PS: Syracuse basketball forward Tyler Roberson wants to prove he's more than just a rebounder

[Jeremy L.]

If that happens, we might not lose a game this year.

I wouldn't go THAT far (as nice as that would be). Robey would probably play himself into the late first round if he developed a jumpshot.

 

[Ringostar57]

More than just a rebounder. He is da MAN !!!

 

[billsin01]

Should check out page 1 again.

I'm pretty sure that was a joke. But as far as the Carolina game, it's pretty tough to judge that the same way you would judge a guy over the course of a season or, even in this case, over the course of the final four run. But even taking into account the fact that the Cuse got bullied and essentially blown out in that one, it's also worth noting that Carolina was playing really well AND running big men into the game in waves. Roberson -- and Lydon for that matter, struggling to get looks and convert offensively shouldn't come as a surprise. He also still managed 9 boards (six on offense) and stayed out of foul trouble (absolutely essential). So clunker? Yes, but he still contributed almost twice as many boards as anyone else on the team and singlehandedly bought them six extra possessions.

I don't know what to expect offensively but he reminds me a lot of the bigs we've had who have been something ranging from relative non-factors (Christmas) to nice complimentary pieces (Rick Jackson) for three years, but then gone on to become studs as seniors. That's at least not out of the question for Roberson (probably not quite the offensive upside, but in terms of overall contributions). I keep looking at Jackson's 13 ppg and 10 rpg and thinking Roberson could be in that vicinity. Maybe 11 and 10? I don't think that's crazy.

 

[two3zone]

I'm pretty sure that was a joke. But as far as the Carolina game, it's pretty tough to judge that the same way you would judge a guy over the course of a season or, even in this case, over the course of the final four run. But even taking into account the fact that the Cuse got bullied and essentially blown out in that one, it's also worth noting that Carolina was playing really well AND running big men into the game in waves. Roberson -- and Lydon for that matter, struggling to get looks and convert offensively shouldn't come as a surprise. He also still managed 9 boards (six on offense) and stayed out of foul trouble (absolutely essential). So clunker? Yes, but he still contributed almost twice as many boards as anyone else on the team and singlehandedly bought them six extra possessions.

I don't know what to expect offensively but he reminds me a lot of the bigs we've had who have been something ranging from relative non-factors (Christmas) to nice complimentary pieces (Rick Jackson) for three years, but then gone on to become studs as seniors. That's at least not out of the question for Roberson (probably not quite the offensive upside, but in terms of overall contributions). I keep looking at Jackson's 13 ppg and 10 rpg and thinking Roberson could be in that vicinity. Maybe 11 and 10? I don't think that's crazy.

Rak and Jackson showed a lot of promise on the offensive end, they just weren't getting the ball. On the defensive end Roberson has shown a lot of improvement, offensive in almost none.

 

[billsin01]

Rak and Jackson showed a lot of promise on the offensive end, they just weren't getting the ball. On the defensive end Roberson has shown a lot of improvement, offensive in almost none.

I agree with the second half of this (that roberson hasn't shown much improvement offensively in his last 65 games), but the first half doesn't make much sense to me. I agree that Roberson hasn't shown much on offense and that Rak had some talent buried inside, but Rak wasn't even a reliable catch-and-finish guy. The dude did absolutely nothing as a frosh -- not unlike roberson -- but failed to average even 6 ppg as a soph and junior. He may have had some post moves in there and may have needed more touches, but that's still absolutely zero offensive production.

Roberson, by comparison, has put up 8 ppg for two straight years and did so much more efficiently this year. Dude has work to do but he's certainly shown more, albeit without quite the potential offensive upside that Rak displayed, in the past two years than Rak did. Again, I don't know that Roberson has Rak's senior season in him anywhere, but I wouldn't bet against him upping his offensive output by a few points and adding another element to his game (15-footer? a go-to post move? More efficient finishing around the basket?)

And with RJ, he was and always will be a smother offensive player than Roberson. But it wasn't like RJ got more touches as a senior -- he simply got more minutes due to the roster situation. He averaged a shot every 3.64 minutes as a junior and 1 every 3.79 minutes as a senior. The evolution was in his body type -- a transformation that allowed him to log a ton of minutes as a senior and become one of the premier post defenders in the league. I could see an engaged, motivated Roberson dominating the glass in ACC play and adding to that a slightly more improved all-around game. That would be a huge step forward from the inconsistent roberson we've seen the past two years.