While the reaction was extreme, it was warranted based on how Shakir played last year. I saw him in November as a 17yo at a U20 tournament and, when I asked him how he thought it was going after two games, he told me that he was playing so bad that he didn't deserve to be there.

When I asked the translator if that's what he really said, they had a little conversation and she said to him, "I sucked" and he turned to me and said, "I sucked" ...and he wasn't wrong! He showed every indication that he wasn't ready to compete at that level...

He didn't look confident, made a plethora of mistakes, didn't use his body to create any kind of separation, opted for easy dump ins, didn't make smart plays, etc...he looked completely out of place. So, I'm not surprised by JD and Mitch's evaluation after seeing him at the WJAC.