NCAA Basketball: 10 best bets to win 2021-22 Naismith Player of the Year
By Tommy Farmer
Jaden Ivey +2500
April Headline: Sophomore Standout Lives Up to the Hype; Leads Purdue to Big Ten Title
The preseason Jaden Ivey hype train is flying down the rails at full speed ahead taking everyone in its path. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a player go from considered pretty good his freshman season to a perceived superstar before his sophomore season even begins, but Ivey and his Big Ten backcourt associate Andre Curbelo seemingly have.
After starting last season slowly, Ivey eventually gained the trust of head coach Matt Painter. He made the most of his early opportunities and saw his minutes and his role sizably increase by the season’s end. In his last ten games, Ivey averaged 15.8 PPG including a 26-point performance in Purdue’s lone tournament game against North Texas.
If you watched Ivey last season, it isn’t hard to figure out why so many people think he’ll break out this year. He plays with a certain confidence and fearlessness that not many players his age possess. Sometimes his play borders on reckless, but it is better to have that gear and need to learn to harness it than to not have it at all. An important component to taking a large sophomore leap will be learning how to balance his aggressiveness with knowing when to not force the issue.
In large part due to heightened expectations for Ivey, Purdue is the preseason number seven team in the country. Paired with star Trevion Williams, Ivey has the potential to catapult the Boilermakers to the top of the rankings and the top of the Big Ten. If Ivey can improve upon his offensive efficiency and become more of a playmaker for others, Purdue should spend all season comfortably in the top ten and Ivey should be a Naismith candidate.