The guy has never been a dead eye shooter or anything, but unless I'm missing something he's been much worse from the line and distance then previously, just not coming close. He had some nice drives to the hoop today and also had a nice 18 foot pull up that was nothing but net. I'm hoping that helps him get some confidence in his shot as I think some of this with his shooting has to be in his head.
His shot gets worse every time he takes one. Having him and either Varez or Dogus on the floor kills us.
Point of clarification- are you saying that having any one of the three kills us or two of the three. If it's the first I couldn't disagree more, if its the second I concur fully
I think/hope Justin can get throught this slump. Dog and Varez do not have offense at this point. Justin is best of available options.
I think it's funny when people refer to Mason's shooting woes as a "slump", as if he's just off of his normal game. In 3 years, Mason has shown consistent inability to hit outside shots. I expect him to miss every time he attempts a 3 pointer and, when he does hit, it's a genuine surprise to me. I know it's hard to conceive how such an otherwise solid basketball player can be so bad in this one area, but, alas, he is.
I think that is a little extreme. He certainly isn't a great shooter, but most of the time he is solid. I remember almost identical threads at the beginning of the season last year when everyone wanted to bench Mason because he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Then he slowly! worked out of it and was solid most of the year. He is never going to be the guy you look for for a 3 ptr, but he has certainly hit his share of big 3s to keep teams honest in the past.
For the exception of Meatchicken St this year, his jumper is usually pretty clutch when it matters the most in the final minutes.
Okay, I think I mentioned exactly those things in my post? Anyway, his freshman year, he was the 5th option on the floor and I think that has some significant impact on the fact that he shot 39%. Not only was it more open looks, but the pressure is much less when you're not relied upon consistently. The subsequent downturn in shooting each year is, in my opinion, due to increased scrutiny by defenses each year and loss of confidence that you can make the shot consistently (which is part of what distinguishes a good shooter from a bad one).
Mason always plays hard and is on the court for his athleticsm. His shooting shouldn't matter. Unfortunately this season they need more than they are getting for him. Maybe the coaches can work with him and he can improve. I hope he remains confident. This team shouldn't be down about losing to a good OU team.
