Bouk up to 6 on Wasserman’s Big Board

[shazzketball]

Obviously not in the category of the Cunninghams, Suggs, and Mobleys of the world, but scouts are taking big time notice. Best case I see him as a Zach Lavine type, athletic guard who can score at will and is a solid rebounder and underrated playmaker. Worst case he’s instant buckets off the bench a la a more athletic Jordan Clarkson . Hopefully he keeps rising as the Ws keep coming in!

 

[BoukofJames]

Bouk got the cover photo too - nice!

the link to the article doesn’t seem to be working when I post it

 

[Huskyforlife]

I wonder about Bouks 3pt shooting and playmaking as a ball dominant player. But he's absolutely the 6th best prospect in the class, imo.

 

[rayrayfor3]

Obviously not in the category of the Cunninghams, Suggs, and Mobleys of the world, but scouts are taking big time notice. Best case I see him as a Zach Lavine type, athletic guard who can score at will and is a solid rebounder and underrated playmaker. Worst case he’s instant buckets off the bench a la a more athletic Jordan Clarkson . Hopefully he keeps rising as the Ws keep coming in!

After I watched some Bulls highlights I couldn't help but notice how similar Lavine and Bouk are. Hyper athletic, long guards with the ability to slash or score off the dribble

 

[TheChamps990411]

I wonder about Bouks 3pt shooting and playmaking as a ball dominant player. But he's absolutely the 6th best prospect in the class, imo.

Remember youre watching a sophomore that has dealt with quite a bit of time missed and/or interrupted. He has a very long way to go to being a finished product.

 

[BoukofJames]

Devin Booker is a name I haven’t heard thrown out as a comp. They have pretty similar games, with Booker possessing far superior three point prowess. I think we all agree that Bouk will be an improved outside shooter with NBA spacing, and Devin is a guy whose playmaking has improved over the years in the league. I think DB somewhat represents the upper bound limits of JB potential - remember Devin is just 24 and already scored 70 in a game

 

[husky429]

Remember youre watching a sophomore that has dealt with quite a bit of time missed and/or interrupted. He has a very long way to go to being a finished product.

I mean that's more true of everyone else on the list. He's the first sophomore in most every draft board.

Some GMs may be worried about his playmaking and shooting % from deep. Which is fair because his sample size is bigger than everyone else's ahead of him.

I would imagine that some GM in the 6-12 range will see the FT% and mid-range pullup ability and figure they can train him to shoot 35%+ from deep with a season or two under his belt.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I mean that's more true of everyone else on the list. He's the first sophomore in most every draft board.

Some GMs may be worried about his playmaking and shooting % from deep. Which is fair because his sample size is bigger than everyone else's ahead of him.

I would imagine that some GM in the 6-12 range will see the FT% and mid-range pullup ability and figure they can train him to shoot 35%+ from deep with a season or two under his belt.

Remember youre watching a sophomore that has dealt with quite a bit of time missed and/or interrupted. He has a very long way to go to being a finished product.

I still believe of course, he's 6th on my board. But those are legitment concerns when you take the rose colored glasses off. The NBA game is different than college.

That being said, considering the jumper isn't broken, I do think he shoots better over time. Playmaking is another story.

 

[BGesus4]

Devin Booker is a name I haven’t heard thrown out as a comp. They have pretty similar games, with Booker possessing far superior three point prowess. I think we all agree that Bouk will be an improved outside shooter with NBA spacing, and Devin is a guy whose playmaking has improved over the years in the league. I think DB somewhat represents the upper bound limits of JB potential - remember Devin is just 24 and already scored 70 in a game

I dropped that comp about a month ago. Im with you, think it’s a great one. Devin prob came into the league a slightly better shooter and Bouk will come in a better athlete and playmaker than Devin was out of UK.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I still believe of course, he's 6th on my board. But those are legitment concerns when you take the rose colored glasses off. The NBA game is different than college.

That being said, considering the jumper isn't broken, I do think he shoots better over time. Playmaking is another story.

He doesn’t get many open shots, especially 3s, and when he does get a 3 its often off the dribble. His FT % is a good indicator. He has very good form and touch, I think his shot will be fine.

 

[Huskyforlife]

He doesn’t get many open shots, especially 3s, and when he does get a 3 its often off the dribble. His FT % is a good indicator. He has very good form and touch, I think his shot will be fine.

That doesn't get easier in the NBA, he's a ball dominant guard, off the dribble 3s and jumpers are a requirement to be an all star level player. I think he can be a 35+% shooter eventually, but shooting isn't his strength right now.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

That doesn't get easier in the NBA, he's a ball dominant guard, off the dribble 3s and jumpers are a requirement to be an all star level player. I think he can be a 35+% shooter eventually, but shooting isn't his strength right now.

He’s not gonna be ball dominant in the NBA, at least not right away. He’ll get more open looks.

 

[FlyChigga]

His playmaking is suspect honestly we've seen what happened when he would get constantly doubled in the Villanova game and it was not pretty. His shooting seems fine but he's also probably not gonna be a great high volume 3pt shooter like Lavine.

 

[Huskyforlife]

He’s not gonna be ball dominant in the NBA, at least not right away. He’ll get more open looks.

This is making me wonder, does anyone have the stat for Bouks spot up 3pt%? Maybe @UConnStats ? That'll be an interesting piece in his draft profile, considering he will need to be a threat off ball to even play in the NBA.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I still believe of course, he's 6th on my board. But those are legitment concerns when you take the rose colored glasses off. The NBA game is different than college.

That being said, considering the jumper isn't broken, I do think he shoots better over time. Playmaking is another story.

No rose colored glasses here. Just making a factual point. Im more concerned about his durability.

 

[HuskyFich]

This is making me wonder, does anyone have the stat for Bouks spot up 3pt%? Maybe @UConnStats ? That'll be an interesting piece in his draft profile, considering he will need to be a threat off ball to even play in the NBA.

Imagine thinking we have good enough spacing on offense to allow spot up 3s for Bouk hahahahahaha.

Just joking buddy, but not really.

 

[Palatine]

Bouk's three point shooting will improve as his legs and conditioning improve from his lay off. And it will continue to improve after he joins the NBA. We know he can shoot. So does the NBA. His range will get better and better.

 

[Lefty2one]

Outside of Green I have a hard time putting any of the SGs above him. I like Keon Johnson's game and Moses Moody should be a solid pro but man, to me Bouk has something that neither of these guys have. I can't wait to see his game in the spaced floor of an NBA offense.

 

[auror]

This is making me wonder, does anyone have the stat for Bouks spot up 3pt%? Maybe @UConnStats ? That'll be an interesting piece in his draft profile, considering he will need to be a threat off ball to even play in the NBA.

I don't have his % on spot ups or off bounce, but 60% of his 3's are unassisted according to Hoop-math. Nobody else on the team is even close to this number. Shabazz in '14 was at 58%, so he's taking more 3s off the dribble than Shabazz did.

 

[UCFan1513]

I don't have his % on spot ups or off bounce, but 60% of his 3's are unassisted according to Hoop-math. Nobody else on the team is even close to this number. Shabazz in '14 was at 58%, so he's taking more 3s off the dribble than Shabazz did.

Wow... great stat thanks for pulling

 

[elmcityboy]

That doesn't get easier in the NBA, he's a ball dominant guard, off the dribble 3s and jumpers are a requirement to be an all star level player. I think he can be a 35+% shooter eventually, but shooting isn't his strength right now.

depending on how the lottery shakes out, he could likely end up playing off-ball next to an established nba scoring point guard like trae young, ja morant, or SGA. if that's the case, a lot of his looks will be wide-open spot-up threes off of double-teams and drive-and-kicks.

obviously this will change if he ends up being an all-star caliber on-ball talent, but i think he will have more open looks in the nba, at least to start with.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Bouk's three point shooting will improve as his legs and conditioning improve from his lay off. And it will continue to improve after he joins the NBA. We know he can shoot. So does the NBA. His range will get better and better.

I will take some heat for this but here goes. What worries me is he has had his best games against easy teams, for the most part. For him to play like the Bouk we know, in the NBA, he needs to have a great game against a Michigan or a Gonzaga, maybe that happens in the tournament maybe it doesn’t. His worst games were against teams that really beat him up which bothers me, he needs to improve his shooting in the face of that. One positive he has going for him in the NBA is when he’s on the floor, all of his 4 teammates are strong threats to score, and so I don’t think NBA defensive sets can double or triple team him like they do now. Question is can a single super good defensive guard shut him down in the NBA or can effect his shot making just enough. I’d like to see him stay one more year at UCONN, what he can do then is to correct the issues like hitting three’s under pressure and improve his physical strength etc and improving some of the issues NBA scouts have. Have any former UConn stars who starred in the NBA talked to him, Ray, Rip, Kemba, Bazz? I wonder what their advice would be.

 

[Gurleyman]

His playmaking is suspect honestly we've seen what happened when he would get constantly doubled in the Villanova game and it was not pretty. His shooting seems fine but he's also probably not gonna be a great high volume 3pt shooter like Lavine.

There’s some truth to that, but the Villanova game had very little similarity to an NBA game. They sagged off all our shooters, especially after he got off to a hot start, and there was a maze of arms and bodies every time he tried to drive. The floor is never that compact in the NBA. That said, he didn’t handle it great (obviously), and maybe got some scouts to worry about his ability to handle adversity.

It’s also important to know too that scouts usually worry less about whether a shot goes in when they watch, and pay more attention to what a player does to get those shots. During his second half cold streak, he made some difficult plays to create space against a defense loaded to stop him, but shots didn’t fall. Some fatigue maybe, some frustration/confidence issues maybe. Years ago I talked to a former scout once who watched Rip play on a bad day when he shot 4-16 or something and he came away thinking he was a sure fire prospect because the defense was helpless against all of those shots. He could get whatever he wanted, and the only defense was literally just “hope he misses”. I don’t think it was quite that sort of a day for Bouk, who got locked up on some possessions, but I remember a few rhythm step backs or quick pull-ups in the second half that I thought looked good off his hand that I really wanted to drop to get him going. But the rim was unkind that day, angry even, like an old man returning soup in a deli.

 

[elmcityboy]

I will take some heat for this but here goes. What worries me is he has had his best games against easy teams, for the most part. For him to play like the Bouk we know, in the NBA, he needs to have a great game against a Michigan or a Gonzaga, maybe that happens in the tournament maybe it doesn’t. His worst games were against teams that really beat him up which bothers me, he needs to improve his shooting in the face of that. One positive he has going for him in the NBA is when he’s on the floor, all of his 4 teammates are strong threats to score, and so I don’t think NBA defensive sets can double or triple team him like they do now. Question is can a single super good defensive guard shut him down in the NBA or can effect his shot making just enough. I’d like to see him stay one more year at UCONN, what he can do then is to correct the issues like hitting three’s under pressure and improve his physical strength etc and improving some of the issues NBA scouts have. Have any former UConn stars who starred in the NBA talked to him, Ray, Rip, Kemba, Bazz? I wonder what their advice would be.

his best game as a husky was against top-25 creighton and his only poor game this season has been against a middling marquette team, where he hurt his elbow midway through...

again, depending on where he ends up in the league, he won't be drawing the top defensive assignments from opposing teams. he could end up either playing alongside all-star caliber guards or torching bench units. with all the spacing and lackadaisical defense in the nba, i wouldn't be surprised if he was scoring MORE easily at that level.

 

[husky429]

I will take some heat for this but here goes. What worries me is he has had his best games against easy teams, for the most part. For him to play like the Bouk we know, in the NBA, he needs to have a great game against a Michigan or a Gonzaga, maybe that happens in the tournament maybe it doesn’t. His worst games were against teams that really beat him up which bothers me, he needs to improve his shooting in the face of that. One positive he has going for him in the NBA is when he’s on the floor, all of his 4 teammates are strong threats to score, and so I don’t think NBA defensive sets can double or triple team him like they do now. Question is can a single super good defensive guard shut him down in the NBA or can effect his shot making just enough. I’d like to see him stay one more year at UCONN, what he can do then is to correct the issues like hitting three’s under pressure and improve his physical strength etc and improving some of the issues NBA scouts have. Have any former UConn stars who starred in the NBA talked to him, Ray, Rip, Kemba, Bazz? I wonder what their advice would be.

That isn't really true though. In fact, I'd call it blatantly false to say Bouk's best games were versus the worst competition. He's actually been remarkably consistent. Right around 20ppg in basically all of them. His games have ranged from 18-24 points except for 2 games: the game he got injured in vs Marquette, and the Creighton game.

His top scoring games were: 40 vs #9 Creighton, 24 vs top 100 kenpom Marquette, 21 vs #10 Villanova...

The games he shot got to the line the most in were Creighton, Depaul, Nova as well.

The games he shot the best % overall: Marquette, Providence, Creighton, CCSU.

Best 3 point %? Nova, Creighton, USC.

Do I need to go on? You are objectively wrong.

Also, he is going to the NBA and should. It would be stupid not to, especially with his injury history. Take the money and run. Any "former UConn star" would give him that advice--though I don't know why they specifically would need to instead of his family, coaches, agents, or any number of former players in the league.