The race for the Naismith Player of the Year Award is heating up, to say the least. Several players have separated themselves from the pack and given the country a reason to focus on them. Now that we’ve reached conference play, we’ll release a weekly Naismith Player of Year Award watch list to keep you updated on who’s hot, who’s not, and who you need to keep an eye on.
- Kris Dunn, Providence: Dunn is the most well-rounded, effective player in the country right now outside of one sensational freshman, and has been since Denzel Valentine went out with injury a few weeks ago. He’s averaging 17.7 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game on 48-percent shooting from the field and 40-percent shooting from three point land. Of course, Providence being a borderline top-ten team helps his chances of staying on this list throughout the remainder of the season.
- Buddy Hield, Oklahoma: It wasn’t just his electric performance against Kansas in what some are calling the regular season game of the century, but it certainly helped. Hield poured in 46 points, eight rebounds, and seven rebounds in the loss, upping his season totals to 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Hield looks like a near lock to repeat as Big 12 Player of the Year and has a chance to add the Naismith award to his resume.
- Denzel Valentine, Michigan State: The way Michigan State has looked without Valentine has done nothing but cement his value and remind the country of his skill set. On the season, his numbers are still unmatched–18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. When he returns, he’ll jump back into the lead for this award if he keeps up his usual kinds of production.
- Brice Johnson, North Carolina: Take away his clunker against Clemson, since everyone else has a blemish or two on their stat sheet as well, and Johnson has been the most dominant big man in the country for the past month. Since UNC’s loss to Texas, he’s had scoring nights of 22, 25, 27, and 39, including not a single game with less than nine rebounds. Is it time to start talking about this team once again? If so, he’s the reason why.
- Ben Simmons, LSU: Now that LSU appears to have turned a bit of a corner, I finally feel comfortable putting Simmons back into the POY conversation. No matter his brilliance, and make no mistake that his play has indeed been brilliant, no player deserves this award on a team as bad as LSU has been this season. But if they’re truly turning their season around, there’s no way to leave off a player who averages 20.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. No. Way.
