Mawot Mag is BYU's eighth most important player this season — and he is overqualified for his role.
At Rutgers last season, Mag averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals a game. He is one of the best defenders in the country and a versatile player for BYU this season. Mag fits the NBA wing prototype on defense; at 6-foot-7, he can guard all positions on the court. His length and athleticism allow him to defend guards and his size and strength help him defend opposing teams' forwards.
For that reason, Mag will see a lot of playing time this season coming off the bench. His energy and defense will change games for BYU and his name will be called on many times this season to lock up the opponent's best player.
Last season, BYU basketball's bench unit, comprised of Jaxson Robinson, Richie Saunders, and Fousseyni Traore, was the Cougars' biggest strength. This year’s bench might be just as good and Mag will be one reason why. Assuming that Saunders starts games this season for BYU, Mag will be his primary backup, and there will be little-to-no drop-off in the defensive and glue guy energy provided on the court.
Mag and Saunders are the two most similar players on BYU's roster and there is a good reason for that. Mag and Saunders will be responsible for defending the other team's best player(s), which can be physically exhausting. They will also expend a lot of energy running the court in transition, rebounding and moving off the ball on offense. Having two of the best glue guys in the country is a luxury for head coach Kevin Young because he can keep them both fresh during games to fulfill those glue-guy responsibilities.
And when both Saunders and Mag are on the court together, good luck running good offense against those two.
If you have been following along with this basketball season's preview series, you know there are many talented players on BYU’s roster. Mag is eighth on this list because of the redundancy between him and Saunders (which, as discussed above, is an advantage for BYU). However, this makes him less valuable overall because Saunders already fulfills the same role. The other reason is that Mag is not a very efficient player on offense, but he does bring a valuable skillset if used correctly.
For his career, Mag is a 26.7% 3-point shooter and in his 2023-24 season at Rutgers, he shot 24.5%. It is safe to say that 3-point shooting is not his strength, but in the offense he is playing this season, his percentage should go up with the number of open shots he will get.
What Mag can provide BYU’s offense is his screening, cutting and rebounding ability. Mag is an intelligent off-ball cutter, and playing with excellent passers like Dallin Hall and Egor Demin will magnify his cutting ability. The other way Mag can be used offensively is as a screener. At Rutgers, he was used in many actions as a screener on and off the ball and can finish at the rim. He can finish in the air with both hands and also has a back-to-the-basket game with a good-looking turnaround fadeaway jump shot.
While playing a reduced role on this year's BYU basketball team, Mag will play a key part in the success this team hopes to reach in the postseason. There will be games this season where Mag’s defense and energy off the bench change the entire outcome of the game in a short four-minute stint. He is the ultimate luxury for Young and the Cougars.