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It was mid-April of 2025 erstwhile Missouri sewage a committedness from Arizona State transportation Shawn Phillips. I can’t opportunity it was viewed done a affirmative lens astatine nan time. After all, it was easy to spot done nan stats than Phillips had been a nett antagonistic while connected nan tribunal during his 3 seasons astatine LSU and past Arizona State.
Mizzou moving onto Phillips had an aerial of “I tin hole him” to it.
Because nan measurables pinch Phillips jump disconnected nan page. He’s an agile, morganatic 7-foot halfway pinch an elite vertical leap. Shawn, for immoderate of his faults arsenic a player, was blessed pinch nan benignant of athleticism astir find tantalizing. It’s nan things you can’t thatch that Phillips has.
The operation of size, agility, and sheer athleticism is conscionable thing you can’t disregard erstwhile it comes to Phillips. There conscionable aren’t that galore players who tin beryllium successful nan dunker spot and drawback a lob astatine nan tallness of nan apical of nan backmost board. When you spot Phillips move and jump, it’s easy to spot what Mizzou thought they could gain pinch his talent.
The problem Phillips has had is he’s not been capable to move his talent into accordant production. It was evident pinch his stint astatine Arizona State that Phillips was tin of being exceptional, but not connected a accordant basis. Injuries played a domiciled successful stunting his progress, for sure. But still he’s ne'er been capable to find a level of consistency.
Mizzou saw that subordinate for astir of nan 2025-26 season. Philips started each crippled he played in. His minutes fluctuated, but not by a lot. He played little than 15 minutes conscionable twice, and much than 30 minutes conscionable once. On nan play he played 47.8% of nan minutes, which was a profession high. While he was connected nan floor, Phillips provided bully rebounding, and fantabulous 2-point section extremity shooting, but his ratio was marred by a astir 30% turnover rate. One retired of 3 possessions ended pinch a turnover, dragging his fantabulous 68.3% effective section extremity shooting and 65.8% existent shooting rates into a specified 101.9 Offensive Rating.
From wrong nan arc, Phillips changeable 68.3%, which was apical 50 successful nan country. His 8.9% artifact complaint classed 28th. But his free propulsion shooting, conscionable 52.8% from nan line, coupled pinch a reasonably precocious free propulsion rate, costs valuable points each season.
Phillips wasn’t without immoderate existent moments, some for bully and ill.
His performance against Texas A&M was memorable successful a bully way. 12 points, 8 boards, including nan dunk to put nan Tigers ahead, and nan protect possession positive artifact to seal nan win. Without Philips making plays down nan agelong nan Tigers don’t triumph that game. On nan downside, galore mightiness retrieve him being switched disconnected connected a baseline retired of bounds play astatine location against Georgia, connected that play Phillips gave up a crippled losing handbasket to 5’11 Smurf Millender, and a foul to boot.
The results pinch Phillips were a mixed bag, and it was arsenic evident arsenic nan quality betwixt these 2 crippled endings.
So it’s decidedly understandable if Mizzou fans person mixed feelings connected Phillips. He could decidedly beryllium reliable to watch astatine times, and past moments later do thing perfectly spectacular. Perhaps nan play that will guidelines retired nan astir to maine is from nan first information of nan NCAA Tournament, early successful nan 2nd half pinch Mizzou trailing by a point, Phillips blocked Shelton Henderson astatine nan rim connected a dunk attempt. That led to a secondary accelerated break for nan Tigers, T.O. Barrett drove baseline and from underneath nan rim he dropped a walk disconnected for Phillips. All he had to do was drawback and dunk it. But Phillips took his eyes disconnected nan walk to look astatine nan rim, and nan shot slipped retired of his hands. Like truthful overmuch of nan season, pinch Mizzou truthful adjacent to being a genuinely bully team.
