SKJ
- Thread starter robman181
- Start date
I would say he's too weak to play in the post but AD was rail thin when he was here.
Then again, SKJ is NOT Anthony Davis.
If he gets big minutes this year is because he either learned how to play in the post with a smaller frame, or we use him as a faceup 4.
Then again, SKJ is NOT Anthony Davis.
If he gets big minutes this year is because he either learned how to play in the post with a smaller frame, or we use him as a faceup 4.
Looks much more confident and I like his range. But I'm not sure how much PT is for the taking at the 4 with all of 6-7 thru 6-9 guys we have.
He might have to squeeze those 5 years in 4 years
I know it was just a scrimmage, but he didnt look any better last night than he did last year.
In my opinion he should have gotten a chance when we were getting nothing out of Humphries game after game. At the end of the year, team were leaving Wenyen wide open and daring him to shoot. I feel like there were opportunities to play him.
Agree with Zannmann. Richards who has had a couple weeks of coaching versus SKJ who had a year of coaching looked way better. I think we may have to stop the hype that he is more than what was seen. I didn't believe the spin given for why he was on the bench for the British team without getting minutes and yes only a scrimmage but I could see why that occurred this summer. Now there are some here who believe you should never make any negative comment about any Kentucky player. My comment as well as Zannmann's is based upon observation. It doesn't mean he can't eventually improve or anything else. But, those who make these statements like he is going to be valuable, we can really count on him, etc. have absolutely no evidence to make those statements.
I thought he looked much better. Showed good range, drove the ball and really hustled.
I dont see how anyone could ever possibly consider him as a 3 though....????
I just want him to make layups. He had some great looking drives but can't lay it up. Just dunk it I guess.
Seems like he was playing too fast last night and last year he was playing too slow so hopefully he gets it figured out soon or maybe next year
Cal has no idea how to use stretch bigs on offense. It kills me everytime I see Skal getting buckets in the NBA knowing that could have been unleashed on the college game and nobody could have stopped it. AD is one of the best and most unique scorers in the NBA and Cal had him shooting nothing but jump hooks in the post. The mid-range jumper that Willie Cauley-Stein is now knocking down with ease would have been nice to see against Wisconsin.
What a joke. Except for maybe Skal, those guys developed that part of their game as professionals. I'm sure you wouldn't have complained about Willie bricking three pointers here.
Yeah he needs to look for the contact and finish through it instead of trying to finesse his way around it.
It is very difficult to tell what he can do and what he can't do or where he fits into the mix at UK.Something keeps him off the floor,effort,understanding of the game,lack of physical/mental toughness or the lack of doing one basketball skill really well.
He needs to bring something to the table,we have yet to see what that is.This is his opportunity to do so,I hope he makes use of it.
He needs to bring something to the table,we have yet to see what that is.This is his opportunity to do so,I hope he makes use of it.
No way he can be a 3. He can't put the ball on the floor with enough skill and his shooting is not good enough.
Understand that cal will not allow his Big's to be shooters, even when they can shoot. Boogie, AD are examples. If you come play here and you're a big, cal wants you to play big. You will anchor down on the weakside for rebounds and put backs, or dunks. But you won't be floating the perimeter most times. That's coaches way. Not complaining.
Understand that cal will not allow his Big's to be shooters, even when they can shoot. Boogie, AD are examples. If you come play here and you're a big, cal wants you to play big. You will anchor down on the weakside for rebounds and put backs, or dunks. But you won't be floating the perimeter most times. That's coaches way. Not complaining.
i swear some people are just clueless. This poster is great example.
AD actually starting shooting mid range jumper at UK. He further developed his 3 point shooting in NBA. Mostly started last year and this year he is hitting at higher rate (while only 2 game sample). In fact his development at UK was insane. He first started being a shitty FT shooter and a lob dunker. By mid season he added post game and improving FT> By the end of the year he was knocking down midrange jumper. At this point everyone knew, he was far more than a defensive specialist. This is why haters were making argument that he was just going to be a defensive guy (based off early reports) while UK fans were like...ah no. Just watch his game. It was simply insane. There was no way for collegiate player to really defend him. However, he didn't really need to score that much when you consider we had MKG with transition offense, Lamb/Miller will silky threes, and Jones with Powerful inside game.
WCS couldn't score period AT UK as a freshman, its why NN injury killed us. He was completely lost soul as a freshman. Your so called midrange jumper is something he worked on and started implementing during his Junior at UK. He started showing this in Junior year and as a third year in NBA he is able to show that capability. Hell at UK look at his FT numbers and you'll see his evolution as a shooter at UK. In fact you said "i wish i had seen it in Wisconsin game" Well, if i remember correctly, his first shot in Wisconsin game is that so called midrange shot that he wanted to show off. Except he missed it. It's called evoking his game and confidence. While he started showing sign, it wasn't reliable.
Finally Skal. Skal showed scoring output at UK, NO PROBLEM. not sure why you think he wasn't utilized offensively at UK. HIs per 40 in terms of scoring is similar to NBA right now. The problem was his per 40 minutes in rebounding and foul was atrocious. He just lacked any effort. That's just a fact. Wait 5-6 years. He'll admit as much, i guarantee it. The notion that Cal miss used him at the post is bullshit Cal used to take the blame so that he can get drafted higher.
There is no question he can play the 3 on offense. His handle is really good and his shooting touch is getting there. The only question is, can he guard a 3. He's closer to a 3/4 than he is 4/5. His natural position is stretch 4 though.
A
anon_q409idbs5m40a
Guest
Agree with this. I see him at this stage in his career as a "Cedric Jenkins" type player who was not as good as advertised but made himself into a solid player by his Senior season.
Disagree, so does cal. He won't play 3 and that's the truth. Where anyone gets he can play the 3 is a theory at best because he has never played the 3 since elementary. But I RESPECTFULLY disagree because once he leaves UK, no telling how overseas will use him but here, cal keeps his big playing big in the post. He will not play 3 here.
He’s a good kid, I hope he figures it out, I didn’t get to watch BBM or the scrimmage since I work the graveyard shift now
He has the shooters touch to be a four. Based on what I've seen so far his confidence and shot is there hopefully he builds on that because we need him to step up big time this yr to make a run. Richards is raw but by years end he willl be a totally different player
I'm not completely sure about this, but I believe Cal has acknowledged that he should've done things a bit differently with Skal. I hope that he recognizes now that Jones is in the same mold as Skal. We obviously don't see SKJ in practice and have limited game footage from last year and the most recent scrimmage, but it seems clear that he is never going to be a back-to-the-basket guy. If we can see this, Cal sees it too. And I'm confident he won't make the same mistake with SKJ that he made with Skal.
Last edited:
To me, SKJ looks to have the offensive skills to be nice piece at the 5. But it takes a lot more than that to be a productive player against the best players. If he can't defend and rebound well, he has very little value on a top Div. I team. Of course, I fully believe that he can do those things - and do them well. But I suppose it will take Calipari's constant pushing and pulling to eventually get him there. And from what I've seen, Calipari is very good at that.
Others have mentioned Skal in comparison, and I think that's a good case study. The way I saw it, Calipari again proved to have the players best interest at heart when it came to Skal. I guess he could have had Skal float around the perimeter, avoiding all contact and shooting some jump shots - like Towns wanted to do when he first got to UK. But instead he tried to make Skal a real player - like he did with Towns. Neither Skal nor SKJ need a new model, they just need hard coaching and some patience.
Others have mentioned Skal in comparison, and I think that's a good case study. The way I saw it, Calipari again proved to have the players best interest at heart when it came to Skal. I guess he could have had Skal float around the perimeter, avoiding all contact and shooting some jump shots - like Towns wanted to do when he first got to UK. But instead he tried to make Skal a real player - like he did with Towns. Neither Skal nor SKJ need a new model, they just need hard coaching and some patience.
Skal was also 6-11 and had lower rebounding numbers than our 5-8 PG. And I don’t care how he was used on offense, that’s ridiculous.
Did any of you attend a Kentucky game or just watch on T.V.? I knew early on there was a problem with Skal when I was at the South Florida game. He was pushed around by the marginal at best Miami center, Jaleel Cousins. Skal scored plenty and had good stats, but it mainly happened when this lesser skilled brother version of Cousins was on the bench with foul problems. But when in the game, Skal could not defend, was too weak to hold his position, Cousins was the way better center, and this game was against a pretty poor team. Cal always says if you can't defend, I can't play you. Well, as the season progressed, Skal was poor on the defensive end and not really skilled other than a so-so jump shot on offense. He was physically not ready for the SEC grind and that was his problem, not how Cal played him.
