pass to an open teammate, and faking the pass and going up with his own shot.

While Kemba was one of the most amazing scorers we've ever seen at UConn, Bazz is one of the most fun ones to watch.

 

[ctchamps]

I don't see JC starting with SN, RB and JL. He needs RB to be the back up point guard if SN gets into foul trouble. I expect JC to employ the three guards the same as last season with SN taking over KW's role and RB taking over SN's role. The end of the games will most likely have the three guards in the lineup at the same time. This allows the team to have the freshest legs and we should start seeing more aggressive play on defense by SN and JL.

 

[huskymania]

Bazz is a + athlete. His lateral quickness is elite, change of direction and body control are elite, and ballhandling is elite. Hand/Eye(shooting) is great. He isn't as fast as Kemba or Boat, but really who is? Those guys are 1%-ers. Whoever said Shabazz is "limited" athletically is simply not very good at assessing athleticism.

Stanley Robinson was an elite athlete. Andre Drummond and Ryan Boatright are elite athletes. Bazz is an average athlete who makes up for it with smarts, quick hands, and great shooting. I know we have our own preferences when it comes to talent, but this is pretty cut and dry. If Bazz is an "a + athlete" then these guys must be out of this world athletes.

 

[huskymania]

Bazz is more quick than fast & explosive. He's not an elite athlete but plenty athletic, making up for what he doesn't have with super quick hands, smarts, nifty ball handly, plus-body control, a whole lotta this and a whole lotta that. Smart, quick and tricky best describes his game. I love that funky change of direction two step move he does when driving to the lane. It often looks like a travel but clearly isn't. Fortunately the refs seem to be prepared for that move and call it correctly. The other thing he's added to his bag of tricks is his ball fakes. My gosh, I thought he had to travel on a couple of them, but after replaying them, notice he didn't.

He's probably the most unpredictable driver, I've seen in some time. He seems to divide his paint attacking moves betweentaking it directly to the basket, tossing the quick pass to an open teammate, and faking the pass and going up with his own shot.

While Kemba was one of the most amazing scorers we've ever seen at UConn, Bazz is one of the most fun ones to watch.

Smart, quick, and tricky are euphemisms for lacking in explosiveness and athleticism LOL. Bazz is fun to watch and he will be even better to watch at the 2 where he can shoot and score.

 

[bmayuc]

Stanley Robinson was an elite athlete. Andre Drummond and Ryan Boatright are elite athletes. Bazz is an average athlete who makes up for it with smarts, quick hands, and great shooting. I know we have our own preferences when it comes to talent, but this is pretty cut and dry. If Bazz is an "a + athlete" then these guys must be out of this world athletes.

Haha, not an "A+" athlete. He is a "Plus" athlete. As in, above average. To me, limited means it causes him to struggle with defensive matchups and getting by his defender on offense. For example, Scotty Haralson was a limited athlete. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel was a limited Athlete. And I just don't see that with Bazz.

Its funny you bring up Stanley Robinson, because Bazz is almost exactly the opposite. Stanley could Run and Jump with the best of them, but did not have great agility, lateral quickness, or savvy. Bazz isn't going to dunk anytime soon, but he is extremely agile/balanced and is very crafty/savvy.

 

[huskymania]

Haha, not an "A+" athlete. He is a "Plus" athlete. As in, above average. To me, limited means it causes him to struggle with defensive matchups and getting by his defender on offense. For example, Scotty Haralson was a limited athlete. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel was a limited Athlete. And I just don't see that with Bazz.

Its funny you bring up Stanley Robinson, because Bazz is almost exactly the opposite. Stanley could Run and Jump with the best of them, but did not have great agility, lateral quickness, or savvy. Bazz isn't going to dunk anytime soon, but he is extremely agile/balanced and is very crafty/savvy.

I know I mentioned Stanley because I loved watching him dunk on people. He had so much talent and he didn't fulfill his full potential. Bazz on the other hand is maximizing his talents. I do think that Bazz will have trouble guarding explosive guards like Peyton Siva(look at last year for example) and darius johnson odom in the Big East. Boatright can keep up with them better. Lamb also has been disappointing on defense this year although its very early. I want to see Lamb our go to player be more aggressive on defense like Kemba was at all times last year. I want to see UCONN dominate every team we play and I think the starting lineup of boat,bazz,lamb, roscoe, and drummond is our best lineup for now.

 

[bmayuc]

I know I mentioned Stanley because I loved watching him dunk on people. He had so much talent and he didn't fulfill his full potential. Bazz on the other hand is maximizing his talents. I do think that Bazz will have trouble guarding explosive guards like Peyton Siva(look at last year for example) and darius johnson odom in the Big East. Boatright can keep up with them better. Lamb also has been disappointing on defense this year although its very early. I want to see Lamb our go to player be more aggressive on defense like Kemba was at all times last year. I want to see UCONN dominate every team we play and I think the starting lineup of boat,bazz,lamb, roscoe, and drummond is our best lineup for now.

Ok but who comes off the bench to bolster the backcourt? Every great team we have, it has a scoring guard off the bench to provide punch. Shabazz was invaluable last year because he would come in the game when the players were a little winded and just kill people for 3-5 minutes off the bounce. Kemba was terrific during our final Four season(2009?). All the way back to 98-99 with Ricky Moore, or even John Gwynn for you really old guys, its been an instrumental part of our successful model.

Basketball is less about putting the very best 5 person combination on the floor at the start of the game and more about defining roles and responsibilities. It aint about who starts, its who finishes.

 

[huskymania]

Ok but who comes off the bench to bolster the backcourt? Every great team we have, it has a scoring guard off the bench to provide punch. Shabazz was invaluable last year because he would come in the game when the players were a little winded and just kill people for 3-5 minutes off the bounce. Kemba was terrific during our final Four season(2009?). All the way back to 98-99 with Ricky Moore, or even John Gwynn for you really old guys, its been an instrumental part of our successful model.

Basketball is less about putting the very best 5 person combination on the floor at the start of the game and more about defining roles and responsibilities. It aint about who starts, its who finishes.

True and like i said all the way back to my first post. I don't think he will start Boat because he wants him to provide a spark for the team off the bench. I also don't think he will start roscoe either but will start both daniels at the 3 and olander at the 4 for the near future. That being said the five I already listed are our best options with olander,daniels, oriakhi, and giffey off the bench.You can easily give both bazz and lamb time to rest by just sitting one of them out when their tired and putting in a bigger lineup. Boatright's penetration ability will make the game easier for everyone so they will be fresher and less worn out during the game. All they woiuld have to do is be ready to catch and shoot or dunk. If Boat needs a break, Calhoun can either move him at the 2 and Bazz at the 1 or he can sit him down and play with a regular 2 guard formation of lamb and bazz along with roscoe/daniels/olander/oriakhi combo and of course drummond.

 

[caw]

Boatright is more athletic than Bazz, it has yet to be proven he is a better PG. Between Bazz and Lamb and JC's insistence on having a guard sub on the bench (the correct call IMO), Boatright is not starting anytime soon.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is touting Shabazz as a natural 2.

 

[imno1]

I need help. Please explain the def of an elite athlete. Shabazz has made some unbelievable plays. Me thinks when all said and one he will be regarded as one of our PGs best ever. Stanley was always perceived as a great athlete because he could jump out of the gym. He had no handle, his shot was inconsistent. Could he hit a baseball? How was his bowling game?

 

[ctchamps]

I guess the reach around bandit uses stealth instead of mach speed in his thefts.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is touting Shabazz as a natural 2.

just because he's been putting up numbers... look at d rose, d wills, etc... shabazz is a one that score when he wants

 

[Gurleyman]

At this point, Napier is much closer to a true point guard than Boatright. Napier played a lot of point guard last year, even with Kemba on the floor. Boatright averaged 30 something points and 3 assists in high school, so he has come in here with a scorer's mentality (which is fine - perfect for the sparkplug role that he is starting out with). Shabazz has also sliced people up with his passing at times, where you know he's not always look to score, and has a pretty tight handle to weave in and out of traffic (most of his TO's have been errant passes or charges). I even thought he was playing an excellent game at the half against UCF with only two points (maybe four assists, one turnover on a charge and 1-3 from the floor, but running things well) and then he left with foul trouble and the second half unraveled on the whole team. But in terms of athleticism - if he's isolated one-on-one with a defender and no help is coming, I would expect him to beat his man or get a clean look at a jumper almost every time. The shots he's forcing now late in games at the end of the shot clock are usually because the lane is clogged and it's sort of a last resort to get something up because our offense is still not where it will hopefully be later in the year. One problem is systemic - we always bring a big up to set a high screen in the final seconds of the shot clock in that situation, which clogs everything up - and it takes that big out of offensive rebounding position. Zones make you vulnerable on the offensive glass, but we don't take advantage of that when we play tentatively because we end up with three guys standing around watching/spotting up for a kickout, and our best rebounder 20 feet from the basket.

It's also important to remember with Boatright that he hasn't been scouted yet. Everything looks pretty good with him so far - in terms of being able to shoot, drive, dish, etc. where he seems unpredictable. But if people learn after examining film that he's less effective in certain situations or areas of the floor, they'll force him to those areas.

 

[James]

just because he's been putting up numbers... look at d rose, d wills, etc... shabazz is a one that score when he wants

D Rose and Dwills are Natural 2's you're saying? Anyway this thread has left me scratching my head. Did I read someone say shabazz is just a good ball handler with quick hands? You don't play defense with your hands only

 

[UConnSwag11]

D Rose and Dwills are Natural 2's you're saying? Anyway this thread has left me scratching my head. Did I read someone say shabazz is just a good ball handler with quick hands? You don't play defense with your hands only

i responded to this I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is touting Shabazz as a natural 2. Im saying that they're only saying this because he is scoring a lot now... he is a one, that is scoring a lot because he has to... in a few months no one will call him a 2... kemba was always a one and people called him a 2 last year because he scored a lot because he had to.

 

[huskymania]

i responded to this I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is touting Shabazz as a natural 2. Im saying that they're only saying this because he is scoring a lot now... he is a one, that is scoring a lot because he has to... in a few months no one will call him a 2... kemba was always a one and people called him a 2 last year because he scored a lot because he had to.

I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is touting Shabazz as a natural 2.

Shabazz can play both the 1 and the 2 spot. My argument was that he is better suited at the 2 where can shoot and score. His lack of blow by speed, and athleticism, will hurt UCONN in the long run. UCONN is best suited with Boatright at the 1 because of his great penetration, athleticism, and vision that can open up the court for everyone to score especially Lamb and Bazz on the perimeter. You can't susbsitute talent, explosive speed, and athleticism.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Shabazz can play both the 1 and the 2 spot. My argument was that he is better suited at the 2 where can shoot and score. His lack of blow by speed, and athleticism, will hurt UCONN in the long run. UCONN is best suited with Boatright at the 1 because of his great penetration, athleticism, and vision that can open up the court for everyone to score especially Lamb and Bazz on the perimeter. You can't susbsitute talent, explosive speed, and athleticism.

i know but IMO i feel shabazz is a true one, like nash j kidd, they want to pass first because they need to run the team but score when he needs to, he's not a scoring guard as much... the two spot to me is where you want a person with speed and such... or for the scorer

 

[Robertelamin]

No hes better suited at the 1. We already have an all american at the 2. Boatright is perfect as the spark plug off the bench.