Big 12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

20. Dedric Lawson

In this series, we’ve already covered the incredible work Lawson did at Memphis, but he was just as essential later in his career. A 6’9 forward from Memphis, he left his hometown Tigers after two seasons to transfer to Kansas. A former Top 40 recruit, Lawson starred for the Jayhawks during the 2018-19 season and put up some impressive figures.

A major weapon in Kansas’s frontcourt, Lawson would average 19.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in that lone season with the Jayhawks. He had multiple 30-point efforts, shot nearly 82% from the free throw line, and had incredible metrics in that season at Kansas. Unfortunately, the Jayhawks fell short in the Big 12 Tournament and in the Big Dance, getting upset by Auburn in the second round. Lawson’s collegiate career ended with a pair of 25-point outings in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Lawson was First Team All-Big 12 and among a rare breed of power conference players averaging a double-double. He actually led the Big 12 in rebounding, having done the same twice previously in the AAC. Though Kansas disappointed at the end of the year, they were not disappointed with the effort or production that Lawson added to the roster.