[IUFR] Mackenzie Mgbako's Progression on Full Display Against Minnesota

Coach Adragna looks back at Mackenzie Mgbako from earlier in the season versus the Minnesota game and highlights the many ways his play has progressed.

Indiana fans were ecstatic when Mackenzie Mgbako chose the Hoosiers over Kansas last spring.

Mgbako was a top-ranked recruit and with that came high expectations from Indiana fans.

To say Mgbako got off to a rough start may be an understatement. In his first five games, Mgbako averaged 5 points per game and shot 7% from three.

Not only was his offensive production poor, but his defensive awareness left a lot to be desired.

As the season has progressed, Mgbako has been getting better. In Big Ten play, he’s averaging 11.1 points per game and is shooting 45.5% from deep.

The Mgbako progression was on full display last night, culminating in his career high in points.

Let’s take a look at the film.

Spot-Up Shooting

As was mentioned, Mgbako was a tough watch from beyond the arc to start the year. He was playing with low confidence, which made his shot suffer.

While Mgbako didn’t have a lot of spot-up opportunities last night, you can see him step into this shot and knock it down with confidence.

Dribbling/Shots at the Rim

At the beginning of the year, Mgbako putting the ball on the floor was almost always a bad thing. It often resulted in a bad shot or a turnover, as you can see below.

Last night, Mgbako was very good at putting the ball on the floor. He shifted the defense, got to his spots, and got the ball to the rim, resulting in two points or a foul almost every time.

Now let’s look at Mackenzie’s improvement coming off screens (when they are run for him), his passing, and, of course, a deep dive on his steadily improving defense.