Washington Basketball: 2019-20 season review of the Huskies

2019-20 Key players for the Huskies

Isaiah Stewart

Stewart came to UW after garnering the Naismith Trophy for the best high school player in the country. While the team may have disappointed, it’s hard to call Stewart a disappointment after he averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game on 57.1% shooting from the field and 77.4% from the free throw line in his first and only season in college hoops.

Stewart stands six-foot-nine with a ridiculous seven-foot-four wingspan, and his ability to score around the basket, grab rebounds and block shots made him an elite college basketball player an helped him earn All-PAC-12 honors.

Now, Stewart already stated he will take his talents to the NBA next year, not only declaring for the draft but announcing his intention to sign with Roc Nation, officially forgoing his opportunity to return to school. While he probably won’t go in the lottery, Stewart seems like a solid first-round pick and should carve out a nice role in the NBA.

Jaden McDaniels

McDaniels may not have had as statistically solid of a freshman year as Stewart, but he’s generally regarded as the better NBA prospect thanks to his size and near limitless potential.

McDaniels finished the year averaging 13 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, along with 2.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals. He only shot 40.5% from the field, however, along with a pedestrian 33.9% from downtown – a figure that will need to come up for him to reach his potential as an All-Star in the league.

McDaniels also had potential character issues while at UW, leading to his benching toward the end of the season. Many felt he gave up on the team when it was clear he would be in the NBA and the Huskies weren’t going anywhere – a trait that will no doubt give NBA scouts pause – especially now that they will have less opportunity to meet with him before the draft occurs.

Quade Green

Green was UW’s third-leading scorer and the team’s pure outside shooting threat before he missed most of conference play after being ruled academically ineligible in early January.

Green shot a ridiculous 44.7 percent from beyond the arc while posting averages of 11.6 points and a team-leading 5.3 assists per game. The Kentucky transfer was settling in as a key distributor for this UW squad, and the team’s 4-13 record after his suspension is proof he was a necessary part of what they were doing on both ends of the floor.