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Username Post: Has Brodeur Improved?        (Topic#22200)
10Q 
Professor
Posts: 23199

Loc: Suburban Philly
Reg: 11-21-04
11-28-18 05:42 PM - Post#267397    

I haven't looked at the stats, but to my eye, he doesn't look all that much better now than he was as a freshman. Of course, he was a revelation as a freshman. I just am hoping that he will continue to improve, to the point where he can be more dominant. Maybe I'm asking for too much.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32685

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Has Brodeur Improved?
11-28-18 05:45 PM - Post#267399    
    In response to 10Q

I think you're correct in that his scoring is down and his shooting percentage is down--missing far too many bunnies. But he's getting his shots. I think he'll be fine.

 
10Q 
Professor
Posts: 23199

Loc: Suburban Philly
Reg: 11-21-04
Has Brodeur Improved?
11-28-18 05:48 PM - Post#267402    
    In response to palestra38

When I was attending games at Alligator Alley in the late 70's the Gators' big men always got much much better as they got older. Of course, they were athletic guys who were at least 6' 10". Brodeur isn't that tall, but he also doesn't look like he lifts weights much. Shouldn't that be a priority?

 
Quakers03 
Professor
Posts: 12480

Reg: 12-07-04
Has Brodeur Improved?
11-28-18 05:57 PM - Post#267403    
    In response to 10Q

Very interesting thread topic. I think I've made my feelings known about the non-development in using his left hand, I'd have hoped that his free throw % would have improved (like Pavlik was raving about Max's growth in this department), I hoped he would follow the Mark Zoller path with shooting 3s, and I do get frustrated at all the misses around the basket, BUT his passing is better, the putrid put the ball on the floor turnovers are down, and he is many times the focus of opposing defenses. All in all I think there is still a lot of room for him to grow. He has the skill to create those open bunnies, so as Palestra says, he should be fine.

I disagree on the weights. I think he has gotten stronger and his wide shoulders help.

 
penn nation 
Professor
Posts: 21086

Reg: 12-02-04
Re: Has Brodeur Improved?
11-28-18 06:13 PM - Post#267406    
    In response to Quakers03

  • Quakers03 Said:
BUT his passing is better, the putrid put the ball on the floor turnovers are down, and he is many times the focus of opposing defenses.



This. Such an important difference from his freshman year. This didn't matter much out of conference when teams played him straight up, but against Ivy teams where he faced constant doubles from the get-go this was a killer early on. He has gotten so much better at this, and the offense is much more efficient as a result.


 
TheLine 
Professor
Posts: 5597

Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
11-28-18 06:32 PM - Post#267412    
    In response to penn nation

Let's keep perspective. While he might not have improved much, I'd peg him as a favorite to be POY.

I'd wait a few more games to let his numbers settle.


 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
11-28-18 07:19 PM - Post#267418    
    In response to TheLine

I think AJ has also gotten significantly better at seeing around the double team and finding open teammates.

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3580

Reg: 02-15-15
11-28-18 07:47 PM - Post#267420    
    In response to Silver Maple

Certainly not his FT shooting. He has a lot going on at the line. His feet point left, he bends his knees a lot and holds the ball low. Anytime you are misaligned and have multiple large joints that have to move to shoot a FT, that's too much going on.

He has worked on his left hand, but seems to have a mental block using it. He also was using his hook shot as a bit of a mid lane floater in early games and has gotten away from it recently for some reason.

I don't think he has improved as much as he could have, but that doesn't mean he isn't still our best player.

 
SomeGuy 
Professor
Posts: 6391

Reg: 11-22-04
11-28-18 08:58 PM - Post#267436    
    In response to PennFan10

I think he is improving each year, but he also came in as a highly developed player. He may have been a lot closer to his ceiling than a lot of guys. On the strength/fitness issue, he’s playing 35+ when the games are competitive. Max isn’t able to do that, despite appearing more muscular. I think AJ is fine on that score.

The one thing that surprised me, though, is that AJ gave an interview during the off-season where he basically said he wouldn’t be adding much to his game. May be a context thing, and could be he didn’t want to give anything away, but usually even the best players are going to be picking out something to add/improve every offseason.

Finally, he came in playing well enough that the individual improvement can be hard to see. Did Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale improve at Cornell? The individual numbers say no, but they won a lot more games as they went on. That seems to be the case with AJ thus far too (and hopefully it continues).

 
weinhauers_ghost 
Postdoc
Posts: 2125

Age: 64
Loc: New York City
Reg: 12-14-09
11-28-18 09:03 PM - Post#267438    
    In response to SomeGuy

When you guys talk about whether or not AJ has improved, you guys are talking almost solely about his offensive game. I think he's gotten better as a defender. He's arguably our best post defender, and he manages to play the position while only rarely getting into foul trouble (would be nice if he could cut down on the moving screens, though). He's a good help defender and gets a significant number of blocks in that role.

 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
11-28-18 09:22 PM - Post#267442    
    In response to weinhauers_ghost

AJ is a great player, and Penn is very lucky to have him-- he'll go down as one of the greats. I'd like to suggest we cut the kid a break.

 
10Q 
Professor
Posts: 23199

Loc: Suburban Philly
Reg: 11-21-04
11-28-18 09:47 PM - Post#267449    
    In response to Silver Maple

We all appreciate AJ. I wish we had lots more just like him.

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3580

Reg: 02-15-15
11-28-18 11:24 PM - Post#267468    
    In response to Silver Maple

  • Silver Maple Said:
AJ is a great player, and Penn is very lucky to have him-- he'll go down as one of the greats. I'd like to suggest we cut the kid a break.




What are you his mother? Cut him a break? This is a discussion board. Criticize the hell out of him.

That said, I’d take 3 AJ’s if we could get them!

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1878

Reg: 11-29-04
11-29-18 01:16 AM - Post#267475    
    In response to PennFan10

AJ had such a high motor from the beginning, so he had less development than many. The easiest and lowest hanging fruit for the whole team is to just hit their free throws. I would suggest that they see a sports psychologist about it, as I think it is more mental than physical or technical.

 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
11-29-18 08:54 AM - Post#267479    
    In response to Penndemonium

Isn't there already a sports psychologist on the staff?

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1878

Reg: 11-29-04
11-29-18 09:04 AM - Post#267481    
    In response to Silver Maple

If so, then maybe they're need a shooting coach!

  • Silver Maple Said:
Isn't there already a sports psychologist on the staff?



 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3580

Reg: 02-15-15
11-29-18 11:28 AM - Post#267495    
    In response to Penndemonium

  • Penndemonium Said:
AJ had such a high motor from the beginning, so he had less development than many.



I don't think there is a player in the game who can't develop their game dramatically. Certainly none in the Ivy league.




 
Quakers03 
Professor
Posts: 12480

Reg: 12-07-04
11-29-18 12:10 PM - Post#267497    
    In response to Silver Maple

No question he will go down in Penn lore as one of those decade players...Not to mention he helped bring us back from the brink.

 
Jeff2sf 
Postdoc
Posts: 4466

Reg: 11-22-04
11-29-18 12:24 PM - Post#267502    
    In response to Quakers03

pf10, i just don't think that's true (everyone significant development). it seems to reward tommy try-hard more than others who either developed those parts of their game earlier or are more advanced.

A way I think of it is that when i started running, i was super slow (i still am super slow) but was able to cut my mile time by 25% with moderate work outs. faster, more advanced runners just aren't able to realize those gains because either they already made them or they just run against a natural limit. I mean if AJ improved as much as Max or Darnell improved, he'd be an NBA all star.

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3580

Reg: 02-15-15
11-29-18 12:38 PM - Post#267504    
    In response to Jeff2sf

Of course its true. It is true of Michael Jordan who had no jump shot when he entered the league and became a deadly 3 pt shooter, or when they said he couldn't play defense and then he won multiple DPOY awards. Or of Kobe Bryant, who will tell you all the ways he developed dramatically.

Every player can improve dramatically, they may not all have the same skill level, but they can improve dramatically whether slow or fast, small or big. It's ridiculous to think someone can't improve because they are already good.

I can tell you if AJ worked nearly as hard on his game as Max or Darnell, he might well be an NBA player.



 
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