NCAA 14-15 National Freshman of the Year Predictions

By Camden Joiner on November 17, 2014

Kevin Durant. Carmelo Anthony. John Wall. Anthony Davis. Besides having tremendous basketball abilities in common, these guys have also all won the National Freshman of the Year Award.

Considering the NBA only requires one year in college to enter the NBA Draft (or be of age), oftentimes the best players in the NCAA leave after their first year. Because of this, freshman players have a surprisingly drastic impact on programs’ success and often times are the best players on the floor.

The following are this season’s contenders for the National Freshman of the Year Award.

Image via dukechronicle.com

Jahlil Okafor, Duke

The top ranked recruit according to ESPN.com of the 2014 draft class is Jahlil Okafor. Duke just previously lost last year’s Freshman of the Year, Jabari Parker, to the NBA Draft, but I think Jahlil Okafor will be even better.

Jabari struggled to find his role in the Duke offense and seemingly split time playing at every position on the floor. The Blue Devils couldn’t put the pieces together in time and were bounced out of the March Madness Tournament in the first round by Mercer.

Standing at 7 feet tall, Jahlil Okafor already knows his role. Even from the start of the Blue Devil’s season versus Presbyterian, it was obvious who the go-to man for Duke was.

Okafor towers over the lesser competition leading to easy buckets and offensive boards. He’s also a surprisingly good passer. On the defensive side of the ball, Okafor has the ability to protect the rim and collect rebounds effectively.

Quite similar to last season, Duke doesn’t have an exciting shooter (like former player Austin Rivers for instance) who could turn the spotlight off Okafor. The Blue Devils will consistently be feeding him the rock in the paint and lean heavily on his rim protection on defense.

This will certainly lead to a critically acclaimed season for Jahlil and might even earn him the No.1 overall selection in the NBA Draft.

Image via maxpreps.com

Stanley Johnson, SF/SG Arizona

While only rated at the 7 position in his recruiting class by ESPN.com, Stanley Johnson will look much more like a top 3 guy when the season concludes.

Johnson comes in as the perfect fit for Sean Miller’s Arizona offense, which is famous for its lock down defense. But since losing Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon in the off season, analysts wondered who on the Wildcats would actually put points on the board.

In steps Stanley Johnson, who will fix that problem quickly. Perhaps the best shooter in his recruiting class, Johnson will have the opportunity to shine under Miller’s offense and lead the team in scoring.

This will bode very well for Johnson in the end of year awards as Arizona is one of the elite teams in the NCAA and is expected to go far. While a 7 footer can be a consistent daunting presence in the paint, most fans enjoy watching a lights-out shooter just a little bit more.

Image via maxpreps.com

Myles Turner, C Texas

Much like Jahlil Okafor, Myles Turner is another 7 footer poised to take the NCAA by storm this season. Rated just under Okafor at No.2 by ESPN.com, Turner surprised many by eventually committing to Texas. The Longhorns’ best recruit since Kevin Durant, the pressure is already on Turner to succeed.

Despite being so similar on the outside, Turner and Okafor are actually quite different players. Turner can really shoot the ball, even from outside the paint, but is not as good defensively as Jahlil. They are both in quite similar situations; Turner will absolutely be the best player on the team and won’t have any problem stealing the spotlight.

While they hopefully will be competing on the court, the two will also be top favorites to battle for the year end awards. Okafor is of course the early favorite and won the recruiting top spot battle, but Turner has a quiet upside that Okafor lacks.

Myles can be very thrilling and when he really gets going it can be very exciting to watch, which could give him an edge over Okafor’s Tim Duncan-like methodical consistency.

Image via kentuckycrazies.com

Karl Towns, PF/C Kentucky

I’ve written extensively about Karl Towns already this year and there is a simple reason for that: this kid is good.

The Wildcats are currently the nation’s top ranked team which makes it the perfect place to be for award-seekers. Both Anthony Davis and John Wall would win the National Freshman of the Year Award after playing successful seasons with Big Blue. Towns absolutely has the skills and upside to win this award, but there is only one thing standing in his way.

Surprisingly enough, that obstacle is playing time. Kentucky, without a doubt, has the deepest team in the NCAA season, specifically the front court. Towns will have to compete with Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, and even Trey Lyles from his own draft class for playing time. He might even be resorted to a role off the bench, which certainly won’t win him the Freshman of the Year.

That being said, I expect Karl Towns to break out to be one of the best players in college ball this season and earn a spot in the starting line-up as well as the ball.

However, I do think the winner will be …

National Freshman of the Year Prediction: Jahlil Okafor

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