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J. Edwards

Lacks elite athleticism. Iffy jumper but nice form. Has zero handle with his right.

No clue how he was the top prospect in this class. Every one of those analysts should be run out of the business. How could they not see he can't dribble with his right hand at all?

Does have good physicality and hustle though and seems selfless. Much to be said for that for sure, but just isn't close to the top player. Great glue guy though and I do think his shooting improves because he has a nice stroke
Jaylen Brown is also horrible with his left. In HS Edwards was dominant, every game. It wasn't even like Whitney where is was a projection that his athletic ability will carry him. He was a good shooter but not great, great slasher, and scored at all 3 levels. Every year we have fans that think scouts should have an exact list of how these guys will perform in college. A ton goes into it and overall its pretty accurate, but if you can do it to an exact science you should and make a lot of money. It hasn't happened in college to that degree. I hope it eventually happens but we're closing in on the halfway point.
 
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If I said Edwards is getting more minutes than Sheppard that is false. I didn’t intentionally say that.

*edit - I looked and didn’t see a claim that Edwards gets more minutes than Sheppard. I don’t believe I wrote that. And Edwards is averaging 24 minutes per game last check. If it’s close to that then way too many minutes to me. We’ve got a great team in Wagner, Sheppard, Reeves, Adou, Mitchell, Bradshaw, and Dilly. Since Cal prefers a shorter rotation anyway I think what I see here is valid. Edwards playing this much is more about recruiting than actually improving the team or I don’t feel he would be. We’re almost in the middle of January, safe to assume Edwards is what he is. But an issue like that is going to involve some spinning that’s why the staff says what they say.
24mpg for the season. But only 18 the last 6 games, even with Theiro missing the last 3
 
I like Edwards. He’s a good, but not great player yet. Frankly, he just still looks like a freshman. Thiero currently does everything Edwards can do but better. And he’s got infectious energy. When he returns, he needs to get more minutes than Edwards. Just truth
Cal needs to make sure Edwards gets drafted. Players first, not team/UK.
 
What’s real crazy is that he’s a year and a half older than DJ Wagner and six months older than Adou. Dude is a fvcking 20 year old freshman. Lmao
This helps explain why he was so overrated by the scouting services.

He looked ahead of the other prospects in his class because he was older and thus literally further ahead in physical development.
 
At this rate, he will strongly need to consider taking the PJ Washington path, significantly improve his game especially from the perimeter if he is going to stick at the next level. It's one thing to get the rookie contract and another to make a career out of it.
What’s the weight of the world on him? That he’s not automatically going to be a lottery pick?

When the going gets tough ….
 
Jaylen Brown is also horrible with his left. In HS Edwards was dominant, every game. It wasn't even like Whitney where is was a projection that his athletic ability will carry him. He was a good shooter but not great, great slasher, and scored at all 3 levels. Every year we have fans that think scouts should have an exact list of how these guys will perform in college. A ton goes into it and overall its pretty accurate, but if you can do it to an exact science you should and make a lot of money. It hasn't happened in college to that degree. I hope it eventually happens but we're closing in on the halfway point.

Horrible and non existent are two different things. Also Edwards is well short of brown in terms of athleticism. That alone was clearly visible immediately and should've prevented him from being top recruit and top prospect.
 
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Horrible and non existent are two different things. Also Edwards is well short of brown in terms of athleticism. That alone was clearly visible immediately and should've prevented him from being top recruit and top prospect.
Yeah, it just amazes me what these high school recruiting services see sometimes, I mean he clearly just from an athletic standpoint is not elite, what does surprise me is he was a pretty great off ball defender and defender in general in the high school games I saw and that has not translated at all.
 
This helps explain why he was so overrated by the scouting services.

He looked ahead of the other prospects in his class because he was older and thus literally further ahead in physical development.
Also, unless I'm misremembering this, didn't he join the aau circuit kind of out of nowhere? Maybe just one season? That could've caused the scouts to magnify his projection because of the unknown? Scouting services like that are vested in being able to claim to be the first to recognize a player; or leary of being the only one who didn't recognize this kid's greatness.

Or maybe they were all right all along and Justin's about ready to turn the corner?
 
Edwards is starting for recruiting purposes. I definitely see no other way around that. Everything else just doesn’t make sense. Cal never stops recruiting that includes during games.

For this team to be the best version of itself Edwards needs around 10-12 minutes per game. Sheppard, Wagner, and Reeves should start. Dillingham is perfect off the bench.

I hate to say it but Edwards is who he is and Calipari is not starting him and playing him 24 minutes per game to “ get him going” or to help the team. He finally landed a top 5 wing and he doesn’t want to hurt recruiting the next one.
 
Lacks elite athleticism. Iffy jumper but nice form. Has zero handle with his right.

No clue how he was the top prospect in this class. Every one of those analysts should be run out of the business. How could they not see he can't dribble with his right hand at all?

Does have good physicality and hustle though and seems selfless. Much to be said for that for sure, but just isn't close to the top player. Great glue guy though and I do think his shooting improves because he has a nice stroke
You think his shooting will improve? It has gotten progressively worse and is at the point where he probably shouldn’t shoot threes anymore. Since going 2/3 against St. Joes and 3/4 against Marshall, he’s 2/15. And before that two game stretch of hot shooting, he was 2/14.

So outside of those two outliers, he’s 4/29 😬
 
You think his shooting will improve? It has gotten progressively worse and is at the point where he probably shouldn’t shoot threes anymore. Since going 2/3 against St. Joes and 3/4 against Marshall, he’s 2/15. And before that two game stretch of hot shooting, he was 2/14.

So outside of those two outliers, he’s 4/29 😬

He has a nice stroke so you'd think it would improve
 
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Sheppard and Reeves both have better rebounding averages than Edwards, and Dillingham rebounds at nearly the same rate. So that’s a rather horseshit excuse for not starting our best lineup. There would not be any significant loss of rebounding, and we'd be better in nearly every other way.



And this statement is TOTAL HORSESHIT. Simply suggesting that a guy shouldn't start ain't "tossing him in the trash." Reed and Dillingham don't start, so do you think that means they've been "tossed in the trash" by Cal? Edwards can still get plenty of minutes and opportunity in an off the bench role. And if he starts playing better, he can move back into the starting lineup.

You know, there used to be this crazy notion that a starting spot is something a player had to earn, not something that was automatically granted upon arrival. Reed and Dillingham have earned it with their play, Edwards has not. What's more, the evidence OVERWHELMINGLY shows that this team plays best when we go with the three guard set (with Reeves at the three).

So here's a crazy thought: maybe we should actually try starting our best lineup.
Maybe not you in particular but many have been very derogatory towards him. I was being sarcastic but yes I was guilty of hyperbole that some deserve but I apologize if you are not one of them. I still see him as a valuable piece and I don't see where his starting is hurting the team. I'm not saying that is how I would do it necessarily but no need for all the complaining imo.
 
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I don't see where his starting is hurting the team.
Do you not think that the beginning of games matter?

There’s been a consistent pattern this season where we start games poorly, but then Cal takes Edwards out, puts Sheppard (or Dillingham) in, and we immediately start playing better. So why handicap yourself with those poor starts if you know how to fix it?

It may not matter when we’re playing mid-major competition, but not starting our best lineup is the sort of thing that’s bound to catch up with us when things get more serious later in the season.
 
Agreed. His shot looks real nice in terms of form and release. Usually looks like it’s going in when it leaves his hand …except that it doesn’t.

But it’s a reason to hold out hope that they’ll eventually start falling.
It looks to me like he puts too much arc on a lot of his shots. Not sure if that is affecting his shot.
 
I don't understand how the recruiting services missed this badly.

How much evaluation do they really do.
Part of it is confidence. Kid gets in college and struggles to get it and it looks worse than it really is because he lacks confidence in shooting and doing anything. He could make shots last year, why can't he this year.
 
I don’t think I knew a single person in my class that was over 18, and my class size was 500.
I looked it up, he has a Dec birthday, so started college at 19. Is just 1 yr 3mo younger than my son who is a SR (but if my son were 1 month younger he would be a JR). So here in NC, if not held back any, Edwards would be a Soph. So he seems to just be 1 year older, which unfortunately a lot of athlete parents do (hold them back a year).
 
Some kids just can't handle criticism. He was rated elite coming out of high school where he was the man. I think he's just not used to playing against elite talent, some of which are much, much better than him. As far as being the most overrated of Cal's era, the jury is still out for me. There is time left for him to get it. I've said this before, to me, Boston was probably the most overrated in recent years. Justin still has a way to go to reach that level of disappointment for me.

GO BIG BLUE!!!💙💙💙
You'll be saying there's time left for him in the second half of our last game.
 
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No what “whiffed” is you 2 or 3 dumbasses that run your mouth like a middle school girl about everything just to try and get some attention. Nobody likes you, just go home. It’s like school was for you, no girlfriend, being a nerd and picked last for everything except picking boogers which you were given a certificate for.
"Nobody likes you, just go home" - what is this, sixth grade? Grow up.
 
Yeah, it just amazes me what these high school recruiting services see sometimes, I mean he clearly just from an athletic standpoint is not elite, what does surprise me is he was a pretty great off ball defender and defender in general in the high school games I saw and that has not translated at all.
Yeah! He’s absolutely terrible on defense! Every team we play puts him in ISO and beats him repeatedly. Cal rarely benches him for his lackluster defense. Annoying.
 
Compare Edwards's numbers with Goose Givens's freshman numbers. It often takes awhile for players to become the player they're capable of. Counseling patience here might be pointless.

(I had to check the rule for possessives for words that end in s. Over 60 years later I still can't remember.)
 
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In high school being a year older combined with his height and skills (yes, skills) he was able to dominate.

In college he's nowhere near strong and conditioned enough to compete with the new level of play. He needs to live in the gym, counting dollars with every rep.
 
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Compare Edwards's numbers with Goose Givens's freshman numbers.
That’s an invalid comparison. Goose played in an era when everybody stayed four years and freshmen were expected to first pay their dues and bide their time in favor of the upperclassmen.

The reason Goose had modest numbers as a freshman is because he had a senior two-time All American named Kevin Grevey starting ahead of him at his position. It was not because of poor play.
 
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Compare Edwards's numbers with Goose Givens's freshman numbers. It often takes awhile for players to become the player they're capable of. Counseling patience here might be pointless.

(I had to check the rule for possessives for words that end in s. Over 60 years later I still can't remember.)
That would be fine if Edwards would stay 4 years.
 
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Compare Edwards's numbers with Goose Givens's freshman numbers. It often takes awhile for players to become the player they're capable of. Counseling patience here might be pointless.

(I had to check the rule for possessives for words that end in s. Over 60 years later I still can't remember.)
I know 2 people have already mentioned this but I can't help but come over the top here as well. Goose played at Kentucky 4 years. If anyone here thought there was even a chance Edwards would stay multiple years, you'd see a whole lot more patience. The player's impatience on jumping to the NBA has created the fan's impatience with the players when they don't perform right away. Just facts.
 
Cal needs to make sure Edwards gets drafted. Players first, not team/UK.
I could see this being an argument if he was averaging close to 30 minutes a game. Then you could say Cal is really trying to force it with him and giving him other's minutes that are more deserving. However, as it's been stated multiple times in this thread alone... he's averaging 18 min/game in the last 6 games, and it would potentially be even less if Adou was available. This is just a tired argument in my opinion.
 
Compare Edwards's numbers with Goose Givens's freshman numbers. It often takes awhile for players to become the player they're capable of. Counseling patience here might be pointless.

(I had to check the rule for possessives for words that end in s. Over 60 years later I still can't remember.)
Patience for what, exactly? How many years did Givens play here? Edwards is gone after this season. He needs to be getting it done RIGHT NOW.
 
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