Wooden Watch: Award still Williamson’s to lose — even from the sideline

4:05 am | March 7, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

7:00 AM ET

When he missed a dunk and broke two bones in his back after he swung off the rim and fell to the ground during a game against Eastern Michigan in the 2009-10 season, former Ohio State star Evan Turner‘s Wooden Award campaign seemed to be finished.

The initial diagnosis for Turner was an eight-week absence for an Ohio State squad with national title aspirations. But Turner missed six games over a month before returning to finish with eight points, five assists and five rebounds in his first game after the injury, a win over Indiana.

He’s the most recent Wooden Award winner to miss at least five regular-season games, a mark Duke‘s Zion Williamson could match if he’s unavailable for Saturday’s matchup at North Carolina, per ESPN Stats & Information.

Like Duke, which escaped Wake Forest (yes, Wake Forest) with a one-point victory in Durham on Tuesday, Ohio State struggled without Turner (20.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.7 SPG). The Buckeyes went 3-3 in the six games he missed. The three losses (by a combined 39 points) came against nationally ranked Michigan State and Butler teams and a Michigan squad that entered the 2009-10 season ranked 15th in the Associated Press preseason poll.

RJ Barrett has managed to keep Duke alive throughout Williamson’s absence. But, per Mike Krzyzewski, Williamson might miss his fifth consecutive game this weekend, which could mean he’d end the regular season playing just 36 seconds in his final six contests.

Voters understood the difference between Ohio State with Turner and without him. That’s why he still managed to win the Wooden Award. It’s clear that this Duke squad is not the same team we watched against Texas Tech, Virginia and Kentucky with Williamson.

But this is also a unique situation.

Turner got hurt midway through the season. Kenyon Martin (with Cincinnati in 2000) suffered his season-ending injury in the conference tournament. But Williamson could wind up as the first Wooden Award winner to miss the final portion of the regular season.

Who would win the award today?

Zion Williamson

Entering Tuesday’s win over Wake Forest, Duke had averaged 112 points per 100 possessions with Williamson on the floor. Without him? Just 102 points per 100 possessions, per hooplens.com. The Blue Devils managed 93 points per 100 possessions in a 71-70 win over Wake Forest, a team ranked 198th in the latest NET.

Williamson is winning support for his Wooden Award campaign even though he’s on the bench. That’s not difficult to do if you’re the lone superstar on a middling roster. But this is Duke, a team that has two top-10 picks without Williamson on the floor. Yet his impact on both ends of the court has been obvious in the four-plus games he has missed.

It’s always fun to consider the potential upsets. Could Barrett steal the award from his teammate with his strong finish? What if Markus Howard or Cassius Winston continues to elevate his respective squad?

It’s an interesting conversation. But no player has managed to duplicate Williamson’s production (21.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 1.8 BPG), effort or impact against the competition he has faced.

It’s still his award.

Next three contenders

RJ Barrett

He’s the reason Duke has kept its No. 1 seed. Barrett has been a bully in Williamson’s absence, averaging 26.2 points in four-plus matchups without his costar.

In any other season, this would be his award. He just set Duke’s freshman scoring record, surpassing Marvin Bagley III. Think about all the great freshmen who’ve played for Krzyzewski.

This has been a remarkable season for the first-year star and projected top-three pick.

But the same folks who’ve been intrigued by Williamson have overly scrutinized Barrett. His most recent run, however, has allowed him to showcase his innate finishing ability.

Markus Howard

First: an apology to Marquette fans. Howard’s omission last week was not deliberate. Howard might be Williamson’s greatest threat.

It’s difficult for players on the same team to secure serious consideration for national player of the year honors, even when they’re playing as well as Barrett and Williamson are right now. Plus, Howard is soaring in Milwaukee with the Golden Eagles.

Entering Wednesday’s crucial game at Seton Hall, he was averaging 25.5 points and connecting on 43 percent of his 3-point attempts. With him, Marquette chased a Big East title. Without him, the Golden Eagles might not be a bubble team.

Cassius Winston

This has been one of the most impressive national player of the year campaigns in recent history. Winston has lost more than any player on this list. Both Joshua Langford and Nick Ward were averaging 15 points when they suffered significant injuries.

Langford is done for the season, and Ward, who has already missed four games because of a hand injury, might not return until the postseason.

Yet Michigan State will secure a slice of the Big Ten title with a win over rival Michigan on Saturday in East Lansing, all because Winston, who is suffering from knee tendinitis per coach Tom Izzo, has been Superman this season (18.8 PPG, 7.6 APG, 42 percent from the 3-point line).

The other contenders (stats entering Wednesday)

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