Villanova’s Josh Hart Should win AP Player of the Year
As the second half of the college basketball season progresses, we are beginning to see how the March Madness bracket will shape out. From what we have seen so far this year, the NCAA tournament should be a lot of fun. The tournament isn’t the only thing that college basketball fans look forward to at the end of the season. There is usually a lot of debate and attention surrounding the AP National Player of the Year award.
There are many worthy candidates this year, as college basketball got an influx of talent from the freshman class. Frank Mason III(Kansas), Josh Hart(Villanova), Lonzo Ball(UCLA), and Malik Monk(Kentucky) are the favorites to win the award. This is an interesting choice for the Associated Press(AP) to make, as there will most likely decide between two seniors(Hart, Mason) and two freshman(Ball, Monk). I believe that Josh Hart should win this prestigious award for his incredible play on the nation’s best basketball team.
This is a very difficult decision to make, but it comes down to the fact that Hart has been more effective than the other three players on their respective teams. Here are the current AP college basketball rankings to show where each team stacks up.
Conveniently, Villanova, Kansas, UCLA, and Kentucky are all in the top 5 of the AP poll. I think it is appropriate to give the National Player of the Year to a player on a successful team, and that will most likely be the case this year. That being said, it is hard to ignore how good Villanova has been this year. After winning the national championship last April, Villanova looks even better this year. They are far more balanced as a team, and that can be attributed to their main man Josh Hart.
Look at the numbers each of these players have been putting up this season to see why Hart should come away with the award. The last two stats on the line are PER(Player efficiency rating) and WS(Win shares) to show how effective each player is towards his team winning.
Josh Hart: PPG: 18.8 APG: 3.6 RPG: 6.5 PER: 29.5 WS: 4.7
Frank Mason III: PPG: 20.3 APG: 5.3 RPG: 4.5 PER: 26.1 WS: 3.9
Lonzo Ball: PPG: 14.6 APG: 8.0 RPG: 5.5 PER: 24.3 WS: 3.9
Malik Monk: PPG: 21.4 APG: 2.3 RPG: 2.3 PER: 25.8 WS: 3.3
Hart probably has the least impressive numbers of these four players until you look at Player efficiency rating and Win shares. Hart has the best PER and total win shares by a considerable margin. This means that the impact Hart has on his team is greater than that of the other three players. Considering that Villanova is the top ranked team in the country, and has been most of the year, Hart has to be the choice for the National Player of the Year award.
Another thing helping Hart this year in winning National Player of the Year is the fact that he is a senior.
The Associated Press has loved seniors recently, as four of the past six winners have been fourth year players like Hart. This year’s freshman are probably the best we’ve seen in the last five years, but to win this award you need to be a monster like Anthony Davis was when he won. Davis averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game. I repeat 4.7 BLOCKS. Unreal.
Hart’s higher player efficiency rating is a true tribute to his game. The 6'5 shooting guard is an all around player that can shoot from three(37.5% this season), and slash through defenses effectively to finish with his strong frame(60.3% eFG).
What brings it all together for him is his defense. Hart has good size and quickness, which allows him to guard at least three positions on the floor. He does a very good job at guarding a lot of different guys, and that type of versatility really helps a team, hence the high win shares. Josh Hart is unique defensively. That’s what gives him the edge over Mason, Monk, and Ball(Point guards that guard one or two positions), and it’s what will eventually get him rotation minutes in the NBA.
The other players that are in the running to win the award are all very deserving in their own right. I just feel that right now, Hart must be the winner since he is more effective than the other players on the nations best basketball team. Frank Mason is probably the biggest threat to Hart, so we’ll see how the rest of the season goes for these talented players.
