Mason expects his star to rise, not fade
At the NBA draft combine, one reporter whispered to another about the player with microphones and tape recorders in his face. “Who is that?”
It was former Kansas point guard Frank Mason III, the consensus college basketball national player of the year.
After a dazzling senior season that led coach Bill Self to call the crafty guard the “most deserving player” he ever coached to win player of the year, Mason is back to being nobody.
“I’m used to it,” said the 5-11 guard from Petersburg, Va. “Ever since high school, I never really got the respect I deserved. I never really paid attention to that because I knew what I was capable of and who I was. So now, I just focus on what I can control. At every level, you have to go out there and prove yourself.”
Mason, who averaged 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game, will need to play with that chip on his shoulder at the next level to avoid joining a fraternity of college superstars who mostly haven’t taken their dominance to the NBA. Since 2001, only three college players of the year — Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis — have been an NBA All-Star.
Denzel Valentine, USA TODAY Sports’ 2016 player of the year, averaged 5.1 points per game for the Chicago Bulls this season. The three previous top players, Frank Kaminsky, Doug McDermott and Trey Burke, have been contributors but not stars. Tyler Hansbrough (2008) is in the D-League, and Jimmer Fredette (2011) plays in China.
“Just because you have this great college career, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be tremendous at the next level,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “I do think Mason is underrated and should be a first-rounder. He’ll be playing a long time in the league.”
Self hammered that “underrated” point home after Mason led the Jayhawks to a win against Duke at the beginning of last season. “I think the NBA’s missing the boat on him,” Self said after Mason hit a barrage of clutch shots against the Blue Devils, after a 30-point effort in the previous game against Indiana. “He doesn’t fit the eye test with length and standing (5-11) and that kind of stuff, but he’s got some things you can’t teach and intangibles that are as good as anybody in America probably possesses.”
But even though Mason was undoubtedly the most clutch player on that Kansas team, teammate Josh Jackson is the projected lottery pick for his jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism, joining likely 1-2 picks Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. And while other college player of the year award winners have been lottery picks or first-rounders before becoming average NBA players, Ma- son is projected as a secondround pick and isn’t a lock to be drafted.
No matter, Mason is used to proving himself, which was why he embraced the opportunity presented to him at the combine. Though Durant dismissed the importance of the combine, it can be a saving grace for players such as Mason. He boosted his stock by thriving in five-on-five scrimmages, showing his leadership and control as a floor general, scoring in waves and playing lockdown defense. He also excelled in drills, highlighted by a 41-inch vertical leap.
“Every detail matters; you have to have your mind sharp,” Mason said. “There are a lot of important people (watching the combine) who could decide my career. Even when you’re walking around in the hotel, you never know who is watching. That’s why it’s important to stay on your game, stay focused, see the big picture.”
That perspective is what makes Mason, 23, one of the most mature players in the draft after playing all four seasons at Kansas. He said the impact of being a father to his son, Amari, has helped him “see the bigger picture in everything.”
Yet there are likely to be the most-ever freshmen drafted in the first round this summer.
Bilas said the maturity, paid-your-dues factor can be “antiquated.”
“When players were older, a lot more carried over,” Bilas said. “This draft coming up is one of the youngest we’ve ever seen. There’s value to experience. But the freshmen have panned out over the years (in the NBA). You can draft a guy who has experience or draft a guy with undeniable talent who will have pro experience in a few years. ... You’re drafting off potential nowadays.”
Mason thinks stellar defense will be the formula for him to find an NBA home. He also has watched 2,500 clips of Boston Celtics’ 5-8 All- Star guard Isaiah Thomas, who he said “has paved the way for us smaller guys.”
“I just try to show that I can really guard. That’s the most important thing,” Mason said. “On the offensive side, I just let my skills show as a playmaker, that I can shoot the ball well, be a good passer and make my teammates better.”
Asked what he mostly wants NBA teams to see when considering drafting him, Mason answered with words such as “toughness” and “strength” and said that applied physically and mentally.
“Whoever calls my name is gonna get a guy who fights to make their organization better each and every day.”