Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 Player of the Year candidates for 2021-22 season
. . Trevion Williams. 9. player. 492.
2021-22 stats: 13.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.2 apg
What’s interesting is that if the season ended today, Trevion Williams would be the Big Ten Basketball 6th Man of the Year. He’s come off the bench in 10 of Purdue’s 13 games this season in favor of Zach Edey, who has had a big sophomore campaign as the starting center.
The Boilermakers have been the clear-cut best team in the Big Ten to this point, being ranked No. 1 a few weeks ago for the first time in program history. And multiple players have played a big part in that. But it has felt as if Williams has flown under the radar to this point for a pair of relatively new players on the scene.
Yet Williams is the guy that led Purdue in both scoring and rebounding last season, leading them to a surprising 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament on 15.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg averages. His numbers are a little lower since he’s playing five fewer minutes on average but Williams is shooting 61% from the field and putting up career-high passing and steal numbers as well. It’s also important to note that it’s Williams, not Edey that has been closing out games due to his better defense and passing, while also being a better pure low-post scorer.
With Williams recently being inserted back into the starting lineup, he’s likely not going to qualify for 6th Man of the Year. But he and Boilermakers are in position of the ultimate prize in the 2022 national championship.