Player of the Week
[player: Jordan McLaughlin] – USC
After four games, the Trojans lead the Pac-12 with a 3-1 record. Their starting point guard had a fantastic week, earning player of the week honors. McLaughlin was a highly touted freshman coming out of high school, but for whatever reason, he struggled to acclimate to the college game. McLaughlin’s sophomore campaign has been his coming out party. McLaughlin has improved his shooting percentage by 13 points this year. While most of it has come from the three-point line, it speaks to how hard he has worked to get better. This week, McLaughlin had to carry USC against Arizona in a thrilling four overtime game. The sophomore guard had 17 points, four assists and five rebounds. While [player: Elijah Stewart] was the player of the game, McLaughlin’s poise throughout the game was outstanding. [player: Julian Jacobs] also had a rough game, making the play of both McLaughlin and Stewart that much more important. In USC’s second game of the week, McLaughlin was the best Trojan on the floor. The sophomore went for 23 points, shooting 50 percent while chipping in three rebound and four assists. Finding a reason for McLaughlin’s improvement this year really isn’t that difficult, he seems to be better off the ball. This is odd for somebody averaging five assists a game, but the sophomore thrives offensively when he gets the ball and the defense is already moving. McLaughlin can use his quickness to get to the rim or find somebody else, or he can use his newly found three-point shot to bury the opponent. I harped on McLaughlin all last year to find a three-point shot, this season he is reaping the benefits from opposing teams having to guard him behind the arc. USC certainly looks like a NCAA tournament team, the only question remains how high of a seed they can get.
Who’s Hot
[player: Dillon Brooks] – Oregon
Simply put, Brooks has been on fire the past two games. Against Stanford the sophomore scored 15 and also added 10 rebounds and seven assists. Brooks turned the ball over a bit, but no matter, he was still a monster. Against Utah, the sophomore was unstoppable in the high post. Brooks would receive the ball, take one dribble and drill a midrange fadeaway jump-shot. The sophomore scored 21 points and added eight rebounds leading the Ducks on a big road win. The next step for Brooks is clearly his three-point shot. He isn’t athletic enough to survive in the NBA without one. I can bet he is working on it though, it will make him even harder to guard in college. I’m looking forward to Brook’s play next week.
[player: Josh Scott] – Colorado
Even though the Buffaloes lost to Utah in a close game, Scott deserves a spot on this list. The senior flat out-played [player: Jakob Poeltl]. The senior probably wishes that he had a better shooting game, but it doesn’t change the fact that he held Poeltl to 2-8 shooting and just six points. Pretty good from Scott if you ask me. While the forward only had 10 and 10 against Utah, he dominated against Oregon St. Scott had 25 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, leading the Buffs to a 71-54 victory. While the senior’s shooting has fallen back to a more mortal 58 percent, he is still a beast when he has it going. The Buffaloes are a hard team to read this year, some people think they are pretty good, others think lower rung. It seems that Colorado will just be on the fringes this year, not bad but not particularly good either.
Who’s Cold
[player: Jakob Poeltl] – Utah
Yes, Poeltl has only had a couple of bad games in a row, but the loss the Utes took to Oregon was just alarming. The Ducks seemed to take the life out of the Utes, while playing in Utah. The lack of offense surrounding Poeltl might finally be catching up to Utah. Oregon actually had an interesting strategy when doubling the sophomore forward. The Ducks would wait until Poeltl was deeper into the paint, then double quickly. It was tough for Poeltl to find people that quickly. Obviously, the sophomore hasn’t played well the last two games, averaging just seven points in two games, but the Oregon game seemed like a cry for help. The Utes just gave up. They really had a chance to win and they just allowed Oregon to pull away at home. To me, this is where the blame falls on Poeltl. I understand [player:Brandon Taylor] and [player: Jordan Loveridge] are the seniors on the team, but they just aren’t playing well. Poeltl had to find a way to ignite the team and he just didn’t have it in them. Oregon is really good, but Utah has to find their way before it’s too late.
Top 5 Pac-12 freshman
Here is my long-awaited list of Top-5 Pac-12 freshman. This is intended to be a list of how they have performed, not what type of NBA players they project as. Here is who I think is playing the best so far this season.
5. [player: Dejounte Murray] – Washington
The first player on this list was actually a hard choice, but I’m siding with a player who’s on one of the surprises of the Pac-12, Washington. Murray is way too inconsistent right now for the NBA, but that’s okay. He has shown the ability to pass the ball rather well and he even rebounds. Clearly, the thing that Murray needs to work on is his efficiency. The freshman turns the ball over too much right now and needs to improve his three point shot. In the end, he has all the tools to be an elite player. He’s got length, good vision and can get hot enough from three to carry a game. I’m looking forward to what Murray has in store for us over the coming years.
4. [player: Alonzo Trier] – Arizona
The freshman guard from Arizona is this low because of his lack of passing ability. Clearly, Trier can score with the best of them in the Pac-12 but he just seems to lack something every time I watch him. Some scouts don’t think he has it in him, but I disagree. DeMar Derozan entered the league lacking a great deal of parts to his game, and he has turned out very good. While Trier lacks Derozan’s size and athleticism, he could turn into a DeRozan lite, in the right situation.
3. [player: Tyler Dorsey] – Oregon
Dorsey’s play has gone down recently, but I still think he’s worth the third spot on this list. The freshman has just been touching the nets less with Brooks running the offense so much. Dorsey hasn’t passed the ball as much and that’s just fine. The reason Dorsey is on this list is because of his efficiency. The freshman is already incredibly efficient with the ball, both passing and shooting. He is a great three-point shooter and is long. NBA teams will literally give Dorsey a look because of his size and I’m positive they’ll be happy at what they see. The guard is adept at getting into the lane and drawing fouls, definitely something you cannot teach. He also just knows when to force a shot or pass, also something you cannot teach. While Dorsey is great, there are still some things he needs to work on. Defensively he can get lost in switching and he fouls way too much. Athletically he is not the best, but there is definitely room to improve. All in all, Dorsey has been one of my favorite freshman to watch this year and lands himself at number three.
2. [player: Jaylen Brown] – California
Brown has grown considerably since he beginning of the year. The forward’s three-point shot has improved enough in order for teams to take him seriously, opening up his driving game. Brown’s best trait, by far, is his ability to drive to the rim with no regard for anyone on the basketball court. The guy is a missile hurtling to the rim that’s going to end one of two ways, a foul or a basket. I honestly really like how he has ben playing recently. Brown has been more in the flow of California’s offense and he doesn’t seem to be forcing the issue as much. Defensively, he has a long way to go, but don’t get me wrong, he is definitely improved. Brown has the athleticism to get away with most of his mistakes in College but this just wont cut it in the NBA. He has to move his feet more and actually get in front of the other man. NBA scouts love Brown and I can definitely see why. He is an athletic monster that seems to work incredibly hard to improve with every game. Brown has the most potential of this group by far, I just hope he can round out his game completely in college before he jumps to the NBA.
1. [player: Ivan Rabb] – California
Rabb has clearly been the best freshman I have watched this year and really, I don’t think that it’s been close. The freshman forward was actually projected to have a lot of work to do, but he has been one of their best players this year. Offensively, he is further along than anyone could have thought. Rabb seems to be a great touch around the rim and attacks the paint with more ferocity than I attack my mother’s cooking (I like to it). The dude just seems like he’s everything on the offensive glass, snagging everything within his octopus reach. If I was looking for anything for Rabb to improve on, it would be a jump-shot. Making defenders cover him away from the rim would increase the freshman’s offensive output jump trough the roof. Defensively, Rabb can already hold up with the best of them in the Pac-12. While he definitely needs to gain some weight (he can get backed down too easily right now) he is a cat in the paint. Rabb is can be everywhere on a given possession. Hedging a pick at the top of the arc, then scrambling back to protect the rim. Rabb might not be the best NBA player out of this group, but he traits that will directly translate to the NBA. Rabb’s rebounding and hustle are going nowhere and he also has so much room on offense to grow. I would be incredibly surprised if nobody took a shot on Rabb, he has the potential to be a beast.