It's time to discuss Isaac Humphries

[CELTICAT]

I tempered my expectations for this kid, thinking he wouldn't be a big time contributor this season.

I'm beginning to think I was very wrong. Defense? Check. Rebounding? So far. Free throws? Yep.

Can this kid play 20 minutes a game?

 

[UKWildcats#8]

It's pretty clear Humphries is not gonna play a ton, at least based on tonight. I like what I have seen in limited minutes though.

I'm stunned Mulder cannot get into the game to jack up a few 3's for a bit WITHOUT Briscoe playing. Check that, he is in the game now.

 

[DCFseattle]

Eye-zach, according to that announcer guy

 

[YaySports]

i think humphries biggest issue is adjusting to speed. needs to move his feet better on defense, fight for position more on offense, make quick decisions. could be a good passer out of high post. reminds me of a poor mans marc gasol

 

[caneintally]

Humphries will play a decent amount but not more then Lee , Willis Skal or Poy . Maybe 15 a game ?

 

[RondoBaller21]

Team as a whole looks awful

 

[caneintally]

i think humphries biggest issue is adjusting to speed. needs to move his feet better on defense, fight for position more on offense, make quick decisions. could be a good passer out of high post. reminds me of a poor mans marc gasol

He has moved his feet way better then Skal tonight but I do agree . He is not Dakari though ie a total stuck on the floor player.

 

[caneintally]

Team as a whole looks awful

WE are playing a good team up 11 and lost 87% of our scoring . I thought we might be down at half before the game so I am thrilled.

 

[YaySports]

He has moved his feet way better then Skal tonight but I do agree . He is not Dakari though ie a total stuck on the floor player.

the skal we saw battle in the exhibition games has yet to make an appearance. cal will definitely make it a point to get him involved. hes been non existent in the box score except in fouls. no one is dakari slow, no one

 

[kentucky_wildcat_#1]

Guys, this is a pretty good team so none of us should be freaking out. This is a team that has made the tourney 3 years in a row. Skal needs to get more involved, but I'm sure that will happen this half.

 

[CELTICAT]

i think humphries biggest issue is adjusting to speed. needs to move his feet better on defense, fight for position more on offense, make quick decisions. could be a good passer out of high post. reminds me of a poor mans marc gasol

Maybe I'm a homer but I thought he moved very well laterally in the first half. We also made out big push during the five minutes of run he got.

 

[YaySports]

much like anyone with his size/lack of pure athleticism, he doesnt move his feet well, particularly in pick and roll defense. maybe im too critical since im used to davis, cauley, towns, noel.. bigs who defended well anywhere on the floor. but i think this will be the only reason he may not get more minutes than he does. im not saying hes a miserable defender by any means, but he definitely has room for improvement in that area

 

[BLUEballs09]

Eye-zach, according to that announcer guy

I thought that strange as well, until I heard the PA announcer pronounce it the exact same way?

 

[DUNNSTILLFREENALIVE]

He looks mean as hell!!! If he's here as a junior and senior he's gonna be meaner than hell!!!!!!

 

[JerseyCat84]

Izaak Humphrees

 

[indianskid7220]

Apparently his mother pronounces his name that way. So the announcers and radio personnel are doing the same.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Uh, his defense + rebounding aren't checks.

 

[wildcatwelder]

17 year old kid with a ton of upside, IMO. As the season progresses I don't see him getting a ton of clock unless we're in serious foul trouble.

You can tell he has a good feel for the game, a good shot, and while a tad slow his footwork is very good for a kid his age. He'll be a very good player for us in a couple of years.

 

[SaguaroCat]

I thought that strange as well, until I heard the PA announcer pronounce it the exact same way?

He said so himself.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=14015362

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Humphries=Henson

 

[FlCATFan]

Give Cal a season with Humphries. He'll do the same for him that he did for Jorts.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

Team as a whole looks awful

I know..sucks the final four is tomorrow. Gold fish memories..if only there had been uk teams that started out slow before...nope they all just played the way you remember the tournament

 

[Brando Mac]

WE are playing a good team up 11 and lost 87% of our scoring . I thought we might be down at half before the game so I am thrilled.

Didn't think we would be down, but figured it would be close and for a while it was. Albany is a good, experienced, well coached team that has made the NCAA tournament several seasons in a row. And we still beat them by double digits with a young team that's still learning their roles and getting a feel for how to play alongside each other.

Remember Cal's first team here that needed a miracle jumper from John Wall to beat lowly Miami (OH) early in the season? Yeah, that season really sucked. Or last year's group that struggled with Bobby Hurley's scrappy Buffalo club? Truly an unremarkable bunch there. Or the two underdog Final Four teams that lost to multiple average-to-straight up bad SEC teams late in the season? Good thing they didn't give up on those seasons like a few fans did.

Moral of the story: we've not even come close to seeing this team at full strength, and probably won't come close to seeing what they're capable of as a collective unit until mid-season at the very earliest, and perhaps even late into the conference schedule. This is going to be a fun team to watch develop over the course of the season, and when they put it all together they're going to be a nightmare for any team that has to go up against them.

 

[KopiKat]

i think humphries biggest issue is adjusting to speed.

During his lucid interview from a couple or so weeks ago the young Humphries himself very quickly answered that his biggest challenge was adjusting the speed of the American college game. He will never completely get there but will likely compensate for it in good form other ways. He has much work to do. Late in the 1st half he did a really good job getting positioned to rebound Tyler's final shot. But he wasn't quick enough in rebounding, and was out-timed by the two Albany players he had just bullied through for position. It is little stuff like that eat at JC's soul.

I'm very excited about Humphries future. Tremendously excited. He will be a major factor on this team for additional seasons.

 

[brianpoe]

He will play more at the end of games if Marcus doesnt fix his free throw issues.


I was glad to see Briscoe didnt miss any free throws...

 

[JonathanW]

Humphries is too slow. He will play 5min per game this year.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I figured hed be rooted to the bench. But he showed more lateral quickness than I expected (I expected next to none). He showed fight on rebounds. He was money at the line.

Very intriguing kid. Will only get better. Much better. Anything we get from him this year will be a bonus. But I think he will be a force next year.

 

[CELTICAT]

I was glad to see Briscoe didnt miss any free throws...

Yeah, as a matter of fact he didn't miss a shot all night.

 

[brianpoe]

Yeah, as a matter of fact he didn't miss a shot all night.

And no turnovers, I really hope Ulis and Murray paid attention to how Briscoe values the ball.

 

[Maubris]

Team as a whole looks awful

First game of the season, Rondo. Give the coaching staff a chance.

 

[brianpoe]

Fist game of the season, Rondo. Give the coaching staff a chance.

Rondo is hard on a coach and players, he wont let up if he thinks it is bad.

 

[DCFseattle]

Apparently his mother pronounces his name that way. So the announcers and radio personnel are doing the same.

If Mama Humphries calls him that, then who am i to say otherwise.

 

[ccukuk]

much like anyone with his size/lack of pure athleticism, he doesnt move his feet well, particularly in pick and roll defense. maybe im too critical since im used to davis, cauley, towns, noel.. bigs who defended well anywhere on the floor. but i think this will be the only reason he may not get more minutes than he does. im not saying hes a miserable defender by any means, but he definitely has room for improvement in that area

Who doesn't?

 

[brianpoe]

much like anyone with his size/lack of pure athleticism, he doesnt move his feet well, particularly in pick and roll defense. maybe im too critical since im used to davis, cauley, towns, noel.. bigs who defended well anywhere on the floor. but i think this will be the only reason he may not get more minutes than he does. im not saying hes a miserable defender by any means, but he definitely has room for improvement in that area

Check out FIBA World Championships vs Murray and Canada.

Hump had 41pts 19boards 5 blocks in 30 minutes - Canada's 2 big starters combined for 9 points, another center off the bench managed 4 points.

Versus the USA (championship game) he held Stone to 9 points on 3 of 11 shooting.

Hump is not going to stop a Ben Simmons out on the floor but I'm ok with him banging on the inside. If you watch that Canada game he was a madman.

Damian Jones may take it to him but there are not any real elite centers in our league.

 

[pikespeak1]

I thought that strange as well, until I heard the PA announcer pronounce it the exact same way?

I saw an interview with Hump where he said that is how he pronounces it. I Zack.

 

[Untouchables22]

I found it interesting that Cal stated pre-season that in order for Humphries to play this year we would have to play zone because otherwise every team is going to put him in the pick and roll and expose him like they used to do when Wiltjer and to a lesser extent Dakari was in the game. Except our 1st exhibition game we played only man to man. Against Kentucky State we did go zone when Humphries was in the game and then tonight we played exclusively man to man again. I'm literally not sure Cal has it in him to play much Zone in a real game that counts against his record. He hates Zone defense with every fiber of his being.....but I promise you that Humphries isn't going to improve his lateral quickness and every team we play is going to put him in the pick and roll if he is out there.

 

[Blue Decade]

I tempered my expectations for this kid, thinking he wouldn't be a big time contributor this season.

I'm beginning to think I was very wrong. Defense? Check. Rebounding? So far. Free throws? Yep.

Can this kid play 20 minutes a game?

Don't really agree with your entire assessment. No way Humphries plays 20 minutes. Maybe he plays 10 this year, or maybe not. He skipped his senior year of high school. He is a 17 year old with a strong body, nice shooting touch, lot of upside. He is an alright rebounder, but his physical attributes will make him a better rebounder once he learns to play smarter. The kid can score, but he will be a much more productive scorer once he learns to pound the offensive glass. Right now, his instincts aren't far enough along to be a good offensive rebounder. Defense is his glaring weakness. If Kentucky played a zone defense, Humphries' weakness could be hidden. But in man to man, he is exposed. Humphries is a 2 or 3 year college player, depending on how much playing time he gets next year. Once he learns to move his feet better and use his strength, he might become an average defender in the paint. For now, Humphries will play sparingly while Calipari develops Skal Labissiere into a lottery pick. But here's a prediction. Sometime this year, Labissiere will get into foul trouble against a good opponent, and Humphries will save a win for us in a tough game.

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

I thought that strange as well, until I heard the PA announcer pronounce it the exact same way?

Guys, you're in KY. That jus the yay e talk round here.

 

[Deli owl]

He may need to lose a little weight to gain foot speed. Until he can defend me, he won't see a lot of floor time with Cal as his coach unless we face a banger inside.

 

[CELTICAT]

I feel like there's an echo chamber about Humphries defense, and I just haven't seen evidence that he's so bad on D that he can't get playing time.

If it becomes a Wiltjer situation, then I'll agree he's not ready to play, and I'll grant he hasn't played against top notch competition yet. He got 4 and 2 in 7 minutes, didn't commit a foul, and hit all his free throws.

 

[WitnessGreatness]

His body/athleticism reminds me of Timofey Mozgov. Isaac just needs to go and be big on both ends