For someone like me that has no idea about his game (Muldrew), would you trade him to get Mustaf back?
I'm high as heck on Muldrew, but I'd take Mustaf back over Muldrew any day. That's not because I don't think Muldrew won't fulfill his potential, but it's because I think Mustaf can be a high level player quicker. We saw first hand what he can do at this level, versus a bigger projection for Muldrew. Kind of the "devil you know" theory. Even when he was a freshmen here, I thought Mustaf had a really high ceiling. He has position versatility, can defend, can score, and he was one of the few players that actually gave a d@mn when the season was circling the toilet. What we saw in the second half of last season from Mustaf was a glimpse of the player he can be. IMO, he's a guy that can give you 15+ points/6-8 rebs/3-5 assists a game, and his frame and athleticism makes him a good multi position defender. He gets to by defenders and to the basket easily, though he does need to work on his finishing at the rim. He needs to work on shot some, but all the tools are there for him to become an All Conference level player.
When Cross came in, I said there was only 3 players I cared to bring back. Mustaf and Ndongo were 1A and 1B, and Fleming was the 3rd player. Given Cross's history with developing talent, I really thought Mustaf could blossom under the new staff. He probably would have been our best overall player, and with some REALLY good guards in Garland and Whitlock, it would have given Mustaf more space and freedom to play to his talents. For me, it's more a matter of Mustaf being closer to development maturity versus a flash of great talent display from Muldrew the last portion of last season at Washington. It's a balance of getting help right away, versus nurturing a plant to pick the fruits down the road.
IMO, if you look back at Cross's development of guards, and given Muldrew's frame and athleticism, he is going to be REALLY good here if he takes to coaching. There's certainly a lot of filling in the blanks and projection when it comes to player development. Once Muldrew started getting consistently more minutes, he blossomed for Washington. He's guard that can rebound, and he also takes care of the ball. Even though I would have liked for us to have Mustaf returning, I'm also excited to see Muldrew develop and play with Garland and Whitlock next season.
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