What do you get when you cross Stanley Robinson with Marcus Johnson?

[joober jones]

DeAndre Daniels. This guy possesses both the best and worst attributes of those two and is fast becoming enigma #3.

 

[HarryAGampel]

I've noticed recently that a lot of our 3's have had trouble finding their spot in our system. I found this same issue with Roscoe. They're not sure if they should play on the outside or play big. I think Daniels is trying to find his niche on where he will best be utilized.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

he is just totally unconfident with his shot.

 

[61cygni]

Recent guys have had a problem putting the ball on the floor and keeping it secure when driving.

 

[Husky68]

I've noticed recently that a lot of our 3's have had trouble finding their spot in our system. I found this same issue with Roscoe. They're not sure if they should play on the outside or play big. I think Daniels is trying to find his niche on where he will best be utilized.

DD is playing mostly the 4 and is unlike Roscoe playing out of position as 4 while Roscoe was a 4 who wanted to be a 3. DD is showing good quickness with the ball but is losing it a lot on contact and crowded lane penetration. DD has a nice quick shot on the drive but seems to be in slow motion when he sets up for the outside jumper. Like that he is getting a chance to make plays and hopefully improve, should pay dividends later.

 

[msgordon]

i never really had a problem with stanley. he pretty much knew his strengths and just bc we might have wanted him to be a slasher doesnt mean he was. he always shot a good percentage from the field and killed the offensive glass. definitely get nervous when DD has the ball right now though

 

[nomar]

he is just totally unconfident with his shot.

I don't think so. He doesn't mind shooting the ball. Mostly, I think he knows when to shoot. He has taken a couple inadvisable 3's, but overall, I don't think that's the problem. (That definitely was the problem last year. He hit some shots early in the season, then missed a bunch, then was scared to take a shot for most of the season.)

This season, his problem, IMO, is that he puts the ball on the floor without knowing what he's going to do. His baseline moves are usually not successful. And he has had numerous charges. He needs to learn to harness his body control to better exploit his good athleticism and touch. His ball-handling skills could also use him work. His loose handle hinders both his half-court and full-court offense. He has the potential to be a phenomenal transition player but all he can do right now is finish an alley-oop; he can't really take it coast to coast or run a two-man fast break.

His defense and rebounding have been invaluable. And his offense has gotten better and will get better.

 

[CTBasketball]

He's clueless on the court. Doesn't know how his game fits in.

 

[mauconnfan]

He's clueless on the court. Doesn't know how his game fits in.

He's far from clueless but he is finding his way. He has an idea of what he wants to do but can't always get there due to strength. Wish I could say he'll get stronger and better but tough to add lbs to that frame. In the meantime he needs to make open jumpers and he is struggling to do so, that will set up other opportunities. No matter how weak or strong someone is they can still rebound and he needs to hit people first so he knows where they are, if not they will continue to beat on him when he is going after the ball and he'll have a tough time winning those battles on the boards........needs to rebound much better.

 

[Puertorock43]

That drive to the baseline and spin move just needs to stop. Leads to a turn over every time. How was he a top 10 recruit? And every team we've played has guy or 2 6'8-6'9 and very muscular at least 225 plus...why can't we get guys like that?

 

[willie99]

what? a kid six games into his sophomore season after being mostly a roll player as a freshman?

I just don't get it

 

[FeedTheDove]

DeAndre is an easy target not to like because he is a highly regarded recruit. I dont like him getting attacked by our fans after every play that doesnt go his way. Been a DD fan from the start, he plays great D and has the ability to grab lots of boards (8 against MSU). Theres no doubt he struggled all of last year but ive been really happy about his aggressiveness with the ball this year. I hope he continues to shoot when open and drive if he has a good idea on what to do with the ball. I think that he will be a great player in time and will keep improving until then.

 

[James]

Th only thing Daniels has in common with the aforementioned is maybe height . Dd can be a great shooter , but he isn't nearly explosive as you may think . He should utilize his length more . Why can't just be a stretch wing for us ? Make the mid range his playground and tag a man when the shot goes up .

 

[Migs]

One area of the game that is so unbelievably important for a player like Daniels is offensive spacing and positioning. Seemed like this squad had it figured out against MSU but has regressed mightily. Just yesterday we saw the argument between Boat and Bazz over execution, KO screaming for players to get into position, and a lot of confusion of which big is the screener and which is the decoy. All this confusion leads to congestion in the lane because, and I hate to admit it, Tim Welch was right about the sagging man to man by Stony Brook being allowed because UConn was stagnant on offensive sets.

Daniels can take most PFs off the bounce, as proven against MSU, if we give him space to operate. He doesn't have a second option for when weak side help comes and that will come with game experience. Tyler or "other center" has to get out of the lane and draw their man, and that's only possible if TO is hitting shots from 15+ feet. Let's be honest, we aren't running the Princeton offense, we are still pro style with screen and rolls, clear outs, and quick hitters off high post sets. His shot looks good, very relaxed, knows he's 6'8" and not many guards are going to contest his jumper on the pick and pop. If he develops a fade away on the baseline he will be reliable for 15pts a game as it could open his driving options.

 

[Rico444]

DD is gonna be great for us at the 4. He's still finding his place, but he's going to have a few 20 point games this year. Next year, I think he's Caron Butler lite.

 

[ctchamps]

Th only thing Daniels has in common with the aforementioned is maybe height . Dd can be a great shooter , but he isn't nearly explosive as you may think . He should utilize his length more . Why can't just be a stretch wing for us ? Make the mid range his playground and tag a man when the shot goes up .

He actually played the game in this manner. He missed three easy floaters from about 6-8 feet out.

One area of the game that is so unbelievably important for a player like Daniels is offensive spacing and positioning. Seemed like this squad had it figured out against MSU but has regressed mightily. Just yesterday we saw the argument between Boat and Bazz over execution, KO screaming for players to get into position, and a lot of confusion of which big is the screener and which is the decoy. All this confusion leads to congestion in the lane because, and I hate to admit it, Tim Welch was right about the sagging man to man by Stony Brook being allowed because UConn was stagnant on offensive sets.

Daniels can take most PFs off the bounce, as proven against MSU, if we give him space to operate. He doesn't have a second option for when weak side help comes and that will come with game experience. Tyler or "other center" has to get out of the lane and draw their man, and that's only possible if TO is hitting shots from 15+ feet. Let's be honest, we aren't running the Princeton offense, we are still pro style with screen and rolls, clear outs, and quick hitters off high post sets. His shot looks good, very relaxed, knows he's 6'8" and not many guards are going to contest his jumper on the pick and pop. If he develops a fade away on the baseline he will be reliable for 15pts a game as it could open his driving options.

Nice write up. I hope to see more stuff from you. And you bring up the salient point that the offense is stagnating from confusion as opposed to effort. VT was the only opponent with less experience on its roster than UConn. And imo, UConn is more handicapped because none of the players are playing in the roles they had last season.

SN was the primary ball handler. This season it's RB. DD and NG played the three last season and DD hardly played. Now they're playing the four. TO played the four, now he's playing the five. RE is an off guard but was the primary ball handler for HC. EW is still playing the five, but he barely saw the court last season. And OC and Nolan are freshmen.

I'm actually impressed with this team. Regression is to be expected because the coaches are implementing more sets as opposing teams scout out Uconn's tape and try to take away what the team employed in previous games.