Why can't Giffey shoot straight or finish

[mcs333]

Love his hustle, defense but what has happen to his shooting. In BE play he is shooting 33% and 11% from 3pt. He is making 85% of his FT's which is excellent. He is really having a hard time finishing around the rim. As good as he's been on defense, he is hurting the team on the offensive end. Last night he did get fouled and made his shots but he should have scored many more points.

 

[aceboon]

Not really just him, the common theme in all of these close wins/losses is just the inability of the supporting guys around Boat and Bazz to hit an open shot or finish at the rim. I know Omar had a good game and he along with DD were the only ones really scoring in the 1st half but that's because St Johns D was committed to forcing everyone but Boat and Bazz to score. Not saying they have to hit every open shot that comes their way, but them along with Giffey had multiple open looks that they just don't knock down. They don't finish inside(DD's inability to get an And 1 with less than a minute left when he was 2" from the rim and not even hammered was pathetic) and they don't consistently knock down their outside shots when they're given wide open looks. Our frontcourt issues aside I think that's the biggest obstacle from this team making a leap next year, Omar/Giffey/DeAndre have got to get better in this regard.

 

[uconnfan68]

Not really just him, the common theme in all of these close wins/losses is just the inability of the supporting guys around Boat and Bazz to hit an open shot or finish at the rim. I know Omar had a good game and he along with DD were the only ones really scoring in the 1st half but that's because St Johns D was committed to forcing everyone but Boat and Bazz to score. Not saying they have to hit every open shot that comes their way, but them along with Giffey had multiple open looks that they just don't knock down. They don't finish inside(DD's inability to get an And 1 with less than a minute left when he was 2" from the rim and not even hammered was pathetic) and they don't consistently knock down their outside shots when they're given wide open looks. Our frontcourt issues aside I think that's the biggest obstacle from this team making a leap next year, Omar/Giffey/DeAndre have got to get better in this regard.

that

 

[tykurez]

It's mental. He's all hustle, but he's still visibly reluctant to assert himself on offense. When he gets the ball in a position to shoot and doesn't take that split second to think about whether he should be deferring ... it goes in. Unfortunately, that's been a very rare occurrence.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

It's mental. He's all hustle, but he's still visibly reluctant to assert himself on offense. When he gets the ball in a position to shoot and doesn't take that split second to think about whether he should be deferring ... it goes in. Unfortunately, that's been a very rare occurrence.

I agree....I keep hoping he can come out and play spontaneously....quit guiding his shots, shoot them naturally. He could use a serving of "Rashad Onions." Having said that, he played very well and is getting tougher and stronger in his play. He is driving more and hopefully will start finishing more.

 

[CAHUSKY]

He could use a serving of "Rashad Onions." .

EWWWW.

 

[sledog]

How many misses did UC have before the first made basket? 8-9?? That was the factor. This team has no ethylene glycol in the block of late to emeliorate slow starts.

 

[huskiesnyc]

Love his hustle, defense but what has happen to his shooting. In BE play he is shooting 33% and 11% from 3pt. He is making 85% of his FT's which is excellent. He is really having a hard time finishing around the rim. As good as he's been on defense, he is hurting the team on the offensive end. Last night he did get fouled and made his shots but he should have scored many more points.

A big part of the reason his shooting is down is because he's being guarded by much bigger defenders. KO has been forced to use him at power forward and center this year. Mostly because Olander is a liability, and doesn't know how to box out. Not much to complain about last night from Giff. It was his best performance of the year in my opinion. 1 point short of a double double and got every loose ball.

 

[aceboon]

Not really buying this, the only time he shoots from the perimeter is when he is open so bigger defenders isn't an issue. As far as inside, outside of a couple nice post ups and jump hooks he showed in the early beginning, he's been mostly driving to get inside or getting dump off opportunities, everybody has to deal with a bigger defender in the paint, including Bazz and Boat when they try to drive. Just gotta start finishing better.

A big part of the reason his shooting is down is because he's being guarded by much bigger defenders. KO has been forced to use him at power forward and center this year. Mostly because Olander is a liability, and doesn't know how to box out. Not much to complain about last night from Giff. It was his best performance of the year in my opinion. 1 point short of a double double and got every loose ball.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Confidence. He's not used to having the green light, and when you overthink, you tend to miss.

I think he's one where JC's quick hook did more harm than good.

 

[James]

Giffey is so euro. Catches the ball , pass fakes, tries to identify any resemblance of offense, then moves the ball somewhere better spacing wise. if we had more talent on our team, and a dime dropper at the 1, we would see him flourish-- hitting all open threes, finishing more around the rim. Problem is we have guards who look hobbled and arently particularly talented playmakers( Napier is a decent passer and boatright is a 2 limited by his size) he has tremendous upside with that motor.

 

[Jluc]

I honestly think if Niels just had some confidence and played without thinking so much he would be the third best player on the team this year. We all know he's capable of hitting shots and finishing. Just gotta be consistent..Niels is the boy.

 

[aceboon]

I honestly think if Niels just had some confidence and played without thinking so much he would be the third best player on the team this year. We all know he's capable of hitting shots and finishing. Just gotta be consistent..Niels is the boy.

Agreed

 

[Husky68]

Just to beat FREE on this; it's on Ollie.

 

[ctchamps]

I honestly think if Niels just had some confidence and played without thinking so much he would be the third best player on the team this year. We all know he's capable of hitting shots and finishing. Just gotta be consistent..Niels is the boy.

He's got the game, I agree. There are a lot of plays on defense in which he helps create turnovers. And he rarely strays from his player. On offense I agree its confidence. Same goes for DD and TO. Not so with OC, RB and SN. EW has the confidence but lacks the fundamentals. Same with RJ.

NG has the fundamentals, pluck and grit. He just needs to gain moxie!

 

[BoatShow]

He shoots so apologetically. He's probably afraid of finishing because he always takes nasty spills on dunks.

 

[Horatio]

Confidence. He's not used to having the green light, and when you overthink, you tend to miss.

I think he's one where JC's quick hook did more harm than good.

Niels has all the fundamental moves and footwork on offense but the ball hardly ever goes in. The closest person similar that I could think of was Curtis Kelly. Curtis tried to show he was a low post scorer, good footwork and textbook low post moves - and the ball never went in plus Calhoun yanked him like a cheetah does a gazelle.

 

[huskyharry]

I actually think he made quite a positive step forward yesterday. All season he has been reluctant to shoot or attack the rim. Against the Johnnies he did both, admittingly bricking it from three and on a couple drives, but also having very good success toward the end of the game in drawing fouls. He has the good form on his shot and he is money from the FT line. I hope he stays with the aggressiveness, as making some of the shots will be the next step towards making him a very effective player.

A do agree with the post above that his Euro outlook and looking for the best team play first would be more effective with more talent around him, but this is a team in a growth phase with basically a pass on this season...Bazz, Boat, Omar and DD can become those more talented targets over time.

 

[CTBasketball]

He should have been shooting more during the first ten games, to build his confidence. I'd rather have him taking 4-5 more shots a game instead of Boat or Bazz launching bail-out contested three's.

 

[ford82]

Niels did have a nice and-one yesterday against a really good shot blocker in Obekwa. Yes, he missed a ton of open looks, but his passing, rebounding and defense were excellent against St. John's.

Coaches can live with missing shots, they can't live with getting out worked.

When UConn made the big run in the second half, Giffey was contributing significantly to the offense through his ball movement and his steal on defense led to the easy dunk for R.J.

 

[joober jones]

It's largely because he's being forced to play a position he's not meant for. Usually a guy like Giffey isn't going to be banging it down low in the paint with the bigs. He's not executing, but it's not entirely his fault.

 

[joober jones]

I honestly think if Niels just had some confidence and played without thinking so much he would be the third best player on the team this year. We all know he's capable of hitting shots and finishing. Just gotta be consistent..Niels is the boy.

I like him, but 3rd best is a bit of a stretch. Napier, Boatright, Daniels, and Calhoun have much more natural ability. Mentally he's arguably in the top 3.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I like him, but 3rd best is a bit of a stretch. Napier, Boatright, Daniels, and Calhoun have much more natural ability. Mentally he's arguably in the top 3.

That's an interesting question, but I'm not at all sure you are correct in your conclusion. He shows quickness to stay in front of his man on defense much better than the other two. He's not a high flyer, but neither are the other two. You may well be right and maybe time will tell, but I would like to see Giff just go out and play and not be so damn careful. I think he is finally starting to get closer to doing that.

 

[aceboon]

It's largely because he's being forced to play a position he's not meant for. Usually a guy like Giffey isn't going to be banging it down low in the paint with the bigs. He's not executing, but it's not entirely his fault.

On offense he isn't banging down low with the bigs. Neither him or DeAndre are doing this, they are playing as stretch 4s, we're not asking them to be Jeff Adrien.

 

[CTBasketball]

Ever since day 1 freshman year, I felt that Giffey never got put into his correct role.