2016 Pac 12 Freshman of the Year

Last year it would’ve been a surprise if Stanley didn’t win freshman of the year, and some of you may think the same thing this year with Jaylen Brown, but this year’s freshman class is a lot stronger than last year’s. Here are some legit candidates.

Ivan Rabb & Jaylen Brown – Cal: Both will get a ton of touches right out the gate from what we’ve seen so far in their summer in Australia. Brown is definitely the favorite right now, but with Rabb putting on some weight this summer he is also legit candidate for freshman of the year.

Tyler Dorsey – Oregon: This kid put his name on the map this Summer lighting it up for Greece. He can immediately fill in for Joseph Young and I wouldn’t be surprised if he leads all freshman in the conference in scoring.

Dejounte Murray – Washington: I really like this kid, almost a mirror image of Jamal Crawford on the court. With Williams-Goss gone, a lot of opportunity for this kid to take over.

The Loaded Arizona Class – Haven’t seen enough of Ray Smith yet, but if there’s someone to come out the pack and take Freshman of the year it’ll probably be Allonzo Trier. Simon looks like more of a solid role player at the moment, Comanche is still rail thin and I just haven’t seen enough of Smith yet although this site does have him going in the first round in next year’s draft.

Stephen Thompson Jr. – Oregon State: This kid can really fill it up, he has a complete offensive game and a smooth feel that can’t be taught. His only problem is he’s rail thin and struggles to play through contact. There is a chance he’ll struggle to get minutes because of his lack of strength.

Aaron Holiday – UCLA: Jrue’s younger brother is very talented and extremely aggressive at the lead guard position. He has the type of confidence on the court that can get him some major minutes immediately, most likely playing a 6th man role if Alford wants to keep his son at the point guard spot.

Chimezie Metu & Bennie Boatwright – USC: Two top 100 recruits who should see a lot of playing time immediately for a very young USC team. Metu has the offensive foundation but is only a raw athlete and lob target at the moment. Boatwright at 6’10 is a knockdown shooter with a smooth offensive game. Interesting to see what these kids will do next year.

Jaylen Brown is the definite favorite but there are some very talented freshmen in this conference that have the potential to give Brown a run for his money.