Alex Poythress Makes ESPN’s Top Players Ready For a Return
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Too nice, too passive at times, can't get his shooting percentage up, has the tools if he wants to use them. He has on occasion but seems to be one of those guys that gets his plays as they come instead of making them happen. Defense is fantastic though. His blocks on the run outs are great.
I just can't wait to see Poythtess playing this year, and I think Poythress & Ulis will be our leaders on our team.
He can hit 3's on occasion. The best time for him to take them is when his defender leaves him and gets an open look. His shot percentage went way down as he played the 3 instead of 4 because he's just not an effective scorer on the wing trying to create his own shots. He's at his best getting put backs off rebounds, posting up a weaker guy, or making a posterizing dunk if he gets the ball midway in with a little space, like this one....
He wasn't considered surefire OAD...that's crazy. The class was considered one of the weakest in a LONG time.
He also had to learn to play more of a three, since he is PF skill with SF body. He isn't a good ball handler or shooter, which causes major issue in terms of playing the three. His passive attitude also hurt in his development. He's content on others being the star.
Thanks all for the insight. I guess I meant physically he seemed like such a specimen, really long and athletic, and so bright... Add in how highly ranked he was, and I guess I thought he would be gone really, really quick. Thanks!
We win the title if Poy doesn't go down last season. His D would've made the difference in the Wisky game.
I don't agree with that. Poy shot a good percentage from 3 previously. Not saying he needs to take a bunch of them but he was able to keep people honest when guarding him. As I remember when inside he had a good curl move. I saw a few stop and pops too.
The biggest thing nagging Poy was his acertiveness and bringing it all the time.
I would agree with that. He's always his best when he's the finisher. When he's the creator, and especially from the perimeter, it's "deer in the headlights".
Though, they did say that he was doing nothing but getting shots up while he was sidelined with the injury, so hopefully he will be able to spot up this season, since there will be lots of opportunity provided by 3 guards that can get into the lane and pull the defense.
This . he freaking shot 42% from 3 as a freshman and it wasn't 42% on 10 shots or something he took a good amount. He can shoot but his confidence in his shot waned from his freshman year but with the shot doctor he has worked with I expect him to get back to that . People bash his driving ability , and it is a weakness , but it is way overblown . He will play NBA for a long time but just is one of those guys who needed 3 years ( 4 due to injury) to be ready for the league . He is a stud though and is athletic as hell .
Something people forget is that he played behind a stud in Randle his sophomore season and only played less than ten games last year before the injury. Also, that magical run in 2014 absolutely does not happen without POY. He saved us numerous times in the 2014 tournament in limited playing time.
Some may worry about Poythress's game this coming season, buy i'm not one of them. We all expected and still expect great things from Poythress. He still has time to show the nation how talented he really is. We all see glimpses of the badass Poythress we got to see during the Duke game. I really believe this season he will be comfortable at the pf spot and understand it's his time to shine and he will be relied on to bring it everyday in practice and games.
If Poy could man the 3 even slightly he would have been a top 10 pick. Unfortunately he can't. He can not dribble, he cannot drive, and he cannot create in that sense. So he had to think too much during his freshman year.
Sophomore year he was behind Randle. When Randle was hurt, Poy really turned it on in the tourney. His defense was elite. He won the Wisconsin game
And dunked on dekker so hard he could have died.
This year, he was forced into the three again. Defense was still
Elite, but he tore his knee.
Now he'll be a 4, which is where he belongs, and I really
Hope he shows that Duke game Poy again!
Sophomore year he was behind Randle. When Randle was hurt, Poy really turned it on in the tourney. His defense was elite. He won the Wisconsin game
And dunked on dekker so hard he could have died.
This year, he was forced into the three again. Defense was still
Elite, but he tore his knee.
Now he'll be a 4, which is where he belongs, and I really
Hope he shows that Duke game Poy again!
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14/33 isn't a huge sample size, though. His freshman year shooting really does look like a fluke. I don't think he's as bad as his 0/7 last year, but even his first year he cooled off after a hot streak (10 of first 21, 4 of last 12). Since February of his Freshman year, he's only hit 12 on 52 shots (23%). That's not a huge sample size either but 52 is a lot more than 21. Career, he's at 30% and I think that's probably about what we can expect from him going forward.
I don't think Poythress is a bad shooter. I hope Cal gives him the green light to take a few during the year. With that said, shooting will never be what he's known for. I want to see Poythress inside banging and using his hops to hell our team win. I believe after sitting out for so long watching others win, he will be hungry to be the man and not take anything for granted anymore.
he can shoot set shots like the 3 pointer. He just can't take his man off the dribble and shoot a jump shot. At 6'7 if you can not do that then it will be hard to find a place in the nba.
God I hope we do not witness Poy out on the 3 point line hardly ever this coming season. I want him down low to get high percentage shots, and to get rebounds when the guys who NEED TO BE shooting the 3's (Ulis, Murray, Mulder, and maybe Briscoe, Matthews) miss them.
I do think it has been a skill issue for the most part. He's a physical specimen with great athleticism. The thing holding him back has always been his lack of ball handling and his lack of shooting ability. His other issue is consistent effort. He will play brilliantly one game and then disappear for 2 or 3. It's the same thing that plagued Darius Miller for his first couple seasons at UK. I'm hoping Alex breaks out of the inconsistent part this season. His skill has improved some but the thing he can control is effort. If he gives 100% effort every time, the rest will take care of itself.
I'm thinking Poythress is ready to break out this season. He's tired of reading the crap like I just posted. He's ready to take his game to the next level. If he gives it his all every night he can be a lottery pick. That's the key. I think he will.
In accounting. How do you get an accounting degree with a 3.8 (Frankly, I thought he had a 4.0, but whatever) in 3 years AND play 1st tier Division 1 basketball? By being REALLY smart, and working REALLY hard. He is an amazing young man. He will be a big time TV commentator one day.
Not at all. Alex is known for being a very smart kid, and I remember reading that he had already graduated or was on the verge of doing so. Didn't he have a crazy GPA in high school? Duke was recruiting him HEAVILY, and I remember him quite well.
Disagree. All he really needs is to be able shoot a shot up 3 at a decent clip, defend multiple positions and allow the team to play small ball effectively at certain times with you at the 5. He'll be a 4 in the NBA anyways and he's also at least 6'8" with shoes which is taller than Draymond Green
I'll wait to see how he does before speculating on POY"s upcoming season. We all have been waiting since he got here to break out, but it hasn't happened. What the team needs from POY is consistency.
POY is a good guy and I hope like hell that he has a great season, for his sake, if nothing else.
POY is a good guy and I hope like hell that he has a great season, for his sake, if nothing else.
