re: Tide Hoops | Offseason

quote:

---

119
Houston Mallette

Ht: 6-5 Wt: 185
Mallette is an intriguing eye-of-the-beholder player. On one hand, he’s a terrific shooter who drilled 38.2 percent of his 3s in his first season, then improved to 41.5 percent on five attempts per game this past season. Mallette has legitimate range that stretches beyond the college 3-point line.

However, he’s started to operate a lot more in the midrange area the last two years despite not being a good enough separator to make those shots consistently. He hit just 42 percent of his midrange jumpers this year, and many of those were tough looks. He also doesn’t finish well at the rim and is more of a score-first option than a playmaker for others. On top of that, he wasn’t particularly good at staying in front of his man on defense.

Whichever team gets Mallette should limit him to spacing the floor, attacking closeouts and running in transition. He should get up at least seven 3s per game instead of mixing those shots with midrange jumpers. They’ll also need to improve his defense, because he has a long way to go. But in the right role, he can be an effective high-major player. — Sam Vecenie

How he fits
It’s perfect on offense, so long as Mallette does not expect to be anything more than a floor spacer and off-ball player, Alabama loves players who can step into their scheme and spread the court for their guards. I’m worried about him defensively in the SEC, but he’s a solid first get in the transfer portal.

— Sam Vecenie

Stats
Grade
High Major
Year
Junior
Years Remaining

---