Most Improved Player this Year

Who will be the most improved player this year?

  • Gaston Diedhiou

    Votes: 4 7.5%
  • Bakary Konate

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • Dupree Mcbrayer

    Votes: 27 50.9%
  • Ahmad Gilbert

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • Nate Mason

    Votes: 5 9.4%
  • Stephon Sharp

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jordan Murphy

    Votes: 5 9.4%

  • Total voters
    53

I want it to be Konate, but more likely McBrayer.
 

I want it to be Konate, but more likely McBrayer.

If Konate could just learn to catch a ball, that might qualify him for MIP.

I'm with you on Dupree. If ye can shoot the 3 consistently, he is going to have a very nice year. Dupree was really coming into his own right before he was suspended.
 

I'm going with Mason. I think he had a disappointing season last year and he'll really improve this winter.
 

Ill go with Mason better supporting will do wonders for him.Although i would love it if the light bulb went off for Konate
 


Gaston Diedhiou! He just can't be worse and eventually he's going to figure it out. [emoji57]
 

I remember Pitino mentioning McBrayer as having improved a lot, that he has a strong desire and will to get better. If he can develop a reliable 3 point shot, I think he'll be quite a weapon.
 

Konate. He knows Lynch is coming for his minutes. Konate has potential, he just needs a little more polish.
 





Murphy....he gets a mid range jumper going and look out

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Gaston Diedhiou! He just can't be worse and eventually he's going to figure it out. [emoji57]

Gas isn't the only one he need to show he belongs on the team, Gilbert is right there with him IMO.
 

Gaston Diedhiou! He just can't be worse and eventually he's going to figure it out. [emoji57]

I don't think picking someone who could move from dreadful to passable is in the spirit of the question.
 




I am guessing it will be McBrayer. He has so much potential. Murphy also played so well as a frosh. If he could learn to avoid picking up so many fouls early on he will even be even better. I think they will all improve but expect biggest step up to be McBrayer
 

also a vote for Coach Pitino as he can't wait to show people the vast improvement from last year...
 

I am guessing it will be McBrayer. He has so much potential. Murphy also played so well as a frosh. If he could learn to avoid picking up so many fouls early on he will even be even better. I think they will all improve but expect biggest step up to be McBrayer

Agreed. On Murphy - if he can develop a decent mid-range shot (coaches need to strongly encourage him to phase out 3s altogether with 22% output last year) and get more comfortable on the block he could be explosive offensively - gotta finish more bunnies! Hopefully with Reginald coming in that will take some burden off of him defensively and we won't see the early foul trouble as much. Really excited to see what he can do with an improved front court to play with in Lynch and Curry.

I believe I remember Pitino mentioning McBrayer had added 10-15 lbs in one of summer blogs - he does a great job of slinking through defenses and drawing fouls at the rim, hopefully some extra strength will allow him to finish more of those. I expect 3 point shooting to stay where it was at end of last year which was much improved from beginning of season. He was 12-48 on the season from 3, but I seem to recall a stat of him being 3-29 or something ridiculous (shades of Otto) at one point in the season, so his % must have been pretty good late in the season, and against B10 competition to boot.
 

McBrayer shot 38% from 3 in the conference schedule. I thought he was supposed to be at least a decent shooter out of high school. Hopefully he keeps it in the high 30's.

I hadn't even thought about how Lynch's defensive presence might help keep Murphy out of foul trouble, maybe we can leave him in for 30 minutes a game now.

Ryan James also mentioned that he expects Mason's shooting percentages to go up just from not being the only major offensive threat at guard and not taking as many desperation shots at the end of the shot clock.
 

I'm going with Springs. He was totally non-existent last year!
 

If Konate could just learn to catch a ball, that might qualify him for MIP.

I'm with you on Dupree. If ye can shoot the 3 consistently, he is going to have a very nice year. Dupree was really coming into his own right before he was suspended.

If Konate could catch a ball, he'd be a starter for St. Thomas.
 

Gas isn't the only one he need to show he belongs on the team, Gilbert is right there with him IMO.

Gilbert is one I overlook when we talk about whether or not we will have a transfer open up at the end of the year. Gilbert could play Division one basketball so he actually might get a transfer destination, which is the albatross in the Gaston situation I think (I'm being half serious with that). Gilbert is likely, however, one of the few to lose playing time year over year this year, which will likely not sit very well with him. I hope he can stay as enthusiastic on the bench as he was last year as his role is going to change significantly.


As far as Mason's predictions, if you look at his 3pt shooting stats from a year ago, he made same as his freshman year, just took one more shot/game and missed it. As someone else said, poor shot selection, and more focus on him as one of the only creators on the team. I do disagree with someone stating he had a disappointing season last year, averaged just under 14 ppg and 4.5 assists is pretty nice for a sophomore campaign.
 


Konate. He's got the furthest to grow with the exception of Gas but I doubt he sees the floor much this year.
 




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