Roger Mason Jr.: An unfinished portrait
Watercolor by Jesse Blanchard
Whether through a series of unfortunate circumstances or simply misplaced expectations, The Legacy of Big Shot Rog will likely end as one of the most regrettably unfinished chapters in recent San Antonio Spurs history.
Roger Mason Jr. came to San Antonio with little expectations from Spurs fans but quickly endeared himself to the AT&T Center crowds with clutch shot after clutch shot. There was the Clippers game. The Phoenix Suns on Christmas. The Lakers and Celtics. Â He was Big Shot Rog:
His shot is so elegant. He is the essence of a pure shooter. His feet are square. His hands are high. His body and the floor form a perfect right angle. He can stop on a dime and still go straight up. And even when being fouled, which obviously limits his ability to maintain such idyllic physical composition, the mangled forms of his shot shine through. You see each little puzzle piece working tirelessly to make sure the shot remains on target. Some might call it “focus†but I think it comes from something slightly different. It radiates from his confidence. Not just confidence. Charisma. Roger Mason Jr.’s late game heroics are like an unexpected baptism.
That portrait of Roger Mason Jr., written over a year ago by Graydon, was everything the San Antonio Spurs needed this season. Because of that first impression, head coach Gregg Popovich stuck with Mason through all of his struggles. But even given every opportunity, Mason never had a chance.
With the acquisition of Richard Jefferson, the return of Manu Ginobili and the ascension of George Hill, Mason found himself on the wrong end of a minutes crunch. And then there was the injury, a torn ligament on his shooting hand that required surgery.
As far as contract years go, few have had as bad a go at it as Roger Mason Jr. did this season. His three point and free throw shooting each dropped nearly 10 percentage points (42% to 32% and 89% to 79%) and his scoring average was cut in half, from 12 points per game to six.
To his credit, Mason never made any excuses and with the exception of a leaked trade request, he publicly played the part of consummate professional. In many ways, Roger Mason Jr. was the perfect typecast of a Spurs role player-a three-point specialist who, while limited, fit in seamlessly with the San Antonio Spurs star players and the character of the team.
In any number of parallel universes where a handful of things go differently, it’s not too hard to picture Roger Mason Jr. following Mario Elie, Steve Kerr and Robert Horry in the pantheon of San Antonio Spurs role players who shined on a title team.
Unfortunately for Mason, he was either physically unable to perform or was simply asked to do too much. Throughout his tenure in San Antonio, Mason constantly had to acclimate himself to different roles as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan shuffled in and out of the lineup.
Whether due to injuries or Tim Duncan’s emerging inability to consistently draw double teams, for a spot-up shooter Mason continuously found himself taking on more playmaking responsibilities than his skill set is capable of.
Advertised as an emergency ball handler, Roger Mason Jr. is a point guard only in the sense that he can dribble just well enough to bring the ball up the court. Still, Mason was thrust into this role due to injuries and the fact that the Spurs current backup point guard, George Hill, shares the same weakness without the benefit (in theory) of Mason’s off the dribble jumper.
Ideally, Mason is a one or two dribble player who thrives off of others’ dribble penetration or double teams. The San Antonio Spurs brought him in to be exactly that player.
But like a brilliantly designed play that executes perfectly in every way except the finish, Roger Mason Jr.’s work here was incomplete. If there were a moment to sum up his season, it would be such a play against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coming out of a timeout down three in the closing seconds, head coach Gregg Popovich diagrammed the perfect play-an open look for Roger Mason Jr. Almost every moment screams success, even the follow through on the jump shot, only for whatever reason it just doesn’t work out.
Despite his struggles this season, Roger Mason Jr. is definitely an NBA player, just not likely with the San Antonio Spurs any longer. Nor is his career likely to approach the heights it reached his first season here, which is regrettable, because the story of Big Shot Rog had too promising a start for such an anticlimactic finish.
