Big East Notebook: Context Matters When Evaluating Malik Mack, Samu Adler as a Big East Sleeper, and the Importance of Donnie Freeman at St. John's
As it turns out, the latest analytics debate that took over social media this weekend wasn’t necessarily about analytics at all.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, ESPN’s Bobby Marks relayed a conversation with an anonymous analytics staffer who viewed Jaylen Brown far less favorably than most basketball observers — going as far as to rate Brown as the seventh-best player on a team.
Soon enough, the quote had been aggregated across social media as evidence that “analytics” considered a recent NBA Finals MVP little more than the seventh-best player on a roster. Lost in the swirl was the context Marks shared in the interview — some believe Brown’s value is through the roof, while his on-off numbers paint a less favorable picture over the past four years.
Marks certainly should have passed on sharing such an absurd claim, but he was punished further due to the current media landscape — where aggregation rules.
In an era of soundbite opinions and the need to have thoughts on every story instantly, statistics are often stripped of context. Conversations become less about understanding a player and more about defending a conclusion.
Which takes us to Georgetown-to-Providence transfer Malik Mack.
Perhaps this won’t be the case come November, but (more than any other player on the roster) Mack may have to win over the hearts and minds of Friar fans this fall.
Of course, there is the Georgetown affiliation, but the more common gripe about Mack is that he was an inefficient shooter last year — 13.6 PPG on 38.1% shooting from the floor and 29.8% shooting from three.
To some, there’s no debating those numbers, but the Providence staff is looking at Mack differently. They saw a player who isn’t a bad shooter, but one who could take better shots in a different system when they added him this spring.
And here’s where analytics came back into play.
Can Mack shoot it at a higher clip at Providence?
When Mack committed to PC in April I’d written:
Can he become a more efficient shooter playing in Hodgson’s fast-paced system? It probably depends on how and where he gets his shots.
This season, Mack shot 39.8% on catch-and-shoot opportunities, ranking in the 83rd percentile nationally, and he was terrific when spotting up (90th percentile).
And this is where the style of play under Bryan Hodgson at Providence could benefit Mack.
In 2025-26, Mack took 188 jumpers off the dribble — shots he made at a 29.8% clip. Conversely, Mack took just 88 catch-and-shoot jumpers.
While Mack took 188 dribble jumpers last season, South Florida (under Hodgson) shot 185 as a team.
Meanwhile, USF shot 826 catch-and-shoot jumpers to the Hoyas’s 526.
Mack was shooting nearly 44% on catch-and-shoot jumpers before a mini-slump on these attempts (0-8) late in the year.
It’s worth noting that Mack shot 35% from beyond the arc as a sophomore at Georgetown (a number that dipped in Big East play), so a jump back into the mid-30s from three in a system that gets him more shots off catches versus off the bounce seems more than reasonable.
His numbers are also a testament that it can be helpful to dig a step deeper into the analytics when assessing newcomers to a team or system.
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Looking for a potential sleeper for your Big East fantasy league next spring? Samu Adler might be your guy. At just 18 years old, Adler was named Rookie of the Year, 6th Man of the Year, and Finals MVP in a solid league in Finland.
He’s 6’6, is a knockdown shooter, can navigate screen-and-rolls, and could be a day one starter for new coach Ronald Nored. The Bulldogs return Jalen Jackson and picked up a scorer in transfer Jordan Ellerbee, but Adler has the look of a very good offensive player — one not getting much buzz coming in from Europe and joining a Butler team most have slated near the bottom of the league.
Here’s our feature on him:
Flying under-the-radar is not something Donnie Freeman will enjoy as he transitions from Syracuse to St. John’s. The former McDonald’s All American seemed destined for Kentucky, before making the pivot to Rick Pitino and the Johnnies.
A terrific rebounder with a versatile offensive game at 6’9, Freeman will be counted on to help fill the void left behind by St. John’s trio of frontcourt NBA draft picks. The biggest question mark surrounding Freeman is his ability to stay healthy — he played in just 37 of Syracuse’s 65 games over the past two seasons.
“He’s a legitimate 6’10,” Pitino said of Freeman this spring. “A very gifted offensive player — quite explosive, as well as with great great.”
“Donnie can play the three, four, and five.”
Kevin
I enjoyed the above piece on Malik Mack and on whether he will be a more efficient scorer at PC than he was at Georgetown.
I don't know if you attended the recent "Day in the Life Camp" at PC but if so, I'd be interested in your impressions of Clyde Walters. When I read descriptions of Walters' game, the descriptions never fail to mention his athleticism. He looks to be about the same size as Jamier Jones. How would you compare their games? Is Walter as athletically gifted as Jones? In your opinion, does Walters have the potential to come in as a freshman and impact the game in the same way Jones did last year?