Mast Hot Take & Appreciation Post

I know this is a stretch, but it’s a thought I can’t get out of my head. And this sub is the only place where it might get a fair hearing.

Here’s my hot take: although everyone that watches the Huskers recognizes that Mast is good, his game is extremely underrated and Joker-esque.

His skills and size aren’t as good as the NBA’s current best player, but the value he brings on the offensive side is identical to some of Nikola’s best qualities.

Specifically, they both can dominate when they get the ball just above the high post, but not quite “the perimeter”. when this happens, it’s deadly for the defense.

I’m not a Denver fan, or a Jokić fan per se. But When Jokić gets the ball in that position, I feel sorry for whoever he’s playing against. they are helpless.

Like Jokić, Mast’s decision making and passing skills encourage team mates to move and find good spaces. This puts extreme stress on the opponents’ defense.

Mast is a true triple threat when they run this action. He has the strength, footwork and ball skills to take any college defender down to the basket. Then he can finsh in a variety of ways. He can make a middy when the action produces space. Most importantly, he can and will make a pass to his teammates who know there’s a reward if they move to space or cut. So just his presence changes the complexion of the game, even when he isn’t involved in the play because everyone on the floor is reacting to the threat he poses.

Like Jokić, Mast sees the floor and reliably makes good decisions. Importantly, he has the skills to execute those decisions.

The only time NU lost badly this season is when they played against a 7-foot, two-time Big East defensive player of the year. When they played other power-conference teams that lacked elite defense at the 5, the Huskers feasted.

Minnesota was an outlier. NU took their foot off the gas and were taught a lesson they needed about how to be a winning team.

But when they are in the right mindset, Mast’s abilities make NU a top-25 team.

Don’t get me wrong, Jokić is way more gifted and skilled than Mast. Nikola is bigger and better on the boards and he’s deadly from 3. I’m not saying Mast is as good.

I’m just suggesting that when Mast is cooking, he’s a force that is unique in CBB. And unless I’ve missed something, nobody seems to notice these Jokić similarities.

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