When a prospect catches the eyes of scouts from a young age, sometimes those scouts place such high expectations on the prospect that, no matter how much they improve, they cannot possibly reach.
Perhaps that is why Malik Newman, a five-star shooting guard set to play for Ben Howland at Mississippi State next season, continuously lost ground in various recruiting rankings over the past three years.
Once considered the best prospect in the class, it isn’t like Newman has completely fallen off of a cliff, but going from No. 1 to No. 8 certainly caused some to wonder what had happened with him. Had he stopped improving? Was he overrated? In actuality, the class of 2015 is just particularly slippery when trying to accurately order the top players in the country.
Name: Malik Newman
Height: 6’4
Position: Shooting guard
Ranking: Five-star, No. 8 overall
Strengths: Put simply, Newman is a bucket getter. He’s the kind of guy that can give you 40 points every which way you might want it. He’s more than adapt to getting hot from deep, can knock down shots in the mid-range, and has shown flashes of being acrobatic at the rim, considering he isn’t the most athletic guy out there–though his athleticism is just fine. At times, he’s also shown an ability to be a defensive stopper and cause turnovers.
Areas to Improve: Decision making with the ball in his hands will be paramount for him under Howland, as he’s not consistent there yet. Also, we’re not sure how much of a playmaker he is when talking about getting teammates involved. His average size for the position also brings up a bit of concern when talking about the NBA, but it shouldn’t hurt him in college.
