Tyler Roberson is very close

[mark79]

to becoming our fourth needed scorer. He is starting to feel more comfortable that he won't be pulled and is showing some real signs of getting over the jitters. He still has a little ways to go still but I believe it won't be long until he is a double double machine.

He took 11 shots against Wake and only made 3 but I don't think it will be long until he makes 5, 6 or 7 of those. He is also getting out on the break well. I'm liking what I'm seeing out of him lately and it's only going to get better.

 

[iommi]

A huge leap will be made when he figures out when he should just catch and shoot, when he should dribble and either pull up or drive to the hoop, and when he should simply pass. He's still thinking out there and not acting instinctually. He is starting to get it, I agree. Tyler's rebounding is his forte right now BECAUSE he's reacting and not thinking.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

to becoming our fourth needed scorer. He is starting to feel more comfortable that he won't be pulled and is showing some real signs of getting over the jitters. He still has a little ways to go still but I believe it won't be long until he is a double double machine.

He took 11 shots against Wake and only made 3 but I don't think it will be long until he makes 5, 6 or 7 of those. He is also getting out on the break well. I'm liking what I'm seeing out of him lately and it's only going to get better.

Getting out on the break has always been his thing. He's much faster getting down the court than most big men. If our guards can keep up with him, one day we may return to the glory days of alley-oops on a fast break.

He is easily my favorite player right now. Love to see him slowly starting to break out of his shell.

 

[Fly Rodder]

8 points, 10 boards, and 1 block a game would be fantastic from Tyler. A couple of put backs, an oop, and a couple of jumpers are all SU needs from him. That and maybe he has a game or two where he goes off for 18-20 because the D focuses a little too much on Rak.

Per 40 he's already averaging a double double.

 

[arrow2arinzesknee]

all mental on the offensive end, when he gets comfortable making decisions without thinking he is going to be special, he already has defense figured out and is tremendous on the glass.

 

[Orange4]

I feel like Tyler knows his role a lot better now. He needs to score but he doesn't need to put up big numbers. Where he does need to put up big numbers is in rebounding and he does that very well. Much improved from where he used to be.

 

[reedny]

to becoming our fourth needed scorer. He is starting to feel more comfortable that he won't be pulled and is showing some real signs of getting over the jitters. He still has a little ways to go still but I believe it won't be long until he is a double double machine.

He took 11 shots against Wake and only made 3 but I don't think it will be long until he makes 5, 6 or 7 of those. He is also getting out on the break well. I'm liking what I'm seeing out of him lately and it's only going to get better.

This is a great point ... because until the light goes on for him, we're vulnerable. Any one of the big 3 has an off night, gets in foul trouble or tweaks a knee or elbow .. and we're pretty much SOL. This is a virtual certainty once we start playing the top half of the ACC. However, if we have a FOURTH scorer ... this would make a big difference. You can't expect the Cooney/Gbinije/Christmas magic show to be gleaming every night, and better teams are going to be able to take at least one of those guys out of rhythm. So having Tyler hit just one or two more of his shots per game would make a difference. He and KJ are both averaging about 6-7 ppg. If TR can get to 10 .. with a little better shooting from KJ, we've made up for CM's lost 9 ppg average.

Now ... I'm not saying that Tyler's going to carry us to the sweet 16. We have no bench and are still a WIP at the point. But if Roberson keeps improving at the present rate .. going from flashes to a steady contribution and figuring out the helpside rotations of the zone ... we could surprise some good teams and possibly make the tournament. That's about all, realistically, we can hope for this year.

 

[senorpalmer]

He threw up some ugly jumpers against Wake. I'd like to see him stick to operating within 10 feet of the basket as far as FG attempts go. He certainly has it in him to be a terror around the glass.

 

[upperdeck]

the more he makes the more he relaxes the more he makes.. and on and on .. stop thinking and shoot. if he starts making them his drive opens up even more..

 

[OrangeAl]

But right now he looks really uncomfortable with the ball in his hands and some space from a defender.

 

[longtimefan]

He threw up some ugly jumpers against Wake. I'd like to see him stick to operating within 10 feet of the basket as far as FG attempts go. He certainly has it in him to be a terror around the glass.

I think 2 of the 3 shots he made vs, Wake Forest were clearly outside that range. His stroke at the FT line indicates good mid-range potential.

 

[RF2044]

Roberson is already rebounding at a high level, and is much better defensively than he was at the beginning of the year. Offensively, he's not quite as comfortable. Right now, his offense consists entirely of point blank shots and that face up jumper. He's comfortable with the jumper and has range, but he is [to his credit] showing some restraint instead of cranking it up every time he's open.

I squarely believe that we can't just get by with the Big Three scoring all the points. We need for Roberson to be a consistent 7 ppg scorer [ditto Kaleb Joseph], to help pick up the slack if one of the Big Three is having an off game, and to put us over the top in games where they are not. We need points. Both Roberson and Joseph can provide them, within the structure of the team offensive concept.

To me, that will be a big determinant of how far this team can go. If we start getting more consistent offensive contributions from Roberson and Joseph, then this team will be dangerous as hell come March.

 

[mark79]

Agree RF. I would not be surprised if JB installed a few more set plays a game run specifically for TR to see if we can get him going.

If he can get his usual two or three put backs and/or a few fouls shots a game off his rebounds, with the addition of a couple of good sets for him and a little fast breaking we could get him to 10 or 12.