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Position: forward/guard Height: 6-5 Weight: 222 College: Oklahoma State University Born: October 11, 1977, Waxahachie, TX Opening day (2002) age: 25 Drafted: 2000, first round, pick 17, Seattle NBA exerience: Two years (two with Sonics) Hand: Right Acquired: via draft Nicknames: The Cowboy, D-Mase, Mase, D-Mon, Des, Fire Contract status: Signed through 2003-04 season. |
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2001-02 in Review: Desmond Mason found his young career at a bit of a crossroads last summer. During his rookie campaign, Mason had displayed flashes of brilliance that had led to the belief he was the Sonics’ shooting guard of the future. At the same time, however, the bottom line was that Mason averaged only 5.9 points per game and shot a subpar 43.1% while demonstrating several weaknesses in his game that needed to be corrected. Foremost amongst these was Mason’s iffy jumper, and he put in the necessary work to correct this flaw last summer, working with former Sonic star Dale Ellis. Though Mason’s jumper was still inconsistent last season, it was vastly improved and the main catalyst for the improvement in his overall game. It had been assumed that Mason would inherit the starting shooting guard spot last season, but with the departure of reserve forward Ruben Patterson, coach Nate McMillan decided he preferred to have Mason coming off the bench to fill the role of spark and energizer Patterson had played. Mason took quickly to the bench, scoring 15 points in the Sonics’ home opener -- the first of four straight games he scored double figures. Despite a nagging groin injury, Mason ended up starting and playing heavily as part of a small lineup as injuries decimated the Sonic frontcourt during November. He thrived, and was averaging 13.6 points per game after the Sonics beat Milwaukee on December 2. During the game, Mason had gone down in a heap and headed to the locker room before returning to score 16 points on eight of nine shooting. The next day, however, Mason was placed on the injured list with a sprained knee. He would miss six games, during which the Sonics sputtered to a 1-5 record. After Mason returned, his jumper was rusty. The month of January was far and away Mason’s worst offensive month, as he averaged 9.3 points per game on 41% shooting. By February, Mason had returned to form and was again the spark the Sonics needed off the bench. During the month, he failed to defend his Slam Dunk championship. Mason’s most memorable moment of the season came on March 7, when he tip-dunked a Gary Payton miss at the buzzer against Charlotte. The miraculous play sent the game to overtime, where the Sonics won it as part of a four-game winning streak. Near the end of March, Mason returned to the starting lineup following Rashard Lewis’ sprained ankle. Mason was dreadfully inconsistent in Lewis’ absence. Through eight of the 10 remaining games, Mason averaged just 10.4 points and shot poorly. The other two, however, were Mason’s top performances of the season. He set a career-high on April 8 against the Clippers with 36 points on 16 of 22 shooting as the Sonics clinched a playoff spot with a 102-100 victory. A week later, he closed the season with 33 points on 13 of 16 shooting against Memphis. In the playoffs, Mason was largely a non-factor offensively, averaging 11.8 points on poor 42% shooting. He did place an exclamation mark on the Sonics’ game two victory with an athletic 360 dunk that made the highlight reels. When the season was concluded, Mason had more than doubled his scoring average to 12.4 points per game and had improved his shooting percentage by 33 points. Mason played more minutes than any player who primarily came off the bench and was third in this group in scoring. He finished fifth in Sixth Man voting and received two votes for Most Improved Player.
Previous NBA Career: An experienced college player who spent four seasons at Oklahoma State, leading the Cowboys (hence his nickname) to Big 12 contention, Mason was able to make an immediate NBA impact. After winning the Shaw’s Cup as the best player in the Boston Shaw Summer League, Mason opened training camp as the Sonics’ starting shooting guard despite the presence of incumbent Brent Barry. The pressure of starting opening night seemed to bother Mason, who started the season slowly. Mason was pushed to the bench by December, where he eventually settled in as the backup for Lewis at small forward. The highpoint of Mason’s season came at All-Star weekend, where he won the Slam Dunk championship thanks to a dunk over a nervous Lewis. Mason ended the season strong with a career-best 25 points against San Antonio in the finale. He finished with averages of 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game, shooting 43.1% from the field.
Shooting/Scoring: The biggest change in Mason’s game last season was his improved effectiveness shooting midrange jumpers. From 15-20 feet, he is solid if inconsistent. However, Mason’s range is limited. He made just 16 of 59 (27.1%) from three, scarcely improving on his rookie performance. Mason would probably be better off to completely eliminate the three from his offensive repertoire. When Mason gets in the lane, good things happen. His jumping ability makes him an excellent finisher, and he showed dramatic improvement at the free-throw line last season, going from average 73.6% shooting to an excellent 84.8% performance. As Mason’s jumper improves, he should get more chances to get to the lane. When matched against smaller defenders, Mason has a limited post game which mostly comes from his excellent strength. He lacks any true post ‘moves’.
Floor Game: Though Mason dramatically improved his shooting, he failed to address his other key weakness, ballhandling. Mason is not particularly turnover-prone, but he does a poor job of setting up his teammates, handing out just 2.1 assists per 48 minutes. Mason is not only fairly unwilling to distribute, it’s questionable whether he could if he wanted to. He is a poor dribbler who could not bring the ball up on a regular basis. In addition, he has a tendency to forget about his teammates in the pursuit of his own offense. At times, he will drive the lane without any intent of passing, and these bull-headed charges usually result in a turnover. Ballhandling would be a real weakness if Mason was to play regularly at guard.
Rebounding: Mason’s rebounding was a bit of a disappointment last season. Playing almost exclusively at small forward and seeing more minutes, he should have improved his rebounding dramatically from his rookie season, but he only upped it from 3.2 boards per game to 4.7. On a per-minute basis, Mason’s rebounding declined 11% without any real explanation. As a small forward, he is well below average on the glass.
Defense: Some of the luster has come off the ‘stopper’ reputation that Mason entered the NBA with. Though he does a good job defending most players, Mason has a difficult time elevating his game to that extra level necessary to defend the stars he was often asked to battle. He also generates only an average amount of steals, and tends to roam a bit more than he should while defending off the ball. Mason’s strongest defensive point is his ability to take charges; though no official records are made available to the public, he must have taken at least one a game.
Intangibles: A true class act off the court, it’s unlikely that anyone would ever say an unkind word about Mason. The improvement on his jumper last season was a testament to the effort he put in over the summer. One thing to watch in coming years is whether Mason will take a leadership mantle with the Sonics as he gains experience.
Overall: Year two demonstrated conclusively that Mason is on the right path towards being a starter in this league for a long time. With the Sonics’ perimeter depth, however, he may not actually be a starter for a while. Barry has solidified the Sonics at shooting guard and is invaluable to the team. In addition, Mason now appears better suited for the small forward position despite his 6-5 height. At the three, Mason’s limited range and poor ballhandling are not the concerns they would be at the two. But there too Mason’s path has been blocked by Lewis. Mason’s role for next season will depend in large part on where Lewis decides to play next season and beyond. If the free agent chooses to leave for Dallas, Mason might enter the starting lineup and could become the Sonics’ second option offensively. With the extra offensive attention, Mason could see his scoring average leap again to the 17-18 points per game mark. If Lewis returns, it’s back to the bench for Mason, who would play behind and alongside Mason in about the same number of minutes as last season. If that is the case, expect a spirited charge for Sixth Man from Mason. As Mason used last summer to address his jumper, he needs to spend this summer working on his ballhandling. Improving his dribbling and passing would take his game to the next level. With his personality, work ethic, and skills, Mason should be a member of the Seattle SuperSonics for a long time to come. The team has already exercised their 2003-04 option on Mason’s contract and next summer Mason and the Sonics can work on a long-term extension to keep him in Seattle.
December 1 Update: Going into this season, even Mason himself probably didn't expect to progress so well. By late November, he was the Sonics' second-best player. During a late-November slump while the rest of the roster struggled at one point or another, Mason constantly put up good numbers. He is probably the best sixth man in the league right now outside of Michael Jordan. He has been the most consistent Sonic this season. His defense has been mostly superb so far. His seven rebounds per game are extremely impressive considering he is only 6-5. And who can forget the high-flying and monsterous dunks and putbacks that have made Mason a fan favorite in Seattle? However, Mason still needs to work on his shot selection and passing game, both of which haven't improved much from last year.
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