Starting point guard

[hoophuskee]

One difference is we didn't press much due to injuries and a limited bench. I hope that all changes this year, not just push the pace on offense, but press on defense as well. That might limit our best players to more like 30 minutes a game which is fine as long as the substitutes are very high quality too and we are at the same time exhausting the other team's starters, and forcing them to rely on far inferior benches more.

If our bench is much better than our opponents, by an even bigger margin than comparing starters, then a fast paced game on both ends making more of the game a battle between the benches is to our advantage.

I love your post. Love it!!!!!!


I just want to say I'm in favor of if healthy I would love to see Paige/Azzi/Edwards get 30 minutes or close to it. as a general average.

I do believe however if UCONN is healthy, the greatest advantage UCONN would have been forcing the other team's bench to have to play against the UCONN starters/core 6/maybe 7 if Ice is al what we've heard (or ofc if anyone emerges). How many teams have as quality of a core 6 (Paige/Azzi/Edwards/Ducharme/Nika/Aubrey) that UCONN has if healthy? No more than 3 if that. And I believe I'm being extremely generous saying 3.

As far as Nika, imo there are many posters that are massively underrating what Nika is and as a result seek the new shiny toys as alternatives. And in some cases, a massive recency bias exists because of one game while disregarding the entire season to boot.

IMO a huge strength of Nika Muhl is that she goes over-and-above-and-beyond to get the ball to our scorers in any manner, and she runs a fastbreak very well. And throwing aside her defense which is outstanding, the 34.9% from 3 she shot this year gets completely ignored.

For example, I recall a play with Muhl bringing the ball up the court, not fast or slow, but as she brings the ball up, she then makes a few quick dribble to get in front of Azzi's defender, so then she widens her body and gives a cheap shuffle pass to Azzi who now has the space to take (and she hit) the 3. It wasn't a play of beauty. It wasn't flashy. But it's what Muhl is going to do.

And unlike some posters that want to see a flashy penetration move in the paint, instead Muhl is going to bring the ball up, make the 1st pass then throughout the offense do anything she can such as go off the ball and set a pick (even an illegal one) - in other words do whatever that needs to be done to get the ball to players like Paige and Azzi in prime offensive positions.

I know some will say - "I don’t want my pg setting picks." Well after the 1st pass, if she is playing with Paige, then she is no longer the pg.

You don't; need to be flashy to be a good pg is the bottom line. Adn not every player is an All-American.

 

[hoophuskee]

If we are talking fast breaks only, imo one of Nika's strength is her fastbreak. That's a huge positive for her because in the fast break she has the speed comign at the defender and as a result of her momentum runnign at the basket it forces the defense to stop her. As a result, when you run a fastbreak it means you more than likely have at least a one more player advantage. Then the opposing team has to stop the ball which means Nika then is free to pass to Paige/Azzi.

IMO she runs the break extremely well. You don’t think so?> Adn unless she is shooting a layup, then why then would you want her to not pass the ball to the 2 superstar Wings instead? Her attacking, and taking a shot unless it's layup, takes the opportunity away from the superstar(s). Unless the pg is at least at near A/A level, it's not easy to convert. And if the pg is small, if they get in the lane and are being defended, taking a contested shot rather than passing the ball to the superstars is not the thing to do.

The Defense is taught to stop the ball. So, they aren’t going to give Nika a layup. They are going to stop her. So, why should Nika force much on a fastbreak with her dribbling the ball in the lane when UCONN has a numbers advantage, and especially when they have superstars on the Wing? One of teh superstars has to be oipen if it's a fatsbreak.

 

[seeya27]

I like the 3 point guard lineup: Nika Paige Azzi, along side Caroline and Aaliyah.

Not big enough, you say? I suspect opposing teams will have to go small to deal with it.

Need more D in a pinch? Bring in Aubrey.
Need more muscle? Bring in Ice or Jana or Ayanna or Amari.
Need more speed? Inês and KK are ready.
Need to give one of our shooters a breather? Ashlynn and Qadence are ready.

It’s like a law firm:” Bueckers Fudd & Muhl LLC, We got you covered.”

My brain keeps getting drawn to parallels to Dan Hurley's team last year. Clearly different in that the men didn't have a traditional point guard -- and they had huge advantages & skills in the paint.

This team has enormous depth at the point & less depth at the 5.

Still, DH went 9 deep until the tournament. Diarra lost his minutes in the NCAAT.

Will Geno, who traditionally goes 7 deep change consider changing things up given his depth? Maybe go 8 or even 9 and speed the tempo up?

Ice, Jana, Ayanna & Amari are not positionless players. But Aubrey & perhaps 1 or 2 of the freshman could play multiple positions in Geno's 4-out schemes? There are a lot of options.

This team is intelligent, deep and generally experienced. It'll be fun to see how Geno handles it. He has a lot to work with.

 

[hoophuskee]

Let’s just play three! That way Paige can be the backcourt by herself! Starting lineup; Paige, Aaliyah, Ice, everyone else can be backups. You lost me here! I’m not sure what your point is. I believe I and most others acknowledge Paige as likely the best player we have at three different positions. The question (since she can only play one at a time) is where is she best suited to play that maximizes both her play, her effect on the rest of the team and, allows for the best overall complementary players around her? In other words, if you put Paige at each of the starting Pg, Sg, Sf/W/third guard positions, what four players around her in each of those scenarios would constitute our best team. I happen to believe it would be with her (Paige) at the point guard position.
Paige, Azzi, Caroline, Aaliyah, Ice would be my starters. Could this change according to opponent’s strengths and weaknesses? Of course!

It's a team game. SO she plays the best postion that makes the team better. This isn't one-on-one. Five palyers play togther. They play off of each other. It's as though you're trying to separate indivualism vs team.

Paiges best position is the postion that makes the team better. Not just "Paige" individually better. Her passing the ballfor example to Aubrey 25 feet from the basket (becuase AUbrey is one of teh wings in a 1-4 set) in a 1-4 set in a halfcourt offense isn't better thna Nika passing the ball to Paige in the same 1-4 set offense.

 

[Forego]

Puertorock43 asked who would be the starting point guard from day 1. The team’s first game will be in Zagreb Croatia. So, without question, Nika will be the starting point guard. She might be replaced by Paige, Azzi, Ines, KK or Ashley some point down the line. But on day 1 she will start.

 

[Skeets]

I agree with everything except there were occasions when Aaliyah positioned herself somewhere at mid-court and was very effective at helping to break the press. Otherwise great post.

 

[Tonyc]

I think Nika will start however her minutes may be limited. In the past Nika has not been a threat to score thus leaving defenses able to double down on other players. Nika may start but I feel her minutes may be limited due to the deep roster we have of players who can score. Nika has proven she can get the ball to the open player as her assists have shown however so can Paige and Paige is a former NPOY who can do so much more. Nika has earned a starting role and only Geno can change that. I really like the energy and defense Nika brings however this season with so much talent Im afraid if Nika does not become more of a threat to score her minute will be limited even if she does start. There are also underclassman who need minutes and floor time because they will be seeing significant minutes later this season and next season . Nika has proven herself and earned a starting position however her minutes may be limited as the season progresses and our underclassman gain experience.

 

[Bone Dog]

Aaliyah was a point forward in high school. She’s not afraid to handle the ball. Geno has occasionally used her to break the press, positioning her at mid court as an outlet. She’s not quite the ball handler Haley Jones is, but she’s not far behind her.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Aaliyah was a point forward in high school. She’s not afraid to handle the ball. Geno has occasionally used her to break the press, positioning her at mid court as an outlet. She’s not quite the ball handler Haley Jones is, but she’s not far behind her.

Ah, I see we can throw another name on the “she will replace Nika at point guard next season” list! Any other contenders that might emerge before November? I heard now that BG is back she was considering using a Covid year to learn to play point guard herself!

 

[tchalla1]

tchalla- - - Geno has proven in the past that he can make the "small" lineup work!
He puts the players in position to succeed and if he notices it's going south in a hurry he has so much talent on the bench to switch direction in a hurry!

Perhaps what you say is correct, but I recall all the previous losses--especially those where UConn was not even competitive--that the principal reason was we got killed on the boards and our front players got dominated.

 

[Surly1]

Completely agree. Caroline also lacks the quickness you’d like to see at PG. Maybe in a pinch or to break a press she can cover that spot if needed, sort of like having Aaliyah help break a press. She might bring stability in a crisis, but not the multifaceted offensive threat we’d want to see at that position for an entire quarter.

I’d also add Inês and KK to the designated PG list. If they make it onto the floor at all — I think they will — it will be as PGs. I can’t see using them at SG or W.

Also, thinking about the recurring sentiment that Nika proved herself last season, I share this view. She expanded her offense with a new willingness to drive and finish at the rim, which was very effective in several games. She still lacked the midrange game and I hope she can add that to her arsenal this season.

But even though Nika proved herself last season, I think it’s a mistake to say that what she did then has earned the starting spot for this season. Geno doesn’t seem to think this way, namely that a previous season can earn a player a spot. She’ll need to earn it again in the fall in practice. I have little doubt she will, just because of the ferocity she’ll bring to the task. And even if she doesn’t, and comes off the bench instead, that’s great news for the team because it will mean someone else has made a leap. Can you picture having two players with that much ferocity?

And speaking of alternative PGs, I actually like Azzi in that spot as much as Paige. They are both excellent ball handlers and both know how to draw the defense towards themselves and then find the open player. I think this means we’ll see dual Paige-Azzi PG set for stretches in most games. It won’t have the defensive punch of a Nika set, but it will be awesome offensively.

According to your logic about Nika having to earn her spot, then by extension, Paige will have to earn her playing time as well. This thread about who should be the PG and should Nika start seems to disregard the concept of position less players. UConn has the luxury of multiple players who can facilitate and handle/distribute the ball. Since her freshman year, Geno has made it his point to have Nika on the floor. Each year, she has improved and added something to her game.

Paige is the most talented player in the women's game. Maybe in the WNBA she might be positioned as a PG, but for now, she is what she and Geno wants her to be. For the past 2 seasons, UConn has had a number of capable shooters on the roster. As we all know, injuries have hampered most of them. I am positive there will be many occasions where Paige will play the PG role, but her true talents lie in being a combo/shooting guard.

At this stage, it is anybody's guess as to will be the 5th starter. Personally, I like having both Aubrey and Caroline being the first 2 off the bench. Each bring specific skills depending on the game's need. I think we have to take a wait and see approach with Ice and Jana. As talented and skilled as this team is, without a true "big," UConn will have considerably less size in comparison to the last couple of years. It may not impact the regular season, but will certainly come into play come tourney time.

 

[Waquoit]

We have players with experience that have paid their dues. They have earned their playtime.

I don't think any players on the roster have "earned" any playing time for next year. It should be an open competition going forward, best players play.

 

[BeldenDog71]

Question. Who will be the starting point guard on day 1. I know everyone expects Paige but after the season nika muhl had and her durability do we really take the keys away? I mean Paige is amazing but do to injuries the past 2 years have been tough. What does everybody think? I say keep nika as the starting point.

You would think that Nika would start, but one never knows. Professional athletes don't like to think that because they get hurt that they lose their job once they are ready to play again. So, if Paige is ready (and at this moment, she is not) I think she would expect to start, and if not she'll be in the game within the first five minutes...IF she is up to snuff.

With this line up of potentially good guards, good wings Geno will be able to run more, play more Full Court Defense than we've seen in the past few years. We just have to pray that everyone gets healthy and has improved. We know Edwards will bring it every game, but the unknowns are how good in Jana, how much improvement has Amari made. If Aubrey's back holds up and Caroline is healthy from her hip surgery. Last yr, it prohibited her from summer workouts, conditioning, etc...and it showed. We have not see "ICE" play yet either, and we expect huge improvements from Patterson, but we'll have to wait to see. The freshmen are far ahead of most freshmen, and unlike some, I hear they are listening and absorbing as much as they can.

Lastly Puertorock, I would prefer that UCONN start off the season playing a couple of exhibition games, and then some lightweight teams just to get everyone in the flow of things and used to playing, running plays, playing defense, etc...I'm praying that that's what their trip to Europe will do for them....and no matter what, we'll all be in their corner all season long.

 

[hoophuskee]

No player is going to make a correct decision all the time. Especially non-pros. And with the ball being in your hands a lot, you are not going to be perfect.

But anyhow, since when is it a good idea for a small non-scorer type of a pg, taking contested fastbreak shots in the lane better than the pg passing the ball to one of her open superstar Wings on each side of her? Why is it better for her to force the shot rather than pass the ball to the open superstar? Because if they are on a fastbreak and Nika's shot is to be contested in the lane, then it must mean either Paige or Azzi is open.

If they don't have numbers then it's not a fastbreak. Unless that is what you are saying? When they don’t have numbers or in halfcourt sets you are oaky with her taking shots away from her all-American caliber teammates?

In a flippant way I’d be fine in comfortable games or blowouts she does it but only if she showed in practices that she can score with similar moves. If she can’t score in practices, then taking deliberate contested shots in games and taking the opportunity away from others because you’re being selfish is not really the best way to go.

 

[Bone Dog]

According to your logic about Nika having to earn her spot, then by extension, Paige will have to earn her playing time as well.

“According to your logic…” — gee, that sounds friendly. I only hear that from my daughter when she’s about to show how wrong I am. In the plus colimn, though, she also says stuff like, “I believe in you, Dad…” — and I can’t shake the feeling she’s poking fun at me.

In a presser in 2022, a few weeks before she returned from her injury, Geno said about Paige, “Of course, she’s going to have to earn her playing time, like everyone else.” He then laughed and turned to the next question.

 

[Cedar]

I can’t disagree with your assessment of Paige. She’s every bit the Wonder Woman you describe. But I think you get Nika wrong. You mention the 2022 tournament and the NC St game. But you neglect the Stanford game in which Nika outrebounded Brink! The girl does stuff like that!

On the whole, I think the 2022 season was the old Nika, the one who didn’t trust her own offense, who couldn’t finish at the rim. She was still an awesome defender, rebounder and all around ball hawk. Still, 2022 Nika was mainly a liability at the end of close games because she wasn’t an offensive threat.

Fast forward to 2023 Nika. This edition improved her offensive output, slashing and finishing at the rim and passing as well as any UConn pg ever has. She almost doubled her previous career scoring average, and tripled her assists, with an excellent a/to ratio. Although I think Nika was instrumental in the Stanford win two seasons ago, she was instrumental in almost every win last season. Without her at point, the team would have gone nowhere.

It’s tempting to blame Nika for the tOSU loss. But I don’t think that was her fault. It was a team letdown. They were emotionally spent and you could see it. They weren’t moving to the ball to receive passes, they weren’t chasing down 50/50 balls. They had already gone as far as Nika could carry them emotionally.

But it will be different next season, powered by Nika’s heart and Paige’s genius, and Azzi’s long range daggers, and Aaliyah’s and Caroline’s renewed confidence, and Aubrey’s gazelle like transition runs. I don’t think Nika will have to supply all the heart this time around. She’ll have a lot of reinforcements.

We agree on some points and disagree on others.

You are correct that Nika had one more rebound than Cameron Brink (8 vs. 7). However, Nika only scored 2 points in that game, versus 15 for Brink. Paige scored 14 points and she had 4 rebounds.

The results of the Stanford game buttress an assertion that I made in my previous post, namely, that Paige generally performs better overall than Nika, particularly in high-pressure playoff games. You can see Paige’s superior performance more clearly by looking at data from HerHoopStats. Below is a table summarizing some key statistics.

Player	Player Efficiency Rating (PER)	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating (lower numbers are better)	Net Rating
Paige Bueckers (2021-2022 season)	30.4	119.7	77.3	42.4
Nika Muhl (2022-2023 season)	14.4	102.8	85.5	17.3

As the table shows, Paige’s PER is more than double Nika’s PER. Paige’s net rating is 25.1 points higher than Nika’s. Those are huge margins. Note that Paige’s offensive rating and her defensive rating are both better than Nika’s ratings.

I agree with you that Nika significantly improved her game last season. I also agree that Nika had an excellent A/TO ratio. However, Paige had an even better A/TO ratio: 2.31 vs. 2.24.

In a number of posts, you have propounded the theory that the UConn players were “emotionally spent” in the game against Ohio State. I am not willing to subscribe to this theory based on the results of just one game. UConn had plenty of energy and spirit in the Big East tournament and during the NCAA tournament games against Baylor and Vermont. Moreover, I have not heard any comments from Geno or from his players that they were “emotionally spent” during the game against Ohio State. A more plausible explanation is that UConn was flummoxed and stymied by Ohio State’s well-executed, full-court press.

I agree with you that Nika should not be solely blamed for the loss to Ohio State. She did, however, lead the team in turnovers (7) in that game.

You wrote that there was a team letdown against tOSU. Not all the players had disappointing performances. Lou had an impressive 25-point game with an injured knee. Dorka and Azzi scored 13 and 14 points, respectively. Aaliyah, Caroline, Aubrey, and Nika had weak performances, however.

Ohio State should be given credit for a well-played game. Cotie McMahon and Jacy Sheldon played especially well.

 

[Cedar]

Are you saying that Paige can't score as teh sg and only the pg? Becuase we know that isn't true. We saw Paige near snigle-handedly beat SC as a freshman. And the pg wass Nika. With everything you said above why can't the same thing be said of Paige as a sg? SHe played a lot of SG as a frosh in which she was NPOY. So what is your point if we knoe she was super as a SG too and we know she can get a lot of shots as a sg and win a ton too?

I never said that Paige can’t score as a shooting guard, or that she must only play the point-guard position. Paige is the best player on the team. She can be very effective scoring at the 1, 2, or 3 positions.

As I said in a previous post, I think Geno will experiment with different lineup combinations during the season. Both Nika and Paige will have opportunities to be the starting point guard. They will have many opportunities to play together. But during the NCAA tournament, I think that Geno will have Paige leading the team in the point guard position. Paige has demonstrated that she performs better than Nika in high-pressure playoff games. Paige is a much better scorer, and she has a PER that is more than double Nika’s PER. Paige also commits fewer turnovers, and she has a better A/TO ratio.

I think Geno’s best lineup combinations will have Paige playing point guard and Azzi playing shooting guard.

 

[hoophuskee]

I never said that Paige can’t score as a shooting guard, or that she must only play the point-guard position. Paige is the best player on the team. She can be very effective scoring at the 1, 2, or 3 positions.

As I said in a previous post, I think Geno will experiment with different lineup combinations during the season. Both Nika and Paige will have opportunities to be the starting point guard. They will have many opportunities to play together. But during the NCAA tournament, I think that Geno will have Paige leading the team in the point guard position. Paige has demonstrated that she performs better than Nika in high-pressure playoff games. Paige is a much better scorer, and she has a PER that is more than double Nika’s PER. Paige also commits fewer turnovers, and she has a better A/TO ratio.

I think Geno’s best lineup combinations will have Paige playing point guard and Azzi playing shooting guard.

Your 1st paragraph I didn't have issue with. But I had asked a question to try to understand your previous post better.

It's your 2nd para. Am I correct to assume that you view the PG position as either/or but it can't be both Paige and Nika together for much time?

You’ll get no argument from me if you think the best 1/2/3 spots are Paige/Azzi/Caroline assuming all are healthy. I just question Caroline’s health if she can play day-today.

But my reply to you was implied - that if you felt they can’t play together then I would disagree. And if you felt Aubrey was better as a starter with Paige as the pg vs Nika as the pg and Paige as the SF then I would disagree. It just seems like you are closing the door for them playing together for significant minutes. Are you? If not, then no problem. I just happen to believe Nika at the pf with Paige at the SF is better than Paige ta pg and Aubrey at SF.

And you’re absolutely right, Paige is much better than Nika. No one should ever have an iota dispute for that.

 

[Alydar]

The bold is not true at all. IMo way off. Paige is without a doubt far superior far superior to Aubrey. And it's not close. Aubrey can't shoot well. No matter what else she deos, Paige's Offense at that spot is far far superior/way more offsets any impact Aubrey can overall produce.

Good points. Now let's apply the same criteria to a comparison of Bueckers and Muhl at the point:

Paige is without a doubt far superior far superior to Nika Aubrey. And it's not close. Nika Aubrey can't shoot well. No matter what else she does, Paige's Offense at that spot is far far superior/way more offsets any impact Nika can overall produce.


Muhl and Griffin both contribute greatly. Both provide those "what else" things you decided to ignore when it came to Griffin but emphasize about Muhl.

The bottom line is that neither has yet shown the ability to be a consistent point producer and Geno will not want them on the floor together a lot for that reason. If either or both show better scoring this off-season or early in the regular season that will change everything.

 

[Alydar]

What???

She ":alowed" it her freshman year. Did you miss the whole 2nd half of her freshman year and miss the South Carolina game in her freshman year when she played near the whole game off the ball while Nika was the pg?

Everyone here knows that the reason Bueckers was moved was because Westbrook and Williams weren't consistent outside shooters and too many of Bueckers' great passes ended with air balls. It was fortunate that Geno had a backup as good as Muhl but she didn't get put in because she was more effective than Bueckers. It could be said that Muhl was a better pg than either Westbrook or Williams were as scorers.

I'm leaning towards thinking that Brady Edwards Fudd and Bueckers will start. Muhl, Griffin, Ducharme and Patterson all could be starter No 5.

 

[ballerfan]

Paige could push the ball up the court but clearly she doesn't if it isn't a coaching mandate. I realize some of that is because Paige plays heavy minutes. She probably could push the ball all the time if her minutes were reduced. Nika played heavy minutes last year, pushed the pace all the time and maintained all out defensive intensity at the same time.

I loved your post, but I was curious about this paragraph. Nika played heavy minutes but was able to push the pace all the time. Paige could push the pace all the time but only if her minutes were reduced. How do we know that? We don’t. Having said that, I don’t expect Paige to be 100 percent at the beginning of the season.