Kyle Singler

[CameronDuke]

I love this guy and think he has all the potential in the world, but in the recent games (the last two I know for sure), the guy has been abysmal. Today, there was a sequence where he brutally missed a three, got beat by Lawal on defense for an easy layup, then came back on offense and dribbled the ball off his foot for a turnover. It's frustrating to watch him this season because we all know what he is capable of as he was the 2009-2010 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. The way he has played up to this point leads me to believe not only will he not be the ACC Player of the Year, it is highly doubtful he will even make first team All-ACC. His shooting percentage has dropped drastically from 3-point range this season, leading to his scoring also taking a hit in terms of PPG. He is a junior now and needs to be leading this team along with Scheyer and Smith, who I think both are doing their jobs right now. Like I said, he has the potential to be a star for Duke, but right now, his performance leaves something to be desired for. I hope the coaches challenge Kyle in the upcoming practices and light a fire under him, because in order for Duke to win the ACC (which we all want), Kyle is going to have to do better than these recent shooting performances and also score A LOT more. There's no reason why he can't be averaging 19-20 PPG and shooting 40-45% from 3-point range. Come on Kyle! You gotta step up man!

[JaMarcus Russell]

I hope the coaches challenge Kyle in the upcoming practices and light a fire under him, because in order for Duke to win the ACC (which we all want), Kyle is going to have to do better than these recent shooting performances and also score A LOT more. There's no reason why he can't be averaging 19-20 PPG and shooting 40-45% from 3-point range. Come on Kyle! You gotta step up man!

I hope they tell Kyle he should focus on scoring less. His shot selection has been very poor, and he rarely passes the ball to teammates. He is forcing too many plays, and I wonder if he thinks he is auditioning for the NBA or if he thinks taking contested jumpers is a way to carry the team on his back. Either way, he should realize that being a complete team player is the best way for him to become a future pro and to help the Duke team this year.

[CameronDuke]

I agree that being a team player will help Duke more in the long run, but I think he should forget about the NBA for right now. For one reason, he frankly isn't good enough at this stage in the year to be considering the NBA. Yes, he has the talent and Kyle Singler will be an NBA player one day, but RIGHT NOW, he isn't good enough. Period. He is forcing too many shots, like you said, but he also is turning the ball over while trying to create his own shot dribbling through traffic. His speed with the ball needs some serious work. He has the potential to be a star, but needs to step it up BIG TIME.

[cspan37421]

I too share disappointment in the quality of his play this year, and he certainly seems like Exhibit A on why there should be no preseason awards for expected performance.

Having said that, he is playing, what, his 3rd different position on the court in 3 years? I think we have to recognize that when judging what is happening on the court. The change is just not going well, and the offense needs to adjust in response.

I'm not sure if it was our paucity of guards (before Andre joined us) that led to the plan to put him on the perimeter, in that we needed a 3rd solid ballhandler, it's just not taking, and we need to recognize that.

[CameronDuke]

I agree, we do need to recognize the lack of a need for a third ball handler. Let Singler play under the basket and if we need a third ball handler, Singler as well as Mason Plumlee can step in at any time and do this, as well as Dawkins. If you remember though, in his first two seasons, a huge percentage of Singler's points came from stick backs under the rim as well as moves in the post where he would bank in layup after layup. He would use this type of game to get him going, then occasionally hit 3-pointers in transition. His game IS NOT creating his own shot off the dribble on the perimeter nor is it playing on the wing and coming off screens. He is a Small Forward, NOT a shooting guard. He needs to move back to the 4 ASAP. I love the guy, but his play lately has been ugly to watch.

[weezie]

...he is playing, what, his 3rd different position on the court in 3 years...

I dislike this thread. Singler is indeed playing his third position in three years and he is being asked to play high and low defense. He's usually on the perimeter and then racing into the middle and yet he's still where he is needed on defense just about every single possession. He takes a tremendous physical beating, each game, and he's running constantly. I mean non-stop motion, pounding, getting held, elbowed, shoved.

I guess it's pretty hard to settle down and compose a shot, especially if you are at the same time deciding where you are running to before the shot even gets near the rim.

The refs in this GT game were atrocious. Wretched, unbalanced, totally swinging from one team to the other, no consistency, inept and incompetent.

Kyle is a great player. I think it is unfair to single him out in this thread.

[superdave]

Geez - you guys need to find a paper bag to breathe into.

We need to improve for March, and that means addressing weaknesses, not just everyone playing to their strengths. Kyle is making an adjustment and it doesnt happen overnight.

Super "I'd rather peak in March than January, thanks" Dave

[CameronDuke]

I dislike this thread. Singler is indeed playing his third position in three years and he is being asked to play high and low defense. He's usually on the perimeter and then racing into the middle and yet he's still where he is needed on defense just about every single possession. He takes a tremendous physical beating, each game, and he's running constantly. I mean non-stop motion, pounding, getting held, elbowed, shoved.

I guess it's pretty hard to settle down and compose a shot, especially if you are at the same time deciding where you are running to before the shot even gets near the rim.

The refs in this GT game were atrocious. Wretched, unbalanced, totally swinging from one team to the other, no consistency, inept and incompetent.

Kyle is a great player. I think it is unfair to single him out in this thread.

The only reason I am singling him out is because the voters in the preseason singled him out as the best player in the conference. And quite frankly, he isn't playing like the best player in the conference. I agree, changing positions has hampered his development because he can't concentrate on one position and excel at it. But if you are an ACC Player of the Year type player, you have to play better on the offensive end than what he has been playing like. He does play solid defense at times, but so does Scheyer and Scheyer is shooting the daylights out of the ball. In fact, as a team, I think everyone plays tough, hard nosed defense. Singler is no exception, but he has the potential to be GREAT, not good, GREAT. He has yet to reach that potential, though, and that is what is so frustrating to watch. Maybe if he switches to more of a natural position for him, things will come together for him, but right now, he is flat out playing terribly on offense.

[phaedrus]

The only reason I am singling him out is because the voters in the preseason singled him out as the best player in the conference.

Partners in singling you might say, or a group of singlers.

[BlueintheFace]

Call me crazy, but I don't think KS will be one of our big concerns in March. That concludes my contribution to this amusing thread.

[RockyMtDevil]

Today exposed again how difficult it is for Kyle to play a true 3 and get his shot off. The last two years, Kyle has taken advantage of playing bigger, slower 4's and this year, playing a more natural position, he has been exposed much more. He struggles to initiate his own shot off the bounce, his shot is horribly erratic, he hasn't finished around the rim and has basically looked very average for most portions of the season.

I don't have any answers, but talk of him leaving early is premature at best, he looks like an average college player not an elite talent.

[ajgoodfella7]

I tend to agree with most peoples assessments. I am not jumping to a conclusion because of the GT game because it is obviously just one game. But I do see a trend in that he has really been having trouble creating his own shot from his 3 position this year. It is kind of a hard fix because he is not quite quick enough to be dribbling the ball on the perimeter as much as he has been this year, and he obviously is not going to be in the post much with Duke's big depth this year. The only solution I see is to let the game come to him more instead of trying to automatically be a #1 or #2 option on every possession.

One thing that is good to know though is that his defensive play has not suffered because of his offensive frustrations.

[fgb]

.
Having said that, he is playing, what, his 3rd different position on the court in 3 years?

as it happens, he is playing the actual position which he is going to be playing in the nba. and there were a lot of scouts in atlanta today watching him play it.

[RoyalBlue08]

I don't have any answers, but talk of him leaving early is premature at best, he looks like an average college player not an elite talent.

Wow, I wouldn't even expect to see a statement like that on a UNC board!

[Kfan4Life]

His outside shot hasn't improved any from last year. It is causing him to become very frustrated. He is still rebounding and defending well. If Mason can become a consistent double digit scorer it will take a lot of pressure off of him.

[cspan37421]

as it happens, he is playing the actual position which he is going to be playing in the nba. and there were a lot of scouts in atlanta today watching him play it.

I know. But the Duke basketball team does not exist solely to prepare Kyle Singler for trying to play the 3 in the NBA.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

I love Kyle, he plays really hard and grabs a lot of rebounds, plays defense, hustles, and is generally a very smart player. Offensively speaking, yeah, we all know he has struggled. Everyone talks about him playing 3 positions in his career. So what? And I really don't think that is correct. When Kyle was a freshman and sophomore, everyone talked about how playing down low, he was playing out of position and was getting too tired. Well, which is it?? Moving more to the perimeter should have helped him, right? I tend to think that no one really knows what his game is offensively, including himself. He isn't a slasher. I don't think he has a very good first step, his shot is inconsistent, and he doesn't ever try to post up (which I believe is a mistake). I think he is just too much of a tweener to be considered a lottery pick.

[BD80]

Looks to me like Singler will be the one shutting down HB next year!


Guys go through slumps, it happens to every player (except Bilas - his shot was uniformly awful). FN

If I recall, we have a guy named Collins on the staff, who was considered to be a bit of a shooter, he might be able to help Kyle through the slump.

Let's make a list of everyone who is down on Kyle now, so we can demand suitable crow consumption when Kyle carries us through in key games down the stretch or in the Tourney.



FN: I love listening to Jay's self effacing humor, he was good again today. I don't consider him an awful shooter, I was just riffing his schtick.

[fuse]

I dislike this thread. Singler is indeed playing his third position in three years and he is being asked to play high and low defense. He's usually on the perimeter and then racing into the middle and yet he's still where he is needed on defense just about every single possession. He takes a tremendous physical beating, each game, and he's running constantly. I mean non-stop motion, pounding, getting held, elbowed, shoved.

I guess it's pretty hard to settle down and compose a shot, especially if you are at the same time deciding where you are running to before the shot even gets near the rim.

The refs in this GT game were atrocious. Wretched, unbalanced, totally swinging from one team to the other, no consistency, inept and incompetent.

Kyle is a great player. I think it is unfair to single him out in this thread.

Amen. Kyle is a great player, and continues to be an important part of the team, and an underestimated, underappreciated member of the team. Just as I am glad Scheyer is having a better season than most anticipated, I am enjoying the play of Singler, and think he is having a better season than people give him credit for.

Yes, today was a tough loss, but its not the end of the world and the team will use this to learn from and get better.

[slower]

Kyle may be my favorite Duke player ever. One thing is certain - no matter what individual struggles he has throughout this season or the rest of his Duke career, he will ALWAYS give 100% in every area. I'm also convinced that he will do WHATEVER is asked of him by K or any of the staff. So, although we are all concerned about his struggles this year, let's not forget that we have been blessed with one of the ultimate TEAM players that we will ever see. I love the guy and will hate to see him go.

Having said all that, it's clear that that the "Kyle as a 3" plan is not going as smoothly as anticipated. As other more knowledgeable minds have stated, there are many valid reasons why he will/should continue playing the 3. That, apparently, is where he's needed the most and also where he's projected to play in the NBA. From one standpoint, it would be much better for Duke if he stayed next year and reverted back to more of a power forward role. For his own personal benefit as a pro, he should probably stay at the 3.

In any event, I wish him only the best. He has given everything on the court since Day 1.