Indiana Basketball: Mackenzie Mgbako is Making a Late First-Round Case

The Indiana forward has been a bright spot in an up-and-down season for the Hoosiers.

Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) shoots over Miami's Mekhi Cooper (11) during the Indiana versus Miami (Ohio) men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Asseembly Hall on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana combo forward Mackenzie Mgbako is a talented sophomore prospect who was a five-star coming out of Roselle Catholic in New Jersey two seasons ago. His primary ability comes with scoring the basketball, which he's able to do in a myriad of ways. Standing at 6-foot-8, he is a decent rebounder as well, just adding another facet to his game with 4.0 boards per game.

A player who has demonstrated a real ability to shoot from outside, Mgbako is connecting on 44.7% of his three-point attempts for the season so far, even after posting an 0-for-3 performance against Miami University in his last game on December 6. He had a monster performance against Providence on November 29, where he went for 25 points on 9-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from three, leading all scorers in the victory.

In the game against the Friars, he showed true scoring versatility, getting baskets in transition, hitting shots off the bounce, converting on spot-up opportunities, and driving the lane to get good looks near the rim. Though not a creator for others, he did have a couple of excellent passes, one of which was on the break to Oumar Ballo that resulted in a score.

Against Sam Houston State, he scored 13 points in just 22 minutes on 55.6% from the field, and though he was just 1-for-4 from three, he managed to efficiently score inside the arc. From last season, he's drastically increased his field goal percentage, going from 39.5% to 52.7% overall and 32.7% to 44.7% on three pointers.

He does need to make improvements in other areas, like his facilitation of offense, and he is not the most explosive or quick-footed player, but his shooting profile lends credence to the theory that he could be an effective NBA player, at least off the bench in a role where he can be a scoring option. He must maintain his percentages to an extent, and though it's unlikely he stays at his current clip for the full season, he is a good enough shooter to make it at the next level.

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