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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 10-04-2016, 05:58 PM:

There are two big questions about Briscoe's upcoming 2016-17 season, at least from one media person's eye.

First, will the shooting improve? And if so, will it improve substantially, moderately, or marginally?

If his shooting improves markedly then he could well have a good NBA forecast after the '16-17 year. While some Kentucky fans would love to see Briscoe (or any five-star Calipari recruit, really) stick around for three- or four-years, that's probably the best case scenario, because Briscoe becoming the Briscoe high school scouts expected, at least in terms of his ability to shoot, would mean a dramatically improved forecast for the Cats' team as a whole.

If Briscoe's shooting improves moderately then that could still have a huge impact on this Cats' team. Perhaps the greatest impact and net benefit would be that opponents would have to respect Briscoe's shot. That would be scary for opponents, because Briscoe's production from last year is even more impressive - and this should be considered - from a player who did not have to be respected from outside, and who opponents were not reluctant to put at the free throw line.

But if Briscoe's shot improves only marginally and the same narrative emerges, with only the last few defenders of his old shot finally giving way to an ugly reality, then what impact would it have on his season and Kentucky's?

The Cats could still have a path to the Final Four even with a Briscoe that we saw last year. It'd be easier if he improves his shot, but it's not essential. But as far as Briscoe's own production, one might wonder how much he could realistically improve from freshman to sophomore year unless that improvement is largely driven by a better shot. The more opponents learn his tendencies, gain experience defending him, and the more he plays basketball frustrated by an ice cold touch, the more damaging it could be long term.

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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 10-04-2016, 08:24 PM:

If Briscoe's shooting improves he is going to be one special player.

[ 10-05-2016, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]