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Mackenzie Mgbako had an interesting first go around in Bloomington.
He arrived as a late spring decommit after requesting out of his letter of intent with Duke, picking Mike Woodson and Indiana over Bill Self and Kansas. As a five-star top-ten prospect billed as one of the best offensive players in the class of 2023, there was a lot to be excited about.
He lived up to that, but it took time.
It was clear the college game was going to be an adjustment for Mgbako from his first few games. He struggled shooting the ball and looked lost on defense, Mike Woodson’s system on that end of the court is pretty different from what Mgbako saw in high school.
After a win over Harvard in Indianapolis, Woodson stressed that the five-star label doesn’t matter anymore. Mgbako was still a freshman who had to learn, and he expressed faith that he’d get better with time.
Woodson could’ve kept Mgbako off the floor after defensive miscues or missed shots, but instead let him work through it and learn from the experience. The result? A far better end to the season.
His 3-point shooting percentage of 32.7% doesn’t exactly jump off the screen, that number jumps to 35.2% in conference play. His shot started falling as the season went on and he found ways to get to his spots.
Defensively, he went from a guy Indiana struggled to have on the floor late to one it couldn’t afford to take out of the game. He put enough pressure on a defense as an offensive player and became a pretty solid rebounder in the final few games of the season.
He has room to improve, particularly with the ball in his hands and taking additional steps as on defense and the glass. With a few more steps he could be in for an All-Big Ten season as a sophomore as he looks to eventually make the jump to the NBA.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mackenzie Mgbako’s freshman season at Indiana has come with flashes of NBA potential mixed with signs that there’s still plenty of room to grow.
Mgbako came to Indiana as the No. 8 player in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He was originally committed to Duke, but later decommitted and flipped to Indiana on May 12. Before playing a game for the Hoosiers, Mgbako was projected to be a one-and-done lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
His freshman season started out slow, scoring four points or fewer in four of his first five games and shooting just 32% from the field. Once Mgbako settled into the college game, he began to excel offensively. He scored 10-plus points in each of the next eight games, including two Big Ten wins over Maryland and Michigan and a 14-point effort against Kansas.
As conference play ramped up, Mgbako became more of a focal point of Indiana’s offense. Since Dec. 21, he’s made 23-of-61 3-point attempts, or 37.7%. Through those ups and downs, Mgbako is now averaging 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 38.5% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range and 85.1% at the free throw line.
Mgbako’s freshman season has raised the question of whether he’ll leave for the NBA after one season with the Hoosiers or return to college for his sophomore year.
For perspective on Mgbako’s college and NBA outlook, HoosiersNow.com talked exclusively with NBA Draft analyst Corey Tulaba of No Ceilings. Tulaba’s history watching Mgbako play includes his time at Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey, the Nike Hoop Summit and on TV. He also attended two Indiana games this season against Louisville and Rutgers.
One of his first comments on Mgbako was indicative of the learning lessons and growth he’s gone through as a freshman under Mike Woodson.
“I think Mackenzie is really raw as far as being a student of the game, but I think he’s somebody that does soak up the coaching,” Tulaba said. “I saw that first hand watching him practice. He’d be drilling stuff out then it would come time to scrimmage, and he would use what he learned in the scrimmages.”
Mgbako has taken on a larger role as his freshman season has gone on, attempting at least 10 shots from the field in eight of the last nine games after doing so just twice in his first 15 games. This higher usage stems mostly from more 2-point attempts, a sign of Mgbako being more assertive and aggressive in looking for his shot.
Though Mgbako is shooting just 31.3% on 3-pointers this season, he leads Indiana in both attempts, 99, and makes, 31. At 6-foot-8, Mgbako’s 3-point shooting creates NBA intrigue, though he’ll have to become more consistent. Tulaba sees potential for more in his offensive game, too.
“He’s one of those guys that you can see the frame, and he can really shoot it,” Tulaba said. “I think he has more as a creator in his game than he’s showing at Indiana, where it feels like more of the time he’s kind of a spot-up guy.”
Mgbako’s most noticeable struggles this season have come on the defensive end, leading to Woodson sitting the 6-foot-8 freshman down the stretch of a few early nonconference games. He’s gotten better on that end throughout the season, but it remains a developmental focus for Woodson.
“We still gotta get Mack better from a defensive standpoint because I think he got lost a few times, and that’s not to knock on him,” Woodson said after Indiana’s 74-68 win over Iowa on Jan. 30. “That kid’s come a long way since we started with him, and I just gotta help him more.”
Tulaba said he and his team at No Ceilings were concerned with Mgbako’s defense entering college because there were core tenets of half court man-to-man defense Mgbako did not have down during his high school days. Playing for Roselle Catholic, Tulaba thought defense was less of a concern because Mgbako had such a big physical advantage against most opponents and could make up for a lack of quick processing with his size and athleticism.
“I think the defensive side of the ball, it takes a while to learn it and some guys never do,” Tulaba said. “If that’s the case with Mackenzie, he’s got to be a guy that can shoot 50/40/80 to kind of make up for that fact. But I do think he puts the effort in to try, and if that’s the case, to try to get better on that end, then I think there’s an opportunity for him to get better.”
“But as it is, he’s a big dude who moves well and is kind of athletic. He should be at the minimum being aggressive in the passing lanes, or blocking shots at the rim. That kind of thing being as infrequent as it is, is a pretty big red flag for a guy that’s probably going to be tasked with playing power forward in the NBA. He’s got a long way to go on that end.”
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