Simeon2UC
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BJ Mullens is another one and done player who is getting a lot of hate for his decision to leave Ohio State for the NBA. His coach, Thad Matta has done everything to keep him in school, even playing him a paltry 20 minutes a game. People have questioned his attitude, his work ethic, his game and every word that comes out his mouth. I’m here to say, very simply, you’re all wrong.
Leaving for the NBA is the smartest thing he can do, all things considered. Many young basketball prodigies are coddled from a young age, but for BJ, it was much different. When other 8 year olds were signing up for basketball at 8 years old, his family was signing up for welfare and food stamps. He was essentially homeless and spent a good portion of his childhood moving from shelter to shelter and wearing clothes two sizes too small from the Salvation Army.
Growing up on the West Side of Columbus Ohio he lived in 12 different houses and shelters and attended 10 different schools. No one in his family prior to him had graduated high school, and the NBA dream was never a part of his childhood. What really saved the kid was the game of basketball. That’s what happens when you are 6’7 and in the seventh grade; basketball coaches find you.
From there the maturation and development would start, as Mullen’s started to play the game and take it seriously. When AAU Coach Marc Bradley first got BJ in the gym, he realized the challenge to both coach and player because in Marc’s words, "He could barely pick the ball up." Due to his incredible size, much was expected of him, but basketball, unlike football, is a game of skill and it takes time to develop ones game. For BJ, it was time to get to work.
Knowing his story, I made it a point to watch as many Ohio State games as I could this year, and feel very confident in saying. BJ Mullen is the best white big man to come out of college since Kevin McHale. I’m not basing this off of stats or YouTube videos; I’m basing it on the basic fundamental tools of basketball. Most 7 foot 275 pound big men are slow, lumbering projects. Although BJ Mullen’s is far from a finished product, he has the tools that you can’t teach. He has great hands, is a very quick jumper, light on his feet and can dunk the ball with an angry ferocity. He's also 7 feet tall and 275 pounds.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see enough of this at Ohio State, but was that because of BJ Mullen or Thad Matta? I could never understand why BJ was only allowed to play 20 minutes a game. People laugh at him going pro, because he didn’t dominate, but was he ever given the chance? Everyone says, how can he go pro when he only averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game? My question to you is, how can he excel, when he isn’t given the playing time or the ball to score? If you have a player that’s shooting 64% from the field, do you think you might want to get him the ball? Extrapolate his numbers over 30 minutes and he’s a 13 and 7 guy, and no one would say a thing. Greg Oden’s numbers at Ohio State were 15.7 points and 9.6 boards in 29 minutes, and he got the ball a lot.
What BJ needs to do to fulfill his potential is get a big man coach to help him work on the finer points of the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be perfect, although I don’t see him leaving the Lakers. He needs to refine his low post moves and create a go to move. This kid will pick it up, as he’s smart as well as athletic. His GPA at Ohio State was 3.2 his first semester and 3.5 his second. Rumors about him being a malcontent are also not true. Here’s what Teammate Jon Diebler had to say about BJ, "He's got great character; he doesn't ever talk about the NBA or the next level. He's always focused on this year, college basketball. He's just a great teammate to have in the locker room. He lightens the mood."
Coach Thad Matta also had some nice things to say about him, "To me, he's a success because he could have given up at any time, but he stuck to his plan, to see the growth that he has made and some of the things he's had to go through that some kids haven't, it's amazing. He's somebody you want representing your program and your university."
When evaluating a draft pick, sometimes you can get caught up with hardship stories like this, but watching this kid’s athleticism and quickness is truly something to behold. He’s not Todd Fuller or Chris Mihm; he’s a big man that will play big in the pros. He’s also got a developing outside game where it won’t be long before he can play the pick and roll and be that pick and pop guy.
What BJ really needs is a team that can bring him a long slowly, and provide him with the big man coach and environment that is conducive to success.
Leaving for the NBA is the smartest thing he can do, all things considered. Many young basketball prodigies are coddled from a young age, but for BJ, it was much different. When other 8 year olds were signing up for basketball at 8 years old, his family was signing up for welfare and food stamps. He was essentially homeless and spent a good portion of his childhood moving from shelter to shelter and wearing clothes two sizes too small from the Salvation Army.
Growing up on the West Side of Columbus Ohio he lived in 12 different houses and shelters and attended 10 different schools. No one in his family prior to him had graduated high school, and the NBA dream was never a part of his childhood. What really saved the kid was the game of basketball. That’s what happens when you are 6’7 and in the seventh grade; basketball coaches find you.
From there the maturation and development would start, as Mullen’s started to play the game and take it seriously. When AAU Coach Marc Bradley first got BJ in the gym, he realized the challenge to both coach and player because in Marc’s words, "He could barely pick the ball up." Due to his incredible size, much was expected of him, but basketball, unlike football, is a game of skill and it takes time to develop ones game. For BJ, it was time to get to work.
Knowing his story, I made it a point to watch as many Ohio State games as I could this year, and feel very confident in saying. BJ Mullen is the best white big man to come out of college since Kevin McHale. I’m not basing this off of stats or YouTube videos; I’m basing it on the basic fundamental tools of basketball. Most 7 foot 275 pound big men are slow, lumbering projects. Although BJ Mullen’s is far from a finished product, he has the tools that you can’t teach. He has great hands, is a very quick jumper, light on his feet and can dunk the ball with an angry ferocity. He's also 7 feet tall and 275 pounds.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see enough of this at Ohio State, but was that because of BJ Mullen or Thad Matta? I could never understand why BJ was only allowed to play 20 minutes a game. People laugh at him going pro, because he didn’t dominate, but was he ever given the chance? Everyone says, how can he go pro when he only averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game? My question to you is, how can he excel, when he isn’t given the playing time or the ball to score? If you have a player that’s shooting 64% from the field, do you think you might want to get him the ball? Extrapolate his numbers over 30 minutes and he’s a 13 and 7 guy, and no one would say a thing. Greg Oden’s numbers at Ohio State were 15.7 points and 9.6 boards in 29 minutes, and he got the ball a lot.
What BJ needs to do to fulfill his potential is get a big man coach to help him work on the finer points of the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be perfect, although I don’t see him leaving the Lakers. He needs to refine his low post moves and create a go to move. This kid will pick it up, as he’s smart as well as athletic. His GPA at Ohio State was 3.2 his first semester and 3.5 his second. Rumors about him being a malcontent are also not true. Here’s what Teammate Jon Diebler had to say about BJ, "He's got great character; he doesn't ever talk about the NBA or the next level. He's always focused on this year, college basketball. He's just a great teammate to have in the locker room. He lightens the mood."
Coach Thad Matta also had some nice things to say about him, "To me, he's a success because he could have given up at any time, but he stuck to his plan, to see the growth that he has made and some of the things he's had to go through that some kids haven't, it's amazing. He's somebody you want representing your program and your university."
When evaluating a draft pick, sometimes you can get caught up with hardship stories like this, but watching this kid’s athleticism and quickness is truly something to behold. He’s not Todd Fuller or Chris Mihm; he’s a big man that will play big in the pros. He’s also got a developing outside game where it won’t be long before he can play the pick and roll and be that pick and pop guy.
What BJ really needs is a team that can bring him a long slowly, and provide him with the big man coach and environment that is conducive to success.