Ryan McMahon – RS-senior
Ryan is going to find his way into a ton of minutes on this Louisville team and that is undeniable. You can’t put a price on a guy that can make the outside shot at a rate that McMahon can. Not to mention that all other aspects of his game have improved so far this season in comparison to the prior few seasons.
McMahon looks more confident with the ball, he’s been great on defense despite his size. He’s getting deflections, keeping his man in front of him and is in the process of making that year to year jump that Louisville players tend to make.
Worth noting: Ryan McMahon played 36 minutes against Pitt. That was a career high, beating his previous career best of 35 one game earlier against Michigan. The guy has become much more than just a shooter. pic.twitter.com/AhbUWxkdLy
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) December 7, 2019
He hasn’t brought the ball up the floor much this year, he usually starts Louisville’s offensive sets getting screened for. But with Williamson, Nwora, Sutton, Enoch, and Williams all on this roster, Ryan may not be a bad option at the point guard spot.
With Louisville’s motion style offense, I still believe Ryan will get his fair share of open shots even if he starts with the ball. In perhaps his best game as a Cardinal, Ryan played a ton of minutes at point guard.
Last season Louisville defeated Michigan State at the Yum Center, the Spartans would on to make the Final Four. Ryan had 24 points and turned the ball over only twice against a very talented and well-coached Michigan State team.
Why Ryan should be the starting/closing point guard: McMahon is averaging ten points a game so far in 2019 and Chris Mack knows he can rely on him, thanks to his much improved defensive abilities and his ability to play make for others.
If Ryan is trusted with the ball, he has to just avoid turning it over or becoming a non-factor due to longer, stronger, and more athletic guards.. Once Louisville is into their offense, it’s everyone’s job to find open teammates and to keep possession until it’s time to score – not just your point guard .
As basketball moves into this era of position-less basketball, Louisville may want to do the same. Texas Tech essentially played power forward at point guard for most of the night and still found a way to beat the number one team in the country. So although it may not look natural, it just has to work.