beast of the east
Active member
Now that we are well into the season, I think it's a good time to assess how well Mussini has done playing the point.
I've been critical of Mussini, but not negative about him. The criticisms were mostly do with him not becoming an offensive juggernaut, mostly do to physical limitations (height and quickness) that prevent him from shooting over taller guards and beating them off the dribble. He is a bonafide very good outside shooter, and in a system that moves that ball better and solid inside threats that cause guards to collapse, he will be the beneficiary of more wide open looks. But this post is about PG play.
Ball handling - has improved immensely in my opinion. Playing Big time, Big East basketball, he hasn't looked overwhelmed bringing the ball up against pressure, keeps his head up at all times, and IMO has become a credible point guard. Comparing his ballhandling skills to Dwight Hardy, who was also asked to play PG, and who had a very shaky left hand dribble, Mussini has done much better. Considering that he came here to be a a shooting guard, I'd give him a B+ so far in this category. He doesn't lose the ball off the dribble very much, hasn't traveled much, and as a result hasn't committed many turnovers off the dribble.
Floor General - Also has improved considerably since Game 1. He runs the show, directs the flow, and as a freshman, has also done a good job here. I'd give him a solid B in this department.
Passing - This is an area I think Mussini needs improvement. Sometimes he telegraphs passes in the halfcourt offense, sometimes he floats them, and sometimes he suffers from tunnelvision - all leading to turnovers. All of this is correctable. But he's nowhere close to a playmaker yet. Still this is a big area of improvement needed, and I'd give him a C here.
Defense - Freshman or not, as a smaller guard not fleet of foot, this will be an area where he will have to work extremely hard to improve modestly. There are just a lot of guys his size and bigger who are lightning quick, and some guards whose stride alone is probably a foot or more longer than his. In the future, one matchups alone or inability to cover a wide swath of zone well, this could keep him off the court. Already late in close games, Mullin is subbing him out on defense. Also cannot jog slowly upcourt when the other team is breaking 3 on 2 or 3-1 - too many things can happen, and if the opposition gets second looks Mussini is often somewhere at midcourt at that point. A PG should be busting it upcourt and be the first defender, and not trail the break. I'd give him a C- because he is a frosh.
Overall, I'd give Mussini a B- to B as a freshman PG playing out of position. Point guard is perhaps the most difficult position to play on the floor, requiring the most skill, and the most difficult by far for a freshman. He's really learning fast, and isn't a big liability that he could have been. I think this year will accelerate his development as a player, and in the future at SJU or elsewhere, may see spot duty at PG because of this.
I've been critical of Mussini, but not negative about him. The criticisms were mostly do with him not becoming an offensive juggernaut, mostly do to physical limitations (height and quickness) that prevent him from shooting over taller guards and beating them off the dribble. He is a bonafide very good outside shooter, and in a system that moves that ball better and solid inside threats that cause guards to collapse, he will be the beneficiary of more wide open looks. But this post is about PG play.
Ball handling - has improved immensely in my opinion. Playing Big time, Big East basketball, he hasn't looked overwhelmed bringing the ball up against pressure, keeps his head up at all times, and IMO has become a credible point guard. Comparing his ballhandling skills to Dwight Hardy, who was also asked to play PG, and who had a very shaky left hand dribble, Mussini has done much better. Considering that he came here to be a a shooting guard, I'd give him a B+ so far in this category. He doesn't lose the ball off the dribble very much, hasn't traveled much, and as a result hasn't committed many turnovers off the dribble.
Floor General - Also has improved considerably since Game 1. He runs the show, directs the flow, and as a freshman, has also done a good job here. I'd give him a solid B in this department.
Passing - This is an area I think Mussini needs improvement. Sometimes he telegraphs passes in the halfcourt offense, sometimes he floats them, and sometimes he suffers from tunnelvision - all leading to turnovers. All of this is correctable. But he's nowhere close to a playmaker yet. Still this is a big area of improvement needed, and I'd give him a C here.
Defense - Freshman or not, as a smaller guard not fleet of foot, this will be an area where he will have to work extremely hard to improve modestly. There are just a lot of guys his size and bigger who are lightning quick, and some guards whose stride alone is probably a foot or more longer than his. In the future, one matchups alone or inability to cover a wide swath of zone well, this could keep him off the court. Already late in close games, Mullin is subbing him out on defense. Also cannot jog slowly upcourt when the other team is breaking 3 on 2 or 3-1 - too many things can happen, and if the opposition gets second looks Mussini is often somewhere at midcourt at that point. A PG should be busting it upcourt and be the first defender, and not trail the break. I'd give him a C- because he is a frosh.
Overall, I'd give Mussini a B- to B as a freshman PG playing out of position. Point guard is perhaps the most difficult position to play on the floor, requiring the most skill, and the most difficult by far for a freshman. He's really learning fast, and isn't a big liability that he could have been. I think this year will accelerate his development as a player, and in the future at SJU or elsewhere, may see spot duty at PG because of this.