It all comes down to Edwards at this point.

[K_TIME]

1. Edwards wasn't a good shooter in HS and so far in college he's living to that same play....not a dead eye shooter.
2. But this is what is flooring to me....he's not a jaw dropping athlete. He just isn't. He's a solid athlete but he ain't got that speed/leaping that you can see in spurts. He's just like a Darius Miller level athlete for a wing....not bad but not eye opening.

The rest is handles, bball instinct, etc....which aren't overwhelming. In the end, I have no idea how he got rated so high...he can still be a very solid player for UK in 2023....but he ain't morphing into Brandon Miller type player this year.

 

[JonathanW]

Honestly, he doesn't need to "break out". If he's not shooting it well, just don't turn the ball over, don't be such a defensive liability, and commit to grabbing rebs.

The problem is he's young, and when he struggles offensively, he lets it impact him on the defensive end. UNCW went right at him every chance they got, and they succeeded. If he can use his length and athleticism to give us defense/rebs then he's still vital.

But if not....get Adou on the floor

There was one play vs Penn where Penn got an easy DEF rebound (either it hit the floor or he caught it chest high), with NO UK players going for it. The closest 2 to the ball (Edwards and Mitchell) already had their back to the ball stepping away from it. GO GET THE BALL !!!!!!!

 

[Soupbean]

Every one of our guys has either met (Wagner, Reeves, Bradshaw) or surpassed (Sheppard, Mitchell, Dillingham, Thiero) expectations.

Edwards is the last man to take the necessary step. His improvement this season will come. Give him time. It's just a question of how far his growth progresses this year.

If he makes it to top 5 pick level, we will win at least 30 games. I guarantee it. Every Cal team over a 7 year sample size that had a top 5 pick won at least 32 games, dating back to 1996. If he makes it to top 5-14 pick level, we will still compete beyond the Sweet Sixteen if Bradshaw stays healthy.

Get both of these guys fully going this year, and we'll be the title favorites by March.

I'm looking for Edwards to breakout in January.

Feel the same way. He needs to get that Terrence Jones epiphany where he realizes that he can be an animal around the rim attacking if himself and cleaning up everything around it for others instead of floating outside and when he learns that he'll be different player. Doesnt mean he cant play some on the perimeter but just start with rim dominance first and play of that. If he does that we're going to be a handful.

 

[JonathanW]

1. Edwards wasn't a good shooter in HS and so far in college he's living to that same play....not a dead eye shooter.
2. But this is what is flooring to me....he's not a jaw dropping athlete. He just isn't. He's a solid athlete but he ain't got that speed/leaping that you can see in spurts. He's just like a Darius Miller level athlete for a wing....not bad but not eye opening.

The rest is handles, bball instinct, etc....which aren't overwhelming. In the end, I have no idea how he got rated so high...he can still be a very solid player for UK in 2023....but he ain't morphing into Brandon Miller type player this year.

Interesting comparisons. D.Miller is a good one, he is playing like D.Miller did as a FR/SOPH. And B.Miller was rated out of HS like Edwards is playing, but B.Millar played in college like Edwards was rated.

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

I thought about starting a separate thread about this but does anybody else think Edwards may have
a flaw in his stroke preventing him from being a better shooter(the main thing holding him back)?

His release and follow through are nice and he seems to center the ball with his body but I've noticed in watching video of him that, at least in practice, his left index finger is point at 3 o'clock at the start of the stroke and only starts pointing towards the basket during the last half of the shooting stroke. I know I could never aim properly that way and I can't recall any other great shooters doing that. I'm wondering if that right to left turning of the ball during the shot is negatively affecting his accuracy.

So...real or imagined observation? If real, is it easily correctable(I'd guess no)?

They should call Mark Price to consult on his stroke the way they did MKG (forever embarrassing the kid and potentially ruining his career).

 

[ukfan1622]

They should call Mark Price to consult on his stroke the way they did MKG (forever embarrassing the kid and potentially ruining his career).

I loved MKG but his shot was broken when he got here and nobody was ever able to help him. Also, I'm seeing too many non-shooter bigmen turning into good 3 point shooters in the NBA to think a lot of them aren't getting help from shot doctors.

 

[NorfolkNWaypal]

I thought about starting a separate thread about this but does anybody else think Edwards may have
a flaw in his stroke preventing him from being a better shooter(the main thing holding him back)?

His release and follow through are nice and he seems to center the ball with his body but I've noticed in watching video of him that, at least in practice, his left index finger is point at 3 o'clock at the start of the stroke and only starts pointing towards the basket during the last half of the shooting stroke. I know I could never aim properly that way and I can't recall any other great shooters doing that. I'm wondering if that right to left turning of the ball during the shot is negatively affecting his accuracy.

So...real or imagined observation? If real, is it easily correctable(I'd guess no)?

What Calipari really should do is have a meeting with Edwards and Thiero, and tell Edwards he is now Thiero's shadow. Where he goes, you go. What he does, you do. Do not deviate from this for the next 4 weeks.

 

[ukfan1622]

What Calipari really should do is have a meeting with Edwards and Thiero, and tell Edwards he is now Thiero's shadow. Where he goes, you go. What he does, you do. Do not deviate from this for the next 4 weeks.

I'm not going to disagree about that but I don't think I've ever seen a poor shooting basketball player that wouldn't have been a better player if they shot better. I was hoping to get some input from others about his shot.

 

[NorfolkNWaypal]

What about Jamaal Wilkes?

 

[CincyUKFan]

Bleacher Report has him projected at 27 now. Many other mock drafts have him late first round as well.

Unfortunately, the dude just isn’t great. He’s a poor three-point shooter, doesn’t have handles, doesn’t defend the way you want a guy his size to, doesn’t have great athleticism, is incredibly soft, and has scored a ton of his points on layups and dunks courtesy of Tre Mitchell dropping dimes from the foul line.

 

[WallMashKyBall]

Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane.

 

[Greatestalltime]

He’s not going top 5. No way.

 

[UKortho]

Bleacher Report has him projected at 27 now. Many other mock drafts have him late first round as well.

Unfortunately, the dude just isn’t great. He’s a poor three-point shooter, doesn’t have handles, doesn’t defend the way you want a guy his size to, doesn’t have great athleticism, is incredibly soft, and has scored a ton of his points on layups and dunks courtesy of Tre Mitchell dropping dimes from the foul line.

Sounds a little like Richard Madison. Master Blaster.

 

[bigbluedon]

WTF

He DEFINITELY promised playing time to Boston. And he played Askew and Boston "not to take their hearts."

You gotta consider the source Mike. This guy is bat shit crazy. It might even be Cal.

 

[Catzman]

I disagree. We don't need him to play like a top 5 pick. Hes not built to be the go to guy like Reeves or Dillingham or Sheppard can be. He's at his best when he's doing what he did against Miami flying in for put backs, playing solid defense, helping be a threat on a fast break, crisp passes, and keeping the defense honest hitting an open 3 every now and again with a dunk or 2 a game for some energy.

A reliable 10-12ppg, 4-6 rebounds and 35%+ from 3 with solid defense with the existing firepower we already have is what we need.