Worm Guts wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
No improvement? I haven't watched him this season but his numbers are up across the board. From 6.2 ppg to 10.6, his field goal percentage has gone from 55% to 58% and his PPS has gone from 1.6 to 1.82.
Ok, let's take a look at why his numbers might be up right about now. Even if we assume that he increased his PPG by 4, he has not shown favorable improvement across the board. Earlier in the season, Dicky V got on his case for refusing to dunk the ball. He simply took layups and this caused him to miss some easy opportunities when some defender came to contest him. His field goal percentage is virtually the same. Lately, he has picked up the pace, showing somewhat of a mean streak. (about as mean as he'll get) He's dunking the ball and rebounding fairly well. (not too well for a 7'4 guy with superior length to everyone on the floor, but still I'll give him credit) His positioning downlow is frightful. He looks to fadeaway baskets inside against smaller players. And, while a hook shot may seem promising, this is not necessarily the case. He has the height and length to shoot over people and he's simply reverting to a shot he has not entirely perfected. When he does shoot over his defender, he fades away. Standing still he would be able to get off his jumper pretty much uncontested. There's little semblance of simple post moves- drop step and score etc. It just doesn't seem that he is very comfortable attacking the basket at this point. It's not just that he is awkward.
Frankly, on the defensive end, he is not a complete player either. While he does have a knack for blocking shots and the length to challenge anyone at the college level, he is not an excellent man defender yet. Oftenimes, he reverts to the shot blockers mentality- biting on fakes and sometimes jumping when he should just maintain position down low and draw a charge.
As for your statistical concerns at this period: I'm not saying that it's impossible for him to maintain his current production, but I would say that it's unlikely. Look at their SOS and current RPI. UConn's nonconference competition is a far cry from what Thabeet and his teammates will be facing in the Big East. They currently have the 46th rated RPI in the country and this is not because of their results (at 10-3).
I can see if the guy moped around the court like Hibbert did his freshman year but my god, he just learned the game and has unbelievable upside. I think the GMs will probably listen to the experts at DX over Calhoun anyday.
