Originally Posted by
Newton_14
Wow. Sorry, but I have to disagree with both of you guys. What Zeller has is a great shooting touch. He shoots it with the ease of a guard. That is a gift. A well honed gift for sure, but it's not like Zeller was born a terrible shooter and worked himself into a great one.
Zeller just has superior shooting skills compared to Mason. I think Mason can be become a good shooter, but he will never have the touch that Zeller has. Some things players are just born with.
And as has been commented on numerous times before, it is totally unfair to call out players for not working on a skill or not working in practice, etc. We do not see the practices and the summer work these kids put in. To suggest they are not good at something due to lack of work is a very unfair and unwarranted accusation, unless there is hard evidence (like a statement from a teammate or coach) to back it up. We have no idea what Mason works on. I would be willing to wager though, that all of the Duke players, Mason included work hard on all aspects of their game.
Mason and Tyler Z are totally different players for one thing. Tyler is a finesse big man with great offensive skill, but is not a great defender and not a great rebounder, but the guy can flat out score the basketball with ease.
Mason is a great rebounder, good shot blocker, and good defender. He struggles scoring the ball, but has made improvement and I expect will improve even more. He has great court vision, and is a good passer, especially for a big. He also has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor facing up and score or get fouled, especially from the baseline.
Mason is a work in progress, but is on track to becoming an impact player. It just takes longer with some kids, especially bigs. I just think it is unfair to suggest that Mason is a terrible player, and suggest that he does not work hard on his game.