What Paige Bueckers Does

[j66kicker]

Short article, couple interesting takes I hadn’t seen before...

Big East Weekly: What Paige Bueckers does - The Next

And where she needs to improve

thenext.substack.com

 

[diggerfoot]

Not quick? The justification provided is that Auriemma says she plays at her own pace. There are at least two lines of counter evidence. On offense she quickly reacts to passing situations that suddenly develop from broken offense when she is caught in the lane. On defense some of her steals come from poking the ball away from whom she is guarding, not from smartly assessing the passing lanes alone.

In lieu of quickness he claims her ability comes from playing smarter. True enough, but as an example he cites how sometimes she is close to getting beat “badly“ but adjusts. As long as it’s only ”close” that is a counterargument to his own point. Once getting beat comes “close” what is going to save you from actually getting beat is quickness.

I recall the first Seton Hall game Park-Lane was beating everyone badly, including Griffin, but not Bueckers. What she did to Bueckers instead was get her into foul trouble as she attempted to block or swat Park-Lane’s efforts. (Park-Lane did simply go by Bueckers once by my count, but she was guarding her more than any other player except Westbrook.)

The claim Bueckers ”is not a great defender” is true, she is merely a “good defender.” But the author’s narrative makes it seem like Bueckers is just “OK” as a defender only after she can make the mental adjustments necessary. I suggest the author has preconceived notions around which she sought to build a narrative.

on edit: One more thing. How often does Bueckers gets her shot blocked? If she was just taking outside shots or midrange jumpers off the curl that is one thing, but we have often witness her suddenly knife through the lane for a layup, too quick for anyone to react.

 

[my2cents]

And here I thought steals were part of defense???

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Interesting insights. He's right that she's not particularly quick. And, yes, she is smart on defense.

Sometime back, someone here asked whether Paige is the WCBB version of "Pistol Pete" Maravich. And then what her nickname should be.

What comes to mind is "smooth." She's reminds me of Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. She isn't quick, like Park-Lane of Seton Hall. She isn't flashy like Pistol Pete. And she doesn't have the tremendous physical gifts of Michael Jordan.

But she is oh so smooth. She doesn't "drive" to the basket, so much as she glides to the basket. And on the way, she makes the subtle adjustments with her hands to get through multiple defenders and put in a layup as she had intended when she started the drive 30 feet before. Her draw up jump shots in the lane are almost infallible. Her outside shot is the purest I've ever seen, a thing of beauty. And that includes KML, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore.

But unlike D or Maya, she's not flashy. She doesn't make the spectacular move. Instead, she flows on the court, she breezes through the defense. She glides as if no one is in front of her, and no one should impede her. She doesn't accelerate to the basket. She moves in her own time.

On defense, as the author points out, she's not quick, or strong, or tall enough to dominate. Instead, she's brilliant smart, like Larry Bird. She senses where to be, anticipates the pass, gets in the way, and makes breathtaking steals.

She's unlike any WCBB guard I can recall. She's sui generis. She's Paige.

 

[diggerfoot]

Interesting insights. He's right that she's not particularly quick. And, yes, she is smart on defense.

Sometime back, someone here asked whether Paige is the WCBB version of "Pistol Pete" Maravich. And then what her nickname should be.

What comes to mind is "smooth." She's reminds me of Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. She isn't quick, like Park-Lane of Seton Hall. She isn't flashy like Pistol Pete. And she doesn't have the tremendous physical gifts of Michael Jordan.

But she is oh so smooth. She doesn't "drive" to the basket, so much as she glides to the basket. And on the way, she makes the subtle adjustments with her hands to get through multiple defenders and put in a layup as she had intended when she started the drive 30 feet before. Her draw up jump shots in the lane are almost infallible. Her outside shot is the purest I've ever seen, a thing of beauty. And that includes KML, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore.

But unlike D or Maya, she's not flashy. She doesn't make the spectacular move. Instead, she flows on the court, she breezes through the defense. She glides as if no one is in front of her, and no one should impede her. She doesn't accelerate to the basket. She moves in her own time.

On defense, as the author points out, she's not quick, or strong, or tall enough to dominate. Instead, she's brilliant smart, like Larry Bird. She senses where to be, anticipates the pass, gets in the way, and makes breathtaking steals.

She's unlike any WCBB guard I can recall. She's sui generis. She's Paige.

Interesting. We have seen two different things. I presented four tangible examples of what I call quickness: quick reactions on broken plays; poking the ball away from ballhandlers; being better at keeping players in front of her than most of her teammates; and slicing through defenders on drives without getting her shot blocked. For your evidence you noted she is not as quick as Park-Lane. Is anyone our roster as quick as Park-Lane? You also note the subtle adjustments she makes. Sometimes those subtle adjustments require quickness; sometimes no subtle adjustments are required, she suddenly turns on the jets and blows by people.

It could be I have biases affecting my observations. I can say it started with Park-Lane in the first Seton Hall game. Even though she schooled Bueckers it did not seem to be by getting by her as easily as she blew by other Huskies, but maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps you have biases affecting what you see. In either case there are metrics by which we can test our competing views on her quickness. We can take the recent Seton Hall or South Carolina games or wait for the next good opponent. We can quantify how frequently Bueckers gets beat in comparison to other Huskies by the same player when in isolation ( as opposed to not judging properly with screens). I’ll go by your call. Shall we review Seton Hall, SC or wait for the next good opponent?

 

[Zinethar]

One thing to remember by the excellent article was that it was based from observation made from one game. That particular game , UConn vs SC, was not a thing of beauty for either team because the opposite team was playing very good defense. I do think Paige has not been as quick in the last few games since her ankle sprain as I think it still gives her issues. She is what the old song says poetry in motion. Smooth, flowing, lulls you to sleep thinking she is full speed then BAM like a snake she strikes. One on steal I remember she was still being contested for the ball but came away with it and badly outpaced everyone chasing her to the hoop even while dribbling the ball. Not mentioned much is she also has hops. She leaves the floor when taking shots, grabbing high passes, or taking layups. The author suggests she is smart and learns from each game what she needs to do to get the win. I loved the conclusion from someone with a knowledge set of 1 game. I agree. She is special and very very good.

I forgot to mention - the author called it a high scoring game. I bet both teams fans think otherwise. The difference these teams have to the "normal" women's game.

 

[eebmg]

Fast enough. Ask Zia Cooke, Brea Beal

 

[huskyd]

The author of this article must be Dawn Staley's speechwriter. Respect for Slim is, well, slim and grudging. If the writer were smarter and more observant, I would be willing to take her observations seriously. But she's not and not.
What motive is there to deprecate the game's brightest star? Why must excellence always be found to have an Achille's Heel?

 

[Blacketh’D]

Not quick? The justification provided is that Auriemma says she plays at her own pace. There are at least two lines of counter evidence. On offense she quickly reacts to passing situations that suddenly develop from broken offense when she is caught in the lane. On defense some of her steals come from poking the ball away from whom she is guarding, not from smartly assessing the passing lanes alone.

In lieu of quickness he claims her ability comes from playing smarter. True enough, but as an example he cites how sometimes she is close to getting beat “badly“ but adjusts. As long as it’s only ”close” that is a counterargument to his own point. Once getting beat comes “close” what is going to save you from actually getting beat is quickness.

I recall the first Seton Hall game Park-Lane was beating everyone badly, including Griffin, but not Bueckers. What she did to Bueckers instead was get her into foul trouble as she attempted to block or swat Park-Lane’s efforts. (Park-Lane did simply go by Bueckers once by my count, but she was guarding her more than any other player except Westbrook.)

The claim Bueckers ”is not a great defender” is true, she is merely a “good defender.” But the author’s narrative makes it seem like Bueckers is just “OK” as a defender only after she can make the mental adjustments necessary. I suggest the author has preconceived notions around which she sought to build a narrative.

on edit: One more thing. How often does Bueckers gets her shot blocked? If she was just taking outside shots or midrange jumpers off the curl that is one thing, but we have often witness her suddenly knife through the lane for a layup, too quick for anyone to react.

I’m sure the point being made about quickness is strictly based on athleticism and foot speed, which I think is fair. It obviously doesn’t hamper her on defense since she’s got good size and long arms and she’s smart. Oh and athletic as hell. I agree that I’m not sure what the almost gets beat badly is supposed to mean. Does that mean she almost got beat or she got beat but she kind of recovered? I don’t think they were very big digs at her either way

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

I believe Paige has the quickest hands in the NCAAW Universe. She is not as fast as MoJeff, but she is just as quick(yes, there is a difference). Next game watch how she plucks loose balls out of the grasping hands of opposing players(these actions are over and above her number of steals and do not show up in the stats columns). Some of her “quickness” comes from previewing the developing play and getting to the ball sooner. A lot of people have mentioned her Basketball IQ. I submit that she is a Basketball Genius.

 

[huskeynut]

What comes to mind is "smooth." She's reminds me of Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. She isn't quick, like Park-Lane of Seton Hall. She isn't flashy like Pistol Pete. And she doesn't have the tremendous physical gifts of Michael Jordan.

When I watch Paige, she reminds me of Walt "Clyde" Frazier of NY Knicks fame. Always under control. The floor general who sees the play long before the defense knows going on.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Question: What is meant by quickness? Can it be defined? How is it measured?
Was Larry Bird quick? In what way(s)? Bill Bradley? LeBron James?
I think quickness is a physical characteristic of a person/athlete. Is it related to basketball IQ/savvy? Or is quickness independent of all other characteristics?
If a player is guarding another player and one player is trying to beat another player to a spot. Quickness can get you to that spot before the other player. What if the other player anticipates the "quick" move?
Paige is playing chess and everybody else is playing checkers. And she's improving all the time.......

 

[BobbyJ]

She gave herself away as a novice when she led off by saying the game was enjoyable because it was a high score. 63-59. A high score. Maybe for a HS game. As I’ve said before, Bueckers is playing at a slower pace than she is capable of because the opposition and her teammates can’t go any quicker. I think she has to throttle back while having to wait for the game to unfold, pointing for screens she wanted several seconds ago for example. She’s just a level above where she’s playing right now. Hopefully GA is bringing in some kids that can play at her pace in the near future.

 

[chrissaran]

Paige is fast enough. It was an enjoyable game because it was a high score, 63-59. What?

 

[JRRRJ]

...slicing through defenders on drives without getting her shot blocked.

After about the second HS highlight video I saw of Paige, long before she came to UConn, I played it for my wife and told her "her slashes look just like Svetlana -- she slithers through the defense without making it look hard."

And she continues to do that, against the higher level of defense in the NCAA.

You don't need to be quicker than everyone else when you have that much body control -- strength, flexibility and balance -- added to court awareness.

 

[Cecil9]

After about the second HS highlight video I saw of Paige, long before she came to UConn, I played it for my wife and told her "her slashes look just like Svetlana -- she slithers through the defense without making it look hard."

And she continues to do that, against the higher level of defense in the NCAA.

You don't need to be quicker than everyone else when you have that much body control -- strength, flexibility and balance -- added to court awareness.

Larry Bird had that game, and to great success.

 

[diggerfoot]

After about the second HS highlight video I saw of Paige, long before she came to UConn, I played it for my wife and told her "her slashes look just like Svetlana -- she slithers through the defense without making it look hard."

And she continues to do that, against the higher level of defense in the NCAA.

You don't need to be quicker than everyone else when you have that much body control -- strength, flexibility and balance -- added to court awareness.

Seeing your reply just called to mind another possible metric for quickness. How often has Bueckers been called for a charge? Or her defender called for a blocking foul? None immediately comes to mind, despite her numerous drives. She gets to where she wants to go with flexibility, balance ... and quickness ... too fast for defenders to react.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Seeing your reply just called to mind another possible metric for quickness. How often has Bueckers been called for a charge? Or her defender called for a blocking foul? None immediately comes to mind, despite her numerous drives. She gets to where she wants to go with flexibility, balance ... and quickness ... too fast for defenders to react.

Something I've thought about for awhile and not commented on.
It's sometimes hard for really good players to play against and even with poor or mediocre players. They don't do what "they're supposed to do". A player may not go for a fake or even get out of the way like you anticipate. We may think it's automatically easier to play Georgetown than it is say Tennessee. You sprain your ankle at the cookout pickup game, not against competition. Even including that factor, she's dealt with everything thrown at her.

 

[BobbyJ]

Seeing your reply just called to mind another possible metric for quickness. How often has Bueckers been called for a charge? Or her defender called for a blocking foul? None immediately comes to mind, despite her numerous drives. She gets to where she wants to go with flexibility, balance ... and quickness ... too fast for defenders to react.

I agree and IMO it's because her head is up and instantly reading the defense. That allows her to avoid defenders and find those holes using ,B+Q as opposed to her teammates who barrel in with heads down with no idea what to do when they get there. They have to stop to decide, if they don't commit a charge, and then they're dead in the water, either tied up or flinging a wild shot.

 

[BobbyJ]

Something I've thought about for awhile and not commented on.
It's sometimes hard for really good players to play against and even with poor or mediocre players. They don't do what "they're supposed to do". A player may not go for a fake or even get out of the way like you anticipate. We may think it's automatically easier to play Georgetown than it is say Tennessee. You sprain your ankle at the cookout pickup game, not against competition. Even including that factor, she's dealt with everything thrown at her.

Great point. That's what I've been saying forever. It's why I've been saying the game is actually too slow for PB in a way. She'd be even better if the pace of the games were closer to WNBA level. Obviously she has to get stronger, better defensively, and a little more refined to play as a pro but she would flourish at that pace.

 

[j66kicker]

Paige is quick - mentally. Paige is quick - not because of fast-twitch muscle fibers, but because she mentally sees things her opponent doesn't, and starts her move before the opponent knows what's going on. Smart wins - in business, in sports, in everything.

 

[freshler40]

I believe Paige has the quickest hands in the NCAAW Universe. She is not as fast as MoJeff, but she is just as quick(yes, there is a difference). Next game watch how she plucks loose balls out of the grasping hands of opposing players(these actions are over and above her number of steals and do not show up in the stats columns). Some of her “quickness” comes from previewing the developing play and getting to the ball sooner. A lot of people have mentioned her Basketball IQ. I submit that she is a Basketball Genius.

Paige has a very quick first and second step, almost a roadster off the mark. You see this on steels and easy hoops she makes out of them. After such quick first steps, she slows down approach the hoop on breakaways to lay the ball in smoothly unlike many players that don't adjust their speed and miss the layup. We have several players that do this. The coaches need to show and coach this point to all break a way players.
The second point here is Paige's ability to separate herself from the offensive player so it "looks" like that player can easily get a pass. Paige pounces like a cat and is off for an easy hoop on occasion. I don't know if this is innate or can be taught. Paige can look disinterested to her opponent but she is far from it. Her hands are among the best in the game!

 

[my2cents]

How quick is Paige?? More than quick enough...