Ryan Kelly

[Chris Randolph]

Thoughts on Kelly and his contributions to the team? In my opinion, he could be a big piece in the puzzle down the road. With the attention Singler/Smith/Dawkins/Curry will get, Kelly could really help in pick and pop situations. Right now he is in a shooting slump, better now than later. He will break out of it. When he is hitting outside shots, he pulls a bigger defender away from the rim, allowing for better chances for others to get offensive rebounds. I'm a fan of Kelly (more so when he makes shots). He is a sneaky good defender. Takes charges, blocks shots and rebounds fairly well.

[Kedsy]

Thoughts on Kelly and his contributions to the team? In my opinion, he could be a big piece in the puzzle down the road. With the attention Singler/Smith/Dawkins/Curry will get, Kelly could really help in pick and pop situations. Right now he is in a shooting slump, better now than later. He will break out of it. When he is hitting outside shots, he pulls a bigger defender away from the rim, allowing for better chances for others to get offensive rebounds. I'm a fan of Kelly (more so when he makes shots). He is a sneaky good defender. Takes charges, blocks shots and rebounds fairly well.

I'm a big fan of Ryan, and even suggested over the summer that he might win the starting job, but I think his ability to hit the outside shot is overblown on this board. Yes, he can hit it (although as many have pointed out, with so little arc on his shot his margin for error is low), but it's not quite good enough and he doesn't quite take it enough to make the defender take him very seriously out there. So I don't think he'll really draw too many defenders away from the rim and give others better chances for much of anything. Next year or the year after, I think he may improve to the point where what you're saying is true, in that regard. I agree with your other points.

[Chris Randolph]

I agree that the final 2 years of his career he could be good enough to be all conference. But I also believe he could knock down big shots this year as well. If he can just get out of his little slump and develop a rhythm. He has zero pressure on him.... Let it fly Ryan!

[ACCBBallFan]

Even with his 0-4 versus MD, Kelly is now 8 for 25. While 32% is not great, it is good enough to spread the floor and create more separation for Nolan, Kyle and Dre/Seth.

Once a few fall the other 4 has to respect the threat.

[dukeimac]

I've said it before and I will say it again, the weight lifting he did in the off season is affecting his shot.

Remember this, when a guy goes to the free throw line and comes up short, what does everyone say or think... he is tired. Just the opposite is said or thunk when the ball hits off the back of the rim, it is too strong. Kelly's shots are bouncing hard off the back of the rim. He needs to regain his shot and that will come as long as he is practicing it. Something tells me he is shooting a lot in practice, probably more than anything else.

During the season, I would bet he is shooting about 200 shots a day in practice. It will come but it will take some time. I'm hoping the timing is around the ACC tournament.

I'm not concerned because there is Nolan, Kyle, Seth and Dre. Miles, Mason and Kelly just need to rebound and play defense. If they can add more Duke is just that much better, but they don't need to push it.

[OldPhiKap]

Ryan is getting a lot of the little things done, and is banging inside. The shots will come. I think Ryan is a good contributor right now and he has the ability to get on a roll offensively. Any points from him are a bonus in many respects.

[smcook313]

I've said it before and I will say it again, the weight lifting he did in the off season is affecting his shot.

Remember this, when a guy goes to the free throw line and comes up short, what does everyone say or think... he is tired. Just the opposite is said or thunk when the ball hits off the back of the rim, it is too strong. Kelly's shots are bouncing hard off the back of the rim. He needs to regain his shot and that will come as long as he is practicing it. Something tells me he is shooting a lot in practice, probably more than anything else.

During the season, I would bet he is shooting about 200 shots a day in practice. It will come but it will take some time. I'm hoping the timing is around the ACC tournament.

I'm not concerned because there is Nolan, Kyle, Seth and Dre. Miles, Mason and Kelly just need to rebound and play defense. If they can add more Duke is just that much better, but they don't need to push it.

His shot isnt there right now. He is taking shots too quick into the shot clock and he isnt taking them in rhythm. He is wide open so I cant fault him but he is hesitating which means he is thinking. Worst thing a shooter can do! Its made me very mad at him when Im watching it because, like last night, it seems to be in times where we really need that posession to score points. His defender isnt even in the picture when he's shooting so Id really like him to pull up to the free throw line or drive down to line and get fouled. My opinion, we have enough 3pt shooters so we really need our bigs to focus on high % shots and offensive rebounding. We dont need to see him floating on the arc. We got to have a presence down low to be the team that cuts down the net. And we have the guys to do it!! I love Ryan being on the court because, you can just tell, he loves to play and he loves his team. He doesnt take a play off and thats awesome to see. Lock down "D", takes charges, blocks shots, gets boards, and alters shots... Has plays with intensity. I just think in close games, he needs to understand what we need out him and that isnt a low % 3 when we have 4 others on court who shoot can shoot it better than him. We need him down low waiting for a miss so he can kick it back out for another one. IF Mason plays the way he's been playing (GOD FORBID) then Kelly's role is going to be more and more important...I hope he starts to understand game situations on offensive end a little better. And I wont even begin to talk about Mason right now....I dont have enough strength in my fingers after my workout this morning!

[Neals384]

If he's open, Kelly needs to shoot that 3 every time. No hesitate!

[jimsumner]

If he's open, Kelly needs to shoot that 3 every time. No hesitate!

Maybe. Kelly makes that shot in practice. The Duke coaches want him to take it. As a general rule. But adding in last night's 0-4, Kelly is 8-25 on 3s this season. That's not great but not terrible. But he's 0-10 over his last four games. So, there may be a reason why other teams are leaving him wide open out there.

It's a big asset when he knocks them down. But he went to the bench after air-balling miss no. 4 last night and pretty much stayed there. K said after the game that Duke didn't do what they were told to do during the halftime break. Not hard to read between the lines here.

That said, I suspect the current shooting slump is a blip on the radar screen. Kelly is too smart and too diligent to stay down very long.

[Devilsfan]

Gary had a great game plan last night. Take away Nolan and make our bigs shoot from the outside by giving them wide open looks. I think collectively our bigs are 2 for 2011 or close to it from the outside. We have too many great shooters in Nolan, Kyle, Seth and Andre and need our bigs to stop players like Jordan Williams and rebound not shoot even with open looks.

[bass-piscator]

I was channel surfing last night, came upon an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and made a startling discovery.

RYAN KELLY AND RAY ROMANO GO TO THE SAME BARBER !

[Greg_Newton]

Well I couldn't find the thread with the bigger debate on whether Kelly should be shooting outside shots or not, but...

Anyone still doubting?

:D

Really great to see his shotmaking catch up with his skill for shooting.

[OldPhiKap]

Well I couldn't find the thread with the bigger debate on whether Kelly should be shooting outside shots or not, but...

Anyone still doubting?

:D

Really great to see his shotmaking catch up with his skill for shooting.

He has potential.

[dukelifer]

He has potential.

Missed three tonight- the kid is slipping ;)

[dukestheheat]

Thoughts on Kelly and his contributions to the team? In my opinion, he could be a big piece in the puzzle down the road. With the attention Singler/Smith/Dawkins/Curry will get, Kelly could really help in pick and pop situations. Right now he is in a shooting slump, better now than later. He will break out of it. When he is hitting outside shots, he pulls a bigger defender away from the rim, allowing for better chances for others to get offensive rebounds. I'm a fan of Kelly (more so when he makes shots). He is a sneaky good defender. Takes charges, blocks shots and rebounds fairly well.

....pulling his defender away from the basket; his development definitely gives Duke more punch on the offensive end but I'd like to see the team really work on the paint game. If we can establish him there, for rebounds, blocks, points as well as the intangibles (screens, tap outs, tip ins, kick-outs, etc., etc.), we are going to be better as a team. We really need that strong, interior go-to guy and Kelly could get that done for us, I think, in the upper portion of the key, for example.

So while I see his points and outside shot as an added benefit to an already powerful, offensively-minded team, I'd prefer to have him anchor the paint and develop Duke that way. At any rate, he's really coming on for the team and that gives us more punch and it's great to see Ryan making the move!

dth.

[OldPhiKap]

Missed three tonight

. . . in a #$$# row!!!! Kid's got no shot.

Just like that Ferry kid we had when I was in school.

Sheessh.

[flyingdutchdevil]

. . . in a #$$# row!!!! Kid's got no shot.

Just like that Ferry kid we had when I was in school.

Sheessh.

Can we motion to bench Kelly? 3 missed shots in a game and only 67% shooting? That is a decrease of over 33% FG% from his last 2 games.

Bench! ;)

[4decadedukie]

He may become a dominant player in the ACC. His progress has been remarkable, his seasonal contribution unexpectedly important, and his eventual potential very large. I am extremely and pleased with Ryan.

[wilson]

Some very complimentary (virtual) ink spilled on Ryan's behalf in SI's latest power rankings (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/luke_winn/01/27/power.rankings/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin) (we're #2).
Luke Winn, one of the best tactical basketball analysts anywhere IMO, provides some great insight into how RK fits into our offense as currently constituted, and his implications for the team's overall scheme.

[Cockabeau]

Ryan has two things going for him: length and skill. What an awesome player he is....he needs more shots per game,imo.

[4decadedukie]

Even a "poor" seat (are there any?) in Cameron allows one to see important things that are much more difficult to observe on television. I have been privileged to attend the last two game in CIS (UVa and BC), I have purposefully concentrated on Kelly, and I have noticed something I believe is very good and very important about Ryan: his basketball savvy is exceptional for his age and experience (in my opinion, much as Jon's was, and is). For example, his movement without the ball on offense is unusually smart; similarly, his defense through positioning -- "with his legs" -- is excellent. It is my belief that this not only improves his personal performance, but -- more critically -- it is a catalyst that makes his teammates more effective. Given the relatively little Division I playing time he has thus far accrued, I find this to be remarkable and indicative of an athlete who is likely to make the team excel through his intelligence and, eventually, his leadership.

[Devilsfan]

FWIW the top row in the corners are not very good seats.

[dukeimac]

Gee everything said does nothing for his stats, I can't image this information being of any importance (sarcasms added).

This is some good information! If you ever want to become a good analysis of a person, you have to observe everything about them, not just those times the person is in the highlight moments. Because of these types of things Ryan does he gets playing time AND he will, IMO, not have long spells of poor performance.

This is something that Andre and Miles need to understand, stats are only a part of the picture. Kyle doesn't always lead the team in scoring but his defense sells me on him.

[jimsumner]

Ryan has two things going for him: length and skill. What an awesome player he is....he needs more shots per game,imo.

Ryan has a lot more than two things going for him. Add a high basketball IQ, a prodigious work ethic and an instinct for being around the ball.

[Duke84]

I'll second Devilsfan's review of those seats. When I worked at Duke after graduation and got tickets from time to time, I learned there were little platforms in the corners, where the oval seating arrangement met the reality of a square building. On those platforms there were folding chairs. Upon those folding chairs, I did sit.

Ryan Kelly is making the transformation from frosh to soph that dozens of Duke players have made in the past (but that many others could not manage). One of the few things better than seeing a Duke freshman get off to a big start is seeing a soph finally "get it".

[Reilly]

Looking at the season stats, Ryan Kelly’s efficient play is standing out.

Even though it doesn’t happen this way, let’s say each block equals a gained possession.

RK’s blocks (44) + steals (16) = 60 ..... minus his 24 turnovers = +36 in "gained" possessions. That is the highest number on the team.

Next highest raw number is Mason’s +18 (45 blks + 27 steals – 54 turnovers) and Seth’s +17 (4 + 42 -29). Miles and Andre are dead even (0). Those who handle the ball more (Nolan, Kyle, Tyler) understandably are negative: Nolan for example has 3 blks + 39 steals but 84 turnovers.

RKelly is shooting 63% on 2-pointers, 37% on 3-pointers, and 83% on FTs.

He’s efficient .... gaining lots of possessions for Duke .... knocking shots down ...

[Kedsy]

Even though it doesn’t happen this way, let’s say each block equals a gained possession.

I know you put in a caveat, but I think it rarely happens that way. I've never seen any statistics on this, but after a block there are three possible outcomes (ball goes out of bounds, ball goes back to opposing player, ball ends up with good guys) and two of them do not result in a gained possession. And the most likely outcome is the ball going out of bounds off the blocker. (I suppose the ball could go out of bounds off of an opposing player, but that doesn't happen very often.) I'd be surprised if blocks end up as a gained possession more than 25% of the time.

[Reilly]

"And the most likely outcome is the ball going out of bounds off the blocker." You think? I don't know which outcome (back to O in live play, grabbed by D in live play, out of bounds off O, out of bounds off D) statistically happens the most. I'd guess one of the ball staying live scenarios, but that's just a guess.

Forgive the imprecision of my language; I should have better explained it all as a quick and dirty metric summing up one good (steal), one possibly good (block) defensive stat and one bad (turnover) offensive stat, and RK's relative strength when looking at it all together.

[Kedsy]

"And the most likely outcome is the ball going out of bounds off the blocker." You think? I don't know which outcome (back to O in live play, grabbed by D in live play, out of bounds off O, out of bounds off D) statistically happens the most. I'd guess one of the ball staying live scenarios, but that's just a guess.

I'm pretty sure the most likely outcome is the blocker swatting it out of bounds, but I suppose it depends on the blocker. Olajuwon was famous for keeping his blocks in bounds, but I think the fact that he was famous for it implies that most people don't do it that way.

Take Mason Plumlee, for example. Very few of his blocks stay in bounds, and most of the ones that do only stay in because they hit the backboard. Interestingly (because Ryan Kelly is the person who prompted your analysis) I think Ryan is much better at keeping his blocks in bounds than Mason or Miles are. But again, I have no stats to back this up, just casual observation.

[Reilly]

Wouldn't Ewing theatrically swat some out at the beginning of games? That can set a tone and influence play. Shows the (further) limits of stats, too, in that such a block would not be as good or efficient as one that turns the ball over to the D, but can set a tone and influence the rest of the game more to the D's advantage (as then the O may take longer, lower percentage shots). Sort of like the psychological warfare when I say "get that weak stuff out of here" to my 7 y.o. at the nerf rim ...

What player efficiency stats are out there that are particularly good?

I’ve never really looked at those things at kenpom or basketball-reference.com.

I just did a very quick one (surely seriously flawed) looking at Duke's stats:

(Good things minus bad things) divided by minutes played.

[(points + steals + blocks + assists + rebounds) – (missed FGs + missed FTs + fouls + TOs)]/minutes

The scores ....

KI .64 net good things every minute.
Nolan .57
Mason .47
RKelly .42
Kyle .40
Seth .32
Andre .28
Miles .28
TT .11
Josh .05

Net, raw number of good things this season [(points + steals + blocks + assists + rebounds) – (missed FGs + missed FTs + fouls + TOs)]:

Nolan 534
Kyle 381
Mason 330
RKelly 231
Seth 220
KI 149
Andre 182
Miles 129
TT 32
Hairston 8

Tons of caveats: not all fouls are bad ... all blocks are good in that they stop a shot but may not regain possession for the D and might not mean much good overall ... crazy to count to a missed FT the same as a missed FG ...

Impetus was to see a numerical basis for the sense that RKelly is playing super efficiently: doing lots good while minimal bad, per minute .... this also seems to confirm the sense that Andre’s standing around and he’s not creating as much net positive action per minute as the others ...

Player efficiency stats strike me as some sort of “positive momentum” stat as it counts the net amount of all good things .... don't know which such stats are highly regarded ....

[MChambers]

I'm pretty sure the most likely outcome is the blocker swatting it out of bounds, but I suppose it depends on the blocker. Olajuwon was famous for keeping his blocks in bounds, but I think the fact that he was famous for it implies that most people don't do it that way.

Take Mason Plumlee, for example. Very few of his blocks stay in bounds, and most of the ones that do only stay in because they hit the backboard. Interestingly (because Ryan Kelly is the person who prompted your analysis) I think Ryan is much better at keeping his blocks in bounds than Mason or Miles are. But again, I have no stats to back this up, just casual observation.
I was thinking the same thing, that Ryan is better at keeping his blocks in bounds. Again, just casual observation, but I agree with you. Ryan's blocks also tend to be less spectacular, so that may partially explain the difference.

[Kedsy]

What player efficiency stats are out there that are particularly good?

I’ve never really looked at those things at kenpom or basketball-reference.com.

I like Pomeroy's (http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Duke) efficiency stats. According to his numbers, Ryan has the second best offensive rating on the team (just behind Andre) and is 64th in the country.

[dukelifer]

Ryan has a lot more than two things going for him. Add a high basketball IQ, a prodigious work ethic and an instinct for being around the ball.

I believe Kelly and Dawkins are key for Duke having a deep March run. Duke needs consistency from both of them. Kelly has been showing a lot lately and if Andre can do his thing late in the half and extend a run with a couple of bombs- Duke could be a very tough out. Kelly is a very good player who is getting more confident with every game. His hands are excellent and uses his IQ like Scheyer to anticipate what a player will do- rather than trying to out-quick or simply react. Kelly also might be much better closer to the basket - and Duke may want to use him there more. Plus if he gets fouled- he is an excellent free throw shooter- As Hansbrough showed, you can make a living on the line.

[killerleft]

I'll second Devilsfan's review of those seats. When I worked at Duke after graduation and got tickets from time to time, I learned there were little platforms in the corners, where the oval seating arrangement met the reality of a square building. On those platforms there were folding chairs. Upon those folding chairs, I did sit.

Ryan Kelly is making the transformation from frosh to soph that dozens of Duke players have made in the past (but that many others could not manage). One of the few things better than seeing a Duke freshman get off to a big start is seeing a soph finally "get it".

I mentioned it in another thread, but I had season tickets in those "platform" seats in 1988. Section 9, I believe. It was extra hot up there. At halftime I'd go open the window and luxuriate in the cool air from outside. One night it was snowing during the game. There I was, all sweaty, and just outside the window was a winter wonderland.

Still, my bro-in-law and I considered ourselves lucky to have advertised in the Durham Herald and actually bought season tix at the printed price, about $225 each (!).

[Reilly]

I like Pomeroy's (http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Duke) efficiency stats. According to his numbers, Ryan has the second best offensive rating on the team (just behind Andre) and is 64th in the country.

Well now that's interesting. My sense is that Ryan's doing a lot right, with little wrong, per minute. Andre seems to be 'standing around' and making more mistakes. Yet Kenpom measures Andre as the most efficient on the team.

Maybe Kenpom is saying what Andre does, he does well (without looking as much at how many of those good things per minute he's doing), whereas what I looked at was saying Ryan does more net good things per minute? Guess I need to study what Kenpom is valuing and why. I liked my "positive momentum" stat b/c it seemed to confirm my suspicion! I was surprised that Seth was not as positively momentus as the others, but everybody else sort of slotted where I thought they might.

[NSDukeFan]

I was thinking the same thing, that Ryan is better at keeping his blocks in bounds. Again, just casual observation, but I agree with you. Ryan's blocks also tend to be less spectacular, so that may partially explain the difference.
My non-scientific analysis is that Ryan blocks his own man more than Mason, who gets more help-side blocks and is sometimes further away from the man he is blocking. That is my partial analysis and agreement that Ryan gathers more of his blocks than Mason.

Well now that's interesting. My sense is that Ryan's doing a lot right, with little wrong, per minute. Andre seems to be 'standing around' and making more mistakes. Yet Kenpom measures Andre as the most efficient on the team.

Maybe Kenpom is saying what Andre does, he does well (without looking as much at how many of those good things per minute he's doing), whereas what I looked at was saying Ryan does more net good things per minute? Guess I need to study what Kenpom is valuing and why. I liked my "positive momentum" stat b/c it seemed to confirm my suspicion! I was surprised that Seth was not as positively momentus as the others, but everybody else sort of slotted where I thought they might.

KenPom's efficiency numbers are based on effective FG% (Andre's is excellent due to a high 3 pt FG % and high % of his shots being 3 pointers) and assist %, penalizing turnover % and a few other things. Some of the things that Ryan does well (the pass leading to the pass that leads to the basket, moving without the ball, spacing, feeding the post, etc.) do not show up statistically, even using these advanced metrics.

[gam7]

I know you put in a caveat, but I think it rarely happens that way. I've never seen any statistics on this, but after a block there are three possible outcomes (ball goes out of bounds, ball goes back to opposing player, ball ends up with good guys) and two of them do not result in a gained possession. And the most likely outcome is the ball going out of bounds off the blocker. (I suppose the ball could go out of bounds off of an opposing player, but that doesn't happen very often.) I'd be surprised if blocks end up as a gained possession more than 25% of the time.

In addition to Kedsy's points, the shots that are blocked probably have less than a 50% of going in even if not blocked. And the likelihood of getting a defensive rebound are greater than the likelihood of recovering a blocked shot.

For these reasons, I think that the blocked shot stat in and of itself is an overrated stat. Without question, though, having guys capable of blocking shots is valuable because it forces shooters into taking lower percentage shots than they otherwise would take. Also, it allows perimeter guys to play more aggressively, knowing that there is a guy behind them who will force players into taking lower percentage shots if they get beat off the dribble.

I view blocked shots sort of like I view sacks in football - they are vastly overrated in and of themselves but are underrated in terms of their secondary benefits. A guy who gets a lot of sacks is likely pressuring the quarterback on lots of other plays forcing bad decisions and requires more attention from the offensive line, which, in turn, allows other guys to apply more pressure to the quarterback than they would otherwise be able to.

[Reilly]

...
KenPom's efficiency numbers are based on effective FG% (Andre's is excellent due to a high 3 pt FG % and high % of his shots being 3 pointers) and assist %, penalizing turnover % and a few other things. Some of the things that Ryan does well (the pass leading to the pass that leads to the basket, moving without the ball, spacing, feeding the post, etc.) do not show up statistically, even using these advanced metrics.

Thing is, a lot of what Ryan does well is showing up on the stat sheet: 190 points, 16 steals, 44 blocks, 27 asts, 111 rebs .... compared to only 63 missed FGs, 6 missed FTs, 24 TOs .... so in the quick and dirty net good things per minute played, he scores highly ..... the quick and dirty metric is per minute, so maybe that puts Ryan higher than kenoms? ... if player A hits 1/2 of 3s and does nothing else in 12 minutes of time, and player B hits 1/2 of 2s, grabs some boards, bocks a shot, gets an assist in 8 minutes of time, would Kenpom give A the higher 'efficiency'?

[NSDukeFan]

Thing is, a lot of what Ryan does well is showing up on the stat sheet: 190 points, 16 steals, 44 blocks, 27 asts, 111 rebs .... compared to only 63 missed FGs, 6 missed FTs, 24 TOs .... so in the quick and dirty net good things per minute played, he scores highly ..... the quick and dirty metric is per minute, so maybe that puts Ryan higher than kenoms? ... if player A hits 1/2 of 3s and does nothing else in 12 minutes of time, and player B hits 1/2 of 2s, grabs some boards, bocks a shot, gets an assist in 8 minutes of time, would Kenpom give A the higher 'efficiency'?

I believe offensive rebounds and assists are taken into account for KenPom's offensive efficiency, but I don't think defensive rebounds, and blocks would be. I think player B would have the better efficiency due to the assist and made shot (2), especially if any of his/her boards were offensive.

[tele]

I'm pretty sure the most likely outcome is the blocker swatting it out of bounds, but I suppose it depends on the blocker.But again, I have no stats to back this up, just casual observation.

Virtually all stats get their starts as casual observations. Most coaches try and get their shot blockers to not swat the shot out of bounds, but to try and keep the blocked shot inbounds where one of their teammates can secure it. Sometimes the shotblockers are even told to try and steer it to a specific part of the floor where a teammate will have the best chance to grab it. Doesn't always work out, but blocking a shot so that it stays inbounds is pretty well accepted as being a plus play. As opposed to just swatting it out of bounds which may be more of a highlight replay type thing and not as much of a help in getting your team the win.

Kelly does a lot of positive plays that improve his offensive efficiency and help the team. I also think Miles does this as well. Miles seems to have really good basketball instincts or court awareness, and always is around the ball trying to do something positive. Sometimes those are things that don't show up in general stat categories, or in kenpom offensive efficiency ratings, but are things like securing a loose ball, bailing out a teammate that has picked up his dribble and is close to getting a 5 or 3 second count, making the extra pass, etc, all add up to positive plays for the team. Another way to think of them is Dave McClure type plays, if you remember the things he would do on the court to help his team win.

With Kelly's improved play, Miles' all around contributions, and Mason's consistent solid rebounding and added scoring ability, Duke's Bigs are playing their way into being solid core contributers to the team.

[bass-piscator]

I've noticed, too, that Ryan comes down with a good number of his blocked shots. It may be that he is blocking softly rather than trying to knock it out of the park.

[gam7]

I'm pretty sure the most likely outcome is the blocker swatting it out of bounds, but I suppose it depends on the blocker. Olajuwon was famous for keeping his blocks in bounds, but I think the fact that he was famous for it implies that most people don't do it that way.


Bill Russell too.

[gep]

I've noticed, too, that Ryan comes down with a good number of his blocked shots. It may be that he is blocking softly rather than trying to knock it out of the park.


Bill Russell too.

Wasn't Shelden one of those? I recall his blocks were such that the ball goes softly essentially straight up, so he has a chance to get it. I think I also recall Shelden saying that his father told him at an early age that swatting the ball spectacularly (usually out-of-bounds) was essentially useless, since the other team gets the ball back. The good block is one that your team gets the ball.

[David Bunkley]

Though he plays a completely different position, I see Ryan's game maturing much the way Nolan's did. I expect him to make a huge leap heading into his Junior year. He and Seth (and Kyrie, if he stays) are most likely going to be the leaders of next years team.