Ament will improve

#126
#126
Go47 said:
Ahment has talent. How will he respond to:

1. A new level of physical play
2. Teams game planning to stop him
3. Figuring out how to contribute when his shot is not falling

All three of those could be growth areas he shows vast improvement . . . Or maybe some areas . . . Or maybe none.

It just has to play out. I’m frustrated as a fan because I was hoping against hope he was more like Boozer or some of these other players that are obviously way beyond him in the development aspect. By a lot. And to be a final 4 team . . . I think (JMO) UT needed him to be that type of player along with other pieces such as JG being able to be a PG and a scorer / and a healthy Estrella.

Instead, Ahment is more in line with Keon Johnson (in terms of impact), JG doesn’t seem to be a PG, and Estrella is hurt all the time.

It is what it is. This team will improve . . . But how much . . . Is probably limited.
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There's a rarely spoken truism about 5 star players. There are 5 stars and then there are the 5 stars that UT signs. That truth appears to be holding course.
 
#127
#127
johnfnkelly said:
If you think Ament is going to dramatically improve by February then I’ll sell you some beach front property in Idaho.

Also, in your words - please elaborate on his talent. Everything he does Ok is relative to his height. If he was 6’8 he would hardly be a D1 player.
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And thus the potential. For almost being 7 feet tall he has a pretty good handle, decent athletic ability and pretty form on his jump shot.

All the tools are there for him to be great but he's freaking 18. That is where I do agree with you that giving 4 million to a physically undeveloped potential phenom is not smart in today's landscape.
 
#129
#129
CAVPUT said:
Yep. I mentioned that when we signed him. Folks kept telling me it was fine and it wouldn't be an issue. Well, it is and will continue to be this year. He's a thin finesse player that's not used to being pushed around like he is this year. He's a baby giraffe thrown in the middle of a pack of mature lions. We know how this goes. Add to that the chronic injuries with Estrella and Barnes has two major pieces he foolishly counted on not being there and functioning as he anticipated.

Along with Brown, Barnes would be wise to get that freshman project PG more minutes. Gillespie might need to be off the point a lot more going forward.
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That doesn’t always mean anything. Durant was super skinny.
 
#131
#131
Ament looks like a 4 yo trying to keep his 10yo cousin from stealing his candy. With both hands on the ball it's an easy takeaway.
 
#132
#132
swampfoxfan said:
Ament looks like a 4 yo trying to keep his 10yo cousin from stealing his candy. With both hands on the ball it's an easy takeaway.
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He's got some maturing to do but we've seen much worse very often in D-1 basketball. I guess he could do like Edey and just pick up the ball and run with it.
 
#133
#133
Again Ament needs time working solely on agility, explosion, first step, core work and not even pick up a ball for a few weeks when season is done. His first step has to get a lot better and he has to be able to take that first step, explode off the floor to elevate and shoot over the defender.
 
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#134
#134
I have a lot of faith in Barnes but to me Nate looks like he is 2 years away from reaching the potential he is currently being paid for.
 
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#138
#138
Nate will be fine. He will continue to improve as the year goes on. He's averaging over 7 rebounds a game playing small forward for a team with plenty of big guys. His entry passes from the wing are quick sharp and accurate. His shot is soft, which will eventually pay off.
He reminds me of Sean Elliott at Arizona back in the 90's. Highly recruited and the exact same criticisms I hear for Ament. "Soft"; which finesse players usually get accused of. The big difference is this horrible era: Sean had four years to develop and won national player of the year as a senior; Nate won't stay and develop.
 
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#139
#139
papatomany said:
Nate will be fine. He will continue to improve as the year goes on. He's averaging over 7 rebounds a game playing small forward for a team with plenty of big guys. His entry passes from the wing are quick sharp and accurate. His shot is soft, which will eventually pay off.
He reminds me of Sean Elliott at Arizona back in the 90's. Highly recruited and the exact same criticisms I hear for Ament. "Soft"; which finesse players usually get accused of. The big difference is this horrible era: Sean had four years to develop and won national player of the year as a senior; Nate won't stay and develop.
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Wow, great comparison, Nate's a couple of inches taller than Elliott, but I smell what you are cooking.
 
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#140
#140
I don’t recall Sean as a freshman but he was an explosive player with a great first step over the years. Maybe Ament can develop that but explosive couldn’t be used to describe him right now.
 
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#141
#141
On Ament IMO, we scrutinize every move , and every possession of a true freshman. Rival team fans that watch rerun reels of Nate ,see his hi-lites and say I see him being a one and done, he's got all the measurables, dude can game. Over the season I think he will jell with the chemistry of this team and become that go to player. We are just to close to the every day minutia of a long season to see it now.
 
#142
#142
KTrain said:
On Ament IMO, we scrutinize every move , and every possession of a true freshman. Rival team fans that watch rerun reels of Nate ,see his hi-lites and say I see him being a one and done, he's got all the measurables, dude can game. Over the season I think he will jell with the chemistry of this team and become that go to player. We are just to close to the every day minutia of a long season to see it now.
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I’ve seen a lot of the opposite. Duke fans are happy they didn’t shell out the NIL for him.
 
#145
#145
johnfnkelly said:
So I guess draft analysts that are gradually having Nate fall in their 26 mocks don’t know anything either.
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So what that he's fallen after 10 games? We have 2/3 of a season to play. He's going to improve. Whether or not his draft status changes is irrelevant. Are you saying he's not going to get any better this year?
 
#146
#146
BernardKingGOAT said:
So what that he's fallen after 10 games? We have 2/3 of a season to play. He's going to improve. Whether or not his draft status changes is irrelevant. Are you saying he's not going to get any better this year?
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He’s been a disappointment relative to expectations. I’m not sure how that’s a hot take.

He has struggled the most against physical teams. The 2/3 left to play is against the most physical conference in college basketball.
 
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#147
#147
johnfnkelly said:
He’s been a disappointment relative to expectations. I’m not sure how that’s a hot take.

He has struggled the most against physical teams. The 2/3 left to play is against the most physical conference in college basketball.
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You're right. He probably won't improve🤭

Like I said, basketball ain't your thing
 
#149
#149
johnfnkelly said:
Brother you know nothing about me. Lol quit being weird.
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Weird? I think you might need to check a thesaurus. You seem to be hell bent on running down Ament because of unsurprising early season struggles. It's almost like you want to be right in your assessment that he won't improve.

No, I don't know anything about you except your incessant negativity expressed in your posts
 
#150
#150
BernardKingGOAT said:
Weird? I think you might need to check a thesaurus. You seem to be hell bent on running down Ament because of unsurprising early season struggles. It's almost like you want to be right in your assessment that he won't improve.

No, I don't know anything about you except your incessant negativity expressed in your posts
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I’ve been critical of a $4m investment being a mediocre disappointment in a critical portion of the season.

I don’t see how he’s going to improve this season when his biggest flaws are mostly physical.

Idc if I’m right or wrong. Just win.
 
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