Who can guard Skal?

[KyFord]

Skal is the best scoring big man in the country and may even be the best big man on offense that Cal has had since Camby.

Is there anyone that can really guard him in college? His jump shot is unguardable, he is so skilled.

I don't think Duke will be able to stop him Tuesday night, they better hope he gets in foul trouble.

 

[Bkocats]

Skal is the best scoring big man in the country and may even be the best big man on offense that Cal has had since Camby.

Is there anyone that can really guard him in college? His jump shot is unguardable, he is so skilled.

I don't think Duke will be able to stop him Tuesday night, they better hope he gets in foul trouble.

it's likely he will simply because he is still learning defensively. But I am sure he'll make the most of his time on the floor

 

[WildMoon]

there's many way to guard him, which consist of mostly prior to him actually taking the shot.

Keep him out of position

When he get's the ball, try to strip it. He keeps it low sometimes and makes it easy for guard to snatch it.

After he set's it up, it's a little harder. Just hope he misses, but for a guy who hasn't played competitive so much, dude is automatic.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

there's many way to guard him, which consist of mostly prior to him actually taking the shot.

Keep him out of position

When he get's the ball, try to strip it. He keeps it low sometimes and makes it easy for guard to snatch it.

After he set's it up, it's a little harder. Just hope he misses, but for a guy who hasn't played competitive so much, dude is automatic.

So true! Defending Skal will have to be done before he gets the ball. If he's able to turn and face, with the elevation he gets on his jumper, there's no defending it.

 

[Aike]

Camby scored 20 a game as a Junior, but his numbers his first 2 years were 10 and 14.

I truthfully can't recall a freshman big with the shooting touch of Skal.

That said, I thought Booker had as pretty a stroke from the outside as I had ever seen, and he went through stretches where he couldn't throw it in the ocean.

Will have to see Skal over a larger sample size and against stiffer competition before I rank him. But for now, that shot is so pretty.

 

[Joneslab]

The guys that might be able to get to him will probably just try and bully him out of the paint and hope he's missing.

In those kinds of games Skal will need to just match the other guy's energy and try and get to the foul line and get some garbage. Because unlike a lot of young big men, you can't just hack him and send him to the line. The guy will kill you there.

I actually think this match-up Tuesday will be interesting. Plumlee is a straight role player but he'll be strong and weird enough to root Skal out of position. Skal's going to have to play mean.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Poetl form Utah kept Okafor in check

 

[Smashcat]

they better hope he gets in foul trouble.
Most Dookies expect him to get in foul trouble. LOL

 

[westerncat]

Tuesdays game again Duke is going to tell us just how good he can be. He has not really gone against big guys yet except in practice. With the new rules in place I think he will go to the free throw line a lot.

 

[KyFord]

I am sure Coach K will be in the refs ear, so it is very likely that Skal will have a few fouls. I still think he will be the difference in the game though.

Its also true that Skal can be pushed around but he can still bury you with jump shots and fade aways, you can't guard a 6'11" jump shooter.

 

[bigbluelou]

Skal has one of the prettiest turn around jumpers I've ever seen for a big man. And he is money, rarely even hitting the rim. Just a beautiful, accurate, high arching swish.

As others have said, your best chance is to keep it away from him to begin with and play him very physical. If he gets it, try and push him out and strip the ball. If he gains control and gets in any position to shoot or spin, you are toast.

 

[CatEye2010]

Play him physical, body up on him. If the refs allow it (we're playing dUKe; I had to chuckle when I typed that) Skal might be less effective. And when he retaliates with physicality, he'll likely pick up fouls. That's how I'd play him. Now, if he can slide off coverage and use his quickness and size, he can get his soft shot off from nearly anywhere.

 

[kyjeff1]

Best defense for Skal? Himself. If he allows himself to get into foul trouble he will be riding the pine. Can't score when you're on the pine. Gotta keep those hands straight up, don't bring them down and watch for Duke's guards, they will drive the lane and launch themselves into Skal to draw fouls. I absolutely hate those calls. How can it be a foul on the defender when he has position and the guy with the ball jumps into him? They call it every time.

 

[W2R]

Davis
Noel
Wcs
Kat
All struggled with fouls and timing to start the season. Coach Payne will get Skal ready

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

If they double him, he could struggle some. But, if they allow him the rooom for his turnaround jumpers or baby hooks, he should be fine. I have just been amazed at his shotmaking so far. It's like butter.

 

[UKDUNK]

If Skal wakes up and decides he wants to go get 30 he will get 30 regardless of who's guarding him. That kid already has NBA All-Star talent on the offensive side. I like Ben Simmons' all around game, but I don't know that he's exceptional at anything. Skal's touch is next level.

 

[Bluest Member]

Please don't start sounding like Little Brothel Fans with their "UnGuardable" analogy.I'll bet Skal will have games where he gets doubled and tripled to shut him down,Albany made him have a bad 1st half,no player is unguardable

 

[CELTICAT]

If you combined Randolph Morris with Jules Camara, and then doubled the latent talent and work ethic, you'd have Skal.

 

[Poetax]

Skal is the best scoring big man in the country and may even be the best big man on offense that Cal has had since Camby.

Is there anyone that can really guard him in college? His jump shot is unguardable, he is so skilled.

I don't think Duke will be able to stop him Tuesday night, they better hope he gets in foul trouble.

He is a really great fitness player so to me the kind of player that might handle him would be a real physical big who wouldn't let him set up where he wanted.

 

[Cat Ballou]

Yeah, the Duke game is going to be interesting.

Plumlee may not be an All-American, but he's strong as an ox, and he's a very smart, seasoned basketball player. He's going to rough Skal up no doubt about it, and it's going to be interesting to see how he responds.

 

[Smashcat]

Please don't start sounding like Little Brothel Fans with their "UnGuardable" analogy.I'll bet Skal will have games where he gets doubled and tripled to shut him down,Albany made him have a bad 1st half,no player is unguardable

He'll see plenty of defensive attention and could have a rough time against a front line like UNC has. That said, this is a good year to have good perimeter play when that happens.

 

[catsall]

If you combined Randolph Morris with Jules Camara, and then doubled the latent talent and work ethic, you'd have Skal.

Skal has a great stroke, but he is not strong with the ball. A double team will cause him problems and if the guards arent shooting better than we have seen so far then he will see a zone

How good will be determined when we play good competition, so far we haven't. Let's not kid ourself that Albany and UJIT are top quality teams. Tuesday night will give us a good assessment of where we are and where we have to improve

To be honest, our guard play has not been good especially defensively. I can see how teams are going to exploit Ulis.

 

[CastleRubric]

he's like a taller version of Tayshaun Prince
Great player - glad he's wearing UK blue
But he'll get pushed around by bigger stronger teams of course
That jumper is freakin sweet though -- he's going to pull a lot of defenders out away from the basket as well I guess

 

[Aike]

If Skal wakes up and decides he wants to go get 30 he will get 30 regardless of who's guarding him. That kid already has NBA All-Star talent on the offensive side. I like Ben Simmons' all around game, but I don't know that he's exceptional at anything. Skal's touch is next level.

Simmons' vision and handles are exceptional for a guy his size.

 

[KnowsAllTellsAll]

His first half play last night was very impressive. His offense is a thing of beauty. If he had stronger legs he would be unstoppable in the post.

 

[Aike]

His first half play last night was very impressive. His offense is a thing of beauty. If he had stronger legs he would be unstoppable in the post.

Hopefully his legs will get stronger.

 

[KyFord]

Please don't start sounding like Little Brothel Fans with their "UnGuardable" analogy.I'll bet Skal will have games where he gets doubled and tripled to shut him down,Albany made him have a bad 1st half,no player is unguardable

A 6'11" dude making turnaround jump shots is unguardable, Louisville has not had a player like that.

 

[kybassfan]

I'd throw a big body on him. Slap at the ball on every touch. Shiver his timbers a time or two. The goal would be to sap his legs.

On the other end, he's got some work to do on his feet. He still reaches on defense rather than extending up. So you send the ball at him, jump into him and try to get him with a foul or two.

This stuff would be effective now. Not so much in February.

 

[caneintally]

IMO there are 2 guys in the country who could guard him sorta- Ben simmons and Diallo . But you can't guard hook shots and fade aways unless you double team and those are Skal's 2 go to shots.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

We still haven't seen him post against bulkier bigs. He hasn't gotten good position vs. the undersized front lines we've faced, which raises some questions.

When that rainbow jumper is going, he's aesthetic. Unreal touch.

1 thing i've noticed about Skal though, he doesn't pass the ball. Its concerning.

 

[UKDUNK]

Simmons' vision and handles are exceptional for a guy his size.

I'm thinking more about how their skillsets translate to the next level. I don't think many teams out there would let him run point forward nearly as much as he will at LSU. Greg Monroe was one of the better passing bigs i've ever seen in college, but he rarely gets to showcase that skillset because the guards in the NBA dominate the ball. It's nice to have bigs and wings that can handle the ball and pass it but it does not impact the game as much as scoring ability does.

 

[kybassfan]

We still haven't seen him post against bulkier bigs. He hasn't gotten good position vs. the undersized front lines we've faced, which raises some questions.

When that rainbow jumper is going, he's aesthetic. Unreal touch.

1 thing i've noticed about Skal though, he doesn't pass the ball. Its concerning.

Don't expect him to pass under most circumstances. Sometimes a player does what he does because he been told. Cal and staff are going to develop those inside moves at all cost.

 

[doneitall]

I would front Skal even at free throw line and below. Quick wings could be able to take away the lobs over defense.

 

[Jkwo]

Skal is the best scoring big man in the country and may even be the best big man on offense that Cal has had since Camby.

Is there anyone that can really guard him in college? His jump shot is unguardable, he is so skilled.

I don't think Duke will be able to stop him Tuesday night, they better hope he gets in foul trouble.

Best Offense from a cal big since Camby? Cousins was twice the offensive player Camby was. I'd say Skal is close to cousins on offense (little worse on defense), but cuz shot a little more frequently inside, Skal a bit more outside. Both had incredibly well rounded offensive skillsets for freshman bigs.

Karl is right behind them, but he didn't compare until second half of the year.

 

[KyFord]

Cousins was great, but the difference is that Skal can stretch the defense and knock down jump shots. When this kid gets stronger the sky is the limit.

I do think you can bully him a little in the paint but he can still have an impact outside of the paint, that's what is special with him.

 

[5iveStarRecruit]

Don't expect him to pass under most circumstances. Sometimes a player does what he does because he been told. Cal and staff are going to develop those inside moves at all cost.

Im pretty sure Cal & staff aren't telling him to ignore teammates and just hunt for his own shot.

Its a Skal problem, & one that hopefully gets fixed as the season goes on.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Yeah, I'm not really seeing a problem here at all. He was 3-5 and 10-12. When he starts shooting 18-20 times a game, or forcing up bad shots, call me.

 

[Aike]

I'm thinking more about how their skillsets translate to the next level. I don't think many teams out there would let him run point forward nearly as much as he will at LSU. Greg Monroe was one of the better passing bigs i've ever seen in college, but he rarely gets to showcase that skillset because the guards in the NBA dominate the ball. It's nice to have bigs and wings that can handle the ball and pass it but it does not impact the game as much as scoring ability does.

Man, all due respect but Simmons is on another planet from Greg Monroe.

My projection is that his impact at the next level will be somewhere between Lamar Odom and Lebron James. Probably closer to Lamar, but consistent All Star level nonetheless.

 

[Aike]

Skal should almost never pass unless he's doubled.

 

[kybassfan]

Im pretty sure Cal & staff aren't telling him to ignore teammates and just hunt for his own shot.

Its a Skal problem, & one that hopefully gets fixed as the season goes on.

LOL. Whatever. They did same thing with KAT last year.