HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Posts: 1,329
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Mar 21, 2019 16:57:49 GMT -5
In regards to saying Mac didn't develop much during the season, I would say that is simply not true. Early in the season Pat would rarely even play him for the last 5-10 minutes of a close game, by the end of the year, (last night excluded) he along with James was our most clutch player at the end of games. While he's certainly not a defensive force, his defense most definitely improved over the course of the season, and he even showed in a few particular games that when he's really focused on that end, he's actually capable of being an above average defender. Another area of improvement was his handle, it really stood out to me in last nights game. The way he weaved through traffic for that layup off the steal was a thing of a beauty. He also had a few other plays where I thought he relied on shiftiness and his handle, ala James, to get past his defender, instead of simply relying on his first step as he did earlier in the year. His passing also improved. I would go so far as to say that in last nights game he was the best passer on the team. He had 4 assists and another 3 or 4 great passes that would've been assists but the guy he passed to ended up getting fouled. He had the one bad turnover towards the end on the drive and dish to Leblanc, but aside from that his passing was money last night. His outside shot kind of went through phases during the year. Started out horrible, became pretty good, then became pretty bad. Obviously consistency is key. The potential to be a good shooter is there though, just needs to continue to work on it. He closed the year out with 2 subpar performances and for that I think some people are unjustifiably down on him. I actually thought he played a good game last night from the standpoint of his passing and shot selection. The outside shots just weren't falling... it happens to everyone, just look at some of Markus Howard's recent performances. As far as his ceiling is concerned I would have to say it's considerably higher than James. When you talk about ceiling, it usually involves two things, size and athleticism, two areas James is majorly deficient in, while both Mac and Josh have athleticism in abundance. Why? Because these are the two areas you can't teach or learn, you're born with it or you're not. Also you have to look at what James did this year and ask yourself how much better can he be? 13 and 5 from your PG is quite good, I would say around 16 and 7 with improved shooting percentages and lower turnovers is his ceiling. On the flip side, if Mac can improve his shooting, he absolutely could be a 20+ guy in the mold of Howard/Powell. I don't expect that for next year, as I assume Yurt will take Jessies role as the number 1 option on offense, but depending if Yurt leaves after next year and what kind of recruits/transfers they get, I could definitely see Junior or Senior year Mac in that 22-25 ppg realm. For next year I'd like to see him around 16 ppg, 4 boards, and 3 assists per game. Get the FG% close to 45 and the 3% around 35 and I'll be very happy. If you want to talk about basketball athleticism, then Akinjo has Mac beat. If you want to equate jumping ability and hang time to athleticism, then you are missing out the athletic aspects that control 95% of the game including any that have to do with playing defense at the guard position.
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rlo24
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 337
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Post by rlo24 on Mar 21, 2019 16:59:52 GMT -5
There's some quality basketball so far today in the NCAA. Love watching these teams that move the ball (HUGE) contrast to the Hoyas. Ja Morant is a guy I'm hoping Mac is watching close. Plays fast and is dynamic, but he's patient and sets up his teammates when he draws triple teams going to the hole. I have no doubt he'll get there. Can't wait to see him healthy next year!
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Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,641
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Mar 21, 2019 17:19:27 GMT -5
Mac has a very high ceiling. If he improves his shooting, he will not be stoppable. Also, Alexander will start next year and is just what the doctor ordered.
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Post by cgallstar02 on Mar 21, 2019 17:31:24 GMT -5
In regards to saying Mac didn't develop much during the season, I would say that is simply not true. Early in the season Pat would rarely even play him for the last 5-10 minutes of a close game, by the end of the year, (last night excluded) he along with James was our most clutch player at the end of games. While he's certainly not a defensive force, his defense most definitely improved over the course of the season, and he even showed in a few particular games that when he's really focused on that end, he's actually capable of being an above average defender. Another area of improvement was his handle, it really stood out to me in last nights game. The way he weaved through traffic for that layup off the steal was a thing of a beauty. He also had a few other plays where I thought he relied on shiftiness and his handle, ala James, to get past his defender, instead of simply relying on his first step as he did earlier in the year. His passing also improved. I would go so far as to say that in last nights game he was the best passer on the team. He had 4 assists and another 3 or 4 great passes that would've been assists but the guy he passed to ended up getting fouled. He had the one bad turnover towards the end on the drive and dish to Leblanc, but aside from that his passing was money last night. His outside shot kind of went through phases during the year. Started out horrible, became pretty good, then became pretty bad. Obviously consistency is key. The potential to be a good shooter is there though, just needs to continue to work on it. He closed the year out with 2 subpar performances and for that I think some people are unjustifiably down on him. I actually thought he played a good game last night from the standpoint of his passing and shot selection. The outside shots just weren't falling... it happens to everyone, just look at some of Markus Howard's recent performances. As far as his ceiling is concerned I would have to say it's considerably higher than James. When you talk about ceiling, it usually involves two things, size and athleticism, two areas James is majorly deficient in, while both Mac and Josh have athleticism in abundance. Why? Because these are the two areas you can't teach or learn, you're born with it or you're not. Also you have to look at what James did this year and ask yourself how much better can he be? 13 and 5 from your PG is quite good, I would say around 16 and 7 with improved shooting percentages and lower turnovers is his ceiling. On the flip side, if Mac can improve his shooting, he absolutely could be a 20+ guy in the mold of Howard/Powell. I don't expect that for next year, as I assume Yurt will take Jessies role as the number 1 option on offense, but depending if Yurt leaves after next year and what kind of recruits/transfers they get, I could definitely see Junior or Senior year Mac in that 22-25 ppg realm. For next year I'd like to see him around 16 ppg, 4 boards, and 3 assists per game. Get the FG% close to 45 and the 3% around 35 and I'll be very happy. If you want to talk about basketball athleticism, then Akinjo has Mac beat. If you want to equate jumping ability and hang time to athleticism, then you are missing out the athletic aspects that control 95% of the game including any that have to do with playing defense at the guard position. So being a better defender equates being a better athlete? I guess Zach Lavine is one of the worst athletes in the NBA, while Bruce Bowen is one of the greatest athletes in NBA history. This would also make James a better athlete than Ja Morant. Interesting theory.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Posts: 1,329
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Mar 21, 2019 17:47:55 GMT -5
If you want to talk about basketball athleticism, then Akinjo has Mac beat. If you want to equate jumping ability and hang time to athleticism, then you are missing out the athletic aspects that control 95% of the game including any that have to do with playing defense at the guard position. So being a better defender equates being a better athlete? I guess Zach Lavine is one of the worst athletes in the NBA, while Bruce Bowen is one of the greatest athletes in NBA history. This would also make James a better athlete than Ja Morant. Interesting theory. Nope, but nice try. Ability to change direction,having a quick twitch, acceleration and deceleration are all things that make a good athlete. If you really believe that Mac is a better athlete than Akinjo who probably rivals Leblanc in terms of pure athleticism, then I don't know what to tell you.
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drquigley
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,372
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Post by drquigley on Mar 21, 2019 17:51:04 GMT -5
Can we get back to Mac? As you all know he had me with hello. Hey folks, he's a freshman from Gate City, Va. Sure he has a lot to improve on but once he starts draining 3's (which he can e.g. Nova) he will be a monster. Tell me you don't love it when he takes his man off the dribble and goes to the hoop. How quickly we forget. When was the last time we had a a FRESHMAN GU guard was this exciting? Sleepy Floyd? People, we had the best freshman backcourt in the BE this year and it will only get better.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Mar 21, 2019 17:56:10 GMT -5
Can we get back to Mac? As you all know he had me with hello. Hey folks, he's a freshman from Gate City, Va. Sure he has a lot to improve on but once he starts draining 3's (which he can e.g. Nova) he will be a monster. Tell me you don't love it when he takes his man off the dribble and goes to the hoop. How quickly we forget. When was the last time we had a a FRESHMAN GU guard was this exciting? Sleepy Floyd? People, we had the best freshman backcourt in the BE this year and it will only get better. I don't know. There was a guy named Iverson that is shaking his head somewhere and doesn't know why.
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Post by cgallstar02 on Mar 21, 2019 18:08:26 GMT -5
So being a better defender equates being a better athlete? I guess Zach Lavine is one of the worst athletes in the NBA, while Bruce Bowen is one of the greatest athletes in NBA history. This would also make James a better athlete than Ja Morant. Interesting theory. Nope, but nice try. Ability to change direction,having a quick twitch, acceleration and deceleration are all things that make a good athlete. If you really believe that Mac is a better athlete than Akinjo who probably rivals Leblanc in terms of pure athleticism, then I don't know what to tell you. I 100% believe that, and it's not even close. James is better than Mac at a lot of things, athleticism is certainly not one of them, and I'm certain not a single NBA scout would agree with you. There's a reason teams play volleyball with James shot every time he goes near the rim.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Mar 21, 2019 18:27:26 GMT -5
Nope, but nice try. Ability to change direction,having a quick twitch, acceleration and deceleration are all things that make a good athlete. If you really believe that Mac is a better athlete than Akinjo who probably rivals Leblanc in terms of pure athleticism, then I don't know what to tell you. I 100% believe that, and it's not even close. James is better than Mac at a lot of things, athleticism is certainly not one of them, and I'm certain not a single NBA scout would agree with you. There's a reason teams play volleyball with James shot every time he goes near the rim. Again. That is the only example you can give is hang time/jumping ability. By the way, Mac has had his shot sent the other way plenty of time this season. Please name one other area where he exhibits more athleticism than Akinjo. Change of direction....nope. Feet movement/side shuffle....nope Acceleration to get from one end of the court to the other....nope There are a bunch of tests done on every athlete a couple of times a year and I'd bet straight standing vertical jump is the o ly one Mac has on Akinjo.
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Post by cgallstar02 on Mar 21, 2019 18:38:46 GMT -5
I 100% believe that, and it's not even close. James is better than Mac at a lot of things, athleticism is certainly not one of them, and I'm certain not a single NBA scout would agree with you. There's a reason teams play volleyball with James shot every time he goes near the rim. Again. That is the only example you can give is hang time/jumping ability. By the way, Mac has had his shot sent the other way plenty of time this season. Please name one other area where he exhibits more athleticism than Akinjo. Change of direction....nope. Feet movement/side shuffle....nope Acceleration to get from one end of the court to the other....nope There are a bunch of tests done on every athlete a couple of times a year and I'd bet straight standing vertical jump is the o ly one Mac has on Akinjo. I'd love to take that action... I'm 100% Mac wins standing vertical as well as max vertical, and about 90+% he takes 3/4 court sprint and the shuttle run... generally speaking speed and vertical leap go hand in hand, not to mention Mac looks significantly faster on the break than James dose. The only thing that James would maybe have a chance to win is the lane agility drill, but the fact Grayson Allen set the combine record last year leads me to believe that Mac would destroy him there too.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Mar 21, 2019 18:44:29 GMT -5
I had to stop after your speed and vertical jump go hand in hand comment. Just not true on any team testing that I've ever been a part of. Well, we can agree to disagree on this one.
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Post by cgallstar02 on Mar 21, 2019 19:32:29 GMT -5
I had to stop after your speed and vertical jump go hand in hand comment. Just not true on any team testing that I've ever been a part of. Well, we can agree to disagree on this one. Take a look at last years NBA combine numbers... out of 54 players tested, 22 of them had a max vertical under 35 inches. Of those 22 guys the one to finish highest in the 3/4 court sprint was Malik Newman at 15th. Additionally, of the top 20 3/4 court sprints, 17 of those guys were in the top 20 for max vertical. Okogie was both number one in max vertical and 3/4 court sprint. Zhaire Smith 3rd in vertical, 2nd in sprint. Lonnie Walker 3rd in sprint, 10th in vertical, Divincenzo, 2nd in vertical, 10th in sprint. If there's no correlation between speed and jumping ability, why then is not a single guy from the bottom 30 for vertical, in the top 10 for speed? Why are two of the top 3 jumpers, also 2 of the top 3 fastest guys? Sure, just cus you got the highest vertical doesn't always mean you'll have the fastest sprint, but I'd say if you crosschecked max vert to sprint times you'd find that 90+% of the time a guys max vert and sprint time would fall with in at most about 10 or so spots of each other. I think it's safe to assume that if James is ever fortunate enough to be invited to the NBA combine, his max vert would be under 35 inches, while Mac's would certainly be in low 40's with a legit chance to get close to or beat the combine record which I believe is around 46. For James then to have a faster sprint time, it would mean that both he and Mac would have to be major exceptions to the rule. Meaning James would be the 1 in 100 player to finish 20 or 30 spots above his vert test on his sprint test and Mac would have to be the 1 in 100 player to finish 20 or 30 spots below his vert test on his sprint test.
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Post by FrazierFanatic on Mar 21, 2019 19:37:40 GMT -5
Wow, it is going to be a loooonnnggg way to November.
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Bigs"R"Us
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Mar 21, 2019 19:49:40 GMT -5
Just need to make it to Kenner. 😉👍🏻
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Eurostar
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,093
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Post by Eurostar on Mar 21, 2019 20:00:27 GMT -5
Please everyone stop comparing one of our guards to the other and saying one is better/worse/more athletic/etc. They are both skilled in different ways and have different things to improve upon. Lets root for the 2 of them to stay together and learn to improve and complement each other for 4 years.
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vv83
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,325
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Post by vv83 on Mar 21, 2019 22:35:50 GMT -5
Wow, it is going to be a loooonnnggg way to November. It always is!
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Post by HometownHoya on Mar 22, 2019 11:30:06 GMT -5
Wow, it is going to be a loooonnnggg way to November. Maybe we need someone to set-up a Yates Combine.
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calhoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by calhoya on Mar 22, 2019 11:36:16 GMT -5
I do believe that McClung needs to do some serious work on his shot and his defense. However, I am also convinced that no one on this team is going to work harder than this kid this off-season to improve. Watching him during the games when he makes a mistake and reading the comments from the coaches about his work ethic removes any doubt about his commitment to getting better. Effort is never going to be an issue with McClung.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 17,696
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 22, 2019 12:31:19 GMT -5
I don't agree at all with the Mac upside discussion.
Or with the idea that he didn't improve during the year - especially on defense. Honestly, the "Mac is terrible on defense" isn't really true; it's just something that people seem to say. There's a whole lot of picking on him for individual plays, but he's improved his positioning quite a bit, he's improved his rebounding, and he's actually one of the best players on the team at closing out outside shooters (low bar). There's just a lot of lazy analysis here -- and in a few cases, something where people are seeing what they want to see.
Improvement-wise, Mac has a ton of potential. He doesn't have a bad shot, and there's no reason he can't up the % 5+ points. Maybe that won't happen this summer, but he just needs to improve some consistency and shot selection.
That will improve his ability to drive. Add in some decision making improvement -- and I don't really get why people think he can't do that -- and the improvement will be exponential. There's no guarantee he gets there, but there's an easily envisionable future where's he an efficient 20 ppg scorer. Probably not next year, but it wouldn't shock me.
If there defense could generate a few more steals, and he's going to get easy points.
This is college. He has the skills, instincts and quickness to be a very good player.
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prhoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 23,239
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Post by prhoya on Mar 22, 2019 12:40:00 GMT -5
I don't agree at all with the Mac upside discussion. Or with the idea that he didn't improve during the year - especially on defense. Honestly, the "Mac is terrible on defense" isn't really true; it's just something that people seem to say. There's a whole lot of picking on him for individual plays, but he's improved his positioning quite a bit, he's improved his rebounding, and he's actually one of the best players on the team at closing out outside shooters (low bar). There's just a lot of lazy analysis here -- and in a few cases, something where people are seeing what they want to see. Improvement-wise, Mac has a ton of potential. He doesn't have a bad shot, and there's no reason he can't up the % 5+ points. Maybe that won't happen this summer, but he just needs to improve some consistency and shot selection. That will improve his ability to drive. Add in some decision making improvement -- and I don't really get why people think he can't do that -- and the improvement will be exponential. There's no guarantee he gets there, but there's an easily envisionable future where's he an efficient 20 ppg scorer. Probably not next year, but it wouldn't shock me. If there defense could generate a few more steals, and he's going to get easy points. This is college. He has the skills, instincts and quickness to be a very good player. Exactly. Next year, if Omer and Galen play aggressively and to their abilities, we'll have 5 players who will need to be guarded when on the court together. No more defenders laying off no-shot Mosely or low-percentage Pickett or timid Kaleb to double-team someone else. Mac will be one-v-one a lot. He will score a lot.
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