Skal vs. Towns first 8 college games averages

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

Skal- 12 pts. 4 rebs. 19 minutes

Towns- 8 pts. 7 rebs. 13 minutes

Towns had an average start to his college career and continued to improve. Skal is almost on par with KAT and has the tools to follow the same trajectory. Just takes a little time and patience.

 

[jedcat]

It's more subjective to quantify, but does anyone remember KAT's defense early last year?

 

[ksta]

The rebounds and defense are the most concerning part. Also, Towns had some help down low last year, and wasn't the only big we had scoring. Not really the case this year.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

The rebounds and defense are the most concerning part. Also, Towns had some help down low last year, and wasn't the only big we had scoring. Not really the case this year.

Skal will improve his rebounding and defense with hard work and experience, much as KAT did.

 

[Bodvar Bjarki]

Towns' body size was different. He wasn't struggling with physicality the way Skal is. Karl also had a ton of defensive ability all around him while Skal does not.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

Towns' body size was different. He wasn't struggling with physicality the way Skal is. Karl also had a ton of defensive ability all around him while Skal does not.

http://m.centralkynews.com/amnews/s...343-2e10-5663-bf79-cc393c1833e5.html?mode=jqm

Kentucky coach John Calipari said there is no questioning the skills the 7-foot Labissiere has. Instead, he says he has to learn to “fight” daily like Karl-Anthony Towns did last season when he developed into the No. 1 overall draft pick after UK’s 38-1 season.

Calipari also warns not to compare Labissiere to Anthony Davis, who led UK to the 2012 national title and is now considered one of the NBA’s best players.

“Anthony is a freak of nature,” Calipari said. “I want Skal to be the best he can be. But I am telling you he has a ways to go. He knows it and will be the first to tell you. He’s a great kid. He’s trying to find his way. For us to be what we can, he has to have a presence.

Calipari says not playing on a regular team last season — Labissiere was on a team put together by his guardian, Richard Hamilton, after he was ruled ineligible at a Memphis high school after transferring there for his senior year — did not help Labissiere.

 

[bloodguard13]

U9K, you can't bring facts into this meltdown, it doesn't fit into these clowns agendas.

 

[Montana81]

Im not worried about this team or Skal tbh but the Towns comparison is pretty bad.

I think more than anything not playing with a real team his last season + is started to show. He just looks real timid and unsure on both ends.

it would also help if our guards would start knocking down jumpers.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

Im not worried about this team or Skal tbh but the Towns comparison is pretty bad.

I think more than anything not playing with a real team his last season + is started to show. He just looks real timid and unsure on both ends.

it would also help if our guards would start knocking down jumpers.

The Towns comparisons were initially made by Cal. Who shall we compare Skal to, Lukaz Orbsut?

 

[CatFanInIlliniLand]

I know towns turned into a beast by March and is doing very well in the NBA currently. However, Skal has much more offensive upside than Towns, imho. Skal's jumper is as pure as I have ever seen from a frosh. big man at UK.

Sure, He's struggling right now. But lets not forget - He scored 26 pts in his 2nd game. He may never turn into the defender KAT was, but he can off-set that with his offensive ability if he can become consistent.

 

[OFWGKTA]

Towns not a good comparison; wiltjer on the other hand...

 

[EnglandWildcat]

Ok, I'll play.

The points are pretty similar when you weight them for time played. But if you bring Towns' minutes up to 19 to be on par with Skal's, then you are essentially adding 1/3 more. So that's 2 and a bit additional rebounds. Bringing Towns up to more than 9 rebounds in 19 minutes. That's more than double what Skal is producing.

There are all sorts of reasons for this. Different body types, different experience levels etc. However, if you want to bring objective facts to bear, you have to interpret them accurately, not just throw them out there. So, an accurate interpretation leads to the conclusion that while both players are scoring at pretty similar rates, Towns was doubling Skal's rebounding at this point in the season.

Personally, I think Skal will get there. He has come in with very little experience of actually having to fight for position in the post or when rebounding. Once he learns to get low and use his legs he will be just fine.

 

[Beezermc]

Skal- 12 pts. 4 rebs. 19 minutes

Towns- 8 pts. 7 rebs. 13 minutes

Towns had an average start to his college career and continued to improve. Skal is almost on par with KAT and has the tools to follow the same trajectory. Just takes a little time and patience.

I just don't see how everyone compares them as about the same. He gets 3 less rebounds and 1 less block in 6 more minutes of play. We need Skal to be a beast on the boards and defensively, and he has been flat out terrible at both so far. If that doesn't change we are not going to be a very good basketball team this year.

 

[Nubb16]

man I was shocked reading that stat line for Towns thru 8 games. I knew he struggled at the beginning of the year last year , but not that bad.

 

[Bkocats]

Skal is not and will not be another KAT; really, there is no one you can compare him to. As of right now, he doesn't have the help that both KAT and AD had defensively. Poy should have been that, but, unless something major changes in him, mentally, he won't be, consistently. Lee does a pretty good job, but he's another skinny body who is more finesse than he is a "banger." Seriously - you can tell he's a volleyball player, LOL. Willis, God love him, can do some good things, but he also does some not good things - serviceable but no game changer.
Skal is a different type - he's had some set backs, along with his background that has put him in a different category as a player. It might take him longer to learn, but I do believe he'll get there.

 

[EnglandWildcat]

man I was shocked reading that stat line for Towns thru 8 games. I knew he struggled at the beginning of the year last year , but not that bad.

Those are pretty good stats when you consider he was playing 13 minutes.

If you extrapolate to 39 minutes (just because that makes the multiplication easier), then he'd be averaging 24 points and 21 rebounds...that's hardly struggling.

Obviously he wouldn't maintain that level of productivity, but this notion that Towns was playing so poorly is just untrue. He was averaging 13 minutes! And in those minutes he was very productive.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

The stats were thrown out there not necessarily to compare Towns and Skal head-to-head but moreso to illustrate that improvements can be made. The degree of improvement is up to Skal. We'll see.

 

[Bkocats]

The stats were thrown out there not necessarily to compare Towns and Skal head-to-head but moreso to illustrate that improvements can be made. The degree of improvement is up to Skal. We'll see.

fair enough, and agreed

 

[W2R]

Those are pretty good stats when you consider he was playing 13 minutes.

If you extrapolate to 39 minutes (just because that makes the multiplication easier), then he'd be averaging 24 points and 21 rebounds...that's hardly struggling.

Obviously he wouldn't maintain that level of productivity, but this notion that Towns was playing so poorly is just untrue. He was averaging 13 minutes! And in those minutes he was very productive.

Remember all the threads not to start KAT and to bring him in on second platoon to save him from picking up early fouls.? KAT took himself out of games early because He would pick up one or two early fouls When he got his timing down and was aggressive without fouling he started becoming the player he is. Takes time for all

 

[marshalfan]

Remember all the threads not to start KAT and to bring him in on second platoon to save him from picking up early fouls.? KAT took himself out of games early because He would pick up one or two early fouls When he got his timing down and was aggressive without fouling he started becoming the player he is. Takes time for all

I am not doubting Skal will get there, but surely you have to be a little concerned about what you have seen in Skal so far.

 

[TheKentuckyKid]

I wonder how different their minutes are, we did platoon last year especially early.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

I wonder how different their minutes are, we did platoon last year especially early.

The answer is in the OP. Skal 19 per game. Towns 13.

 

[WhiteCityCat1]

U9K, you can't bring facts into this meltdown, it doesn't fit into these clowns agendas.

Clowns? SUP , why are you hovering above us mortals?

 

[WhiteCityCat1]

Towns not a good comparison; wiltjer on the other hand...

What?

 

[Bkocats]

What?

I believe he's comparing Skal to Kyle Wiltjer - could be wrong

 

[FishersBlue]

I think some folks are missing the point with regards to the Towns/Skal comparison. For most UK fans this isn't about Skal, it's about how the team is built this year. We could afford Towns to learn and grow because of the skill and depth in UK's front court last year. This year's team NEEDS Skal (and Murray) to be really good really fast. There's just not enough horsepower beyond those two for us to wait too long for them to develop. It's the way it is with this model...some years you depend on your frosh studs to be better than they probably are, at least at this point in the season.

 

[W2R]

The answer is in the OP. Skal 19 per game. Towns 13.

KAT fouled out of five games last season and had 4+ fouls 13 times

 

[KY Long Rifle]

I think some folks are missing the point with regards to the Towns/Skal comparison. For most UK fans this isn't about Skal, it's about how the team is built this year. We could afford Towns to learn and grow because of the skill and depth in UK's front court last year. This year's team NEEDS Skal (and Murray) to be really good really fast. There's just not enough horsepower beyond those two for us to wait too long for them to develop. It's the way it is with this model...some years you depend on your frosh studs to be better than they probably are, at least at this point in the season.

You read my mind. This also helped to develop KAT. We could afford to stick with him a little more in games because we were good enough to overcome his mistakes while he was learning.

 

[WildMoon]

this is terrible...

first, you only compare minutes, points, and rebound. why?

second, KAT averaged 18.25 minutes per game in his first 8 games. Only one game he played less than 13 minutes in his first 8 games.
(This is based off sports-reference.com)

Skal has averaged 22.3 mpg. <- This is based off ESPN.

 

[KyCatFan]

First thing is that I believe the original poster has bad stats. According to Jon Scott's site, Skal is averaging 22 minutes a game.

I think he should be compared more to Anthony Davis. Not the end of year or NBA pro version, but the first 8 games version. They were similarly ranked (Skal 1, Davis 2 on Rivals). They were almost exactly the same size coming in. Their body types should make for similar disadvantages trying to score and rebound in the paint.

Davis played about 6 more minutes a game than Skal. I believe most of that was due to Skal being in foul trouble more often. He averages 1 more foul than Davis did in about 6 less minutes (did numbers in my head so could be a little off). Skal averages the same amount of points in less minutes.

He averages about 5 less rebounds a game than Davis. If he played the same number of minutes, he would still only have maybe between 5 and 6 a game. Still at least 3 below Davis. The biggest difference is the defense. Davis averaged about 4.5 blocks a game to Skal's 2. Skal is ahead of Davis with his offense, but lacking a ways on his defense and rebounding.

I think they had pretty similar production out of the 4 position. Rebounding and defense is better between the group of Lee, Poythress, and Willis, but the scoring was probably a little better with Jones and Wiltjer. If Skal can work harder on getting position in the paint and play better defense and not foul, he should be able to increase his scoring and rebounding numbers to be closer to Davis's end of season numbers. He may even increase his shot blocking, but he is not likely to get to close in that stat.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

this is terrible...

first, you only compare minutes, points, and rebound. why?

second, KAT averaged 18.25 minutes per game in his first 8 games. Only one game he played less than 13 minutes in his first 8 games.
(This is based off sports-reference.com)

Skal has averaged 22.3 mpg. <- This is based off ESPN.

Although the OP appears to be a direct comparison between Skal and Towns, the post was intended to draw attention to Skal's ability to IMPROVE. Using Towns' stats were a part of that point, not to compare the two. A lot of fans were up in arms about KATS performance his first few games and we saw how that ended. Hopefully, Skal will follow the same path.

 

[ganner918]

Towns just had an issue playing defense without fouling, but when in the game displayed a lot of skills and showed himself to be a monster rebounder (1 rebound every 1.86 minutes). Not that comparable of a situation. Skal will get better, but I don't think we're going to see him as our best option, like Towns became.

 

[Ky_Bred_Cat]

I don't think Skal compares to Towns or Davis, but he does remind me somewhat of a young Sam Bowie. He's certainly not as dominant coming out of high school as Sam, but Sam played his senior year and in some big games at that. Skal is a finesse big like Sam. Skal is built like Sam. Skal may never be the banger we need right now and he may never be. However, if he learns to pass like Sam did, and I think he has the tools to be a good passer, combined with his remarkable shooting ability, and learns to position his lanky frame a little better for rebounds, and is allowed to play further out on the floor, he will be a very effective, very good player.

Is he the player we want him to be right now? That we need right now? No. However, his skills and upside are undeniable. Calling him a bust this early in his career, given the lack of playing time he's had, is premature. Based on what he's been through, a strong argument could be made that he's actually overachieving.

 

[Joneslab]

The major difference in the two is that Towns played mean. Skal seems to take what the opponent gives him for the most part.

Seemed to burn Towns up if he screwed up. The camera would catch him on the bench stewing when he was taken out. Skal is impassive when Cal takes him out. Doesn't seem to have that competitive fire right now that you have to have to be a consistent game-changer at this level.

Cal's going to have to help him a little, though. Waiting on him to become a traditional back-to-the-basket player isn't going to work.

 

[WeWant9]

Interesting, as others have said you can't really compare the two...but this shows that young players do progress as the year goes on. Will Skal step his play up like Towns did, in the end? I don't know, he certainly has the tools for it but has a lot of work to do.

I just think Cal will have to break the traditional role of making him a back to the basket type of player. The kid has a hell of a stroke, take advantage of that. He doesn't need to soley take jumpers, but let him stretch the floor out some and keep the defense honest. Keep working on his post presence, but take advantage of his other skills.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Towns minutes are a bit skewed since his walk was too slow so technically the stats are irrelevant.

 

[WildMoon]

Although the OP appears to be a direct comparison between Skal and Towns, the post was intended to draw attention to Skal's ability to IMPROVE. Using Towns' stats were a part of that point, not to compare the two. A lot of fans were up in arms about KATS performance his first few games and we saw how that ended. Hopefully, Skal will follow the same path.

I understand that, but you have to also understand that the starting point is drastically different.

Obviously player will develop, but the development amount that is needed for KAT and Skal is completely different.

Also, my comment is that, if you are going to post stat, post an accurate stat, not made up time or very little stats.

My thing is that i believe Skal will be great player, but between starting basketball late and practically not playing last two years. That's too much to make up for. Coach Cal and Coach Payne isn't magic worker.

The gap in performance between Skal and Towns is also very OBVIOUS.

The good news is that, i think he won't need to dominate like KAT did.

But, we'll see. Maybe Coach Cal and Payne can make him into all-american performer.

 

[Joneslab]

The thing about Towns and really all the big men is that they would generally rebound and defend if they weren't scoring.

Skal, when he's drifted, has drifted almost completely out of the game. In those early stat lines Towns and Davis were putting up, they'd get 6 points...but they'd chase it with 8 boards and 7 blocks.

Skal has been a void on the stat sheet too often. He seems to just shut it down when the game gets tough. That's the most worrying sign for me.

On the flipside, he's by far the most polished offensively of any big Cal has brought in at this point. Problem is his polish is of the guard variety; much tougher to get that stuff when you're planted down in the paint and having to go one-on-one against the other team's strongest guy.

 

[Tannerdad]

Towns had a ton of talent and other bigs around him. Skal has Lee.

No comparison in their work ethics either. Skal is timid, lazy and needs to hit shots to be effective. At least right now.

 

[MakinMusic]

Rebounds are the glaring issue. His defense needs work too. Towns was doubling Skal's rebounds at this stage with less minutes.