Sharpshooter.
Mackenzie Mgbako came to Indiana with one of the purest jumpers in his recruiting class, and by the end of last season, he was Indiana’s best shooter.
Like many freshmen, he got off to a slow start, but once he got going, nobody in the Big Ten had much of an answer. He hit multiple threes in five of Indiana’s last six wins, going on to win Big Ten freshman of the year.
While I like the potential of Kanaan Carlyle and Myles Rice from 3-point range, Mgbako remains the best shooter in the starting lineup that we’ve now seen through two exhibitions. His role will be to shoot. A lot.
The addition of Luke Goode, a career 38.8% shooter from deep, will alleviate some of the pressure for Mgbako. With Goode coming off the bench though, Mgbako should lead this team in 3-point attempts in most games.
This may sound like an oversimplification, but Indiana’s struggles from 3-point range cannot be overstated. Indiana was 255th in 3-point percentage last year and 351st in offensive production from behind the arc. That has to change to modernize this offense.
With more playmaking guards, getting up a high-volume of shots should be easier, in theory. Mgbako’s shooting isn’t a secret though, and he’ll be drawing attention on the perimeter from the first game through the last game this year.
When the offense does create open looks for him, Indiana needs Mgbako to shoot. There are enough players that can get a bucket in the paint that the Hoosiers will not need Mgbako to catch and drive often.
He’ll also have to continue to make contested jumpers and get more comfortable creating his own shots from distance, both for his own NBA draft stock and Indiana’s ceiling this year.
We saw last year that Mgbako is comfortable using his 6’9” frame to shoot over defenders that gave him even an inch of space, something he’ll have to continue with the attention he’ll get this year.
The defensive expectations will be higher for Mgbako this year too. Along with his shooting struggles, his tendency to get lost on defense cost him a lot of minutes in the early going last season.
Though he improved as the year went on, Mgbako will now be expected to guard both wings and fours, which will test his strength and lateral quickness. He has Bryson Tucker and Luke Goode to help him out if he struggles, but Indiana wants Mgbako on the floor as much as possible.
This’ll be even more pivotal if Mgbako sees time at the four. That spot is very, very important to Mike Woodson’s defensive system. He’s gotta have that down if the Hoosiers are going to put him at that spot.
The supporting cast around him should make it easier for Mgbako to take another step forward and avoid a sophomore slump. He’s being asked to do more in that he’ll see time at two positions, but his role on offense should be straightforward enough that it’s mostly a defensive adjustment he’ll need to make.