Big East Basketball: Top 10 players entering the 2018-19 season

5. Kamar Baldwin, Butler

2017-18: 15.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 44.2/33.1/77.5 percent shooting

There isn’t a whole lot that Baldwin can’t do on the basketball floor. He can finish at the rim and create for his teammates. He is a confident three-point shooter and an effective rebounder for a 6-foot guard. On the defensive end of the floor, Baldwin is a constant menace, hounding opposing ball handlers for steals and deflections, always looking to turn defense into offense. He has been a key part of Butler’s 46 wins over the past two years.

We’re splitting hairs here, but the only thing that suppresses Baldwin’s value relative to his conference peers is his efficiency. Of the 38 Big Easters who posted a usage rate north of 18 percent last season, Baldwin finished just 29th in offensive rating (104.1). He posted a similar number as a freshman as well.

Offensive rating clearly isn’t everything, but it indicates how often a player is creating points on the possessions he uses. I worry that without former teammate Kelan Martin drawing multiple sets of eyeballs, Baldwin’s efficiency could slip even further now that he is shouldering the load as the top dog.