Welcome back to another episode of the probe. In this breakdown, we look at Rutgers
Junior guard and John Carroll alum, Montez Mathis. Mathis is having a career season and has become the x-factor for a dangerous Rutgers team. Mathis who is averaging a career high in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and minutes, has emerged as one of the top all around guards in the Big Ten conference. At 6’4,209, with good all around skill and athleticism, Mathis blends those to bring explosiveness and power to the floor on offense getting to the basket and defensively, where he can defend the 1 to the 3 and in certain cases 4’s. He’s an unsung talent that’s coming into his own.
Player Strengths:
Ability to get into the lane
Athleticism
Competitiveness
Defensive ability on ball
IQ
Level of experience
Motor
Rebounding
Shooting efficient from 3-point range
Speed
Quickness
Toughness
Player Weaknesses: Awareness defending off the ball
Shooting efficiency from the field
Playmaking
Positional size
Future Pro Potential:
Rotation
Pro Player Comparison:
Terence Davis
Overall Evaluation: As you saw, Mathis brings a lot to the table as a player. He’s overlooked by his much more heralded teammates Jacob Young, Ron Harper Jr and even his highly touted teammate freshman center Cliff Omoruyi, yet he’s a talent all his own. His impact and continued improvement over his career should warrant attention from pro scouts. I believe he has a shot at being an NBA player. That could mean after another season of college or more seasoning in the g-league or overseas after college, or wowing teams through summer league and training camp if he isn’t drafted, similar to the path of Raptors guard Terence Davis who I feel has many similarities to Mathis in size, talent and skill. The tools are there for Mathis, it’s just on him to showcase them more consistently.