Who will be our best player this year?

[DrZzzz]

Karaban. Unless Clingan can play around 25 minutes a game consistently.

 

[Hunt for 7]

The best part of this thread is all the different answers. Could be Clingan. Could be Newton. Could be AK. Could be Castle. Could be Spencer. My hope is that they all play their role according to what Hurley expects them to. If that happens makes no difference who the best player is but we know who the best team will be.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The best part of this thread is all the different answers. Could be Clingan. Could be Newton. Could be AK. Could be Castle. Could be Spencer. My hope is that they all play their role according to what Hurley expects them to. If that happens makes no difference who the best player is but we know who the best team will be.

I think it's because the choices are:

Newton: 5th year, we know what he is, which is very good, but probably not "best player" on a top 10 team.
Clingan: Sophomore who hasn't played starter minutes, had minimal offense outside of dunks last year. Impressive post D and rebounding, good passing. We expect a huge leap, but will it come? Didn't see a big improvement during the season last year.
Castle: Freshman, could be amazing, but still hasn't played a minute at this level. Going on his HS rep.
Karaban: Showed a very versatile game and got much better over the course of the season. Is his improvement this year just a minor one or does he have a substantial leap in him?

We probably need/want this to be a battle between Clingan and Castle, but Alex may be the safest bet. I left off Spencer, it won't be him.

 

[jibsey]

Clingan is most critical to the team’s success. He can impact a game from a defensive standpoint and lead offensive runs as he did last year. This is why our second unit often pushed our leads up so often. If he doesn’t alter shots, rebound and start the break our team can be good but not as exceptional as last year. Sanogo was our best player last year and there’s no argument to be made to the contrary. He was final 4 mvp. Everything will be fine this year as long as Clingan stays healthy.

 

[TheHorde]

Clingan

 

[QuickDraw]

The best part of this thread is all the different answers. Could be Clingan. Could be Newton. Could be AK. Could be Castle. Could be Spencer. My hope is that they all play their role according to what Hurley expects them to. If that happens makes no difference who the best player is but we know who the best team will be.

I agree that probably nobody here would care who the best player was on a team that go us #6 but who do you think it would be for them to get it?

 

[Hunt for 7]

I agree that probably nobody here would care who the best player was on a team that go us #6 but who do you think it would be for them to get it?

So if I had to choose, I would say Clingan. Not knocking him at all but he knew his role last year and it fit him perfectly. Going from role player to being the man is a very big step. If he goes out and dominates and averages 25-27 minutes and and a double double we will have a real chance to repeat. Whenever we needed to stop a run first option was always AS. So who is going to be the stopper? Hawk was more the nail in the coffin man. I think AK can fill that role.

 

[alphasigko]

Castle or Karaban

 

[MDeL04]

Karaban is the most important piece to this team. His consistency will be huge. His calm demeanor and approach will really help keep the team focused on their goals, especially if they go through a rough stretch like last year (he's got some Eli Manning vibes). With him having that extra half season with the team in 2021-2022, he has been influenced the most by this coaching staff and previous leaders like RJ, TM, IW, AJ, JH, and AS. Low key he also may end up being one of the better Pros from this group once he gets there. I think his game translates great at the next level.

 

[gtcam]

It better be Castle
Nobody is going to average huge points because there are too many scorers on the team. The need requires a true point guard this season and hopefully Castle will provide those metrics.

 

[jibsey]

Look at it this way. If we lost 1 player, whose loss hurts the team most? Against serious competition.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I have to much coach mentality in me to even think best player
Having a clear best doesn’t always guarantee success as there is no Ray Allen or Caron Butler on this team . But how they blend together will be the key to success .
Clingan may become a dominant player but for this team to be great it’s not a necessity he just has to be very good for 25-28 minutes .
Castles adaptations to the level is key but he doesn’t have to dominate . Just fit in and let his ability do the rest
The rock is Newton but again very good , consistent is all we need
The same with another rock Karaban
Cam Spencer has to extend defenses shooting the 3 s 40
Sampson Johnson has to give us. very good minutes whenever he plays.
Diarra has to give the young but talented reserves a steady hand and confidence in themselves .
Those Freshman just have to play up to their talent .
So we don’t really need a best . If what see as necessary happens . I’ll see you guys in Phoenix . I be wearing a black Cowboy Hat . and my Lucky White Connecticut shirt with blue letters I last wore in 1999 . My lucky shirts are dry cleaned and put in plastic for future Time they may be needed .

 

[CTBasketball]

Karaban will be the guy we want on the floor the most.

 

[jibsey]

I have to much coach mentality in me to even think best player
Having a clear best doesn’t always guarantee success as there is no Ray Allen or Caron Butler on this team . But how they blend together will be the key to success .
Clingan may become a dominant player but for this team to be great it’s not a necessity he just has to be very good for 25-28 minutes .
Castles adaptations to the level is key but he doesn’t have to dominate . Just fit in and let his ability do the rest
The rock is Newton but again very good , consistent is all we need
The same with another rock Karaban
Cam Spencer has to extend defenses shooting the 3 s 40
Sampson Johnson has to give us. very good minutes whenever he plays.
Diarra has to give the young but talented reserves a steady hand and confidence in themselves .
Those Freshman just have to play up to their talent .
So we don’t really need a best . If what see as necessary happens . I’ll see you guys in Phoenix . I be wearing a black Cowboy Hat . and my Lucky White Connecticut shirt with blue letters I last wore in 1999 . My lucky shirts are dry cleaned and put in plastic for future Time they may be needed .

Sanogo had to be great for us to win the championship and there’s no reason to think that Clingan wouldn’t need to play on that level for the team to be great. But if they are all very good that may do it.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Karaban

 

[Chin Diesel]

Karaban will be the guy we want on the floor the most.

Worked out well last season.

 

[UCONNRPh]

Am concerned about Clingan and foul trouble since he'll be on court much more than last year. We are deep everywhere, but based on history and clutchness---gotta go with AK

 

[bmayuc]

As I was thinking about "best" and my options - what struck me is that even more than last year, this team is incredibly skilled, versatile, and efficient.

Donovan with offensive and defensive elite rim numbers
Karaban elite shooting, great passer, good rebounder, always well positioned
Spencer elite shooting, good passer, good rebounder
Tristan good shooter, elite FT rate, good passer
Stephon looks to be an elite finisher/slasher and great passer

Hard to project Solo, Ross, or Stewart - but we should put up some pretty incredble offensive numbers this year.

For the record, "Best" will be Donovan

"Most Important" will be Stephon - the floor of this team is pretty high given the athleticism, size, skill. But the upside of how good we could be will most likely be determined by Stephon's ability to get comfortable on the court with big minutes. He can definitely be a guy that averages 10-15ppg, 4 rb, 4 asssists and solid defense. If you can count on that. Geez, watch out.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Did everyone here see what Newton did in the championship game? Expect more of that. Shocked I haven’t seen his name come up more here. He’s going to be the key.

 

[bfs3]

DC but I really hope it’s Castle. If it is then we can repeat. I’m expecting the others to play great but if Castle rises to the top anyways then we’re looking at one of the best line ups in the country

 

[SwampYankee]

Did everyone here see what Newton did in the championship game? Expect more of that. Shocked I haven’t seen his name come up more here. He’s going to be the key.

Newton's a really nice player and getting him back is definitely a net positive. That said, I've rewatched the SDSU game a couple of times (as I'm sure many of us have) and I can't really buy into this narrative. Yes, love the rebounding and he was great from the line, but it's hard to look past the 4 assists to 5 turnovers from ostensibly your lead guard. He definitely scored the ball, but none were really momentum shifters in my view, and 6 points came after the Hawkins three that essentially ended the game. I do think he makes a jump though, particularly if Castle allows him to play off ball more. I just don't think our ceiling is where you want it to be if Newton turns out to be our "best" player.

 

[mauconnfan]

Will be different almost every game. That’s a good thing!

 

[Improviser]

Will be different almost every game. That’s a good thing!

Lots of MVP's to go around, hopefully.