UConn in the NBA Nov 2025

[How Sway?!]

True that it is not on the frigging college coach. What it is, especially now with NIL $, is the opportunity to fix those weaknesses in an environment where you are better than most of your opponents and can get the playing time to do that in real high level competition.

What environment do you think is better to develop, the NBA or the G-league?

 

[Mazhude]

The average length of an NBA career today is 4.8 years. That's not a lot of time to prove you can make it... and many don't... regardless of what college you went to.

 

[Gurleyman]

Yeah I dont want to get too much into the numbers involved. I’m just looking at what skills they had specifically.

Rudy’s 3 point shooting and facilitating wasn’t up to par, but he didn’t really need those to become a high level wing scorer in the league (his 3 point shot came around because the NBA teaches that the easiest). Charlie also had the skills, just never put it together to produce like he should’ve. But they were there.

When talking about how ready Lamb was for the NBA he clearly improved skill wise even if the numbers weren’t efficient or the winning wasn’t there because of a roster that didn’t fit together. Doesn’t take away from the fact that Lamb had the skills he needed for the jump.

He developed his handle to take people off the dribble, he was a 3 level scorer, and had defensive ability, while still being a knockdown shooter the few times he was open which wasn’t much his sophomore year. From that standpoint he was fully prepared.

Hawkins did not have those skills year two. He didn’t develop his handle like Lamb did. He wasn’t a 3 level scorer as he didn’t use his midrange much and couldn’t finish at the rim. His defense did improve though.

Not having that fully rounded out game is what’s hurting him now in a way that it didn’t with Lamb. The team success was the team success and the numbers are the numbers. I’m just speaking to the skills they had to prepare them to make the leap.

I don’t think Hawkins had to play PG to show growth, Jeremy didn’t, and I’m not a believer in a player being a better comes at the cost of winning.

No great secret that it's a bit of a different analytics era now where the midrange is largely shunned in the NBA, and that's spilled into college. We have bought into that philosophy quite a bit in recent years - we only took one 2-point shot yesterday that wasn't in the paint. Lamb developed that trademark floater, but the analytics people now describe the floater as the worst shot in basketball, so the NBA would probably coach that right back out of him if he played today.

Not saying we should have been a contender in 2012 - but it was a rather catastrophic dropoff after losing only one player, however great that player may have been (when we had his replacement waiting as an understudy, who proved to be quite competent). If we don't beat West Virginia in overtime in the BET quarters, we might not have made it in. Lamb realistically isn't near the top of the list of reasons to blame for that - he improved from his first year to his second and took on more responsibility. But when we asked him to make the leap from Robin to Batman, which was probably good for his personal development, it was part of a broken puzzle. We saw some of the same things happen with Scott Burrell, Albert Mouring and Jerome Dyson, too. All of whom also had future first-team All-Americans and/or lottery picks in their supporting casts. Boat to some degree could be included (although that year, I think DD leaving and Purvis not really being all that Ferrarish left our talent level too thin, whereas those other seasons, we got way better the next year - going from NIT to the Top 10).

The roster didn't really fit in 2011, either. We didn't have anyone to play the 4 - our stretch fours weren't strong enough or good enough shooters (Roscoe, JCD), Olander started token minutes. We would play Okwandu and Oriakhi together. That was a mess. Oriakhi was not a good post option for a 4-out, 1-in style of play. The 2023 team didn't necessarily fit either on paper - Newton and Jackson got in each other's way on offense (neither spaced the floor well when the other had it), and Sanogo and Clingan were two of our five best players and couldn't play together.

 

[AdamaNation]

2021 transfers:

Brendan Adams > GW (17.4p, 2.9a, 38 3P%)
Josh Carlton > Houston (11.6p, 6.2r, 1.2b)
Javonte Brown > URI (8p, 6r, 1.5b)

2022 transfers:

Akok Akok > Georgetown (6.5p, 6.2r, 2b)
Rahsool Diggins > UMass (16.8p, 2.7a)
Corey Floyd > Providence (9.2p, 4.8r, 2.0a)
Jalen Gaffney > FAU (5.6p, 2.4a), Final Four team

2023 transfers:

Nahiem Alleyne > St. John's (Dated Nika Muhl)

2024 transfers

Apostolos Roumoglou > Richmond (5.4p, 5.2r)

2025 transfers:

Aidan Mahaney (UCSB; projected to start; Preseason First-Team Big West)
Ahmad Nowell (VCU; projected to star; Preseason A-10 All-Conference Third Team)
Youssouf Singare (High Point; will be one of the top mid-majors in the nation)
Isaiah Abraham (Georgetown)

Josh Carlton was 1st team aac at Houston too I believe.

 

[HW611]

True that it is not on the frigging college coach. What it is, especially now with NIL $, is the opportunity to fix those weaknesses in an environment where you are better than most of your opponents and can get the playing time to do that in real high level competition.

So college coaches just lie to players when they say they can prepare them better than anyone else.

It’s not actually their responsibility.

 

[HW611]

No great secret that it's a bit of a different analytics era now where the midrange is largely shunned in the NBA, and that's spilled into college. We have bought into that philosophy quite a bit in recent years - we only took one 2-point shot yesterday that wasn't in the paint. Lamb developed that trademark floater, but the analytics people now describe the floater as the worst shot in basketball, so the NBA would probably coach that right back out of him if he played today.

After watching how deadly that floater was as his signature move in real time why would we agree with anything suggesting it should’ve been coached out of him?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

So college coaches just lie to players when they say they can prepare them better than anyone else.

It’s not actually their responsibility.

Yeah, most of the time they do lol

 

[alphasigko]

What environment do you think is better to develop, the NBA or the G-league?

Neither. College Hoops... How well has the NBA/G-League succeeded in developing Ajax, Hawk, Boak, Adama, Newton and Tyrese. Of all of these, perhaps Tyrese has progressed the most. Cam did well in G-League and NBA and now has an extended contract in Memphis. 2 out of 7. Not really a good record.

 

[Dibbie]

Back to back sloppy turnovers for Steph

 

[superjohn]

Cam is the man. 19 points tonight.

 

[Gurleyman]

Cam is the man. 19 points tonight.

Actually. Shabazz is the man. Shabazz is the man. Shabazz.

 

[Gurleyman]

After watching how deadly that floater was as his signature move in real time why would we agree with anything suggesting it should’ve been coached out of him?

I’m not saying I agree with it or don’t agree with it. I’m just saying that’s the way it is these days. Nobody in important decision making roles at that level thinks “tough twos” are deadly. They want you to drive at people and get to the rim and force fouls or swing it to three-point shooters and relocate. If all else fails, take a tough two, but that can’t be your bread and butter.

That’s the way we’ve done it the last few years. If you look at our shot charts there aren’t a lot of dots between the paint and the three-point line.