Mike Woodson excited to see Mackenzie Mgbako ‘make another step’ during sophomore season

Mackenzie Mgbako knew what he had to work on following his freshman season if he was aiming to leave for the NBA next year at this time. While his first season with the Indiana basketball program ended with co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, it wasn’t without some bumps.

But, down the stretch of the season he showed why he was a top-10 recruit in the 2023 class as his importance on the floor was on full display.

He averaged 13.5 points and shot 35 percent from three with 1.8 made 3s per game over the last 28 games of the season. He had averages of just 5.0 points on 7.7 percent from three (1-of-13) in his first five games of the year.

“Just keep working man. You guys were down on him early when he was struggling, and it’s a process,” Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson said last week. “You think because the guy wears a five-star (ranking), four-star that they can come into college and tear it up. It’s not that easy.

“It’s no different than going from college to the NBA. It’s a learning curve. I don’t give a shit how good you are, you have to learn. And, it was a learning curve for him — it was an eye-opener for him because he did struggle early, but he just kept working and working and working and he got better. And I can’t help but think he’s gonna continue to get better.”

While reaching the NBA was on the mind of Mgbako heading into last year, instead of testing the draft and going through the process this offseason, he decided early on to return to Bloomington.

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Now, he’s heading into his sophomore season with big expectations and will be looked as both a leader on and off the floor with six new faces arriving at Indiana this offseason.

While this won’t be ‘Mgbako’s’ team next year, per se, his impact will be felt largely in all aspects of IU’s success in 2024-25. Mgbako had to defer at times last season — but that won’t be the case this year. The 6-foot-8 wing will be a priority and an emphasis for Indiana offensively. He’ll also be on the top of opponents’ scouting reports. So, his consistency will be the biggest key in terms of unlocking his potential — and Indiana’s.

“He’s got to continue to develop physically as an athlete and with his fluidity and ability to handle the ball,” An NBA scout said to HoosierIllustrated.com. “Obviously he has to make shots a better rate than he showed this year. I thought he learned how to play harder on both ends of the floor (as the season went on) … He’s got good size, a nice stroke. He just has to put it together more.”

Mgbako saw parts of that opponent emphasis last year during Big Ten play when he become one of the better wing scorers in the conference. In conference play alone, Mgbako averaged 13.6 points and shot 37.8 percent from three with 1.9 made 3s a game.

Related: Mackenzie Mgbako flashed potential in year one. Coming back as a sophomore, it’s about elevating his game — What he needs to do to ‘put it together’

He had three 20-point games in the final month of the season, all coming in a five game span. 20 points against Northwestern. 22 points against Nebraska and 24 points against Maryland.

During Indiana basketball’s five-game winning streak at the end of the season it was in large part to the play of Mgbako. He averaged 15.4 points and made 2.4 3s a game.

That specific stretch was critical in his development, showcasing the ability to be a go-to player on the perimeter. Mike Woodson is expecting more in year two, and needs more. And Mgbako has responded with a busy spring and summer since the end of the season.

“I gotta push him,” Woodson added. “He’s been working his butt off this summer. They’ve been all over the place. He’s been out in L.A. and playing with a bunch of NBA guys and working on his craft there with people that we know, that can help him do some of the things that we already have taught him. So I can’t help but think he’ll come back this year and make another step, which we need.”

Mgbako finished his freshman season averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot 32.7 percent from three. His 50 made 3s were 24 more than any other Hoosier. He also led all Big Ten freshmen in total points (377), points per game (12.2), 20-point games (3) and made free throws (82).

The sophomore jump is a frequent phrase used in college, especially when a player ends his freshman season like Mackenzie Mgbako did. A sophomore slump is also quite frequent as a player like Mgbako becomes complacent following the end of the freshman year like he had. Indiana can’t have the latter if it wants to reach the goals and expectations it’ll have this upcoming year.

While Indiana has added talent at every position and all over the floor, Mgbako will likely hold the keys to what the ultimate ceiling of the Indiana basketball program looks like next year.

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