AJ F'n Abrams

D

dahobbs

100+ Posts
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I for one am glad he is on this team, but I'm probably missing something.
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Was he cramping up at the end? I saw him grab his hammy and walk around pretty gingerly in the last minute or so. I hope it's a cramp and not a muscle pull.
 
As AJ goes, so goes the Horns and that could be the trend this year. UCLA made their run when he was missing in the second half, but he hit a couple of big ones down the stretch.
 
Like I said on the other thread, AJ is what makes the O work. He had an off game against ND but no one else did anything. He is the only player on this team doing anything this season.
 
He was on fire early. Made some big shots near the end of the game. He was definitely the difference in the game.
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AJ played a great game, but has he ever hit one of those floaters he always throws up. Seriously, in 4 years of watching Abrams play I don't think I have ever seen him hit that shot.
 
Maybe you think he was the only one doing anything against ND b/c he was dominating the ball from the point guard position, freezing others out and throwing up stupid shots.

That floater he shoots is horrible.

What's frustrating about AJ is that he is such a great shooter but way to prolific at launching many times ill advised shots. He could make us really great playing within the confines of a team or offense but with his rampant selfishness (apparently) he is a huge liability when the shots don't fall.

I'm glad he's on the team but I wish he would harness his game some. He's a senior so I'm not holding out much hope.

That said, we can't win big without him so I guess I just have to hope that his shots fall late in the tourney when we'll need them.
 
He does hit those floaters about 33% of the time. In fact, he made one last night. I honestly don't mind him taking those this season. We need our gaurds to show they are also an inside threat.
 
Hahaha, you should watch every game if you are going to make a claim like that. He makes that shot about 1 out of 10 times, and that's probably a generous estimate. It's a HORRIBLE shot, especially when it's at like the free throw line and is just thrown at the basket...A.J. is most certainly not the only player doing anything this year. Mason is keeping this team together and Damion/Gary are playing their asses off on both ends. I don't think A.J. is selfish, per se, but he feels like he has to do so much because the rest of the team has been off it's shot (and we only have 3 guys who can dial from deep consistently).
 
What I thought was impressive, a good sign, was that AJ was taking it strong to the basket and getting to the free throw line. You can see why he doesn't do it often, he was getting obliterated, but if he can even make it a threat it'll open up a lot of stuff for this offense.
 
Thank You , my exact comments on a delated post a couple of threads ago !
Barnes was getting on AJ at the end of the first half of the UCLA game because he did not shot the ball and tried to get it to another player. People forget who is running the show and it is Barnes that make up the roles for each player, for better or worse.
AJ brings a lot to the table most of it positive but just like other players some negatives in their games also come out.
 
Why AJ Abrams is vilified here is truly a mystery to me. All he does is put out 100% for Texas - just as he has for 4 years. It is starting to remind me a bit of the Chris Simms situation. Unfortunately I fear that he will not be appreciated until he is gone.

Is the problem that some of you are expecting him to be a prototypical point guard? Well, Abrams will never be TJ Ford. If that makes you hate him then you suck. Abrams can shoot the rock like no other player in Texas basketball history. He gets set AMAZINGLY fast and hits an insane number of very difficult 3-pointers. His turnaround baseline 3-pointer is ridiculous. Is he a point guard? No. Is Barnes trying to make him one? No.

He has also shown an increasing willingness to get all up in his opposing player's jock on defense. It isn't uncommon for Barnes to stick him on players that are 6" taller - and then for Abrams to shut them down. I can only surmise that people aren't watching him - because his defensive effort should turn the harshest critic into a fan.

Is his floater terrible? Absolutely. But he shoots that shot a maximum of 2-3 times per game. Max. If that shot is your biggest criticism of him - you need to open your eyes to the flaws of all of the other players. AJ's is pretty small in comparison - especially given all of AJ's other contributions.

And the complaints of "selfishness" just don't jive with Barnes' own statements that AJ isn't shooting ENOUGH.

You guys should enjoy AJ while he's here. He will be gone before you know it.
 
Shooting 33% from 3 point land is like shooting 50% for 2-pt'ers.

AJ is shooting 44% from 3 point land this year....that's like shooting 62% for 2-pt'ers.
 
Craig Way asked Barnes about AJ's shot selection against Notre Dame. Barnes said he wanted AJ to take more shots. Barnes went on to say that AJ didn't want to because he wasn't 'feeling it'. Barnes told AJ to just keep shooting until he did feel it. Don't blame AJ for his shot selection. Barnes wants him to shoot it, even on an off night.
 
He couldn't hit the floater to save his life a couple of seasons ago (35 percent on twos). Last year, he was much improved (almost 49 percent). This year, it hasn't been so good (42 percent).

I think he's taking more of the offense on himself, and probably for good reason -- Mason's never been focused on offense, and save for Gary Johnson, they're not getting much from the frontcourt guys getting more minutes. My personal preference is that he look to pass, or at least dump, a little more, but if Barnes gives him the green light, what can you do?
 
if he doesn't drive the lane, he doesn't get to the FT line as much. given that he's a 87% career shooter, I like him driving the ball.

and...as Bob alluded to, he did start making it quite a bit more last year.

from an offensive standpoint, AJ is the most skilled player on this team. we need him to keep doing what he's doing.

as I stated on the other AJ thread, no one else on the team can create their own shot. and for whatever reason, our guards seem to be hesitant to get the ball to Dex even when he is open on the block.

I thought our sets looked great in the first half of the game last night. lots of great backdoor cuts leading to open baskets. we seemed to get away from it in the second half.

I'd really like to see Gary Johnson getting the ball more. he is a man.
 
I'm with you LazyEngineer. Everyone is quick to remember the shots that he misses and occassionally forces, but forgets all of the shots that he actually makes. Barnes wants him to shoot the ball - and God knows where this team would be if he didn't.

And, nobody mentions his defensive effort. He was constantly in Shipp's shirt last night. The fact that he holds his own against bigger guards is completely dismissed.

If you don't like the way AJ plays, I suggest that you not watch the Horns this year. He's gonna be a big part of the offense - that ain't gonna change.

Yes, he's gonna have the occassional cold night. And, the haters will quickly be posting about how selfish he is, and how he's not a point guard, blah, blah, blah .... But, it's been a honor to see that kid give us his all for the past four years.
 
my complaints have nothing to do with the shots going in or not it's whether or not they are within the flow of the offense and necessary and what that does to the other guys.

He took some really ill advised shots last night. He takes some really ill advised shots seemingly most games. I have no problem with him shooting 20 or 25 times. I have a problem with those stupid floaters that never go in and the 3 point heat checks with 25 seconds still on the shot clock and before some other guys have touched the ball.

I really can't believe Rick Barnes wants him taking the kind of **** shots I'm talking about. If what he's saying is that he can't pass the ball when he's got an open look from 3 then I agree- and I'm happy with that regardless of whether or not the shot ultimately falls.
 
I actually thought that shot was an alley oop. At least he is trying to make something happen. We need more aggressive plays from Damion James and Johnson. I only recall a couple aggressive scores from James and 1 aggressive move to the basket from Johnson. We can't rely on AJ for all of the offense. I attended the game. I thought it was good attendance for the traditional early Dec Marquee Game compared to years past (Wake Forest). Now if the fans could at least do something(other than sit and watch) during the last 2 minutes when the game is 1 or 2 points away from a loss.
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Abrams had a great game. I like his shot selection a whole lot better. He was not forcing a lot of shots and when he is hot, he is hot. He should take a shot when he has an open look.

I agree that Gary Johnson is a man. We need to be able to get him the ball in the post. That is a problem with our offense right now. We need to be able to feed the ball downlow when the post players are in position.
 
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