Everything in its Wright place
Until this page, a play on Radiohead lyrics to describe McKinley Wright IV seems extremely bizarre. Ok, it still is. But just as forums and critics interpret their versions of song, scouts, studio analysts and sour fans offer theirs of the Buffaloes’ senior point guard.
A viable candidate for Pac-12 player of the year, Wright is praised by not just the conference but college basketball. Except when it comes to the 2021 Draft, he’s just an afterthought, at least according to ESPN Draft Analyst Mike Schmitz. During the Buffaloes convincing victory Thursday night over the top ranked USC Trojans, Schmitz said Wright would be a ‘steal’ in free agency. Which begs the question: Why not a team’s draft possession?
Few mocks slate him as a late second round selection, though most imply, in Petey Bell language, “to better be at tryouts on Monday.” The NBA game has gone to the edges of the (three point) arc as well as the Earth. According to Statista, the current percentage of foreign born talent is at 21.8 percent and trending upward. So whilst a 6'0 point guard from flyover country with sneaky speed and an above average jump shot may not have the same appeal as the 6'11 wing who torched the Nike Hoop Summit, rosters still covet a Bobby Jackson or Brevin Knight.
Jackson — better known as “Action Jackson” — led a scrappy Minnesota Golden Gopher program to the 1997 Final Four. The barely 6'1 guard then spent the next decade leading fast breaks and diving for loose balls on the squeakiest of squeaky hardwood. A Minnesota native, Wright has a lot of Jackson qualities to his game — explosiveness and change of pace dribble to name a few.
Thanks to Adrian Branch’s colorful commentary, Wright’s tale also has some late 90s Knight. For the twinkles in mom’s pre-millennium eye, Knight’s timely Stanford rise rivaled that of its neighboring Silicon Valley.
Despite the arbitrary role player comparisons, Wright’s in the right place. The Buffaloes are 18–7 with two conference games remaining. And while certain of a tournament selection, they still must escape an early death at the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Unlike last March, this year, thanks to stern commitment and careful planning by the NCAA and Pac-12 leadership, there will be basketball. There will be a champion.
Wright’s 14.5 per may not grace the conference leaderboard like USC’s Evan Mobley or ASU’s Remy Martin, but he shows up each night. He’s far from perfect as he has forgotten the shot clock and may mouth off to an official. But he holds himself accountable and in redemption pours in prime time points.
The NBA — basketball for that matter — needs accountability. There are enough scorers, stalwarts. What the league lacks is leaders, not just on rosters but in studios, behind screens, and in schools. Turning pro is reflected in more than career earnings or rings. It’s about being in place. And in this case, the Wright one. So, for now, it’s mere days until some unfortunate Las Vegas hotel guests wake up sucking a lemon.
~kh
