For most for most of the season, Trae Young was viewed as the favorite to walk away with the Naismith Player of the Year award. Young is averaging 28.3 points and 9.2 assists per game, both of which lead the nation. The Sooners were flying high early on with wins against Kansas, Wichita State and Texas Tech.
With the season winding down, the Sooners have lost six straight and Young has cooled off significantly. Young is turning the ball over at a high rate and throwing up bricks from the field. He is no longer the favorite to win the Player of the Year award and rightfully so.
Jalen Brunson is the Favorite for Naismith Player of the Year
Who is the favorite?
Villanova point guard Jalen Brunson has emerged as the favorite to win the Naismith award. Brunson is the leader on a Villanova team that is one of the best in the country. For some people, that is enough.
For those of you who it is not enough for, Brunson has been the poster boy for consistency. He is averaging 19.2 points and 4.9 assists per game. Brunson has reached double digits in scoring every game so far this season and has a season high of 31. He has done that three times against Temple and on the road against Big East foes Butler and Marquette.
The former Mr. Basketball of Illinois has also been quite efficient from the field. He is shooting 53.8% from the field, 42.1% from three and 80.2% from the line.
Brunson is unlike other point guards. Speed and agility are not the key components to his game. Few times can a point guard post up a big man and hit a turn around jumper, but Brunson makes it look easy. He uses his ball handling skills to get by his defender and his strength to finish at the rim, where he has become one of the best.
Brunson has not put up multiple 40 point games that will make a headline, but he has been the best player on a Villanova team that has a chance to make a Final Four run. That will put him on top of a list of great players for the Naismith award.
Other Candidates
Marvin Bagley III reclassified to be able to play at Duke a year earlier than he was supposed to. Many high school players are currently thanking him for that decision.
Bagley has emerged as the most dominant player in college basketball. He is averaging 21.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. The 6’11 forward uses his size and athletic ability to dunk on whoever is in his way.
He seems like a cannot miss NBA prospect, but Bagley must improve his mid-range shooting and production from the line. He is only 62% from the line. Bagley has missed the last four games with a knee injury, but that should not take him out of the conversation. Even if he does not win Player of the Year, Bagley is set up for a long and successful career in the NBA.
Arizona’s Deandre Ayton has been at the top of mock drafts since the season started and for good reason. Ayton stands at 7’1 and his agility and shot blocking ability has drawn comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon.
Ayton, a high school teammate of Bagley’s, is averaging 19.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He has shown the ability to step out and shoot, score in the post and take his defender off the dribble. Ayton is another player with the potential to have a successful NBA career, but he may grab a Player of the Year award on his way.
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