Will Akok ever be as good as his freshman year?

[BigErnMcCracken]

it's worth watching his freshman year highlights again, because he shows a little more than many (including myself) remember. scores a couple of times off of the drive, dribbling in transition, and even in the middle of the zone. it's also pretty shocking how much skinnier he was back then.

who knows -- with a really good offseason and a little more freedom next year, he could have a great year. i know that no one wants to have to count on that happening, though. wish we had more of a sure thing.

Holy moly I completely forget that St. Joes ran them out of Gampel.

 

[elmcityboy]

Holy moly I completely forget that St. Joes ran them out of Gampel.

after the nmsu game, @awfuldan suggested to me that teddy allen's performance was the best he had seen against uconn since ryan daly, the ymca-looking guy that torched us in that st. joe's game.

 

[navery12]

after the nmsu game, @awfuldan suggested to me that teddy allen's performance was the best he had seen against uconn since ryan daly, the ymca-looking guy that torched us in that st. joe's game.

And to bring things full circle, Ryan Daly played for the Beast Coast Ballers last year in the 3x3 tournament who Tyrese Martin and RJ Cole are playing with this year. Borges said it would be a combo of BE and A10 guys so very well could be him again

 

[Hungryhusky99]

And to bring things full circle, Ryan Daly played for the Beast Coast Ballers last year in the 3x3 tournament who Tyrese Martin and RJ Cole are playing with this year. Borges said it would be a combo of BE and A10 guys so very well could be him again

Daly graduated last year. I think this event is only for graduating seniors.

 

[awfuldan]

And to bring things full circle, Ryan Daly played for the Beast Coast Ballers last year in the 3x3 tournament who Tyrese Martin and RJ Cole are playing with this year. Borges said it would be a combo of BE and A10 guys so very well could be him again

It looks like Daly is in the G-League now, so no dice on that.

after the nmsu game, @awfuldan suggested to me that teddy allen's performance was the best he had seen against uconn since ryan daly, the ymca-looking guy that torched us in that st. joe's game.

I might walk this take back a little bit now, given some reflection. The Allen/Daly comparison is mostly apt because of how similarly horrifying those games were to watch as a UConn fan. Kadary Richmond @Seton Hall this year was probably better than Daly, and I'm sure there are others well.

 

[RipCity]

If he had a back to the basket game I think things would open up for him. But it’s always going to be a strength issue for him (and probably Johnson too).

 

[HuskyHawk]

If he had a back to the basket game I think things would open up for him. But it’s always going to be a strength issue for him (and probably Johnson too).

Hurley talks about playing 4 out, which is with all of those 4 facing the basket. It's not an issue. Strength isn't an issue either, he put on a lot of muscle during rehab. The below is from 2020, there was a whole thread about guys getting stronger.

He can absolutely be better than he was as a freshman. His shooting has improved, he's stronger and if not asked to play the 5 his defense will be a positive. His speed and shot blocking are a huge asset to our transition game. He's really an ideal fit for what Hurley says he is looking to do. He doesn't have a great first step, but it's better than some here say. He's also great catching the ball and dunking on cuts, which the new offense should use a lot more of.

 

[RipCity]

Hurley talks about playing 4 out, which is with all of those 4 facing the basket. It's not an issue. Strength isn't an issue either, he put on a lot of muscle during rehab. The below is from 2020, there was a whole thread about guys getting stronger.

He can absolutely be better than he was as a freshman. His shooting has improved, he's stronger and if not asked to play the 5 his defense will be a positive. His speed and shot blocking are a huge asset to our transition game. He's really an ideal fit for what Hurley says he is looking to do. He doesn't have a great first step, but it's better than some here say. He's also great catching the ball and dunking on cuts, which the new offense should use a lot more of.

View attachment 75065

If he isn’t a threat to score inside it makes him one dimensional and easier to defend. Just because we have Sanogo doesn’t mean nobody else should be able to score inside the arc.

If you don’t think strength is an issue I don’t know what to tell you. He got absolutely bullied and killed 1v1 inside all year long. The only thing he did defensively was block shots as weak side help.

If these two things “weren’t issues” Akok would have been playing real minutes this year, but he couldn’t get on the floor.

Fingers crossed for him this year. I hope he, Karaban, and Johnson really push each other for PT at PF.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I feel for him. He came to school early during a rough season to prepare for his freshman year. Then he finally gets on the court, shows a lot of talent, is a game changer with his shot blocking ability and probably thinks that he is a year away from being an nba first round pick. Then all of a sudden he suffers the worst basketball injury, especially for someone with his body type, and despite working his butt off, going through a couple years of the covid stuff and all of the isolation, and he was just about eliminated from UConn's rotation. I would be depressed too and sometimes he really looks that way.

The NBA with his body type was iffy.
He would have had to increase his handle and more importantly his shooting which was his biggest draw back as a freshman. You literally could give him the corner 3. He was never going to be anything other than a 3-or stretch 4 so those skills were a must. Using his length and explosiveness to harass shooters on the perimeter.
I’m not sure if.what he has lost in explosiveness is 100% physical there is a mental component to committing you body totally. , Instincts kick in similar to being once burned. If you remember after Jalen Adams ankle sprain it appeared he lost elevation on his jumper. If your body associates an action jumping with pain landing. subconsciously you could lose something in elevation. If that’s the case with Akok its something he can get over with time and repetition. I hope that’s the case. He is going to be 23 this year so I’m not 100% sure he will return

 

[HuskyHawk]

If he isn’t a threat to score inside it makes him one dimensional and easier to defend. Just because we have Sanogo doesn’t mean nobody else should be able to score inside the arc.

If you don’t think strength is an issue I don’t know what to tell you. He got absolutely bullied and killed 1v1 inside all year long. The only thing he did defensively was block shots as weak side help.

If these two things “weren’t issues” Akok would have been playing real minutes this year, but he couldn’t get on the floor.

Fingers crossed for him this year. I hope he, Karaban, and Johnson really push each other for PT at PF.

Most scoring inside the paint isn't back to the basket. No matter who plays the 4 at UConn, they aren't going to be posted up inside. Whaley wasn't any good at that either. They will score on cuts, offensive boards, alley oops, midrange jumpers and outside shots. All things he does well.

 

[Storrs South]

From Borges:

According to Vin Pastore, Akok’s AAU coach, Akok has no intentions of transferring at this point.

 

[the Q]

Advanced analytics liked him quite a bit since he was an efficient shooter and weak side defender.

There is always a role for guys who can do those things, especially when they protect the rim as well.

Doubt he ever hits what his ceiling looked like pre Injury. But he is a key contributor on a good team, just need more volume out of him.

 

[the Q]

Most scoring inside the paint isn't back to the basket. No matter who plays the 4 at UConn, they aren't going to be posted up inside. Whaley wasn't any good at that either. They will score on cuts, offensive boards, alley oops, midrange jumpers and outside shots. All things he does well.

He will also shoot more of the open 3s the offense created for Whaley….who was a very reluctant shooter

 

[auror]

Advanced analytics liked him quite a bit since he was an efficient shooter and weak side defender.

There is always a role for guys who can do those things, especially when they protect the rim as well.

Doubt he ever hits what his ceiling looked like pre Injury. But he is a key contributor on a good team, just need more volume out of him.

Analytics are wonky when you play less than 25% of a team's minutes and shoot an unrealistic 3pt% on a small sample.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Studies show that 20-30% of players never return to pre-Achilles tear form. It's a rougher injury than an ACL tear. 10-15% of those who tear their ACL don't return to former performance.

 

[the Q]

Analytics are wonky when you play less than 25% of a team's minutes and shoot an unrealistic 3pt% on a small sample.

Yes.

I’m not saying that he can keep up what he did if his pt goes up by 3x

But it does say he was pretty good when deployed and there’s a reason to think he is at least a reasonable contributor

 

[freescooter]

I think you guys over rate his first year. I know, the boneyard over rates somebody, never! But then he had an absolutely devastating injury. Some people never walk normally again after that injury. So seeing him struggle to become a true high d1 player again is not to shocking.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Hurley talks about playing 4 out, which is with all of those 4 facing the basket. It's not an issue. Strength isn't an issue either, he put on a lot of muscle during rehab. The below is from 2020, there was a whole thread about guys getting stronger.

He can absolutely be better than he was as a freshman. His shooting has improved, he's stronger and if not asked to play the 5 his defense will be a positive. His speed and shot blocking are a huge asset to our transition game. He's really an ideal fit for what Hurley says he is looking to do. He doesn't have a great first step, but it's better than some here say. He's also great catching the ball and dunking on cuts, which the new offense should use a lot more of.

View attachment 75065

Strength is absolutely an issue. My dad looks like he has biceps if you take a picture of him mid-curl.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Strength is absolutely an issue. My dad looks like he has biceps if you take a picture of him mid-curl.

It was an issue because he was too often guarding centers. Hurley insisted on using him as a backup 5 early in the year. You think he’s weaker than Polley? No chance. I think he could mostly use some lower body strength to hold ground on bumps.

 

[BGesus4]

Strength is absolutely an issue. My dad looks like he has biceps if you take a picture of him mid-curl.

The thing that made it toughest to keep on the court was his inability to battle inside with other bigs.

He’s a more than serviceable 3 pt threat and shot blocker as a stretch 4.

 

[UCfor3]

Strength is absolutely an issue. My dad looks like he has biceps if you take a picture of him mid-curl.

Yep, and his strength issue is more about his base and his legs than his upper body.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It was an issue because he was too often guarding centers. Hurley insisted on using him as a backup 5 early in the year. You think he’s weaker than Polley? No chance. I think he could mostly use some lower body strength to hold ground on bumps.

I think, candidly, you spent the season feeling like Akok was displaced by Polley, you have an outsized affection for Akok, and it led you to say some things that aren’t true.

For example, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that Akok had a better handle or was a better passer than Polley yet you must have said it as if it was conventional wisdom a dozen times. I doubt Akok has put the ball on the floor more than twice in two years.

I like Akok and really hope he returns to being more than 3 minutes off the bench every couple weeks - it will be a real shame if we’ve seen the best of him - but no, I don’t think he is particularly strong. I don’t mean this as a personal attack. I just think you took a lot of underserved shots at Polley all season because your guy wasn’t playing.

 

[the Q]

I think, candidly, you spent the season feeling like Akok was displaced by Polley, you have an outsized affection for Akok, and it led you to say some things that aren’t true.

For example, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that Akok had a better handle or was a better passer than Polley yet you must have said it as if it was conventional wisdom a dozen times. I doubt Akok has put the ball on the floor more than twice in two years.

I like Akok and really hope he returns to being more than 3 minutes off the bench every couple weeks - it will be a real shame if we’ve seen the best of him - but no, I don’t think he is particularly strong. I don’t mean this as a personal attack. I just think you took a lot of underserved shots at Polley all season because your guy wasn’t playing.

Akok should be getting a decent chunk of polleys minutes at the 4 if he stays healthy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think, candidly, you spent the season feeling like Akok was displaced by Polley, you have an outsized affection for Akok, and it led you to say some things that aren’t true.

For example, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that Akok had a better handle or was a better passer than Polley yet you must have said it as if it was conventional wisdom a dozen times. I doubt Akok has put the ball on the floor more than twice in two years.

I like Akok and really hope he returns to being more than 3 minutes off the bench every couple weeks - it will be a real shame if we’ve seen the best of him - but no, I don’t think he is particularly strong. I don’t mean this as a personal attack. I just think you took a lot of underserved shots at Polley all season because your guy wasn’t playing.

Nah. Not really. I think Polley is possibly the worst defender I’ve seen in 35+ years of watching UConn basketball, among guys who actually played. Also the worst rebounder relative to height. As for passing, he had the lowest assist per 40 of anybody but Johnson. I don’t think either are good ball handlers. Akok out rebounded Polley by 20 in under half the minutes.

My complaint this year was mostly about Whaley, who I do like a lot, playing with Sanogo and the problems that caused. The metrics show that Akok was a + defender not a liability. I would also have liked to see Samson play more at the 4. I bring up Polley only because he was played at the 4 and yet people said Akok didn’t play due to his defense, which was much better than Polley’s. I recall Akok blocking 3 shots in like two minutes and then never getting in again. It was irrational. Hurley has some blind spots as a coach.

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[Bricklayer]

i agree - if akok can take some or most of whaley's minutes, that might be great news and a near perfect fit.