Why Dan Hurley says UConn’s roster is ‘screaming’ for emergence of Jayden Ross, Jaylin Stewart

[HW611]

The only positive I'll say in the stats is that his best lineup combination was with Karaban+Reed, both of whom are back this year. The downside is that his worst pairing is with Stewart, who he's likely to play more with.

I can see why. Stewart had a few plays on film where he just gets lost and confused on when to switch. There’s a lot of times Stew just isn’t focused on that end of the floor.

 

[navery12]

Don’t worry. The film will be there so you can watch the play yourself instead of look at a number #

I'm going to watch, I'm just being honest that nobody is going to take you seriously when you've shown nothing but bias about Ross. And are openly admitting you're not including everything in your analysis.

Your comment that you don't understand the analytics so they must be wrong is laugh out loud funny

 

[caw]

I think, by and large, people can see the vision with Stewart and Ross. It just has not fully clicked for them in their first two years. They both improved, but most people wanted more improvement, maybe not at the Solo level, but more. They need to make at least a similar leap this year.

If UConn can get about 11-14 PPG (up from 7.8 last year combined) and solid defense between the two of them this year, it's a win. Or a bit less offensively and shutdown defense.

If it clicks fully for one of them it could be much higher. If it clicks for both, UConn will be fantastic.

 

[HuskyHawk]

They are different players. Stewart has been hampered by Alex sticking around, shifting him mostly to the 3 where he struggles to defend small quick players (as would AK). He's a stretch 4 and his defense is much better against bigger, slower players. He can shoot 3s, but he also has a nice midrange game. He's so much better as an AK backup than he is playing with AK.

Ross has the quickness and length to be a great defensive 3, but in the past he gambled constantly, trying for steals instead of just playing position defense. Maybe he has flipped that switch. But unless his offense improves he seems more like a role player/defensive stopper. We may need that this year because I don't think Mullins is going to hold up on D as well as Liam did last year. Maybe the offensive game comes too, that would be welcome.

 

[RuffRuff]

They are different players. Stewart has been hampered by Alex sticking around, shifting him mostly to the 3 where he struggles to defend small quick players (as would AK). He's a stretch 4 and his defense is much better against bigger, slower players. He can shoot 3s, but he also has a nice midrange game. He's so much better as an AK backup than he is playing with AK.

Ross has the quickness and length to be a great defensive 3, but in the past he gambled constantly, trying for steals instead of just playing position defense. Maybe he has flipped that switch. But unless his offense improves he seems more like a role player/defensive stopper. We may need that this year because I don't think Mullins is going to hold up on D as well as Liam did last year. Maybe the offensive game comes too, that would be welcome.

Spot on, only piece I would argue is Mullins vs McNeeley on D. He is much quicker defensively and should be able to stay in front of his man much better than McNeeley did. The problem would be if he had to guard a larger more physical 3, which we then have options for.

McNeeley was not a plus defender by any stretch. Watching guys like Neal take him off the dribble was hard to watch.

 

[husky429]

Spot on, only piece I would argue is Mullins vs McNeeley on D. He is much quicker defensively and should be able to stay in front of his man much better than McNeeley did. The problem would be if he had to guard a larger more physical 3, which we then have options for.

McNeeley was not a plus defender by any stretch. Watching guys like Neal take him off the dribble was hard to watch.

I think we have options for those physical 3s, though it will probably be our weak spot on defense. Demary and Solo are both STRONG 195s, Ross, even Stewart are bodies we can throw in to slow up a scoring run.

 

[80shusky]

Didn't see anyone mention this but shots fired by Danny here!
Anyway, these are our guys. They're flawed. They all are. If they were perfect we'd have nothing to argue about and they'd already be in the league.
SJ mentioned Stewart playing well in big games and some of the opponents. For me the UNC game comes to mind. Also, it seems like when he plays well it is usually early and then he fades in the 2nd half. Might be a good reason to start him rather than let him molder on the bench early in the game.
It won't matter if Mullins starts or gets 25 min off the bench. He gone.

 

[aboogieee]

I’m with HuskyHawk on Jaylin. Hopefully when Silas and Tarris are back, the team will be strong enough that Alex doesn’t have to log 35+ minutes a night. That way, Jaylin can get more time at the 4 and actually run some of those sets they always draw up for Alex. Because as long as those two are on the floor together, it’s clear 11 is going to get the call.

 

[gtcam]

Ross/Stewart - the discussion is mundane to me
They both are very limited in important aspects of their game. While I agree in some arguments for both, I feel that Dan Hurley swung and missed on his outlook for these two. I can't see either in a starter role for meaningful minutes at this point and both lack the consistency in their overall game.
If counted on for crucial bench minutes, have they shown that they can come in and provide the spark Dan Hurley and the fans expect every game? They are not newbies.............................................
Maybe this is the year at least one of them has a breakout season, let's wait and see.
Perhaps - Dan Hurley getting Landrew to come aboard is his way of telling both Ross and Stewart that there's going to be a new man in town next season and he is poised to take minutes from one or both of you.

 

[RuffRuff]

They are different players. Stewart has been hampered by Alex sticking around, shifting him mostly to the 3 where he struggles to defend small quick players (as would AK). He's a stretch 4 and his defense is much better against bigger, slower players. He can shoot 3s, but he also has a nice midrange game. He's so much better as an AK backup than he is playing with AK.

Ross has the quickness and length to be a great defensive 3, but in the past he gambled constantly, trying for steals instead of just playing position defense. Maybe he has flipped that switch. But unless his offense improves he seems more like a role player/defensive stopper. We may need that this year because I don't think Mullins is going to hold up on D as well as Liam did last year. Maybe the offensive game comes too, that would be welcome.

This is it - AK hanging out for 4 years has put Stew in a position where his skillset is kinda redundant, versus having a featured & consistent part of the offense. Him at the 3 just makes no sense, not his profile on either end of the floor.

He should have his chance next year, but it would have been a long wait to get his chance and we can tip our cap to that.

Ross needs to play to his traits defensively & show some reasonable ability offensively. He's a big, long athletic kid who plays with a lot of urgency (too much sometimes). It's hard not to pull for that.

 

[superjohn]

This is it - AK hanging out for 4 years has put Stew in a position where his skillset is kinda redundant, versus having a featured & consistent part of the offense. Him at the 3 just makes no sense, not his profile on either end of the floor.

He should have his chance next year, but it would have been a long wait to get his chance and we can tip our cap to that.

Ross needs to play to his traits defensively & show some reasonable ability offensively. He's a big, long athletic kid who plays with a lot of urgency (too much sometimes). It's hard not to pull for that.

AK also doesn't need to be playing 36 minutes per game.

 

[Jaydumo20]

They are different players. Stewart has been hampered by Alex sticking around, shifting him mostly to the 3 where he struggles to defend small quick players (as would AK). He's a stretch 4 and his defense is much better against bigger, slower players. He can shoot 3s, but he also has a nice midrange game. He's so much better as an AK backup than he is playing with AK.

Ross has the quickness and length to be a great defensive 3, but in the past he gambled constantly, trying for steals instead of just playing position defense. Maybe he has flipped that switch. But unless his offense improves he seems more like a role player/defensive stopper. We may need that this year because I don't think Mullins is going to hold up on D as well as Liam did last year. Maybe the offensive game comes too, that would be welcome.

This is as good an assessment as I've seen. Was it Dixon that Stew D'd up so well? I think so. That should be a sign that he can do it.

 

[Jaydumo20]

AK also doesn't need to be playing 36 minutes per game.

I wonder if we'll ever see AK at the 5 again.

 

[RuffRuff]

AK also doesn't need to be playing 36 minutes per game.

I got to see him not to believe it. I really hope he doesn't.

 

[aceboon]

AK also doesn't need to be playing 36 minutes per game.

if he does the other wings are gonna get stagnated in their development for another year

 

[navery12]

I wonder if we'll ever see AK at the 5 again. I doubt it. If we're playing a team like st johns I wonder if Kaluma gets PT when Tarris sits.

I imagine we'll see more of Koroma than Karaban at the 5, but I doubt it's at the expense of Reibe's minutes. I've seen a few people talk about Reibe this way, but I don't really get it. He has 5 inches and 50 pounds on Koroma so definitely wouldn't say Koroma is sturdier

 

[Jaydumo20]

I imagine we'll see more of Koroma than Karaban at the 5, but I doubt it's at the expense of Reibe's minutes. I've seen a few people talk about Reibe this way, but I don't really get it. He has 5 inches and 50 pounds on Koroma so definitely wouldn't say Koroma is sturdier

Yes. I had written previously that Koroma seems sturdier but erased it after I looked at his metrics. He's about the same size as Stew

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I got to see him not to believe it. I really hope he doesn't.

It's interesting to note that each of his last 2 seasons, his 3pt shooting has tapered off as the season progressed. Don't have time to do actual stats analyses, but if you look at the game logs, he had many more bad games in the latter ~1/3 of the season. It was more pronounced as a Soph and Junior., when he was logging many more minutes.

Lots of things factor into "hot" or "cold" shooting, including general form (too complex, can get out of sorts more than a simple repeatable), injuries, offensive sets, defense, etc.

But it sure seems like the slog of high-minutes might catch up to him. Maybe.

I'd love to see Alex get less minutes this season. It may benefit him as well as the team. We sure are deep enough with experience and talent to support it.

 

[RuffRuff]

I imagine we'll see more of Koroma than Karaban at the 5, but I doubt it's at the expense of Reibe's minutes. I've seen a few people talk about Reibe this way, but I don't really get it. He has 5 inches and 50 pounds on Koroma so definitely wouldn't say Koroma is sturdier

I'd actually argue that Koroma is more of a 4 and perhaps even a 4 that brings a more complimentary skillset to the floor as a hustle/rebound guy than Stewart. We don't need a bunch of shooters at the 1-4 on the floor at all times.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

I imagine we'll see more of Koroma than Karaban at the 5, but I doubt it's at the expense of Reibe's minutes. I've seen a few people talk about Reibe this way, but I don't really get it. He has 5 inches and 50 pounds on Koroma so definitely wouldn't say Koroma is sturdier

Agree...Reibe played 22min vs. BC. He seemed to be doing well with motor and stamina throughout (though he did look a bit winded at one point when he was on the blocks during FTs at one point.

I think he seems like he will have less conditioning/endurance issues compared to Clingan. If he needs to play 20 due to Tarris having foul issues, it seems like we could get that from him.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I'd actually argue that Koroma is more of a 4 and perhaps even a 4 that brings a more complimentary skillset to the floor as a hustle/rebound guy than Stewart. We don't need a bunch of shooters at the 1-4 on the floor at all times.

If so then if Reed goes out with foul trouble its either Reibe or AK. I thought Koroma was the "5" when we played them, no? I didnt pay much attention to his recruitment but I always thought he was a "replacement" for Youssef

 

[navery12]

I'd actually argue that Koroma is more of a 4 and perhaps even a 4 that brings a more complimentary skillset to the floor as a hustle/rebound guy than Stewart. We don't need a bunch of shooters at the 1-4 on the floor at all times.

Agree that he's more of a natural 4, but his only real path to minutes here is the 5 and it's why he was brought in. Karaban and Stewart will take up all the minutes at the 4. Completely disagree with your last sentence though, if you can't shoot I have less than 0 interest in you being on the floor at the 1-4 spot

 

[Lafayette]

Ross seems to never show “I want the ball!” Granted we see Solo as the shooting guard work screens to get free by design.

Stewart has that “sleepy Floyd” look - no disrespect - he never looks nervous either but with hands has called for the ball.

Ross might be our best defender but he must have some offense to go with that…Castle, Moore, DePriest all had some game to go with defense - even if they were not normally used as the first or second scoring option. You cannot just be a great defender and have nothing to scare opponents on offense.

So bottom line is Ross is way ahead as a defensive gem but way behind offensively. Kinda the anti-Solo role

 

[RuffRuff]

Agree that he's more of a natural 4, but his only real path to minutes here is a 5. Karaban and Stewart will take up all the minutes at the 4. Completely disagree with your last sentence though, if you can't shoot I have less than 0 interest in you being on the floor at the 1-4 spot

Witness Uconn 2024-25 - bunch of shooters. Witness Uconn 22-23 - AJx was a terrible shooter, Castle was not a good shooter. Balanced rosters are more important than a bunch of guys who enjoy hoisting threes.

Teams always need someone to do some dirty work.

 

[superjohn]

I'd actually argue that Koroma is more of a 4 and perhaps even a 4 that brings a more complimentary skillset to the floor as a hustle/rebound guy than Stewart. We don't need a bunch of shooters at the 1-4 on the floor at all times.

Koroma absolutely is more of a 4 than Stewart. Jaylin is obviously a lot more talented but doesn't seem to have a defined role and often just floats out there shooting threes. Koroma is one of the leaders in field goal percentage the past two seasons in college basketball. He doesn't shoot outside of 5 feet and is a solid offensive rebounder.

Karaban simply played too much last season and there's no reason to do that again with the talent we have.

 

[navery12]

Witness Uconn 2024-25 - bunch of shooters. Witness Uconn 22-23 - AJx was a terrible shooter, Castle was not a good shooter. Balanced rosters are more important than a bunch of guys who enjoy hoisting threes.

Teams always need someone to do some dirty work.

You're basically making my point for me. The common thread with all 3 teams you mentioned is that we shifted to an offense with a 4 who could shoot, Alex Karaban. And sure, we had weaker shooters at the 3 like Jackson and Castle, but they were still guys the defense had to respect and would take 3's.

 

[auror]

It's interesting to note that each of his last 2 seasons, his 3pt shooting has tapered off as the season progressed. Don't have time to do actual stats analyses, but if you look at the game logs, he had many more bad games in the latter ~1/3 of the season. It was more pronounced as a Soph and Junior., when he was logging many more minutes.

Lots of things factor into "hot" or "cold" shooting, including general form (too complex, can get out of sorts more than a simple repeatable), injuries, offensive sets, defense, etc.

But it sure seems like the slog of high-minutes might catch up to him. Maybe.

I'd love to see Alex get less minutes this season. It may benefit him as well as the team. We sure are deep enough with experience and talent to support it.

 

[superjohn]

Witness Uconn 2024-25 - bunch of shooters. Witness Uconn 22-23 - AJx was a terrible shooter, Castle was not a good shooter. Balanced rosters are more important than a bunch of guys who enjoy hoisting threes.

Teams always need someone to do some dirty work.

Agreed, we have two of the best three point shooters in the country in Solo and Braylon and AK, Silas, Malachi, and Stewart are all good to very good catch and shoot three point shooters. We need to be tougher, St. John's flat out bullied us last season.

 

[Jaydumo20]

You're basically making my point for me. The common thread with all 3 teams you mentioned is that we shifted to an offense with a 4 who could shoot, Alex Karaban. And sure, we had weaker shooters at the 3 like Jackson and Castle, but they were still guys the defense had to respect and would take 3's.

Also, for a team that never gets to the foul line, castle was very valuable there from the get go. He became a better 3 pt shooter as the season went on i believe.

 

[Peacefrog]

Ross seems to never show “I want the ball!” Granted we see Solo as the shooting guard work screens to get free by design.

Stewart has that “sleepy Floyd” look - no disrespect - he never looks nervous either but with hands has called for the ball.

Ross might be our best defender but he must have some offense to go with that…Castle, Moore, DePriest all had some game to go with defense - even if they were not normally used as the first or second scoring option. You cannot just be a great defender and have nothing to scare opponents on offense.

So bottom line is Ross is way ahead as a defensive gem but way behind

offensively. Kinda the anti-Solo roleLo

Ross seems to never show “I want the ball!” Granted we see Solo as the shooting guard work screens to get free by design.

Stewart has that “sleepy Floyd” look - no disrespect - he never looks nervous either but with hands has called for the ball.

Ross might be our best defender but he must have some offense to go with that…Castle, Moore, DePriest all had some game to go with defense - even if they were not normally used as the first or second scoring option. You cannot just be a great defender and have nothing to scare opponents on offense.

So bottom line is Ross is way ahead as a defensive gem but way behind offensively. Kinda the anti-Solo role

I love what Lyman brought to the team but let's not romanticize it "too" much. He had no offensive game beyond the occasional offesnive rebound and put back. In four years I think I remember him making 1 3-pointer. He was in there for one reason only and it wasn't to try and do anything on offense.