Plain and simple, Mac McClung will be missed by the Georgetown Hoyas.
The viral sensation who blew up all over social media thanks to his gravity-defying dunks brought an element of excitement to a Georgetown basketball program that was in need of new life. After a tumultuous 2019-2020 campaign hampered by injury, Mac declared for the NBA Draft while still maintaining his eligibility to play in the NCAA. However, despite Coach Ewing’s claim that he planned on returning to Georgetown, McClung withdrew from the NBA Draft and entered the transfer portal, ultimately ending up at Texas Tech. While this news was a shock to us at the time, perhaps a silver lining (or gray lining, in accordance with Georgetown’s colors) can be drawn from Mac’s departure as we look ahead to the approaching 2020-2021 season.
Mac’s freshman year left the fan base with plenty of optimism for the Hoyas’ future. After a selection to the Big East All-Freshman Team, plenty of reverse jams in transition, and signs of crafty scoring ability, Hoya fans were brimming with excitement. Mac’s sophomore year required him to bear more of the load offensively, and he did so by leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game. Unfortunately a slew of injuries kept him sidelined for 11 games this past season, including the final six. Mac provided fans with plenty of memorable moments year, playing an instrumental role in a win over then-#22 Texas at Madison Square Garden, 33 points in a win versus Oklahoma State, and a pair of back to back brilliant games against SMU and Syracuse.
This season’s squad will miss the scoring ability of Mac, the energy his game brings, and the national attention of his social media following. However, positives can also be found in McClung’s transfer to Texas Tech. While he mainly played off the ball, with Jagan Mosely and Terrell Allen serving as last year’s primary ball handlers, it is no secret that Mac liked to shoot the ball, and much of the team’s offense ran through him last year. Per KenPom, Mac’s usage rate, which describes how many possessions a player was responsible for ending, was 29%, putting him at 84th in the nation in this category. Coupled with his average offensive rating (points produced over possessions used) of 104.5, Mac wasn’t necessarily the most efficient guard in college basketball. For comparison, Jahvon Blair finished the season with an offensive rating of 103.5 and a usage rate of 20%. Mac also put up nearly 13 shots a game, 4 of them being three-pointers, and shot 39% from the field and 32% from three. These numbers need to be higher for a player as highly touted as McClung.
Had McClung stayed it is very likely we would’ve seen an increase in the volume of his shots as he looked to improve his NBA Draft stock. According to his agent Daniel Hazan, NBA teams wanted to see McClung act more as a point-guard and facilitate the offense. I imagine that this season we would’ve seen some clashing between Coach Ewing and McClung’s efforts to prove himself to NBA scouts. Mac at the point guard would have posed a major problem for the Hoya offense. With an average of 2.4 assists per game, he has yet to display the desire to be a great passer, a necessary component for a team’s primary ball handler. When he chooses to, Mac can definitely drop a no-look dime or a kick-out to the three-point line, but I think having the ball in his hands more would have just led to more tough, contested shots off the dribble.
Mac was often a defensive liability in his Georgetown tenure, as he was undersized and had a hard time matching up using purely his athleticism. Too often, Mac was caught ball watching and lost his man on defense, leading to easy buckets and open looks from three for the opponent. Defending the perimeter posed problems too, with over-helping leading to open shooters. Last season, Georgetown’s defense was rather horrendous, posting the 125th defensive rating in the country according to Kenpom, and Mac is certainly not all to blame. Even in games without Mac, Georgetown allowed opponents to shoot over 40% from three on way too many occasions. Lack of Mac isn’t the fix-all for our defense, but not having to worry about his liabilities this season will at least see some improvement in the Hoyas’ lackluster defense.
Without Mac on this season’s roster, there will be more touches to go around for the team, allowing the young guys to gain meaningful experience that will translate to a better Georgetown team in years to come. This will hopefully allow Qudus Wahab develop his game even further, as he looks to take a big leap after a promising freshman stint. Wahab’s game improved leaps and bounds over the course of last season, from comical travels in the first few games to solid post play and rebounding by the end of the year. With more touches, Qudus will be able to gain more offensive experience and have a better chance of continuing his rapid improvement as a player.
It appeared at times last season that Mac was forcing his shot, often off the dribble, and in doing so hindered the flow of the offense. This season, Coach Ewing may be able to run an offense with more continuity that will get more players involved. Jahvon Blair was forced to help generate significant offense for the majority of last season’s conference schedule, and proved he was capable of doing so. Blair was vital in wins over St. John’s, DePaul, and Butler last season, with Mac sidelined due to injury. Playing all 40 minutes in each game, Jahvon caught fire from beyond the arc and put up 23, 30 and 16 points in those games, respectively. With McClung gone for good, Blair will have another chance to flourish and prove to scouts that he can play at the professional level. Similarly, Jamorko Pickett should also be more involved offensively and will attempt to make a similar case, demonstrating his ability to pro scouts.
Looking forward to the future of the program, it will be fun to watch freshmen Kobe Clark and Jamari Sibley see more playing time and more touches as a result of Mac’s departure. Sibley stands at 6’8” and has the specs to develop into a big time player in a couple of years. Weighing in at only 200 pounds, he will definitely need to add some muscle and get stronger, but this season will allow him to learn the offense and how to flow within it, even if there are some growing pains. Clark is a little less offensively developed, but he will have a better chance to progress as a player as well. In need of another ball handler, freshman point guard Dante Harris may win over more minutes, and use his quickness and tight handle to get significant reps as a floor general. Since Coach Ewing will not have to worry about playing his star in McClung this year, let’s hope he gives the young guys some burn and we can watch them evolve as players as they’re thrown into the fire of Big East basketball.
The post-Mac era of Georgetown basketball has begun, and although it appears to be very different from the wave that was ushered in two years ago, let’s not write it off just yet. We will miss watching Mac McClung in his Georgetown threads, but let’s not get too pessimistic about his absence. The possibility for positive change can come about this year, so I’m taking a real glass-half-full approach this season.
Excellent analysis.