Quick Kunkel Stats

[MHettel]

Lots of opinions and discussions about how valuable Kunkel is, and whether his playing style and production will be worthy of significant minutes this year or not.

Without having done any analysis, my GUT says that we need Kunkel as a "shot getter" on a team with seemingly few guys that can create their own shot whenever they want. What I'm describing is a guy that can get a jumper off when he already has the ball in his hands. Sounds like a common skill, but it's not. Most guys can catch-and shoot. Scruggs could drive, or post and fadeaway, but not create space for an off the dribble jumper. Johnson couldnt do it. Haven't seen Jones do it. Tandy hasn't shown it. Big guys generally never do this, and we dont know anything about the Freshmen. Cant say I know much about Boum, but he gets to the line ALOT, so I'll assume he has an attacking style.

So, will Kunkel fill that need, and how good would he be if that's what we count on him for.

A few Stats:

Kunkle took .35 shots per minute last year, and .361 per minute the year prior. His average at XU of .353 would put him slightly ahead of Semaj for #6 most shots per minute out of 75 recent XU Players. Ahead of him? Crawford, Kanter, Lenny, Trevon, and.......TANDY.

So, yeah. He shoots ALOT.

But what REALLY matters is Points, right? He averages .380 Points per minute at XU. For this stat he would rank 37th among the 75 former players......YIKES.

So he takes the 6th most amount of shots and scores the 37th most amount of points. So how do you improve on that?

He could take less shots, right? Stick to the higher percentage shots which would lead to more success and a higher %. Thats the magic trick right. Its not just less OVERALL shots, its less of the tough ones. And ideally, and increase in the shooting % of the easy, open shots.

Is he even capable? in his sophomore year at Belmont he put up numbers that when compared to the 75 XU players would have ranked him #2 in Shot attempts per minute and #3 in points per minute. This is Jordan Crawford territory. So yeah, he can do it....against Belmont level competition at least.

he could be a deadly offensive threat, but as of now I'm viewing him as a net negative on offense. Unless we need a microwave off the bench in a comeback situation, I dont see him getting that many minutes with that offensive efficiency. And his relative size and strength add nothing on defense.

I'm convinced we need a "shot getter" on offense, but I'm not sure if Kunkel is the guy.

[drudy23]

Good stats - and I think they back up what we see with our eyes. He's a shot hunter, and has the ability to make tough ones, but often shoots very low percentage and difficult shots. He needs to improve his shot selection. Doing so will lead to a better offensive efficiency.

The old adage - just because you CAN shoot that shot, doesn't mean you should.

As I've said, he could be a very valuable asset on this team - but not as what he's been.

[xu82]

COACHING.

I’d like to think that we will see a LOT of players doing things better than we’ve seen in recent years. I found it painful to watch at times. I hope we are done with most of that.

[MADXSTER]

My prediction is that Kunkel will get 23-25 minutes per game. I do think he is a BE caliber player. There are a number of things that do not show up on stats in which I think that Kunkel provides. Such as ballhandling - last year IMO he was our best ballhandler. High IQ and court vision. He was also one of the few guys who actually played help defense last year and he draws fouls.

He may not be a great defender but he is an adequate defender.

Belmont plays within a system pretty much how most good teams do. I think we will see improvements in many players once they start playing within a system offense again.

[xukeith]

My prediction is that Kunkel will get 23-25 minutes per game. I do think he is a BE caliber player. There are a number of things that do not show up on stats in which I think that Kunkel provides. Such as ballhandling - last year IMO he was our best ballhandler. High IQ and court vision. He was also one of the few guys who actually played help defense last year and he draws fouls.

He may not be a great defender but he is an adequate defender.

Belmont plays within a system pretty much how most good teams do. I think we will see improvements in many players once they start playing within a system offense again.

What criteria does a BE caliber player need to be described as a BE caliber player?
Do BE players pass the ball well?
Shoot a lot?
Defennd ?
Make freethrows?
Is Kunkel above/below average compared to all BE shooting guards?

[MHettel]

What criteria does a BE caliber player need to be described as a BE caliber player?
Do BE players pass the ball well?
Shoot a lot?
Defennd ?
Make freethrows?
Is Kunkel above/below average compared to all BE shooting guards?

To me, it's the combination of size and athleticism. If a player is overwhelmed on defense due to an opponents size and athleticism, then that would call into question whether they are "Big East Level". Same with offense. If their offensive skills are negated by opponents size and athleticism, then that also point to a player not being "Big East level"

Kunkel is a PERFECT example of this. As a sophomore at Belmont, he's putting a shot up almost every 35 seconds AND he's elite efficient. Yet 2 years later (and reportedly much stronger and bigger) and he's taking fewer shots and demonstrating average efficiency. What Changed? He's 2 years older and we all know how a player fills out from ages 19 to 21.

Keonte Kennedy, Kamal Richards, Elias Harden, Dontarius James, Makinde London, Larry Austin,Daniel Ramsey.

They you have guys like Carter, Miles and Stanley. They actually got PT (or were in line to) but you can SEE that they just arent playing at the right level.

Trevon may be the outlier here. In spite of his 'tweener" size and limited athleticism, he was so skilled as a scorer he could overcome that. Nobody else on the list above really was dripping with any particular skill.

We will know in a few weeks where Kunkel stands. If he's not offensively efficient, then I don't know why he'd be out there.

[drudy23]

To me, it's the combination of size and athleticism. If a player is overwhelmed on defense due to an opponents size and athleticism, then that would call into question whether they are "Big East Level". Same with offense. If their offensive skills are negated by opponents size and athleticism, then that also point to a player not being "Big East level"

Kunkel is a PERFECT example of this. As a sophomore at Belmont, he's putting a shot up almost every 35 seconds AND he's elite efficient. Yet 2 years later (and reportedly much stronger and bigger) and he's taking fewer shots and demonstrating average efficiency. What Changed? He's 2 years older and we all know how a player fills out from ages 19 to 21.

Keonte Kennedy, Kamal Richards, Elias Harden, Dontarius James, Makinde London, Larry Austin,Daniel Ramsey.

They you have guys like Carter, Miles and Stanley. They actually got PT (or were in line to) but you can SEE that they just arent playing at the right level.

Trevon may be the outlier here. In spite of his 'tweener" size and limited athleticism, he was so skilled as a scorer he could overcome that. Nobody else on the list above really was dripping with any particular skill.

We will know in a few weeks where Kunkel stands. If he's not offensively efficient, then I don't know why he'd be out there.

This is absolutely the right answer. It's much harder to get open against Big East caliber competition. They are bigger, they are stronger, and they are more athletic. I'm not surprised his shooting percentage took a hit, as going from competition in the Ohio Valley to the Big East is a significant jump. His shots have become harder because it's not nearly as easy for him to get open/easy shots.

Let's hope that changes within an offense that works. He will make open/easier shots, but needs an efficient offense to allow it.

[Blue Blooded-05]

The thing with Kunkel is the "what if" factor.

The guy is the streakiest player I can remember. We have all witnessed times when he came off the bench and was the best player on the floor. We have also witnessed him going 0-7 and committing 2 turnovers in the span of minutes.

There is little in between with him.

Here are some interesting stats on his streakiness:
- Over his 2 years at Xavier Kunkel is shooting 72/230 (31%) from three over 50 games.
- There are 16 games where he shot a combined 0/40 from three
- Take those 16 games away and he's shooting 38% from three.
- He is 59/134 (44%) in games when he makes 2 or more threes (21 games)
- He is 13/96 (13.5%) in games when he makes 1 or fewer threes (29 games)

I couldn't find this stat, but I would imagine his shooting percentage is much higher in games when he makes his first three. The problem is you need to put him on the floor to find out which version you're going to get.

All this said, if we needed a three at the end of a game and I was setting the lineup, no doubt I would put Adam on the floor. He has the "what if" factor.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

My prediction is that Kunkel will get 23-25 minutes per game. I do think he is a BE caliber player. There are a number of things that do not show up on stats in which I think that Kunkel provides. Such as ballhandling - last year IMO he was our best ballhandler. High IQ and court vision. He was also one of the few guys who actually played help defense last year and he draws fouls.

He may not be a great defender but he is an adequate defender.

Belmont plays within a system pretty much how most good teams do. I think we will see improvements in many players once they start playing within a system offense again.

Agree that Kunkel will play important minutes. And, he should. I can think of two B.E. games, the season prior to last year, that Kunkel's play was decisive. One of the opponents was Marquette, the other I cannot recall. In the first game, Kunkel drove the lane, saw the defender leaving Scruggs to come to him, passed to Scruggs in the corner who flipped it to Colby for the game winner. That play occurred because Kunkel showed initiative---he became the "shot getter" Hettle identified him as. The second time which I think was Marquette, he hit the game winner at the buzzer. Last year, Kunkel was a driving force in the NIT run. The guy makes things happen.

That's not to say that I don't recall him imitating Steph Curry's range, without Curry's accuracy or that he isn't streaky or that he should be a more accurate free throw shooter than he has, so far, been. Put a little more discipline into his game and he is an important cog this season. I am impressed with Claude and Craft but does anybody think these two freshmen are going to play better than proven veterans? I do not and that is no disrespect to either of them.

Absent Claude, Kraft and Boum, this year's team is essentially last year's team. Older, wiser and most importantly, led by a far, far superior coach. I think we will see that from the get-go.

My prediction............Kunkel plays a lot.

[BigMoeMusketeer]

I'm on the opposite end from many, I don't think Kunkel and Sean are a good match for what Adam does (and doesn't do), and I don't think he plays a lot. In fact, I think his minutes go down as the season progresses, both because younger guys are finding their legs at this level, but equally because the things in Adam's game that I think will rub Sean the wrong way will just continue to bug him (Sean). The inability to keep his man from the basket, poor shot selection (including drifting and not getting set), more "rah rah" than effective, and not being able to box out wings on long shot attempts on the defensive end. I think he'll get plenty of chances / minutes early, but I think it will erode throughout the year.

I actually hope I'm wrong, I like the young man personally and I know how much he wants it, I just don't think it is a good match of player and coach in terms of skills / abilities and what the coach expects / demands.

[MHettel]

I'm on the opposite end from many, I don't think Kunkel and Sean are a good match for what Adam does (and doesn't do), and I don't think he plays a lot. In fact, I think his minutes go down as the season progresses, both because younger guys are finding their legs at this level, but equally because the things in Adam's game that I think will rub Sean the wrong way will just continue to bug him (Sean). The inability to keep his man from the basket, poor shot selection (including drifting and not getting set), more "rah rah" than effective, and not being able to box out wings on long shot attempts on the defensive end. I think he'll get plenty of chances / minutes early, but I think it will erode throughout the year.

I actually hope I'm wrong, I like the young man personally and I know how much he wants it, I just don't think it is a good match of player and coach in terms of skills / abilities and what the coach expects / demands.

Kunkel will be a liability on defense. I think thats just a given. So his offensive contribution just needs to outweigh his defensive liability.

Also, there needs to be SOMEONE in the rotation that is a shot getter. Not the catch and shoot kind of guys like Gates and Johnson. and not the attack the rim kind of guys like Holloway or Semaj. You DO NEED these kind of players. But you also need a guy that can create his own shot. Kunkel fits that need. He's either gonna play, or someone else that fits that need will emerge and take his minutes.

But we WILL have a shot getting among our top 6 players.

[whopper]

i think Kunkels defense liability becomes self fulfilling..the other team adjusts their offense to attack him and sometimes it boomerangs if we are able to help without leaving their man. I see effort, some steals and long rebounds. He will be fine, honestly the other teams attacked JP and Trevon. I think he will be great tutor to Claude and Kraft and probably yield some minutes as the year goes on. I am hoping we win some of the early games by enough that KyKy gets some real time as he and Miles may well do an extra year. Cant wait to see some live games as i see Kunkel as a "gamer"...throw out the metrics when the game starts he is ready to go and get results(most good..some bad)

[drudy23]

i think Kunkels defense liability becomes self fulfilling..the other team adjusts their offense to attack him and sometimes it boomerangs if we are able to help without leaving their man. I see effort, some steals and long rebounds. He will be fine, honestly the other teams attacked JP and Trevon. I think he will be great tutor to Claude and Kraft and probably yield some minutes as the year goes on. I am hoping we win some of the early games by enough that KyKy gets some real time as he and Miles may well do an extra year. Cant wait to see some live games as i see Kunkel as a "gamer"...throw out the metrics when the game starts he is ready to go and get results(most good..some bad)

I don't think anyone questions his heart and toughness. He plays hard and is definitely a gamer.

Hope he finds the right fit for him and the team to excel.

[bleedXblue]

I don't think anyone questions his heart and toughness. He plays hard and is definitely a gamer.

Hope he finds the right fit for him and the team to excel.

Exactly

The kid plays hard and gives his all. I love him, but he is not a prototypical Big East guard.

He will get decent minutes this year.....the main reason though is because we don't have a better option right now. IF Claude can get decent PG minutes that shifts Boum over more to the 2. That will dramatically impact Kunk's minutes. Guaranteed.

[MADXSTER]

I watch every game at least twice and quite a few three times. The first to just watch the game. The second and third to watch individual players. Kunkel may be undersized for sure but personally I don't see the defensive liabilities that you guys are harping on. Most times he was the only guy boxing his guy out 20 feet from the basket. He plays offside help defense which I can tell you that Goodin NEVER did. His biggest flaw on defense is fighting thru screens which happens to a lot of players. If anyone's defense is a true threat to losing games it's Freemantle. He has been horrible since his freshman year. And I mean horrible. I'm not saying that Kunkel is first or second team BE but he is more than serviceable in this league.

[paulxu]

Kunkel may be undersized for sure but personally I don't see the defensive liabilities that you guys are harping on.

It's called the "Redford Factor."

[drudy23]

He's just a small body when you compare that to most Big East guards. He's a good piece. He's neither as good nor as bad as people are making him out to be.

Rotational role player, whether he's starting or coming off the bench - but very important.

[MHettel]

I watch every game at least twice and quite a few three times. The first to just watch the game. The second and third to watch individual players. Kunkel may be undersized for sure but personally I don't see the defensive liabilities that you guys are harping on. Most times he was the only guy boxing his guy out 20 feet from the basket. He plays offside help defense which I can tell you that Goodin NEVER did. His biggest flaw on defense is fighting thru screens which happens to a lot of players. If anyone's defense is a true threat to losing games it's Freemantle. He has been horrible since his freshman year. And I mean horrible. I'm not saying that Kunkel is first or second team BE but he is more than serviceable in this league.

Agree mostly with this. Kunkle is not a bad defender. But he doesnt have elite size, strength or quickness to match up with guys that DO have those elite skills. Its a tall order to play defense at this level. He's playing with the cards he's been dealt, and frankly I think he's maximized his abilities. He's just outmatched on the size , strength, quickness scale. NOT a knock on him, just an assessment of what I see.

And Free is a traffic cone on defense for sure. You could see games where it was entirely obvious that once the ball got in the past, the man was gonna get a shot up. not even a hint of making a pass out of the post. This was an obvious game plan to take advantage of free or draw a foul. Offensively, he's VERY good in the post, but not if he's sitting on the bench because of his lousy D. If I coached against X, my main plan to negate Free on offense would be to abuse him on defense.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

And Free is a traffic cone on defense for sure. You could see games where it was entirely obvious that once the ball got in the past, the man was gonna get a shot up. not even a hint of making a pass out of the post. This was an obvious game plan to take advantage of free or draw a foul. Offensively, he's VERY good in the post, but not if he's sitting on the bench because of his lousy D. If I coached against X, my main plan to negate Free on offense would be to abuse him on defense.

So that begs the question. We have plenty of alternatives to Kunkel if his play does not measure up. I agree with the above statement about Free's defensive liabilities. In fact, there's probably lots of agreement on this board judging from the game comments over the last couple of years. It isn't clear to me who gets Zach's minutes if his defensive play remains poor.

How much P.T. do posters envision for Zach and, if he's on the bench, who replaces him? I guess I would expect to see Edwards but not sure how well he can play. Thoughts?

[MHettel]

So that begs the question. We have plenty of alternatives to Kunkel if his play does not measure up. I agree with the above statement about Free's defensive liabilities. In fact, there's probably lots of agreement on this board judging from the game comments over the last couple of years. It isn't clear to me who gets Zach's minutes if his defensive play remains poor.

How much P.T. do posters envision for Zach and, if he's on the bench, who replaces him? I guess I would expect to see Edwards but not sure how well he can play. Thoughts?

I see Free playing alot of minutes, in spite of his defense. There just isn't an alternative. Hunter is possibly a better interior defender than Free, but he's more of a 3/4 that can guard a little on the perimeter where Free is a 4/5 that needs to stay in the post. You dont want Free to switch onto someone that can shoot or drive, cause that is actually worse. If the opposition is clearly just trying to feed Free's man, maybe send some help from the perimeter, or have the 5 cheat over and try to get the off ball swat? What we CANT do is just let a team go after Free over and over for free buckets all night. Taking him out of the game feeds their strategy. Doubt we see any zone, other than the occasional gimmick.

Maybe work with Free to keep him man a little further from the basket before the entry pass. He was getting posted DEEP last year. Thats 2 points.

Also, maybe Miles or Edwards can factor in somehow. Edwards may be the backup 4 and could get some minutes, but not TAKE minutes from Free. Possibly Miles plays with Free a little more to beef up the rim protection. But with Miles, we're 4 on 5 offensively, so Free is the only post threat. Thats fine, cause I want him down there...

[IM4X]

To me, it's the combination of size and athleticism. If a player is overwhelmed on defense due to an opponents size and athleticism, then that would call into question whether they are "Big East Level". Same with offense. If their offensive skills are negated by opponents size and athleticism, then that also point to a player not being "Big East level"

Kunkel is a PERFECT example of this. As a sophomore at Belmont, he's putting a shot up almost every 35 seconds AND he's elite efficient. Yet 2 years later (and reportedly much stronger and bigger) and he's taking fewer shots and demonstrating average efficiency. What Changed? He's 2 years older and we all know how a player fills out from ages 19 to 21.

Keonte Kennedy, Kamal Richards, Elias Harden, Dontarius James, Makinde London, Larry Austin,Daniel Ramsey.

They you have guys like Carter, Miles and Stanley. They actually got PT (or were in line to) but you can SEE that they just arent playing at the right level.

Trevon may be the outlier here. In spite of his 'tweener" size and limited athleticism, he was so skilled as a scorer he could overcome that. Nobody else on the list above really was dripping with any particular skill.

We will know in a few weeks where Kunkel stands. If he's not offensively efficient, then I don't know why he'd be out there.

This is indeed a well thought out answer, using very good examples to support your notion of what a BE caliber player is and isn’t.

I will say that Kunkel- unlike most of the players you’ve mentioned above - has shown he can look like a BE caliber player. Sure, he forces up too many quick threes off the dribble, but he has also shown he is capable of passing really well at times against BE completion, he can get hot from three and make shots over big and quick defenders, and unlike most of those players mentioned above he rarely looks like a glaring net negative (when he isn’t forcing threes).

I guess what I am really saying is that it is possible that Kunkel’s biggest issue (and likely Freemantle’s too) is that he has been coached (or not coached) the past two years by an individual who didn’t know how to help him get better or play smarter. Now there’s a head coach in place who can recruit quality talent AND help players develop and tweak their problem areas in their game.

I don’t know how what Kunkel’s ceiling is, but I would be very surprised if he doesn’t show it is higher this season under Miller’s tutelage. The same goes for Free. I think Miller will demand great discipline, focus and attention to detail from all his players. Free may never be defensive player of the year, but I’ve got to believe Miller has been working hard with Zach to improve his defensive toughness in the paint.

[xukeith]

Does Mack get most of the credit for NBA X Alum Naji Marshall or does Steele get soem credit too for Naji's development and fortune?

[MHettel]

Steele gets credit for letting Naji play like an uncoached, selfish NBA player for 2 years

[XU 87]

Good stuff. My thought on Kunkel is last year he took a lot of fast, and bad shots. My other thought is that he was doing what Steele instructed him to do. If he could play with a little more offensive discipline, he could be much more effective.

[XU 87]

Does Mack get most of the credit for NBA X Alum Naji Marshall or does Steele get soem credit too for Naji's development and fortune?

I think you have to give Steele some credit for Naji, but as MHettel notes, it came at a price. Naji was our best player, no doubt, and he made some miraculous shots at the end of some games for the win. But he also often played out of control and put up some ridiculous shots. Looking back, he was a symptom of Steele teams that didn't play with much discipline at times. Steele knew Naji was putting up some dumb shots, but I don't think Steele had the ability to make Naji a more disciplined player.

[XUBison]

Naji should have Ben a first round pick.

[D-West & PO-Z]

As scary as it might be he is 2nd in assists per game and 3 point % in returning players. Hopefully some of the new guys are better than him in those areas though.

He took some bad shots but I saw him as a playmaker with good vision and was always moving. He had some incredible passes but I get some incredibly bad shots which over shadow other plays. I think Miller can reign him in. I think only way Kunkel isnt significant contributor this year in terms of playing time is if Claude and Craft are both legit right out the gate and Kyky shows up.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I watch every game at least twice and quite a few three times. The first to just watch the game. The second and third to watch individual players. Kunkel may be undersized for sure but personally I don't see the defensive liabilities that you guys are harping on. Most times he was the only guy boxing his guy out 20 feet from the basket. He plays offside help defense which I can tell you that Goodin NEVER did. His biggest flaw on defense is fighting thru screens which happens to a lot of players. If anyone's defense is a true threat to losing games it's Freemantle. He has been horrible since his freshman year. And I mean horrible. I'm not saying that Kunkel is first or second team BE but he is more than serviceable in this league.

I will tell you this about fighting through screens. Under Steele, no team in the country was easier to set a pick at the top of the 3 point line and create an easy drive to the basket for the ball handler. It was maddening. Whatever Miller does will be way better than that. It was a whole defensive philosophy not just bad individual defensive players.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Naji should have Ben a first round pick.

Naji has been so much better as a pro than in college. Last two games. Efficient and not selfish. Steele was so in over his head.

MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS

39 53.8 60.0 0.0 6 4 0 2 3 2 17

35 53.8 42.9 80.0 6 5 0 1 2 2 21

[XUBison]

Naji has been so much better as a pro than in college. Last two games. Efficient and not selfish. Steele was so in over his head.

MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS

39 53.8 60.0 0.0 6 4 0 2 3 2 17

35 53.8 42.9 80.0 6 5 0 1 2 2 21

Yep. Naji has size, length, athletic ability, handle, range, and he is an alpha. Yet, under Steele, he looked like a chicken with its head cut off. Thanks for the stats. Good stuff.