Skal has great touch and skill, but how's he going to fare in the SEC in the low post? He had a lot of problems establishing position against Wright State. I think the SEC is going to beat him to death. I wonder if Cal will pull him out away from the post some to free him up?
How will Skal fare in the SEC?
- Thread starter maysvilleky
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He'll put on more weight by then and the UK coaches will have a more refined role for him to play. He'll be fine.
What I have seen so far from Skal is elite skills, a nice shooting touch, and an enormous strength disadvantage. Skal runs the floor well, but he fatigues easily. Not being as strong as opponents has caused Skal to get into foul trouble. This was exposed by Mason Plumlee, and it will be a bigger problem against future teams like Vandy, Texas A&M, Kansas. We got a glimpse against Duke of how important 12-15 solid minutes from Humphries will be in some of these games. Humphries impresses me a lot. He and Skal are complimentary because they are so different.
Well said. Skal's offensive skill set is more polished, but he desperately needs to put on some lower-body strength.
Hump has tremendous upside as well. I'm stoked we'll have him banging down low for at least two seasons.
he reminds me of Tayshaun Prince - but taller
he'll get pushed around a bit - which will make him better- but he's going to be a great weapon for uk --- especially as he gets quicker and more confident on going to the rack
he'll get pushed around a bit - which will make him better- but he's going to be a great weapon for uk --- especially as he gets quicker and more confident on going to the rack
And what really crazy is the amount of weight his frame will hold. Take Anthony Davis as an example.
This a kid that is still developing as as man. He will do start to do it under the watchful eye of UK fans and then expand it in the NBA next year.
Up and down, no doubt he will be bullied. And hard to imagine he gets stronger during the course of the season. That more an off season thing.
Kind of how I see it. No doubt Skal has talent but he just gets pusehd around so much now and doesn't have the confidence, it seems, when he is in near the basket. I saw him panic a few times last night and just throw up some ugly looking shots at the basket. Not sure he will gain all that much strength during the season either, unlike what some on here seem to think. I'm with you that more of that happens during the off season. We'll see what Payne and Cal can do with him by the time February comes around and maybe we'll see a totally different player. As I said, the talent is there, he just has to get stronger in holding his ground inside and not getting pushed around so much. Same on defense as more experienced, bigger men are giving him trouble even though they aren't as talented or athletic as he is, just that they are bigger and have been around longer.
, Prince stays here 4 years, he didn't do too much in his first year. But we want great contribution from Skal in his first year.
Agree. Always expected Tai Wynyard to redshirt but if he shows he can put a body on people, he and Humphries will benefit from those times when Skal is getting manhandled.
It seems every year Kentucky fans kind of freak out when our elite post player aint really playing the way we were all expecting from day 1. I know this kid needs added muscle and strength to compete in the post, but before the year is over i believe this kid will figure out a way to really contribute to our team in so many different ways. We won't see this kid's real potential until he's in the Nba and can really add the strength he needs to add. Like Davis and Towns, give this kid 10+ games and i bet we see a totally different player than we're seeing right now.
This is the truth, but not understood by others on this thread. The analogy to Towns is deceiving because Towns is a naturally bigger and stronger athlete than Labissiere. The biggest in-season change in Towns last year was his footwork on the block. Towns weighed 250 pounds when he arrived in Lexington, and never lacked physical strength. Labissiere is much thinner than Towns in the upper and lower body, and I am still not buying his listed weight. Labissiere is 1 of the most skilled bigs I have seen, but his lack of strength will be an issue all season. I think Humphries will need to play 15 minutes a game, maybe more at times. That doesn't concern me because Humphries is going to be a very good player.
All players adjust as they learn. Labissiere's footwork on the block will improve, which will help him offensively and defensively. But it is not realistic to expect Labissiere to be physically stronger than he is now by March. As another poster said, most of the important weight lifting is done in the offseason.
Putting on muscle is not like ordering a pizza. Some kids just can't add weight and muscle, no matter what they do. Some kids stay skinny no matter how much they eat and how many reps they lift. In Labissiere's case, he was ruled ineligible and missed his high school senior season. I'm not saying the kid didn't work at it, but it could not have helped to be inactive from high school basketball and cut off from the support of a high school coach. Anyway, here we are, and it isn't hard to see Labissiere will struggle against more physical opponents.
Skal is not like Davis in that he has a narrow frame. He is more of a 2-3 in the NBA like Durant. He is years away, if ever from having the bulk and strength for the post. His skill and athleticism will allow him to compensate on the college level.
for the ones that come in skinny, it isn't as simple as hitting the weight room. it's more about calories. chances are their parents can't afford to feed them 5,000 healthy calories per day
Skal is A LOT better than Prince was. He will be fine this year.
Skal will be just fine. His natural ability and height have allowed him to dominate with very little effort until recently. Now he is facing competition that is as tall, stronger, and much more experienced. He is having to work for position and battle against strength. He'll adjust. It won't happen overnight but he'll adjust.
LOL....What? Dude. Skal's frame is very similar to AD's and Skal will fill out like AD eventually. And he's definitely not gonna be a 2 or a 3 in the NBA. His body will be similar to AD's like I said and he's gonna be a 4 or a 5.
Absolutely can not happen with an athlete of his size and body type. You're talking a couple of months. He will just have to adjust his game and not make up for it with petty fouls out of frustration. I'm sure that he gets plenty of practice against Poy. He'll learn.
Watching him play as a freshman he appears to be somewhat underweight and is going to be pushed around a lot this season. He has incredible ball skills and that will carry him most games. I am afraid he will not be strong enough in March to dominate against some of the elite post players. After moving on to the NBA he will have the time to muscle-up sufficiently to be a dominant player at the next level.
