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By Mike Angelina Winning players are so attractive to the eye and stand out so much it’s rather easy to pay attention to them. Players like this force you to watch them enough to the point that you know their game so well. That’s at least how it is for me watching Connecticut’s Shabazz Nappier. The senior is leading UConn to a 20-5 start and No. 21 ranking. He already has a national title under his belt, playing 27 minutes as a freshman as part of one of the greatest defensive efforts a team has ever given. In holding Butler to 41 points, the 2010-11 champion Huskies limited the Bulldogs to fewer than 19% shooting from the floor. Though he did not light up the stat sheet offensively, he was a big part of a team that won five games in five nights and eventually a national title. Again, that was as a freshman. He’s only gotten better since. On Saturday, he played like an absolute champion in leading UConn past No. 20 Memphis. Here’s a quick list of his highlights in his brilliant career-high 34 point performance:
Whenever Connecticut needed someone to make a play, he was there. Get this—he leads the team in points, rebounds and assists. The twist? He’s 6’1”! And basically, those two facts give you brief insight on his pros and cons. He is a gamer and can make plays. He’s improved each of the past two seasons and has a high basketball I.Q. Nappier is fearless and has a deadly step-back shot that he likes to show off. A very good catch-and-shoot guy, he can nail many shots around the floor and fill up a shot chart. In transition he is the guy that often finishes and also thrives off screens, having played with many talents around him. Having said that, he has made great players around him look rather mediocre, none more than Andre Drummond. Now in a star in the NBA, Drummond looked rather pedestrian in college, and you have to wonder if that is a reflection of the point guard not setting him up most effectively. Nappier tends to dribble the ball and hang on to it a bit too much when nothing is really there for himself. There have been times where he maybe wanted to do too much and forced bad shots, when passing it off to a teammate would have worked better. At the next level, there are legitimate concerns about his actual size when it comes to defending players. His wingspan is said to be 6’3” which does not help him make up for his relatively short stature. Against bigger guards in the NBA, that will be a concern. He is quick, but not nearly quick enough to make up for the fast step of a tall, athletic guy like Kyrie Irving or Russell Westbrook. Pro Comparison: Derek Fisher The Verdict: Putting his shortcomings aside, I love Nappier’s game. I think he is a winning player who has matured immensely over the years and can be a very productive facilitator and key player in the right situation. That situation is not the Sixers, as I see Michael Carter-Williams as a pure point guard. I do not think MCW shoots well enough to have back court of himself and Nappier, so Philadelphia would not be a fit. But Nappier has what it takes to be a successful NBA player. |
