What do you expect from Wenyen Gabriel next season?
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He'll be fine. Perhaps a 9 and 6 guy and competing for a starting spot at the 4. I like his upside.
He'll need to get stronger but like we saw with Walter, you can't always alter a man's body quickly at this age. If he can get stronger and use his quickness better he can be a much better offensive threat. He does need to u detests do the game too, he's a lot like Skal in that comparison.
He has to stop thinking, and start playing, but I do not expect much from him. Hope I am proven wrong.
Gabriel is a long, skilled player whose play suffered at times because of mental mistakes and lack of physical strength. Another year in the program will improve both of his problem areas. How many playing opportunities will he get? That's the question. We still don't know which bigs will be back, or what Bamba will do. Adebayo hasn't hired an agent yet, but is probably gone. Humphries is talking like a guy who might go home to Australia. If our baseline players are Gabriel, Wynyard, SKJ, Richards, Washington, Vanderbilt, then Gabriel will play a lot. But if Bamba comes, or if Adebayo stays, then Gabriel could get buried on Kentucky's bench.
Just because he looks like a basketball player doesn't mean he can play. That is what is so flawed about rankings. These scouts see a long 6-9 guy who can occasionally hit an outside shot and he immediately shoots up the rankings. I believe Gabriel was unranked before his Sr year and honestly that's where he should've stayed. He was truly lost on the court.
He looked "lost on the court" because he was a freshman who didn't get a lot of playing time down the stretch. Gabriel was probably not over-ranked, but some of our fans expect every freshman to play like an NBA player. Gabriel is a skilled player who just needs to get physically stronger.
He showed flashes like the LSU game, more consistency and strength and he can be a great 6th man off the bench. To me he's a classic guy that'll be great as a junior and senior if he stays that long.
This thread reads as if he is for sure staying.
Did I miss that announcement or is this more of an "if/then" type thing?
Did I miss that announcement or is this more of an "if/then" type thing?
He's never going to be an athlete and he's really not ultra gifted physically. It's not like he's got Montrez Harrel arms to play bigger than he is. He's a 4 who can add about 15 pounds in the off season to add strength to make up for his lack if agility. His heart is there and that's a rare quality.
We've seen plenty of players who weren't superior to our athletes take us to the woodshed because they wanted it more and had experience. That's what he needs to bring. Heart, hustle, experience and added bulk. If he can develop any kind of useful post game it would do wonders. Every time he tried to play inside he threw up a wild crazy shot that looked like he's never seen the post before despite there sometimes being next to no contact. He wanted to shoot 3s and that's it. Hitting a 3 every now and then is fine to keep the defense honest but he needs to have Bams baby hook to count on at times when he's got a smaller defender on him. He needs to come back at about 230 pounds, and motivate the young guys to compete for their minutes which will elevate everyone's play. If he can come back and give 7-8 ppg, 5-6 rpg and a block here and there I'll be ecstatic. Not much better stats than he provided this year but imagine with the competition at his position, hell see less minutes. Those are very very good off the bench productions. I doubt he would ever start except for MAYBE the beginning of the season until the new guys learn or to teach someone like Washington or Vanderbilt a lesson.
We've seen plenty of players who weren't superior to our athletes take us to the woodshed because they wanted it more and had experience. That's what he needs to bring. Heart, hustle, experience and added bulk. If he can develop any kind of useful post game it would do wonders. Every time he tried to play inside he threw up a wild crazy shot that looked like he's never seen the post before despite there sometimes being next to no contact. He wanted to shoot 3s and that's it. Hitting a 3 every now and then is fine to keep the defense honest but he needs to have Bams baby hook to count on at times when he's got a smaller defender on him. He needs to come back at about 230 pounds, and motivate the young guys to compete for their minutes which will elevate everyone's play. If he can come back and give 7-8 ppg, 5-6 rpg and a block here and there I'll be ecstatic. Not much better stats than he provided this year but imagine with the competition at his position, hell see less minutes. Those are very very good off the bench productions. I doubt he would ever start except for MAYBE the beginning of the season until the new guys learn or to teach someone like Washington or Vanderbilt a lesson.
We all agree about the strength and raw skill issues. What I really like about this guy is he has a high rev motor. His defense can be disruptive...with adding some strength and coordination, he could be a handful. Granted this is a big "could", but something about his potential that is worth developing.
This guy has a lot of potential. Don't forget K really wanted Gabriel. Our PF rotation will be unreal next year.
I don't expect anything, I don't think he's a basketball player
This. If there was a phrase that meant the complete opposite of "fluid athlete" then that's what Wenyen Gabriel is.
I don't know what happened to him at the end of the season because we was beyond terrible. But every UK fan seems to love Kenny Payne (including myself) and when Gabriel had a few really good games mid season KP said he was just doing what they were seeing every day in practice. Even said he expected him to keep getting better. Makes me wonder what the heck happened because he was shooting air balls from 10 feet out at the end of the season.
His main problem was Willis. When Willis wasn't playing well, Gabriel played within himself, taking and making open looks, battling on the boards and such. Once Willis started doing those things as well, it appeared Gabriel started pressing, in order to try to keep his playing time. He didn't shoot it as well as willis, so he started trying to make moves to show something that Willis couldn't do. It didn't work, and he lost confidence, and played out of character, which got him sent to the bench.
If he comes back, he needs to play within himself, and take the minutes he can get. He is going to have to get more coordination, as his only option for playing time is at the small forward position. Cal likes to go big, and if he has the players, he will. Next year he should have the players.
If he comes back, he needs to play within himself, and take the minutes he can get. He is going to have to get more coordination, as his only option for playing time is at the small forward position. Cal likes to go big, and if he has the players, he will. Next year he should have the players.
If he makes up his mind he can be a Walter McCarty type as another poster suggested. He must also realize he has to play defense and rebound. Shot selection game clock should come into play for him. He had a tendency to shoot every time he touched the ball in March
This.
He has shown many times he has the tools to both think and act faster than the average player, maybe even faster than the average talent. He's plenty run/jump athletic and to me most of his toughness problems seem to be about fierceness and timing.
He just spends most of his time getting in his own way or someone else's. He doesn't even understand the game now except in little epiphanies. But if he could ever first really understand the game and then forget about it and just let it come he could be so solid.
Signed Jorts, Miller, Terrence Jones, Willis and Hawkins. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
I love Gabriel. He's one of my favorites to watch. I'd like to see him quit flailing around like a skeleton. Get the ball and make a move or pass/shoot it. All this walking t/o destroyed his confidence. Just play aggressive D and rebound. Shoot the open J. Let the rest come to him.
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