Known as a shooter in college, Shelvin Mack was adamant that he could
run the point guard spot in the NBA. Mack proved that he could handle
the ball in his rookie season with the Wizards, but he just didn't
really score at all, which was somewhat surprising since he averaged 16
points a game in his junior year at Butler.
Mack, the Wizards' second-round draft pick, was steady if not
spectacular this past season. Backing up starter John Wall, Mack
averaged 3.6 points and 2 assists in 12 minutes a game.
Mack showed signs early in the season that he could play at the NBA
level, scoring 9 points and handing out 5 assists in a loss to Denver
in late January. In early February, Mack went for 12 and 4 in a loss
at Orlando.
Mack had his best game, a 10-point, 8-assist outing in just 19 minutes
in a loss at New Jersey in early April. He followed that up with 11
points and 3 assists in a win over Charlotte.
Mack is a smart player and can run an offense well and he also rarely
turned the ball over -- which is obviously huge for a point guard to be
productive.
But while there were flashes of brilliance, there were also many games
in which Mack contributed very little. He struggled to find his shot all
season long, making just 40 percent of his field goal attempts and 28
percent of his three-point shots.
We saw Mack help Butler reach back-to-back national title games with
his ability to shoot the ball. We just didn't see enough of that in his
rookie season.
NBA
Consistency will be a huge factor for Mack looking ahead to next
season. Can he perform at a high level on a nightly basis? That's
still to be determined.