Abdul-Malik Abu generated a massive amount of buzz during the preseason. He had apparently hit the gym hard during the off-season, and was going to come into the 2016-2017 season with an improved offensive touch to compliment his already superb athleticism. When the Pack took the floor against exhibition foe Cal State LA, Abu lived up to the expectations scoring 17 points in only 27 minutes of action.

But once the games started counting, good showings for Abu have been far and few between. His mid-range touch has vanished, and he seems to just try to bully his way to the rim on the low block. He is shooting just 43% from the field and 56% from the line.

Even more concerning than how inconsistent is shooting has been is that he as been performing that way against inferior competition. He was only able to chip in two points against Winthrop, and followed that up with another two point performance against Michigan. Even the 11 points he scored against Bucknell has to be considered under-performing considering the size and athletic advantage he had in the interior.

A guy who is as athletically gifted as Abu should be a match up nightmare for mid-major programs. Against most every team NC State has played he has been significantly stronger than the opposing 4, and significantly quicker than the opponent’s 5.  With that in mind its really hard to see how he hasn’t been going off.

It’s no secret that NC State runs the high post offense, so in reality Abu is going to catch the ball in one of two places: either in the high post, or on the low block.

It’s fair to say that Abu doesn’t have the most polished low post moves. On the majority of his post touches this season Abu has simply tried to drop step towards the basket and power the ball up, and while that move should certainly be in his arsenal, his lack of ideal size will cause his shot to consistently get blocked or altered by taller, less athletic defenders. Again, his drop step can be a lethal move, but with no variance it becomes predictable and easily defended. Over the rest of the season he is going to have to attack towards the middle more often, as it will allow him to utilize his quickness and elite athleticism.

When Abu catches in the high post he has been more than willing to pull the jumper. In honesty, it isn’t a bad shot as his stroke looks good regardless of his shooting percentage. Going forward however he is going to need to diversify this aspect of his game. Hopefully he can continue to knock down the jumper on a somewhat regular basis. If he can force defenders to close out a little more aggressively, he has the chance to become really dangerous as he has the speed/strength combo to be a lethal straight-line driver.

A positive take away so far is that Abu has had his best game of the season against the best player he has faced thus far. Against LSU’s Ben Simmons, Abu scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while holding Simmons to 6 points. With a lot of tough tests and challenges for Abu left on the schedule, there is plenty of time for him to rise to the occasion.