Mussini really knows how to get out and run off a break. Not with the ball but without it. He will get so many buckets when playing with a real pg or two.
He got a few layups last night against an nonathletic team. Finishing is going to be a problem for him. I have nothing against him and I love that he hasn't pouted since his time has been reduced. I do question how much he can or will contribute on a good team though. Just my assessment.
Ive mentioned it a few times before. You can tell he has been running the wing for a while, gets out wide and takes good angle to the rim once he receives the ball. Opposed to our other guys who run in line with the ball and leave themselves no angle to get to the rim. Of course it doesnt help that our passing is very limited. I think lately Mussini has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to getting foul calls too. Ill stick to my prediction that no matter who is on the team, if Mussini gets 20 minutes a night he'll average double figures.
If Ponds is really good, no shot that happens
Disagree entirely. I'm sure we'll see plenty of three-guard looks with all three. Can't zone that, so who do you put your SF on? He can back up the one and two and when he's really on, he is not leaving the floor. It looks like the staff has some really nice versatility next year to play big or small and that is a great thing to customize every game plan to find the best mismatches.
The kid can flat out score and is the exact type of player our fans having been wining about not having for decades. He gets spacing, angles, he can create off the bounce for himself and others (even if he's not E. Barkley), draws contact, understands the game, and can pull up in midrange. We haven't had multiple talented and skilled guards at one time in a while. Jordan was too rushed and lacked skill, Branch was t aggressive enough nor was he a threat to score consisteh, and Harrison was great. Having three guys that can handle, pass, and score...that is game-changer.
What are you basing "he can flat out score" on? He is averaging 11 points a game on 35% shooting. I guess since you claimed Johnson was going to be ALL BE you are just comparing him to Johnson because based on that criteria their stats are similar.. I do find it funny that Johnson has been killed on these boards while Mussini has been undeservingly praised despite Johnson having a better season.
I think Mussini can be effective coming off screens and getting open looks. If you are looking for anything other than that you are going to be disappointed.
I think the truth is somewhere in between. On the minus side, Mussini is small and weak and will never be big and strong. He is slow, and will never be fast: when I watch him run up court I'm reminded of a cartoon character who runs off the edge of a cliff and windmills his legs for a while before plummeting to his death. That adds up to: he is never going to be a particularly good defensive player. He does not have particulary good court vision: I am thinking in particular here of one play when he was hit in the side of the face with a pass at half court while running the wing on a break. I have seen no evidence that he can "create off the bounce" - in fact he can barely dribble. He will blow by exactly no one and break zero ankles. He does not seem to have a particuarly high BB IQ, although that might have to do with the fact that everyone around him is speaking a foreign language.
On the other hand, he's a freshman. He looks like he should be able to shoot - although so did Heath Orvis, the player he so far reminds me of most. He is sneaky fast going to the basket. He is sneaky in the passing lane - he has fast hands and anticipates well. He accepts contact and is a good FT shooter. After the beating that he's taken he seems discouraged, but not downtrodden - that is, he has a good attitude and seems eager to improve and seems to understand that he is fortunate to be where he is.
On the whole the sort of 4 year player every program needs. But he's no JJ Reddick and if he's the star in two years that means we're not very good. On the other hand if he's Max Hooper, I can live with that.
As to Johnson, he had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in 23 minutes in the first SJU win in two months and afterwards the usual haterZ rip him. Those people are seeing what they want rather than watching the game. There's nothing you can do about that.