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  1. #1

    Singler's Season

    I decided to start this thread to address the various talk about Singler's game this year.

    Considering he was a pre-season AA his performance so far this year has been a bit of a let down but all in all I don't think there's reason to panic yet.

    He's obviously forcing his offense a bit and is still a streaky shooter but he's been excellent on defense and also is averaging 7 boards a game at the SF postion which is pretty impressive.

    Basically I'd like to see him defer a bit to Jon and Nolan and simply take what the D gives him. I'd also like him to post his man up a little bit more and focus on his mid range game.

    As far as his 3pt % goes, if you recall last year he was in a pretty good slump and then finished strong at over 38%, not too bad for a high volume shooter....but like I said he's pretty streaky.

    All in all....not to worried about his game and think he'll improve as the year goes along.

  2. #2
    Actually, I'm glad you decided to touch on this because I have been wondering what everyone thinks as well. I agree I think in the long run he will be fine. He is definitely better than what he has shown so far this year but I am not sure as to how much better he is. But it does still remain that he is a MAJOR part of our team and is still contributing ALOT in other aspects of the game outside of his shooting. But if we do expect to make a run at this thing we definitely need Kyle to step up a little bit more. My opinion his shooting will get better but I still don't see his game as a finished product yet. In my opinion depending on a HUGE improvement this year, I see his game as an unfinished product and I'd hope to see him in a Duke jersey for his Senior year.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    I think he'll be fine. He's still the second best player (to Scheyer) we have on this team. He seems to have hit a wall like he did last March. I thin playing him 30 mins a game with proper rests might help or maybe he's practicing too hard.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilsfan View Post
    I think he'll be fine. He's still the second best player (to Scheyer) we have on this team. He seems to have hit a wall like he did last March. I thin playing him 30 mins a game with proper rests might help or maybe he's practicing too hard.
    What "wall" did Kyle hit last March? He played every minute of he ACC tournament and averaged 18 and 8 in 3 games. Then he averaged 14 and 7 in three NCAAT games (and those numbers are artificially deflated because he only played 28 minutes in the first round game against Binghamton.

    He's always been a streaky shooter, especially when he presses. In my opinion that's all that's going on now. Although I agree with those who say he should take what the defense gives him and not try to force everything.

  5. #5
    I think it is less of him doing bad and more or other players doing well. Jon gets the ball a heck of a lot more this season that last seasons.. Reasons like that..

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Kyle should not be shooting 8 three pointers in a game, especially when he is struggling. Come on Kyle, be agressive with the ball!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    there seems to be a transition from 4 to 3...i know he's SUPPOSED to play the 3 in the nba, but, i'm wondering if he was matched up against somewhat slower, less agile players in the 4 and now the opposing 3's are more on his level.

    this could be over-thinking it, but, he does seem to be really forcing his game either cause he thinks the game is on his shoulders, or he's OVER-reaching to get his shot back.

  8. #8
    Perhaps Devilsfan was talking about Kyle as a freshman, where it was a consensus that he hit the "freshman wall"

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Halifax, Nova Scotia

    Not worried

    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    there seems to be a transition from 4 to 3...i know he's SUPPOSED to play the 3 in the nba, but, i'm wondering if he was matched up against somewhat slower, less agile players in the 4 and now the opposing 3's are more on his level.

    this could be over-thinking it, but, he does seem to be really forcing his game either cause he thinks the game is on his shoulders, or he's OVER-reaching to get his shot back.
    I think he is finding he can't blow by his defenders at the 3 as easily as the 4s and 5s that have been guarding him. The positive (and negative during a shooting slump) is that he probably finds he doesn't have too much difficulty shooting over his defender. I think he will find other ways to score over the smaller, quicker defenders he is facing as the season progresses. Until then, we will just have to live with his 15 ppg, 7 rpg, solid ball-handling and defense.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Kyle lacks experience playing as a small forward and it shows. Knowing "what's good" or more importantly "what's coming" when on offense from the small forward position is an entirely different animal than playing from the perspective Kyle has played from since at Duke and I'd have to believe before.

    The component parts might well all be present (I'm not entirely sure about that), but the court looks different and the way the defense presents is radically different when playing with a small forward on you and not the other team's second biggest big.

    This is a major change that Kyle and the team are undertaking and figuring things out will take time. In the long run, Duke and especially Kyle will be the better for it.

    In the meantime, I have said in a variety of contexts and believe that having him make most all his catches outside the 3 line is a mistake. Given the team's personnel, and the need to spread the floor, I do not think that posting up is the best alternative option, although I should think that the threat of that, Kyle's starting near the lane and coming up or wide for the catch and then facing up has a lot of merit. Getting to the basket from 15-17with options is a relative piece of cake compared to from beyond the 3, as is shooting after facing up.

    Roaming out beyond 3 point line after scaring some people from inside it makes the 3 a lot easier, imo.

    K seems to have this calculus concerning the benefits of shooting a 3 vs a 17 footer (but see Henderson last year) that apparently draws him away from an offense that routinely creates catches for Kyle inside the 3. That's why they pay him the big bucks.

    In the meantime, experience is the only teacher and I have to believe that Kyle will get it more and more as the season progresses. "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Zimmerman.

    Relax folks, the guy is a college student, the court is his laboratory, and this type learning can come in surprising clumps.

    If you want finished products, watch movies; if you enjoy college basketball, root for Kyle and enjoy the ride. That's what I'm gonna do. Later,

    Grey "the old, bald, fat guy who only thinks that he knows what he's talking about but sometimes is right" beard

  11. #11

    Singlers position

    I dont understand why this happens with pretty much every player. Kyle's first year when he played the center, everyone said he is supposed to play 4 and not 5. Now, he is playing at 3 and everyone says he is supposed to play 3 in the league.
    I believe he is a power forward in the nba because of his height and range. He is 6'8" and has a very good three point shot to go with it. This is a typical nba 4.
    And I personally think he can play either 3 or 4 seamlessly. This whole issue is more about us being patient than expecting lights out performances from him.

  12. He has the height but not the size to play the PF position in the NBA. I mean...I'm sure he can do a decent job at it, but his natural position is an SF. Maybe a combo SF/PF?

  13. #13
    Kyle is a very good player who does many great things on the court in every phase of the game I can think of, except that his jump shot is off significantly. Plus he's a hard worker on the floor. It's puzzling to us because we have seen him shoot so well the past two years. It's probably puzzling to him, too.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    I'm not sure that I understand all of the angst over Kyle's play this year. Obviously, he could be shooting the ball better and certainly, he could be taking some better shots. But, he is averaging 15+ pts. and 7+ rebounds a game right now. Perhaps this all stems from everyone thinking that Kyle would have to be the one to replace the bulk of the scoring after the departure of Gerald. Perhaps we are having a hard time letting loose of our preseason excpectations for Kyle. Jon has increased his scoring by 5+ pts/game and Nolan has increased his scoring by 10+ pts/game. Last year G averaged 16.5 pts/game. Gerald's scoring has been accounted for, just not from the person we thought would be doing the scoring.

    Instead of relishing in the improvement of Jon and Nolan (more so Nolan). We are wringing our hands over a kid averaging 15/7. We currently have 3 players averaging 15+ points/game. Is it reasonable or even logical to expect to have 3 players averaging 18+ points/game? How many teams in college basketball have ever had that type of production? My knowledge is limited, but I don't believe it has ever happened at Duke.

    I guess that what I am trying to say is take a step back and look at what we have as a whole. We are 14-2 and ranked in the top 10. Our two losses have come at the hands of a Wisconsin team that not only shot lights out that game but has since proven to be a very good team, and a Georgia Tech team with two future NBA first rounders and refs that apparently call rugby games for a living. We have an All-American type player (just not the one everyone was expecting) and 3 All-ACC type players.

    This ship is not sinking (not that anyone says it is).

    Is Kyle capable of better? Yes. But, so are Mason and Miles. That, to me, is what makes this team so much fun to watch and root for. If the worst thing that Kyle does this year is average 15 and 7, I will be quite happy with that.

    (On a side note, while I would never hope for any player to have a down year, the silver lining to Kyle only averaging 15/7 could be that his draft stock drops and he returns for his senior season and hopefully a national title defense.)

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by Memphis Devil View Post
    I'm not sure that I understand all of the angst over Kyle's play this year. Obviously, he could be shooting the ball better and certainly, he could be taking some better shots. But, he is averaging 15+ pts. and 7+ rebounds a game right now. Perhaps this all stems from everyone thinking that Kyle would have to be the one to replace the bulk of the scoring after the departure of Gerald. Perhaps we are having a hard time letting loose of our preseason excpectations for Kyle. Jon has increased his scoring by 5+ pts/game and Nolan has increased his scoring by 10+ pts/game. Last year G averaged 16.5 pts/game. Gerald's scoring has been accounted for, just not from the person we thought would be doing the scoring.

    Instead of relishing in the improvement of Jon and Nolan (more so Nolan). We are wringing our hands over a kid averaging 15/7. We currently have 3 players averaging 15+ points/game. Is it reasonable or even logical to expect to have 3 players averaging 18+ points/game? How many teams in college basketball have ever had that type of production? My knowledge is limited, but I don't believe it has ever happened at Duke.

    I guess that what I am trying to say is take a step back and look at what we have as a whole. We are 14-2 and ranked in the top 10. Our two losses have come at the hands of a Wisconsin team that not only shot lights out that game but has since proven to be a very good team, and a Georgia Tech team with two future NBA first rounders and refs that apparently call rugby games for a living. We have an All-American type player (just not the one everyone was expecting) and 3 All-ACC type players.

    This ship is not sinking (not that anyone says it is).

    Is Kyle capable of better? Yes. But, so are Mason and Miles. That, to me, is what makes this team so much fun to watch and root for. If the worst thing that Kyle does this year is average 15 and 7, I will be quite happy with that.

    (On a side note, while I would never hope for any player to have a down year, the silver lining to Kyle only averaging 15/7 could be that his draft stock drops and he returns for his senior season and hopefully a national title defense.)
    I really like this guy. This is a damn good post. Needs to read by all. My favorite part is in bold.

    Couldn't agree more. Well done, MemphisDevil. Take a bow
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    MKE
    Quote Originally Posted by Memphis Devil View Post
    Obviously, he could be shooting the ball better and certainly, he could be taking some better shots. But, he is averaging 15+ pts. and 7+ rebounds a game right now.
    You said it all right there. Kyle is playing well by almost any standards, but he's a player of immense talent, and if this team is going to be a great team, Kyle needs to play great. Last I looked he was shooting around 41%. I'm really excited about how the team is playing right now, and when Kyle can be a more efficient offensive player like he has been in the past, we'll be really special.

  17. #17
    I wager professionally and would bet serious money that Kyle's already solid stats are going to improve substantially during the remainder of the season. It appears to me that Kyle has a deep desire to win and the talent & skills to do it. Kyle's shooting is very likely to improve and very hard to guard with a substantially smaller SF.

    Until then.... we play our best ball with Kyle on the floor, even when he is not shooting his best.

  18. #18

    Absolutely

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeffrey View Post
    I wager professionally and would bet serious money that Kyle's already solid stats are going to improve substantially during the remainder of the season. It appears to me that Kyle has a deep desire to win and the talent & skills to do it. Kyle's shooting is very likely to improve and very hard to guard with a substantially smaller SF.

    Until then.... we play our best ball with Kyle on the floor, even when he is not shooting his best.
    Couldn't agree more. It was great to see Kyle scoring last night even though his outside shooting was off, and of course doing all the other things he does on defense, the boards, etc.

    If we compare his shooting percentage in 2009 and 2010, there has only been a decline on threes and he has in fact improved on FTs and two pointers.

    FT 71.3% & 77.3%
    2PT 45.2% & 46.1%
    3PT 38.3% and 33.8%

    So Kyle probably should not take 8 threes in a game as he did against Tech, just as Jon should not take 13.

    In the three ACC games, Singler is 3/14 (21.4%) and Scheyer is 7/27 (25.9%) on threes, but both figures are bound to improve significantly.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Quote Originally Posted by miramar View Post
    In the three ACC games, Singler is 3/14 (21.4%) and Scheyer is 7/27 (25.9%) on threes, but both figures are bound to improve significantly.
    While I completely agree with you that their 3-pt shooting percentages will increase, I wanted to point out how impressive it was to beat a hungry, angry ACC team without the 3-pt shot. Our interior scoring, jump shot, offensive rebounds, and driving (thanks Nolan!) were really good.

    If this continues, we won't need to rely as much on our 3-pt shooting. It's a great weapon to have (I love Bruce Pearl), but having a lethal 2-pt game really opens the doors.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Quote Originally Posted by miramar View Post
    Couldn't agree more. It was great to see Kyle scoring last night even though his outside shooting was off, and of course doing all the other things he does on defense, the boards, etc.

    If we compare his shooting percentage in 2009 and 2010, there has only been a decline on threes and he has in fact improved on FTs and two pointers.

    FT 71.3% & 77.3%
    2PT 45.2% & 46.1%
    3PT 38.3% and 33.8%

    So Kyle probably should not take 8 threes in a game as he did against Tech, just as Jon should not take 13.

    In the three ACC games, Singler is 3/14 (21.4%) and Scheyer is 7/27 (25.9%) on threes, but both figures are bound to improve significantly.
    Just a reminder though that even if Kyle is only shooting 33% from three, that is an effective FG% of 50% which is very good. As you mentioned, I also expect this percentage to increase, but even if it doesn't, it's not so bad.

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