Alumni Profile: Rudy Gay

Looking Back: Ever since Rudy Gay signed his max-deal he had been on the trading block with the Grizzlies.  Plus when Memphis had their best run in the Playoffs, it was without Rudy, so they felt comfortable knowing there would be life without Rudy.  Memphis finally pulled off the trade with the Raptors mid-season and he found himself on a new team without any playoff hopes.  He did end the season strong and the Raptors had plenty of positives heading into the new season, but it wasn’t the year that he probably had hoped for.

The Good: He is the most athletic of any UConn Alumni playing right now.  He has a great first step, has a smooth jumper, and can attack the rim.  His jumper has improved and he has developed a nice spot up jump shot.  He is most deadly in the open court where he can take three steps and attack.  He is so quick and athletic that he can out jump and adjust around defenders to get to the rim.

The Bad: It Starts with his defense.  He isn’t known as a tenacious defender and tends to give up too much cushion.  He isn’t the best rebounder and doesn’t like to play in the paint.  Even though his jumper is much improved, he is still a streaky shooter.  The worst is that he should’ve been wearing either eye contacts or glasses and didn’t.  He owed it to his team to play to his best ability and not wearing corrective lenses for cosmetic reasons is unacceptable.

Looking Ahead:  It is a new beginning for Rudy. With a new environment and laser surgery for his vision, he should be playing the best basketball of his life.  If he can limit his turnovers, improve on his defense, and continue to play offense at a high level, then he should have a great season.