Malik Pope Needs to Turn his Season Around

When articles like this are written it is with the understanding that the players are teenagers.

It is also with the understanding that, for one reason or another, inconsistency can rear its ugly head and make a young player with all the athletic ability in the world not play up to his potential.

Nonetheless, when a player has been hyped to be a potential NBA first rounder, and through eight games there has been zero glimpses to back up the lofty praise, it has to be pointed out.

San Diego State’s 6-foot-10 forward Malik Pope is a prime example of not living up to the hype and it is perplexing as to why.

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He certainly has all kinds of athletic ability, and this is even after he broke both of his legs before his senior season of high school.

It is obvious that he has the ability to work hard or he would not have rehabilitated himself to the point where the hype would even exist.

Pope showed during his freshman season that his athleticism was not effected by the broken legs by playing 14 minutes and averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds.

The numbers don’t truly tell the story.

What tells Pope’s story is the explosiveness he shows finishing on the fast break and catching lobs.

Pope has shown the type of potential that could transform him into having one of the best all-around games in the country. He can finish with authority in the paint and step out to the three-point line and knock treys down either off the catch or the dribble when he gets his feet set.

But through eight games this season, Pope has not shown the expected growth in his game that comes with the hype surrounding him.

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In fact, he simply has not shown up and it is disappointing. Outside of his 14-point outburst against San Diego Christian on November 18th, Pope has struggled miserably from the floor.

He is shooting 25.9% from the floor and averaging 5.8 points and 4.8 boards. What makes it worse is that his motor has to be questioned at this point.

The game that comes to mind where his motor had to come into question has to be the second game of the season when San Diego State was pitted against the Utah Utes.

This game should have been a showcase for Malik Pope during the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon with him going up against another potential NBA first round talent in Jakob Poetl.

However, Pope did not go as hard at the Utes as you would have expected under those circumstances. Pope seemed to settle for perimeter shots and did not challenge in the paint against Poetl at all.

In the end, Pope finished up shooting 1 of 8 from the field and tallying four points and four rebounds. He only hit one of his four shots from three-point land and obviously that was his lone field goal in the game.

Meanwhile, Poetl showed up, finishing with 15 points and 12 boards.

Now even though they may not have spent a lot of time guarding each other in the game, the thing that stands out is that Poetl was pumped up for this challenge and put his best foot forward, while Pope came up small.

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Pope is still looking for his first breakout game of this season. He is coming off of his best all-around output of the season after the Aztecs defeated Long Beach State 76-72 on Tuesday.

Pope finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes of work that contest. It might be a sign that things are coming around, but the 3 of 9 from the floor is still underwhelming.

You have to pull for someone like Malik Pope because he overcame his two broken legs in order to get on the basketball court and perform.

But now that this is sophomore year, it is not wrong to wonder where all the promise he has shown in the past has gone.

Malik Pope has plenty of season left to get back on track and live up to the billing that has been attached to him going into the 2015-16 season– but as of right now he is coming up short.

Hopefully Pope can work things out in the next four games because on December 22nd San Diego State is going to face the No.4 Kansas Jayhawks.

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The Aztecs are going to need a highly motivated and focused Malik Pope going up against Cheick Diallo and Perry Ellis.

That contest will be an opportunity for Pope to get some kind of redemption in a big game situation, and hopefully he will take advantage of it.

San Diego State Basketball: Malik Pope Needs To Turn His Season Around

By James Fitzgerald | Dec 3, 2015

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