Alex O

[ncexnyc]

Here's a nice video of Alex working out. He never should have gotten that haircut and still looks like he needs to hit the gym.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_YN2JiPvQ

[JNort]

Whaaat. His hair actually looks good now

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Whaaat. Hos hair actually looks good now

Looks like he got a bit of a wave or perm...

[MartyClark]

Here's a nice video of Alex working out. He never should have gotten that haircut and still looks like he needs to hit the gym.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_YN2JiPvQ

I like the hair, better than he had during the season.

I was built like Alex when I was young. Still am except for the beer belly. Not a good look, Alex should build some muscle when he has the chance.

[dukelifer]

Here's a nice video of Alex working out. He never should have gotten that haircut and still looks like he needs to hit the gym.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_YN2JiPvQ

He will be motivated the first time he takes a charge from Zion.

[Bluedog]

I like the hair, better than he had during the season.

I was built like Alex when I was young. Still am except for the beer belly. Not a good look, Alex should build some muscle when he has the chance.

I agree that Alex should always look to improve his strength (and I'm sure he has), but I think his body type just is what it is. He's going to look like a skinny guy no matter what if he continues to play this much basketball for the foreseeable future (like a Teyshaun Prince). You can improve strength without it being super apparent from physical looks too and changing his body too much could lead to sacrificing other things like flexibility.

Also, I like his current hair too!

[devildeac]

He will be motivated the first time he takes a charge from Zion.

Hopefully, he'll live to tell about it. :eek:

[weezie]

Looks like he got a bit of a wave or perm...

Sheesh, you men! All just envious of his natural curls and waves. A perm, yoicks!


...I was built like Alex when I was young. Still am except for the beer belly...

Now I'm actually trying to picture that. Thanks.

[jv001]

Maybe we can get some minutes for the little dude that was getting all those assists. :cool: GoDuke!

[BD80]

He will be motivated the first time he takes a charge from Zion.

He would literally be posterized.

You'd be able to peel him off the floor and stick him to a wall like a Fathead decal.

[flyingdutchdevil]

why isn't there a cheeseburger in Alex's hand during the drills?

[mattman91]

why isn't there a cheeseburger in Alex's hand during the drills?

Sean May ate them all.

[ncexnyc]

Sean May ate them all.
I thought that was Kennedy Meeks claim to fame.

[devildeac]

why isn't there a cheeseburger in Alex's hand during the drills?

Zion took it from him.

Along with his lunch money.

And bus fare.

And anything else he wanted.

:rolleyes:

[UrinalCake]

Looks like he’s working on shooting on the move and catch and shoot threes coming off of screens. If he can knock down those types of shots it will really open things up for our slashing wings. His release is pretty slow, not sure how much that can be improved.

[subzero02]

Hopefully, he'll live to tell about it. :eek:

hopefully he will be wise and just let him dunk. I think K will understand... he might yell at him at the time during practice but, he'll understand.

[Edouble]

I agree that Alex should always look to improve his strength (and I'm sure he has), but I think his body type just is what it is. He's going to look like a skinny guy no matter what if he continues to play this much basketball for the foreseeable future (like a Teyshaun Prince). You can improve strength without it being super apparent from physical looks too and changing his body too much could lead to sacrificing other things like flexibility.

Also, I like his current hair too!

Exactly. You don't have to add all kinds of bulk to get stronger. You can increase your squat by hundreds of pounds without gaining any weight at all. Even if Alex only added 10-12 lbs of muscle, his strength could go up three or four fold.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

He will be motivated the first time he takes a charge from Zion.

Did you mean motivated, or mortuaried?

[hudlow]

It's plain to see that AOC will be sporting dreads this season.

[flyingdutchdevil]

It's plain to see that AOC will be sporting dreads this season.

Not the kind of weight I want AOC to put on...

[lotusland]

I’d say he’s on the right track shooting 3s and floaters. Alex will probably be guarded close on the 3pt line next year. He’ll need to make them pay with a shot fake and drive. If I were JGold and Jack I’d be working on the same thing.

[Billy Dat]

This is now hairdo #3...positively Singler-esque.

[kAzE]

Even last year, if Alex had about 15 pounds of extra muscle, he probably would have been a 15+ mpg rotation guy. That extra shooter could have really opened up the floor. There's no question about the kid's skill level and feel for the game. That body is the only thing holding him back.

[Saratoga2]

Even last year, if Alex had about 15 pounds of extra muscle, he probably would have been a 15+ mpg rotation guy. That extra shooter could have really opened up the floor. There's no question about the kid's skill level and feel for the game. That body is the only thing holding him back.

He has excellent height and a good skill set to be a shooting guard at any level, although he would be better if he could speed up his release without hurting his accuracy. His strength is still a big question as he still looks like 6'5" and 180 pounds. Like to see what he would look like at 195 pounds.

[Edouble]

Even last year, if Alex had about 15 pounds of extra muscle, he probably would have been a 15+ mpg rotation guy. That extra shooter could have really opened up the floor. There's no question about the kid's skill level and feel for the game. That body is the only thing holding him back.

Shaun Livingston is 6'7" 192 lbs.

It's not about weight, it's about strength. Body mass and strength aren't the same thing.

[Jim3k]

Pistol Pete was only 6-5. Alex is 6-6. Maravich did not get to 200 lbs until he was well into his pro career. In college he was a gangling 175-185 whippet. Obviously I don't think AOC is the next Maravich, given Pete's uncanny shooting, but their body styles are the same with a slight height edge to O'Connell. If Alex gains strength at the same rate Pistol did, he will be real tough to handle.

[kAzE]

Pistol Pete was only 6-5. Alex is 6-6. Maravich did not get to 200 lbs until he was well into his pro career. In college he was a gangling 175-185 whippet. Obviously I don't think AOC is the next Maravich, given Pete's uncanny shooting, but their body styles are the same with a slight height edge to O'Connell. If Alex gains strength at the same rate Pistol did, he will be real tough to handle.

Alex would probably be fine if he played in the 1970s . . . basketball players are generally way stronger these days.


Shaun Livingston is 6'7" 192 lbs.

It's not about weight, it's about strength. Body mass and strength aren't the same thing.

For sure. I did say 15 pounds of muscle, did I not?

[Edouble]

For sure. I did say 15 pounds of muscle, did I not?

Well, muscle mass and strength are not the same thing.

You can gain tons of strength without gaining a pound of muscle. That's why it's called strength training (gaining strength), which is very different than bodybuilding (gaining muscle). Muscle fibers and your CNS adapt to progressive resistance. Moving heavy weights (deadlifts, squats, bench) and using explosive movements and plyometrics (cleans, box jumps, sprints) will get you stronger without you having to gain any weight.

[UrinalCake]

Richard Hamilton and Reggie Miller are my go-to examples for skinny guys having NBA success. Alex isn’t as athletic as either of those two, but could play a similar style.

[kAzE]

Well, muscle mass and strength are not the same thing.

You can gain tons of strength without gaining a pound of muscle. That's why it's called strength training (gaining strength), which is very different than bodybuilding (gaining muscle). Muscle fibers and your CNS adapt to progressive resistance. Moving heavy weights (deadlifts, squats, bench) and using explosive movements and plyometrics (cleans, box jumps, sprints) will get you stronger without you having to gain any weight.

I agree, strength is more important than mass. But you're underselling the benefit of having some weight. If you show up to an NBA game weighing 150 pounds, I don't care how strong you are, you'll get killed. I'm not saying you have to be LeBron, but for a 6'5" kid, 190+ would be ideal. You need both.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

Richard Hamilton and Reggie Miller are my go-to examples for skinny guys having NBA success. Alex isn’t as athletic as either of those two, but could play a similar style.

What about Manute Bol?

[sagegrouse]

I agree, strength is more important than mass. But you're underselling the benefit of having some weight. If you show up to an NBA game weighing 150 pounds, I don't care how strong you are, you'll get killed. I'm not saying you have to be LeBron, but for a 6'5" kid, 190+ would be ideal. You need both.

Weight (accompanied by decent muscles) allows one to maintain position, which is crucial in many basketball situations.

[rsvman]

What about Manute Bol?

Ummm.....he was like 7'5" or something ungodly like that.

[devildeac]

Ummm...he was like 7'5" or something ungodly like that.

7-7/200 pounds :eek:

RIP

[DukieInBrasil]

Richard Hamilton and Reggie Miller are my go-to examples for skinny guys having NBA success. Alex isn’t as athletic as either of those two, but could play a similar style.

Reggie Miller was a fantastic shooter, great scorer, all around good player. I guess i didn't see any of Reggie's college games and most of my recollection of him as a player came during those fabled days when MJ's Bulls were always booting the Pacers from the Playoffs, the Celtics prior to that, and my memory of Reggie was as a great shooter but not as an exceptional athlete. Seems that AOC has some pretty sweet hops and he can get up off the floor pretty quickly too, so his athleticism might be better, or it might be that in the NBA Miller knew he wasn't gonna out-athletic many guys so he focused on hunting shots. If AOC comes anywhere close to that kind of professional success, i'll be ecstatic, largely b/c that means that he would really start blowing it up while at Duke, but hopefully still sticking around thru his Jr year (unlike another recent, sweet-shooting SG who left after his 2nd year)

[JasonEvans]

Richard Hamilton and Reggie Miller are my go-to examples for skinny guys having NBA success. Alex isn’t as athletic as either of those two, but could play a similar style.

Tayshaun Prince. Dude could barely fit into his uniform

http://onemanfastbreak.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/tayshaun_prince.jpg

[JasonEvans]

Speaking of skinny...

Remember Kevin Durant when he was at Texas?
https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2016/08/11/kevin-durant-us-olympics-texas.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/53/4e/67/534e6786fd1c6059b47b59079c0298b4.jpg

-Jason "guys get bigger (stronger/filled-out) as they get older" Evans

[NSDukeFan]

I don’t remember Brandon Ingram looking very fat when he was at Duke, but he seemed to do quite well in college and so far in the NBA

[cato]

I don’t remember Brandon Ingram looking very fat when he was at Duke, but he seemed to do quite well in college and so far in the NBA

Brandon Ingram was strong enough for the college game.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Brandon Ingram was strong enough for the college game.

I don’t think he was.

Brandon Ingram was long enough for the college game to mitigate any strength issues.

[DukieTiger]

Here's a nice video of Alex working out. He never should have gotten that haircut and still looks like he needs to hit the gym.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_YN2JiPvQ

A few musings...

First, I saw this post and read “Phase 0” - which made me irrationally excited for June 4. You phase-writers are doing something right!

Second, that is the classic high school and college guy look- just let the hair go. Apart from being an eyesore, AOC should consider his responsibilities as a role model. I remember a young DukieTiger growing his hair out in a most unfortunate way after meeting a shaggy, incoming freshman JJ Redick.

Third, also hair related: I bet that mess is gone by August.

[jimsumner]

Speaking of skinny...

Remember Kevin Durant when he was at Texas?
https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2016/08/11/kevin-durant-us-olympics-texas.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/53/4e/67/534e6786fd1c6059b47b59079c0298b4.jpg

-Jason "guys get bigger (stronger/filled-out) as they get older" Evans

Some of us just get bigger.

[Duke76]

Here's a nice video of Alex working out. He never should have gotten that haircut and still looks like he needs to hit the gym.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_YN2JiPvQ

I was at Duke with his Dad...now he looks more like him.

[JNort]

Some of us just get bigger.

I still think Steph at Davidson looked the worst. Looked like they didn't have a jersey that would fit


83938393

[BeachBlueDevil]

I see Reggie Miller was brought up earlier in this thread and today he did his usual Tuesday spot on Dan Patrick and the draft was brought up and Trae Young (I think) being pretty slight. Dan than brought up how Reggie was 6'7 and 170 when he was drafted. Reggie called that "generous" but brought up all the push-ups and pull-ups he did at UCLA and he called himself "wiry strong". He likened being "wiry strong" to not allowing to people to run through him and being able to slow them down.

As we sit here and talk about Alex needing to put on muscle (he looked bigger to me in this video than he did at the start of the season) is it really needed? I think to some extent, sure. But if he doesn't put on this elusive 15lbs of muscle and only puts on 5-10lbs of muscle, I'm sure he'll be survive and be able to contribute to Duke basketball on both ends.

[sagegrouse]

I was at Duke with his Dad...now he looks more like him.

I think alex looks good with longer hair -- a bit like Luke Kennard, except Alex looks 20. not 40. IMHO (where the H has been missing for over a decade), Singler's hair wasn't like Alex's at all -- it didn't have a scintilla of curl in it.