Malik Ellison's Improvement

[stjohnschris]

I think Mussini will have a good year. He will likely be utilized in a role that is a much better fit for his skill set. I could see him shooting 40% from behind the arc in the PGIV role. He may have to be hidden on defense...possibly by some zone...so minutes may be limited in some matchups. Ellison has a lot better size and mobility, so more options for minutes on the court for him. If he can develop as a decent spot up shooter, and more discipline on the defensive end, then there will be minutes for him.

I'm a fan of both players, Ellison and Mussini. Both players have the potential to be 4 year contributors and represent the school well, on and off the court. At this point, they are both liabilities on defense...to me, that's the main issue. Ellison looked lost on the court at times, and I never got that impression from Mussini. I think there's a good deal of upside to both players, but their PT will revolve around ability to match up and hold their own on defense more than offense, especially for Mussini.

 

[we are sju]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

 

[Amaseinyourface]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

If the minute discrepancy was more major, like lets say 2 minutes, then maybe

 

[we are sju]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

If the minute discrepancy was more major, like lets say 2 minutes, then maybe

Take into account he started him and if you watched games and unfortunately I did, it def seemed the coaching staff's opinion on them went in different directions as the season wore on.

 

[mjmaherjr]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

lol

 

[stjohnschris]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Playing 21 - 22 minutes per game next season is no small task for the guards and small forwards...we have the fortunate problem (finally) of a deep roster. A largely unproven roster, but deep.

 

[usguard]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

 

[we are sju]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

I am still not sure what criteria people are using to describe Mussini as a "great shooter". I do wish that whatever that criteria is, was around to describe my hitting in college.

 

[austour]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

Can we qualify that as a great spot up shooter who still manages to shoot just 30% from 3.

 

[beast of the east]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

If the minute discrepancy was more major, like lets say 2 minutes, then maybe

Take into account he started him and if you watched games and unfortunately I did, it def seemed the coaching staff's opinion on them went in different directions as the season wore on.

Mussini was benched because he was worn out and the team was going nowhere. His play declined precipitously as he lost weight. Ellison did a good job with the opportunity. Both will have to earn playing time next season

 

[beast of the east]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

I am still not sure what criteria people are using to describe Mussini as a "great shooter". I do wish that whatever that criteria is, was around to describe my hitting in college.

Game 1: Wagner 4-6
Game 2: UMBC 0-3 (8-8 FT)
Game 3: Rutgers 3-11
Game 4: Vanderbilt 1-5
Game 5: Indiana 3-8
Game 6: Chaminade 5-9
Game 7: Fordham 1-5
Game 8: St. Francis 0-5
Game 9: Niagara 2-7
Game 10: Syracuse 5-7

First 10 games 24-56 42.8% from three which is pretty respectable for a freshman.

I would say though, at his height and speed, even with a very quick release, he has to get better looks. Perhaps with a better supporting cast and better conditioning we will see more of this kind of shooting.

 

[SJU1512]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

I am still not sure what criteria people are using to describe Mussini as a "great shooter". I do wish that whatever that criteria is, was around to describe my hitting in college.

Game 1: Wagner 4-6
Game 2: UMBC 0-3 (8-8 FT)
Game 3: Rutgers 3-11
Game 4: Vanderbilt 1-5
Game 5: Indiana 3-8
Game 6: Chaminade 5-9
Game 7: Fordham 1-5
Game 8: St. Francis 0-5
Game 9: Niagara 2-7
Game 10: Syracuse 5-7

First 10 games 24-56 42.8% from three which is pretty respectable for a freshman.

I would say though, at his height and speed, even with a very quick release, he has to get better looks. Perhaps with a better supporting cast and better conditioning we will see more of this kind of shooting.

+1. While Yawke and Sima stand to benefit majorly, Mussini might be the guy that gets the biggest bump from Lovett/Ponds. If they are all still here, certainly in years 3 and 4.

Eyes wide open to his shortcomings. Small, not a great defender. But I think he's both a better shooter and overall offensive player than we saw second half of season, between important fatigue point you've mentioned (the minutes in November and December were insane) and having to create everything himself, which while I don't think will necessarily be an area of strength for him is also not something I think he's incapable of.

With expectation of more measured minutes, not being relied on as a lead creator, and a season of development under his belt I think he will be solid contributor this year, possibly much more than generally expected given how January - March went for him last year.

 

[austour]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

I am still not sure what criteria people are using to describe Mussini as a "great shooter". I do wish that whatever that criteria is, was around to describe my hitting in college.

Game 1: Wagner 4-6
Game 2: UMBC 0-3 (8-8 FT)
Game 3: Rutgers 3-11
Game 4: Vanderbilt 1-5
Game 5: Indiana 3-8
Game 6: Chaminade 5-9
Game 7: Fordham 1-5
Game 8: St. Francis 0-5
Game 9: Niagara 2-7
Game 10: Syracuse 5-7

First 10 games 24-56 42.8% from three which is pretty respectable for a freshman.

I would say though, at his height and speed, even with a very quick release, he has to get better looks. Perhaps with a better supporting cast and better conditioning we will see more of this kind of shooting.

Sadly that's actually 24-66 which comes down to 36% which is respectable though hardly praiseworthy as his high water mark.

 

[beast of the east]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

I am still not sure what criteria people are using to describe Mussini as a "great shooter". I do wish that whatever that criteria is, was around to describe my hitting in college.

Game 1: Wagner 4-6
Game 2: UMBC 0-3 (8-8 FT)
Game 3: Rutgers 3-11
Game 4: Vanderbilt 1-5
Game 5: Indiana 3-8
Game 6: Chaminade 5-9
Game 7: Fordham 1-5
Game 8: St. Francis 0-5
Game 9: Niagara 2-7
Game 10: Syracuse 5-7

First 10 games 24-56 42.8% from three which is pretty respectable for a freshman.

I would say though, at his height and speed, even with a very quick release, he has to get better looks. Perhaps with a better supporting cast and better conditioning we will see more of this kind of shooting.

Sadly that's actually 24-66 which comes down to 36% which is respectable though hardly praiseworthy as his high water mark.

Don't ruin a good story with the facts. Thanks for the correction. Needless to say, he hit 3 or more 3's in half of those games (5 twice), and that can help draw defenses out if he can hit at a respectable clip. He also appears to be able to hit shots from 25 feet and in, important if he is going to shoot over zones.

 

[stjohnschris]

Clearly some have faith in FM, some don't. To me, he was someone that showed clear signs of being a lights out shooter. Was he in his freshman year?...no, but whether it's his form, his demeanor, or some deep rooted Italian heritage pride issue (on my part)... my take is, FM has the raw skill set and drive to be the type of player that has killed us in the past few years...seemingly out of nowhere.

 

[RedStormNC]

We need ALL of the guards to improve and make progress, for the simple reason that at some point over the next few years it's possible someone won't stick around, get hurt etc. Since we don't know who it could be, and it may be the better one(s) vs. less talented, we need them all to maximize their potential while here.

I think they'll all get decent time this year and whoever rise to the top is fine for me (and Simon next year).

 

[usguard]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

Can we qualify that as a great spot up shooter who still manages to shoot just 30% from 3.

He was not spot up shooting he very often had the ball being the point guard thus having to create which is not his strength next ye you will see his % go up

 

[austour]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

Can we qualify that as a great spot up shooter who still manages to shoot just 30% from 3.

He was not spot up shooting he very often had the ball being the point guard thus having to create which is not his strength next ye you will see his % go up

I predict 33%. But seriously given his limitations if he's not shooting over 40% then he shouldn't get double digit minutes.

 

[beast of the east]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

Can we qualify that as a great spot up shooter who still manages to shoot just 30% from 3.

He was not spot up shooting he very often had the ball being the point guard thus having to create which is not his strength next ye you will see his % go up

I predict 33%. But seriously given his limitations if he's not shooting over 40% then he shouldn't get double digit minutes.

I'm not so negative on his limitations. To me, it's more of Mussini learning to play to his strengths. In Italy, he was able to find daylight off a head fake or crossover, and get off a jump shot cleanly. In D1, when he did that, a longer, more athletic and quicker defender could block or hinder that shot. His ball handling improved dramatically and is by all means D1 caliber for a guard. He made a lot of tunne lvision type passes, which also can be corrected. He's relatively slow footed (he's not Ed Kranepool) but when he is a liability on defense he will sit. However, his release is hair trigger, and he has to make judicious decisions to take the ball to the hoops. His basketball skillset is relatively solid, and if he plays within himself and in the right situations, can be a solid contributor. We will see.

 

[we are sju]

Over the last 10 games it seems ST Jean thought Ellison was better as he averaged 22.9 minutes to Mussin's 21.5 and took his starting spot.

Don't see it that way. Moving players was the result of the year we are having,I do still see FM getting major mins since he will be off the pt and with Ponds and Lovett finding him on the perimeter his scoring will inc greatly He is a great spot up shooter

Can we qualify that as a great spot up shooter who still manages to shoot just 30% from 3.

He was not spot up shooting he very often had the ball being the point guard thus having to create which is not his strength next ye you will see his % go up

I predict 33%. But seriously given his limitations if he's not shooting over 40% then he shouldn't get double digit minutes.

I predict he will be used in spurts and if he knocks down some shots he will play and if he misses his first couple he will sit. Unfortunately it is hard to get in any rhythm that way so it will be hard on him. But as you pointed out if he is not hitting shots he brings nothing else to the table. In fact he actually takes some stuff off the table.