John Calipari's big-fish recruit goes under the microscope.
John Calipari continues to recruit teenagers while other college coaches try to poach veterans in the transfer portal. Five-star forward Miikka Muurinen is the latest high-profile recruit for Calipari and Arkansas. Via Best of Arkansas Sports, here's what prominent national basketball scouts are saying about Muurinen:
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ESPN’s Paul Biancardi: “He has excellent mobility and agility and can outrun most opponents with his sheer speed, long strides and hunger to score. Muurinen is an explosive lob catcher and an emphatic finisher. He also possesses rare body control for his size. On the offensive glass, he is a terrific vertical putback rebounder. Defensively, he shows instincts for jumping passing lanes for steals and has a knack for rotating over for help side blocks. He excels in screen and roll actions with hard dunks, short rolls to attack, or when he pops up, where he has range to the 3-point line. He does his best work inside the arc, driving and finishing or off-ball cutting and on putbacks.”
247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein: “He’s always been naturally skilled for his size with a soft shooting touch that extends out to the arc … He’s capable of getting out in transition, exploding for big finishes, and also covers the court well. It’s undeniable that he needs to get stronger, embrace physicality and become more productive and efficient. What’s also undeniable, though, is his talent. There just aren’t many young prospects in the world who can duplicate his combination of size, athleticism, mobility, and skill.”
DraftStack’s Pablo Cong Jr.: “Muurinen is a high-level shooter with deep range and the confidence to let it fly at any moment. His mechanics are clean and repeatable … He excels at setting his feet quickly and knocking down threes in rhythm, making him a constant threat as a floor-spacer. What makes him especially dangerous is that defenses can’t simply run him off the line. When pressured, he’s just as capable of attacking closeouts, finishing strong at the rim with a dunk, or creating opportunities off the dribble for teammates.”
What you can clearly see from these assessments is that Miikka Muurinen is an offense-first player. Given that Arkansas' incoming freshmen guards are widely regarded as quality defensive players, having Muurinen's scoring punch gives Arkansas needed balance. However, it also has to be said that with Muurinen being an offense-first frontcourt player, this makes it that much more important for John Calipari to get a defensive hammer at the center (five) spot while Muurinen plays at the four. That's a box Arkansas hasn't yet checked (not fully, at any rate) this offseason.