Sacramento Kings may have hit a home run with Skal Labissiere pick
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
I wish him luck in the league and hope he really makes a name for himself. Unfortunately he already made his name at Kentucky and that name is "underachiever". He really needed to be here 2 years but he got selected in the 1st round and he's making unbelievable money so he did the right thing.
I think the Monstars stole his talent for a year. That's the only explanation that makes sense.
He made the right choice- but as the above poster mentioned, he massively underachieved at UK. Probably my least favorite player in the Cal era. No effort to rebound, just super soft and drove me crazy. But good for him for finding a spot in the league.
why not stop after the first sentence? contradict yourself in the 3rd one.
Hated him at UK. The softest big man I've ever seen in my life. Good for him for getting rich and starting a career. Always knew he'd be a better pro than college player because it's a more spread out game and pro coaches will use him as a pick and pop/mid range jumper stretch 4. Dude was never gonna be a banger college 5.
Not really. Sorry you didn't understand my post.
Some people on here actually get mad at an 18-19 year old kid kid for not living up to their standards. He picked U.K. And was a wildcat, shouldn't we wish him the best? I personally hope the kid kills it moving forward in his career, can't deny his potential as a stretch 4.
He wasn't used right at UK. The KAT model did not work for Skal.
All I see is continued bashing of Skal labissiere when he was completely played out of position here. It was not his fault that when he come here the coach decides to play him down low as a banger when he is not that player at all. He might as well put Tyler ulis down below playing the 5.
If he was played the way that he played before he come to Kentucky then you would have seen a guy Getaround 16 points 5 rebounds and like four assists a game.
I was simply bewildered on how someone could watch him play in high school and then decide hey whenever he comes here in 3 months I'm going to play him down low banging bodies against another guy. It was simply maddening.
And you guys that were making fun of me several months back when I said that bam had perimeter skills but he never showed it here because he was not allowed to. You're going to see him and his peremiter skills when he goes to the league. Bam is a 4 not a 5.
If he was played the way that he played before he come to Kentucky then you would have seen a guy Getaround 16 points 5 rebounds and like four assists a game.
I was simply bewildered on how someone could watch him play in high school and then decide hey whenever he comes here in 3 months I'm going to play him down low banging bodies against another guy. It was simply maddening.
And you guys that were making fun of me several months back when I said that bam had perimeter skills but he never showed it here because he was not allowed to. You're going to see him and his peremiter skills when he goes to the league. Bam is a 4 not a 5.
Not playing organized ball in nearly two years didn't help him much either.. Had he played competitive ball up to coming to UK,, I think we'd seen the NBA version of him..
Cal always takes 4s and make them play the 5.. It's not going to work with every player he tries that on..
This. Cal tried to make him into something he is not. Cal's intentions were fine, as he wanted to get Skal to a point that would increase his draft potential, but in the process actually held Skal back. Do not blame Skal, this failure was all Cal, and all but the blindest blue homers know this.
This type of thing happens all the time. I remember Tubby trying to make Woo and back to the basket center when Wooo had the European style of facing the basket. Tubby failed as well. It happens.
Just too difficult to do for some of these people who have contributed so much to UK basketball.
If you're still mad at Skal, you're a loser who needs some perspective. Period.
Yeah I remember when Trey Lyles played the 5. And Patrick Patterson. And Terrence Jones. And Alex Poythress.
I mean, sometimes Cal sticks a 4 at the 5, but not always.
I would say the simplest answer is that Cal probably should have taken Thomas Bryant instead of Skal. Bryant turned out to be more of a Cal-type player.
But I continue to be befuddled when Cal gets "blamed" for trying to make Skal a rebounder.
For comparison's sake, look at a guy like Lauri Markannen. He hung out on the perimeter in college. Made a couple of threes a game. Still managed a 14% rebounding rate.
Skal, on the other hand, rebounded at an 11.1% clip, even though he spent all of his time inside the three point line.
Now you can say Skal was used wrong, should have shot more threes, etc. But his rebounding rate was inexcusable. You can't blame the coaches for trying to toughen him up.
Bam deciding to go after every rebound about midway through the year was a lot of the reason he rocketed back up the draft boards. If Skal had taken to coaching, he could have done the same or better.
I agree Skal is and always has been a stretch 4 and that Cal didn't utilize him in a way that he could showcase his skills but have you all forgotten the "deer in the headlights" look he had every time he entered the game? That's not Cal's fault. He wasn't mentally or physically ready to play at UK. You mean to tell me because a kid is playing out of position that it keeps him from going after rebounds and being an enforcer defensively by blocking shots? It keeps him from attempting open jumpers on offense or going after offensive rebounds? Guys play out of position all the time, especially under Cal, but most seem to adapt to the situation but remain aggressive in the fundamental areas that are required at every position. Skal played like he didn't really want to be out there. You can't blame that on playing out of position.
No matter how Cal utilized Skal on offensive end...the kid still needed to rebound, defend and simply play harder at either the 4 or 5 spot on defensive end...which is where 90% of the problems occurred at UK.
And to be fair...sure in NBA where the floor spaces a bit more and more shots are put up, he'll shine moreso in his skill set. But teams will absolutely go after him on defensive end of floor in NBA and I'd imagine his flaws will be exposed yet again.
And to be fair...sure in NBA where the floor spaces a bit more and more shots are put up, he'll shine moreso in his skill set. But teams will absolutely go after him on defensive end of floor in NBA and I'd imagine his flaws will be exposed yet again.
Just too difficult to do for some of these people who have contributed so much to UK basketball.
If you're still mad at Skal, you're a loser who needs some perspective. Period.
I haven't read any post in this thread that sounds like anyone is mad at Skal. Only people giving an honest assessment of his brief time playing at Kentucky. He stunk. That's not debatable. That doesn't mean anyone hates him or is still mad at him. I, and others, have stated that we hope he has a successful NBA career and that he makes a ton of money. Lord knows he and his family deserve it after what they went through in Haiti.
Lack of rebounding was inexcusable. I agree on that 100%.
Why are we playing the "he played out of position" garbage with Skal? What, he's supposed to come in and be a 7 foot wing player? Guy has arms that dangle to his knees and remarkable agility and athleticism for post moves that he's displaying in the NBA with hook shots, up and unders, etc. Cal was trying to get that out of him in college, why is that a mistake?
Ya'll seem to forget he did the same thing to Cousins, AD and KAT and it worked out great. All 3 wanted to be perimeter oriented big men despite all being 6'11 with long arms and Cal said no, you can shoot 3's in the NBA, but this it the time for you to develop your post moves against inferior players before you get to the NBA where everyone's as big and strong as you. It's no different than what Cal wanted from Skal. Make your post moves against players that are consistently 2-3 inches shorter than you, which opens up the play book to take a 15 foot jumper or a trailing 3 every now and then. But unless you're a guy who can consistently hit 3's at a 50% clip, there's no point. For a long, athletic, mobile 7 footer, the easiest and highest percentage shot is a look 5 feet and in. A dunk, lay up, or hook shot. Make a few buckets, get adjusted to the game and speed and see the ball go through the net a few times and THEN take a shot from deep, unless you're just unstoppable inside. Cal wasn't trying to turn him into Shaq, he was just trying to show that to succeed, you'll need to do more than take 25 foot jumpers and fade aways. Handling a body down low for a rebound or for an offensive possession is paramount for success at the professional level. Skal just never took to it. Could be the lack of playing time he had until he got to UK, could be coincidence, could be anything. But Cal didn't do this big disservice to the kid. He tried to give him a set before he got to the big leagues.
Ya'll seem to forget he did the same thing to Cousins, AD and KAT and it worked out great. All 3 wanted to be perimeter oriented big men despite all being 6'11 with long arms and Cal said no, you can shoot 3's in the NBA, but this it the time for you to develop your post moves against inferior players before you get to the NBA where everyone's as big and strong as you. It's no different than what Cal wanted from Skal. Make your post moves against players that are consistently 2-3 inches shorter than you, which opens up the play book to take a 15 foot jumper or a trailing 3 every now and then. But unless you're a guy who can consistently hit 3's at a 50% clip, there's no point. For a long, athletic, mobile 7 footer, the easiest and highest percentage shot is a look 5 feet and in. A dunk, lay up, or hook shot. Make a few buckets, get adjusted to the game and speed and see the ball go through the net a few times and THEN take a shot from deep, unless you're just unstoppable inside. Cal wasn't trying to turn him into Shaq, he was just trying to show that to succeed, you'll need to do more than take 25 foot jumpers and fade aways. Handling a body down low for a rebound or for an offensive possession is paramount for success at the professional level. Skal just never took to it. Could be the lack of playing time he had until he got to UK, could be coincidence, could be anything. But Cal didn't do this big disservice to the kid. He tried to give him a set before he got to the big leagues.
Skal was not misused at UK. The kid couldn't play, period. I dont believe Skal was doing anything but sleep walking through to get to the pros. We had to have a defensive stopper in the paint and a rebounder. Moving Skal to a wing wasn't gonna do anything for UK.
Now that Zach Randolph may be facing a year-long suspension, it looks like WCS and Skal will have all the minutes to themselves. Hopefully they both put up huge numbers for this team.
Look, be honest on those saying he was playing out of position:
College isn't like the NBA with a plethora of good centers. You'll find them scattered around, maybe lucky to face a few here or there, but consistently? No.
College isn't like the NBA with a plethora of good centers. You'll find them scattered around, maybe lucky to face a few here or there, but consistently? No.
Also: if you think you're good enough for the NBA, and you produce, UK fans will say "great for him".
But if you can't even produce anything significant in a year, yet leave, ehhhhhh....
And I'm sure well get the "NBA drafts on potential, blah blah crowd."
Simple fact is - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You compete and show you can play, the majority of U.K. fans can live with "one and domes"...it's those that produce zilch and then leave.
But if you can't even produce anything significant in a year, yet leave, ehhhhhh....
And I'm sure well get the "NBA drafts on potential, blah blah crowd."
Simple fact is - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You compete and show you can play, the majority of U.K. fans can live with "one and domes"...it's those that produce zilch and then leave.
Agreed. I can't understand how anyone could be upset with him for his time at UK. Everyone doesn't adjust and blossom like Wall, Cousins, etc. I wish him nothing but the best in the NBA.
I understand what you're saying, but Tyler Ulis would have gotten more rebounds at the 5 than Skal. I'm not bashing him, I'm happy for him. But he didn't give 100% when he was here. If you want to blame Cal, go ahead.
I guess we just need to prepare ourselves for every Skal thread in the future to be nothing more than rehashing his poor performance at UK. The origins, mitigating and aggravating factors, who is to blame, who is not to blame.... all that nonsense.
It's the same whenever Booker does something well. We have to go through post after post about him not playing in the Wisconsin game even though he was shooting about 29% toward the end of the year. And was a liability every time he played in that game.
It's the same whenever Booker does something well. We have to go through post after post about him not playing in the Wisconsin game even though he was shooting about 29% toward the end of the year. And was a liability every time he played in that game.
Playing Skal out of position wrecked his confidence and his game which in turn affected his rebounding and defense. It's pretty simple
Yep. And you could see he was lacking some fundamentals, and the game speed he never quite caught up to it fully. Looked like a lot of "paralysis by analysis" because he couldn't process the new stuff fast enough. You have to play ball instinctively and not have to think through everything. He tried. He wasn't lazy or not trying. He just had a lot to learn.
I'm happy for him. Seems like a great kid who had a tougher start to life than most of us.
I didn't get all pissed off because he didn't live up to the recruiting rankings the year he was at UK. I thought the year+ off hurt him. I also thought Cal used him wrong in an effort to teach him new low post skills. After he lost confidence, he was done.
Some of you all take this shit too personally. As in, if a player doesn't live up to the HS star ranking, the yokels start criticizing the guy like he personally came to their house and pissed in their cereal.
I didn't get all pissed off because he didn't live up to the recruiting rankings the year he was at UK. I thought the year+ off hurt him. I also thought Cal used him wrong in an effort to teach him new low post skills. After he lost confidence, he was done.
Some of you all take this shit too personally. As in, if a player doesn't live up to the HS star ranking, the yokels start criticizing the guy like he personally came to their house and pissed in their cereal.
Untrue.
He did play organized ball. I watched him play in a few games his senior year with one of em being against Oak Hill Academy.
![[eyeroll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/rolleye/rolleye0011.r191677.gif "Eye roll [eyeroll]")
I will let Cal speak for himself and i dont need you lecturing me about anything basketball.
Also what i noticed is that Skal does not take berating very well. He is the type of guy who needs constant positive reinforcement as a teaching tool. Cal is known to be very demanding and yells at his players. With Skals background in what he went through as a kid i imagine he would not take it very well and his confidence would collaspe.
