The talented freshman kept getting better with time throughout his first year in Bloomington.
Mackenzie Mgbako had an interesting first go around in Bloomington.
He arrived as a late spring decommit after requesting out of his letter of intent with Duke, picking Mike Woodson and Indiana over Bill Self and Kansas. As a five-star top-ten prospect billed as one of the best offensive players in the class of 2023, there was a lot to be excited about.
He lived up to that, but it took time.
It was clear the college game was going to be an adjustment for Mgbako from his first few games. He struggled shooting the ball and looked lost on defense, Mike Woodson’s system on that end of the court is pretty different from what Mgbako saw in high school.
After a win over Harvard in Indianapolis, Woodson stressed that the five-star label doesn’t matter anymore. Mgbako was still a freshman who had to learn, and he expressed faith that he’d get better with time.
Woodson could’ve kept Mgbako off the floor after defensive miscues or missed shots, but instead let him work through it and learn from the experience. The result? A far better end to the season.
His 3-point shooting percentage of 32.7% doesn’t exactly jump off the screen, that number jumps to 35.2% in conference play. His shot started falling as the season went on and he found ways to get to his spots.
Defensively, he went from a guy Indiana struggled to have on the floor late to one it couldn’t afford to take out of the game. He put enough pressure on a defense as an offensive player and became a pretty solid rebounder in the final few games of the season.
He has room to improve, particularly with the ball in his hands and taking additional steps as on defense and the glass. With a few more steps he could be in for an All-Big Ten season as a sophomore as he looks to eventually make the jump to the NBA.