Alex O'connell/Grayson Allen

[dukeinla]

Has anyone noticed the similarity to the career arcs of Alex and Grayson? They both committed early as high school seniors and were not the highest recruited members of their class. When Grayson was a freshman he rarely played and when he did play he played with enthusiasm and panache. Late in the season he had a breakout game (I believe it was against Wake) but still was not the star of the team (until his great play against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament). Alex's play so far has also been with enthusiasm and panache and is making the most of his minutes. Let's hope he continues to improve and plays a big role going forward this season

[BandAlum83]

Has anyone noticed the similarity to the career arcs of Alex and Grayson? They both committed early as high school seniors and were not the highest recruited members of their class. When Grayson was a freshman he rarely played and when he did play he played with enthusiasm and panache. Late in the season he had a breakout game (I believe it was against Wake) but still was not the star of the team (until his great play against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament). Alex's play so far has also been with enthusiasm and panache and is making the most of his minutes. Let's hope he continues to improve and plays a big role going forward this season

I have been thinking similarly, but will wait for a few more months to publicly admit it or predict an energetic boost for 16 points in the Title game to help us win it!

[Billy Dat]

Considering that we are 5 games into Alex's career, I'm not sure we can call it an arc.

I hope that they are alike in that he comes off the bench to lead us to victory during this season's national championship.

I hope they are different in that he doesn't become the most hated player in the game for tripping people.

[proelitedota]

Alex's game remind me more of Luke Kennard's, more finesse than power.

[jimsumner]

It should be noted that Allen and Kennard were both much more highly-regarded than O'Connell coming out of high school.

I don't see O'Connell being first-team All-ACC and second-team All-America as a sophomore, as were Allen and Kennard.

And he'll be contending with Reddish and Barrett for PT next season.

He should be a solid four-year contributor and could well be a starter somewhere down the road.

[gam7]

Considering that we are 5 games into Alex's career, I'm not sure we can call it an arc.



Kyrie agrees with you. He thinks Alex's career arc is flat.

[Skitzle]

There was one thing I CLEARLY remember about Allen.

His freshman year after rasheed got booted, he kept getting 8-10 min a game, and each outing was better than the last. JasonEvans noted this on the pod as well. Then... well he got the shining moment award. We're only 5 games in but... if O'Connell keeps improving every game, i'll match the arcs.

[DukieInBrasil]

Alex's game remind me more of Luke Kennard's, more finesse than power.

not to my eyes. although Alex handles the ball pretty well and seems a pretty heady passer, he seems to be always right on the edge of out of control and then ends up making a valuable play. He seems more explosive athletically than Kennard, and it's a bit early to say anything about his shooting. Kennard had an amazing array of shots, angles, and moves to use angles to get shots, of which i have seen next to nothing from Alex to suggest that he has that sort of craft in his game. Alex is shooting the ball pretty well so far, and Kennard also has surprisingly good hops for a guy who plays such an old-man game, but i don't think their games are particularly similar. I would say Alex's game is somewhere between the reckless abandon that Grayson played with as a Fr. and Luke's restrained finesse game, with Alex leaning a bit more towards Grayson.
Those 2 dudes are pretty lofty comparisons, iyam, and if Alex comes close to their production as a So. (both Grayson and Luke averaged ~20ppg as So.) i will be thrilled.

[jimsumner]

Well, Jordan Goldwire is the next Frank Mason. So, he should be able to feed O'Connell/Allen-Kennard.

After Vrankovic/Zoubek controls the boards.

And don't forget DeLaurier. I can't remember which over-the-top-comparison we're currently making for Javin, but he does look a little like Durant, so we might as well go with that.

[MrPoon]

All I know is even the mention of another GA freshman year makes Wake fans super nervous,
I can hear the chants, “Alex is beating Wake”!

[ikiru36]

not to my eyes. although Alex handles the ball pretty well and seems a pretty heady passer, he seems to be always right on the edge of out of control and then ends up making a valuable play. He seems more explosive athletically than Kennard, and it's a bit early to say anything about his shooting. Kennard had an amazing array of shots, angles, and moves to use angles to get shots, of which i have seen next to nothing from Alex to suggest that he has that sort of craft in his game. Alex is shooting the ball pretty well so far, and Kennard also has surprisingly good hops for a guy who plays such an old-man game, but i don't think their games are particularly similar. I would say Alex's game is somewhere between the reckless abandon that Grayson played with as a Fr. and Luke's restrained finesse game, with Alex leaning a bit more towards Grayson.
Those 2 dudes are pretty lofty comparisons, iyam, and if Alex comes close to their production as a So. (both Grayson and Luke averaged ~20ppg as So.) i will be thrilled.

I have had the Grayson thought, though the player he has reminded me most of is more Mike Dunleavy. Some of it is the lankiness, and I think they both had late growth spurts making them look a bit gangly as Freshmen. But both had fairly mature offensive games clearly as guards, while truly sized more as small forwards. Of course, Dunleavy was (much) more highly touted as one of the big 3 in a top notch 7 member Freshman class, and he was a heavily used 6th man. But Alex has really impressed me, such that on a less deep Duke team I feel like he'd be justifying himself as a pretty electric 6th man. The other player I'll throw out there who was not quite as wiry or tall, but still similar build and game is Billy McCaffrey. And other facets of his game, besides shooting, seem beyond what a good freshman McCaffrey brought to the team.

Keep it up Alex, Go Blue Devils and ever GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[curtis325]

Alex's game remind me more of Luke Kennard's, more finesse than power.

Alex need to work on his hair-fidgeting then maybe he can challenge Kennard.

[jimsumner]

I have had the Grayson thought, though the player he has reminded me most of is more Mike Dunleavy. Some of it is the lankiness, and I think they both had late growth spurts making them look a bit gangly as Freshmen. But both had fairly mature offensive games clearly as guards, while truly sized more as small forwards. Of course, Dunleavy was (much) more highly touted as one of the big 3 in a top notch 7 member Freshman class, and he was a heavily used 6th man. But Alex has really impressed me, such that on a less deep Duke team I feel like he'd be justifying himself as a pretty electric 6th man. The other player I'll throw out there who was not quite as wiry or tall, but still similar build and game is Billy McCaffrey. And other facets of his game, besides shooting, seem beyond what a good freshman McCaffrey brought to the team.

Keep it up Alex, Go Blue Devils and ever GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dunleavy was actually the fourth-ranked Duke recruit in his class, behind Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Casey Sanders. But he was still a top-30 recruit.

It's hard to come up with a recent Duke player ranked about where O'Connell was ranked who became more than a complementary player. Perhaps Miles and Marshall Plumlee but both are seven-footers and the human-gene pool produces a lot more 6-6 men than 7-0 men.

Besides, once Justin Robinson has that late growth spurt and turns into his father, there won't be any room for O'Connell. :)

But back in the old days (before the RSCII), guys like David Henderson, John Smith, Brian Davis, Thomas Hill and Robert Brickey would have been ranked about where O'Connell is or lower. But that before one-and-dones, so the career arc was different. So, who knows?

[SilkyJ]

It's hard to come up with a recent Duke player ranked about where O'Connell was ranked who became more than a complementary player. Perhaps Miles and Marshall Plumlee but both are seven-footers and the human-gene pool produces a lot more 6-6 men than 7-0 men.


Agree with Jim, but to my eye it looks like Alex may have been improperly rated. Pretty rare to see a freshman rated #70, who is definitely underweight and not ready for the physicality of the college game, earn the type of PT he has. Now part of that is that A) its early, and B) he's the only SG we can bring off the bench. Comparing him to Grayson/Kennard (as the OP in the thread did) is a ridiculous reach, but it seems like he may have more game than the recruiting services gave him credit for.

My guess is he becomes a starter over the course of his career. My guess is that he plays at least 15mpg next year, if not more, coming off the bench and assumes a more serious role as his body develops.

[mgtr]

Interesting thread. My first thought on O'Connell after the Elon game was that he was like Luke Kennard. Then, maybe a week or so ago in another thread, somebody made the comparison to Mike Dunleavy. Bingo, I believe that is a much better comparison. I hope Alex has the same ceiling as Dunleavy -- that would by fabulous!

[DukieInBrasil]

Agree with Jim, but to my eye it looks like Alex may have been improperly rated. Pretty rare to see a freshman rated #70, who is definitely underweight and not ready for the physicality of the college game, earn the type of PT he has. Now part of that is that A) its early, and B) he's the only SG we can bring off the bench. Comparing him to Grayson/Kennard (as the OP in the thread did) is a ridiculous reach, but it seems like he may have more game than the recruiting services gave him credit for.

My guess is he becomes a starter over the course of his career. My guess is that he plays at least 15mpg next year, if not more, coming off the bench and assumes a more serious role as his body develops.

Duke also has Jordan Tucker on the bench. He may be more of a SF, but he has a reputation as a good shooter. He hasn't gotten much run in exhibitions or in the real games yet, so it's hard to say if he's a good comparison.

[FerryFor50]

Interesting thread. My first thought on O'Connell after the Elon game was that he was like Luke Kennard. Then, maybe a week or so ago in another thread, somebody made the comparison to Mike Dunleavy. Bingo, I believe that is a much better comparison. I hope Alex has the same ceiling as Dunleavy -- that would by fabulous!

Well, Dunleavy was 6'9". And slower. And a better shooter (albeit, O'Connell has had a small sample size). Honestly, I don't think O'Connell ever gets to Dunleavy's status.

Kennard is a pretty decent comp, as they both seem to be natural scorers. But Alex seems faster than Luke was.

[Ultrarunner]

Well, Dunleavy was 6'9". And slower. And a better shooter (albeit, O'Connell has had a small sample size). Honestly, I don't think O'Connell ever gets to Dunleavy's status.

Kennard is a pretty decent comp, as they both seem to be natural scorers. But Alex seems faster than Luke was.

On the defensive end, especially, but that might be attributed to effort.

[slower]

Comparing him to Grayson/Kennard (as the OP in the thread did) is a ridiculous reach.

Um...yep.

[cato]

Hey guys!

Do you remember when Luke passed Lebron for the Ohio state scoring title? Do you remember when G took charge of a title game with a flurry of three point shots/daggers, dunks and steals? Do you remember when Mike D hit three straight threes against Arizona?

Just curious.

[jimsumner]

Hey guys!

Do you remember when Luke passed Lebron for the Ohio state scoring title? Do you remember when G took charge of a title game with a flurry of three point shots/daggers, dunks and steals? Do you remember when Mike D hit three straight threes against Arizona?

Just curious.

But did any of them ever score 10 points against Furman?

Look, we did this last week when Jordan Goldwire hit a 3-pointer against Michigan State and suddenly he was being compared to Frank Mason and Chris Duhon.

Some of us suggested that Tyler Thornton might be a better analog. But, no, Goldwire is a much better shooter than Thornton ever was, we were told with great assurance.

Well, Goldwire currently is shooting 1-10 from the field, 1-7 on 3s and 2-4 from the line. He has zero points, one assist and two turnovers in two games since MSU, shooting 0-4 from 3-point range,

A small sample size, to be sure. But a bigger sample size than the first half of the Michigan State game.

And suggestive that perhaps we need just a tad more time to make these kinds of comparisons.

O'Connell? Should be a nice, four-year player, maybe better than nice. Good instincts, good skill set, ordinary athlete, needs to hit the weights hard.

But Luke Kennard was a lottery pick after his sophomore season, Mike Dunleavy the third pick in the 2002 draft after his junior season. Dunleavy, Allen and Kennard were all All-Americans. To expect anything like that for O'Connell is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

IMO.

[Atldukie79]

I think Alex should get credit for his motor too; we loved to say that about MP3. He seems to play almost out of control (twice driving the baseline and jumping over the baseline, only to make a successful cross court pass). He is already physically much bigger than some of the high school videos that are online. Perhaps that skinny trait kept his HS ranking lower than his talents may otherwise warrant. I do see skills.

I think he has some good upside, and he is probably a 4 year player, but hey, let's not limit him by "planting" him in a small jar. ;)

Is it possible the best Duke player comparison might be his father, prior to knee problems?
My memories are certainly distorted, and I basically only recall seeing his father play live several times in Duke Indoor Stadium, but that might be the best comparable.

[dukelifer]

But did any of them ever score 10 points against Furman?

Look, we did this last week when Jordan Goldwire hit a 3-pointer against Michigan State and suddenly he was being compared to Frank Mason and Chris Duhon.

Some of us suggested that Tyler Thornton might be a better analog. But, no, Goldwire is a much better shooter than Thornton ever was, we were told with great assurance.

Well, Goldwire currently is shooting 1-10 from the field, 1-7 on 3s and 2-4 from the line. He has zero points, one assist and two turnovers in two games since MSU, shooting 0-4 from 3-point range,

A small sample size, to be sure. But a bigger sample size than the first half of the Michigan State game.

And suggestive that perhaps we need just a tad more time to make these kinds of comparisons.

O'Connell? Should be a nice, four-year player, maybe better than nice. Good instincts, good skill set, ordinary athlete, needs to hit the weights hard.

But Luke Kennard was a lottery pick after his sophomore season, Mike Dunleavy the third pick in the 2002 draft after his junior season. Dunleavy, Allen and Kennard were all All-Americans. To expect anything like that for O'Connell is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

IMO.

yes- I do not see a future first round pick- but in a few years- he could easily average 17 points a game in college. That would be just fine with me.

[westwall]

Hey guys!

Do you remember when Luke passed Lebron for the Ohio state scoring title? Do you remember when G took charge of a title game with a flurry of three point shots/daggers, dunks and steals? Do you remember when Mike D hit three straight threes against Arizona?

Just curious.

You deserve a direct answer to your question, so: YES, to all three parts. (haing grown up a few miles from Franklin, Ohio, I also followed Luke's exploits in HS.)

[dukeinla]

sorry I wasn't clearer. I wasn't comparing their style of play. Just noting the following:

1. first to commit in their high school classes

2. overshadowed by other classmates with better pedigree

3. in pre-season discussions weren't listed in the athletes that were expected to get a lot of playing time

4. In the first few games looked better than expected


Let's hope Alex can have a four year career like Grayson's career.

[bluebeagle]

Alex reminds me most of Jon Scheyer. Anyone else see that?

[gray]

Alex reminds me most of Jon Scheyer. Anyone else see that?

O’Connell hasn’t shown me his Scheyer face, yet. I’ll believe it when I see the face.

[jimsumner]

So, Scheyer becomes the fourth All-American O'Connell reminds people of.

Funny, how he doesn't remind anyone of Marty Clark or Greg Koubek or Mike Chappell.

[flyingdutchdevil]

So, Scheyer becomes the fourth All-American O'Connell reminds people of.

Funny, how he doesn't remind anyone of Marty Clark or Greg Koubek or Mike Chappell.

Alex o’connell Reminds me of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, magic Johnson, Larry bird, Lebron James, and Greg Paulus put together.

[camion]

So, Scheyer becomes the fourth All-American O'Connell reminds people of.

Funny, how he doesn't remind anyone of Marty Clark or Greg Koubek or Mike Chappell.

Or as Crash Davis asked, "How come in former lifetimes, everyone's somebody famous?"

[gray]

Alex o’connell Reminds me of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, magic Johnson, Larry bird, Lebron James, and Greg Paulus put together.

So, just one notch below Patrick Davidson. Sounds reasonable 😉.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

So, Scheyer becomes the fourth All-American O'Connell reminds people of.

Funny, how he doesn't remind anyone of Marty Clark or Greg Koubek or Mike Chappell.

Does he remind anyone of Dave O’Connell?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Does he remind anyone of Dave O’Connell?

He reminds me of Dave Chappelle.

[Saratoga2]

Alex reminds me most of Jon Scheyer. Anyone else see that?

I also see that he has the basketball IQ, decent handle and good shooting ability. He is just a bit taller than Scheyer as well. I would be tremendously happy if he would have a college career to match Jon's.

[arnie]

Does he remind anyone of Dave O’Connell?

No, his dad was an inside player with great hops until the injury.

I recall Jim Suddath as a valuable sub during the Banks/Gminski years. Wiry guard with clutch shooting may be a fair comparison.

[DukieInBrasil]

I don't see why the Grayson Allen comparison is so objectionable. Sure their rankings coming out of HS were quite different. What did we see from Grayson in his 1st 5 games that indicated he was gonna become a future All-American?
Grayson was stuck in a logjam behind other experienced backcourt depth and didn't see the floor much until Sulaimon got dismissed. Alex is stuck in a logjam behind other experienced depth and who knows how much we'll see of him w/o changes. Grayson's Fr. season numbers were pretty pedestrian overall, even though he really did have a marvelous stretch of games at exactly the right time.
Alex has done the most withe minutes he's gotten so far, kudos to him.

[Troublemaker]

I don't see why the Grayson Allen comparison is so objectionable. Sure their rankings coming out of HS were quite different. What did we see from Grayson in his 1st 5 games that indicated he was gonna become a future All-American?
Grayson was stuck in a logjam behind other experienced backcourt depth and didn't see the floor much until Sulaimon got dismissed. Alex is stuck in a logjam behind other experienced depth and who knows how much we'll see of him w/o changes. Grayson's Fr. season numbers were pretty pedestrian overall, even though he really did have a marvelous stretch of games at exactly the right time.
Alex has done the most withe minutes he's gotten so far, kudos to him.

Yeah, but isn't Grayson an exceptional case that should never be used in comparison?

If he stays healthy, Grayson's going to be a 2000 point scorer and a borderline jersey retirement case at worse. He's likely going to be a 1st-round draft pick.

Is Alex O'Connell really going to be that good? I agree with Jim Sumner that, for the time being, let's not compare Alex to All-Americans.

And let's see Alex do some things against ACC competition first. Grayson, as a freshman, put up 27 points against Wake.

[TruBlu]

No, his dad was an inside player with great hops until the injury.

I recall Jim Suddath as a valuable sub during the Banks/Gminski years. Wiry guard with clutch shooting may be a fair comparison.

Suds!

Closest comparison so far. Personalities and enthusiasm seem to be similar also.

[jv001]

No, his dad was an inside player with great hops until the injury.

I recall Jim Suddath as a valuable sub during the Banks/Gminski years. Wiry guard with clutch shooting may be a fair comparison.

Good comparison and I believe Jim may be a member on DBR. GoDuke!

[subzero02]

Alex's game remind me more of Luke Kennard's, more finesse than power.

I see a lot of Scheyer in terms of handles, shooting from distance and savvy for putting the ball in the hole at close range despite underwhelming physical attributes. Both have high basketball IQs with a nose for the ball but it remains to be seen if Alex is able to think the game on both ends as well as Scheyer did. Scheyer also possessed an ability to pass that I haven't seen from Alex yet. They are essentially the same height with similar builds; O'Connell is listed at 6'6" ... Scheyer is 6'5". Scheyer was ranked number #28 in the final RSCI ranking in 2006, O'Connell was ranked #68 in 2017. Grayson was ranked #24 in 2014 and Luke was ranked #21 in 2015.

The fact that Alex is garnering such comparisons only 5 games into his career bodes well for his potential as a Blue Devil.

[jimsumner]

Would it be churlish of me to note that Grayson Allen scored 18 points in his first game at Duke, against Presbyterian?

But he had a lot more competition for perimeter PT as a freshman than does O'Connell. O'Connell is behind classmates Trevon Duval and Gary Trent and returnee Allen.

Allen was behind classmates Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow and three returnees who had been McDonald's All-Americans, Quinn Cook, Matt Jones and Rasheed Sulaimon. And Ojeleye was in the mix at the 3.

Big difference.

In all of our preseason discussions, we recognized that there were backup perimeter minutes available for some come combination of O'Connell, Tucker, White or Goldwire, minutes to be seized in practice and early games.

Allen did not face a comparable situation, at least not until midseason, when Ojeleye transferred, Sulaimon was dismissed and Winslow began playing more 4. And his PT increased.

But the situations at the beginning of their career are not comparable.

Nor are their games. O'Connell does not come close to Allen's run/jump athleticism, nor his strength and ability to play through contact.

[Kedsy]

The fact that Alex is garnering such comparisons only 5 games into his career bodes well for his potential as a Blue Devil.

Either that or it bodes ill for DBR's collective ability to rationally evaluate that potential. One or the other, not saying which.

[dukelifer]

Either that or it bodes ill for DBR's collective ability to rationally evaluate that potential. One or the other, not saying which.

I need to go look at the posts but I am pretty sure that I called Kennard's and Allen's potential early on- just saying.

[Troublemaker]

Would it be churlish of me to note that Grayson Allen scored 18 points in his first game at Duke, against Presbyterian?

But he had a lot more competition for perimeter PT as a freshman than does O'Connell. O'Connell is behind classmates Trevon Duval and Gary Trent and returnee Allen.

Allen was behind classmates Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow and three returnees who had been McDonald's All-Americans, Quinn Cook, Matt Jones and Rasheed Sulaimon. And Ojeleye was in the mix at the 3.

Big difference.

In all of our preseason discussions, we recognized that there were backup perimeter minutes available for some come combination of O'Connell, Tucker, White or Goldwire, minutes to be seized in practice and early games.

Allen did not face a comparable situation, at least not until midseason, when Ojeleye transferred, Sulaimon was dismissed and Winslow began playing more 4. And his PT increased.

But the situations at the beginning of their career are not comparable.

Nor are their games. O'Connell does not come close to Allen's run/jump athleticism, nor his strength and ability to play through contact.

Great point, Jim. Their situations really aren't all that similar as the perimeter depth at the beginning of the 2014-15 season was arguably the greatest in Duke's history.

I suspect if a freshman Grayson were on this year's team, he would've already beaten out Jordan Goldwire for backup perimeter minutes.

[dukelifer]

I need to go look at the posts but I am pretty sure that I called Kennard's and Allen's potential early on- just saying.

Here is my Luke eval a couple of preseason games into his Freshman season which generated some pushback

"Kennard is a very smart player and he is half a season away from being able to put up big numbers. His shooting is elite."

[sleepybear]

I am hoping for a Gordon Hayward type career arc for AO'C. Maybe a year behind freshman Hayward.

[subzero02]

Either that or it bodes ill for DBR's collective ability to rationally evaluate that potential. One or the other, not saying which.

The comparisons aren't just happening on DBR. The kid is good and his confidence on offense is impossible to ignore. I just hope he continues to develop and stay hungry.

[brevity]

In DBR Chat for the Portland State game, Henderson provided the only Alex O'Connell comp that matters:

7833

[Tripping William]

In DBR Chat for the Portland State game, Henderson provided the only Alex O'Connell comp that matters:

7833

Looks like we have our nickname: Hermey!

[Duke79UNLV77]

The spin move yesterday reminded me of a Dunleavy layup against Tech years ago — not explosive or strong like Allen, but clever and very coordinated. O’C is also y’all for his skill set at the college level. If only he can add a Dunleavy-esque growth spurt!

[rocketeli]

I get that Allen and O'Connell must be compared because they are both white, but I think a more important comparison right now is between O'Connell and Trent. Who should get more playing time? O'Connell isn't great at defense, but at the Punkland St game a lot of threes were scored because Trent was nowhere to be found on the perimeter in defense, and he kept gambling for steals, so he wasn't great either (for that game at least.) Trent is stronger, I would guess, but how "burly" does a guard have to be? I saw that O'Connell started the second half against Punkland St. so K was obviously sending a message there. Has anyone access/done a stats break down on who is more efficient per minute etc in the usual categories. My eye test is that right now we should see a little more of O'Connell and a little less of Trent, but who knows?

[Henderson]

Comps are so easy to denigrate. It's obvious that no two players are exactly alike. So shooting down comps is shooting fish in a barrel, because you can always find differences. Have at it.

AOC's game reminds me a little of Kyle Singler's, and a little like GA's. Same players? No (duh). Interesting similarities? Sure. Just don't carry the comp too far, and it's all good.

[slower]

Comps are so easy to denigrate. It's obvious that no two players are exactly alike. So shooting down comps is shooting fish in a barrel, because you can always find differences. Have at it.

AOC's game reminds me a little of Kyle Singler's, and a little like GA's. Same players? No (duh). Interesting similarities? Sure. Just don't carry the comp too far, and it's all good.
It's a toss-up for me. I can't decide whether he reminds me more of Salami or Goldstein. :p

Because of the hair, I'll go with Salami.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Apologize if this was covered upthread, but my two questions about Alex are:

1. What's up with the little design shaved into his head?
2. Did I see a few chest tats under his jersey?

Regarding arguably more important issues, I was very impressed with his game - I love him coming in as a 6th man to provide an energy burst.

[TruBlu]

Apologize if this was covered upthread, but my two questions about Alex are:

1. What's up with the little design shaved into his head?
2. Did I see a few chest tats under his jersey?

Regarding arguably more important issues, I was very impressed with his game - I love him coming in as a 6th man to provide an energy burst.

Regarding # 2, at a recent game a few females in the stands held up a sign saying “show us your tats” when Alex came in the game.