Kansas Basketball: The small problem with Frank Mason

By Matt Ostrowski | Jan 28, 2016

Jan 16, 2016; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) defends against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won the game 70-63. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

The Kansas basketball team has been struggling on the road, and Frank Mason‘s play has a lot to do with it.

There are a wealth of team’s in the country that would take Frank Mason as their starting point guard any day of the week.

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But during the Kansas Jayhawks’ Tuesday night 86-67 loss to Oklahoma State, Frank Mason started forcing poor shots. Kansas was down for most of the game, and I’m sure Bill Self was preaching to his guards that they needed to keep being aggressive in attacking the hoop. However, I don’t think a 4-for-12 performance with zero assists is exactly what he had in mind.

Let’s get one thing straight: this loss is absolutely not entirely on Mason. Sure, he had a poor game. It was, as it always is, a team effort. Just about every Jayhawk played a completely uninspiring game.

It became evident to me in this game, though, that someone in particular on Kansas may hold the key to their success:

Also relevant is that he’s shooting just 37% in losses.

I’m normally not one for stats like this. Look at the stats any player who is as valuable to his team as Mason is, and you’ll find that their numbers are worse in losses. It’s obvious. But a three assist per game difference is pretty substantial, and why does the number of field goal attempts he takes rise by almost more than two?

It could simply be that he forces the issue more when his team is down. Being one of the leaders of the team, Mason might feel responsible for the deficit, and try to take it upon himself to help the team comeback.

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Clearly, it hasn’t worked well. When Mason is looking for his own shot, that means he’s driving the ball to shoot, and not to pass. That’s almost always a recipe for disaster, especially in an era where almost every team has a hulking shot-blocker lurking at the rim.

What matters a lot more here is this: why is Frank Mason, one of Kansas’ best players, shooting less per game a good thing for Kansas?

You see, Mason should be Kansas’ third option on offense. Perry Ellis should be taking the most shots, followed by Wayne Selden (who barely even touched the ball in the loss to Oklahoma State). Mason is third on this list.

When Mason starts forcing the issue, he turns himself into the first option. He starts driving to shoot, and not to pass. Much of Kansas’ offensive success this season has been predicated on the three-pointer. And this is fine, considering they have plenty of fantastic shooters on the roster.

Seeing that 80% of Kansas’ made three-pointers this year have been assisted, Mason should be the guy getting these assists. That’s the primary difference between Frank Mason in wins, and Frank Mason in losses. Looking for his shot vs. looking for everyone else’s shot.

Frank Mason is never going to be 20 point per game scorer. He’s still a fantastic player, but he’s not quite that guy that’s going to go out and win you a game like that. When he tries to be that guy, Kansas always seems to come up short.

When he’s doing the little things, like running the offense, finding open shooters, and looking to pas before looking to shoot, Kansas is dangerous. It’s just up to him to find the balance between the two.