Reignman wrote:I have Knight ahead of Walker as well. Actually, Kemba's not even in my top 5. Undersized, junior and hasn't shown much of his passing game.
It's not one flag but a couple of flags that don't make me a fan. I'd be dissapointed if he were our pick. My guess is he'll always be a much better college player than a pro. Knight might not be all that great either but all the tools are there and he does need to polish his passing game but at least he doesn't have the perceived low ceiling of a guy like Kemba.
Hopefully Knight can end this debate on Saturday, should be a great game.
Probably not at 5, but I'd be happy with either, if say we traded down.
I sort of understand why Kemba's game raises a lot of flags when considering how it'll translate to the pros, but this kid is full of unteachable intangibles (leadership, toughness, doesn't back down, swagger), and his ability to pass the ball is pretty underrated imo. Look no further than the first game of the tourney where he masterfully ran the UConn offense. Sure, it was against Bucknell, but he showed the passing gene I didn't think he had.
And the reason why (aside from stats) people are quick to discredit his passing skills is because he's such a good scorer and aside from him, there really isn't another player on the roster (Lamb is more of a slasher/spot-up/transition guy) that Calhoun can ask for a basket out of thin air from. My guess is that if there was another scorer on the team, he wouldn't be forced to carry the offensive load and wouldn't be given as much leeway to shoot the ball as he has. But either way, he's a damn good scorer. The kid dropped 36 points on the best defense in the tourney in their own backyard...putting the team on his back by scoring 14 straight when the game was hanging in the balance. He dominated the Big East tourney, having stretches where he's impossible to stop and he's hit like how many game winners this season?
His ability to create space for his jumper is impressive, he has a variety of jukes and crossovers, he can get into the paint whenever he wants and knows how to use his body to shield interior defenders from blocking his shot, and he's adept at using both hands to finish. His defense is fine too, despite his penchant for gambling and cheating passing lanes. But he's quick and wants to shut his opponent down from what I've seen.
I suspect he'll never been a amazingly efficient scorer, and will have some turnover issues as he matures, but I put a ton of value into one's ability to win a game for his team, not just with one shot, but a several minute stretch where he cannot be stopped, and he's done that a handful of times this season. This UConn team would be unranked if not for Walker this season and that says a lot imo.
