Editor’s Note: This week, we’ll be making the case for each of the top five finalists for national player of the year. Coming Tuesday: Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk and Creighton’s Doug McDermott. Wednesday: Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Michigan’s Trey Burke.
Creighton’s Doug McDermott is a model of efficiency.
The junior forward scores on the inside and the outside. He has led the Bluejays to two straight NCAA tournament appearances and is the first junior in history of the Missouri Valley Conference to surpass 2,000 points.
The reason McDermott is one of the top candidates for the Wooden Award is because of what he has accomplished this season. He ranks fourth nationally in Win Shares -- Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk is the only Wooden Award finalist with more win shares than McDermott.
McDermott does have the most Offensive Win Shares this season at 7.2. (Offensive Win Shares estimates the number of wins contributed by a player due to his offense.)
Most Offensive Win Shares
Division I This Season
He also ranks third this season with a Player Efficiency Rating of 33.3 (the national average is 15.0).
McDermott is so efficient because he shoots at a high percentage. He’s the only player in the country shooting at least 55 percent from the field, 45 percent on 3-point attempts and 85 percent from the free throw line. The last Division I player to do that was BYU’s Lee Cummard in 2007-08.
McDermott ranks fourth in the country in true shooting percentage, which is a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account field goals, 3-point field goals and free throws. McDermott’s 49.7 3-point percentage would be the second highest by a Wooden Award winner behind Duke's Christian Laettner (55.7 percent, 1991-92).
Why is McDermott so effective?
Highest Player Efficiency Rating
Division I This Season
He leads Division I with 1.63 points per play in transition (minimum 50 plays), averages 1.17 points per offensive play, the highest average in the country (minimum 350 plays), and averages 1.36 points per play on jump shots, the second-highest average in the country (minimum 100 jump shots).
The only player from the Missouri Valley Conference to win the Wooden Award is Larry Bird in 1978-79.