Of course we’re going to see a jump. He’s going to likely what…. triple his minutes from last year? (as long as he stays out of significant foul trouble) Unless his efficiency falls off a cliff, his production will increase a ton.
I don’t think that’s the question though. The question is can he anchor a Final Four team, which as of now has question marks in their frontcourt.
I don’t have the pro membership so I didn’t read this article in full. But for every player that took a jump at UNC, there some low minute players that stayed below average.
While I think Jalen Washington’s talent far surpasses Brandon Huffman, Joel James, Desmond Hubert’s… Those guys were zeroes and remained zeroes despite some optimism. People here were quick to point out when Joel James was listed on some mock drafts early on as a freshman. People here thought Brandon Huffman would become a starting-caliber big guy at UNC.
I think he’ll have a productive year assuming he can stay healthy and stay out of foul trouble. Does that mean he and his fellow big men are good enough to anchor this team to the Final Four? Right now I have my doubts.
But all subject to change until they play the games for real. Maybe he’s Dirk Nowitzki this season and just needed minutes all along. Maybe he can’t play more than 10 minutes because he remains a fouling machine. Maybe something in between.
So while a jump wouldn’t be a first at UNC. A “just a guy” year wouldn’t be a first at UNC either.
*reiterating that I didn’t read the article so hopefully didn’t take anything out of context.
So "IF" James, Huffman, and Hubert were "zeros" as you label them, and as you say Jalen is much better than they were, why continue to evoke their names in reference to Jalen? You say you expect Jalen to have a very improved season and yet you question if he can "anchor" a final 4 team? Maybe you need to define "anchor" , it is as if you suggest the kid has to be Montross, Rasheed, or Big Brad for UNC to get to the final 4?
I will answer your question however, "IF" Jalen goes to that jumper consistently while still of course adding in the typical big man items, rebounds stick backs, passing to him on a hard cut to the rim, ect. Personally, I want to see him taking 10-15 shots a game and maybe 10 of those be jumpers. IF he does that, the reason that he can "anchor" a final 4 team is the effect his taking and hitting those jumpers has on everyone else. Because what his hitting those jumpers does is it clears out the lane, it forces defenders and make that a LONG defender, to follow him out of the paint, it frees guys like Cadeau, RJ, Jack, Drake, Seth to drive and NOT have that defensive rim protector there to hinder their finishes. I call Jalen's jump shot a "can opener" to the rest of our offense because it literally opens up our offense to have the option to drive or shoot. If you have not seen enough to realize by now that Jalen is really efficient with his shot taking then honestly basketball isn't a sport you need to be following.
Someone in this thread seemed to take issues when I referenced Jalen having a NBA level skill that could well be NBA lotto level, take issue all you want but that jumper of his is absolutely NBA lotto level, is the rest of his game that, not so sure but that jumper is pure gold. My concerns for Jalen is first, asking a kid that played 8mins a game as a soph to play 30 or more as a Jr is asking a lot and I am not going to bury my head in the sand on that point, it is very valid. The other is the foul trouble point is in my view as well very valid, it was very valid concerning Brice (what was it his JR season he struggled with fouls but the next season he was solid in that aspect)? Just a FACT that kids that know they are playing big minutes do not play with the same level of aggression as they did when getting less than 10mins a game, they learn to be careful with what they go for, they know that second first half foul is not going to work well for them. You play 8mins a game you don't really care if you pick up fouls, you take more risks than a guy that knows he has to play 30mins + a game.
Right now I see Jalen as abo9ut a 25mins a game guy max, my concern is when Jalen sits, not when he is in the game. And I will take it a step further, "IF" Jalen sticks with that jumper, he is in a FANTASTIC position to see near 20pts a game because you know defenders will want to roll off of him when he steps outside giving him clean looks. That means he gets a LOT of "practice court" level treys attempts (I define as shots where there is no defender that hinders or makes you have to adjust you shot), I feel he is a very least a guy that hits 50% of his wide open jumpers. For those that do not agree, he did that LAST season!