NCAAB · 1 year ago

Standout Players to Start the College Basketball Season

David Connelly

Host · Writer

Dillon Jones - Weber State
Possibly a less familiar name than the others on this list, Dillon Jones has been a paint monster for Weber State this season. He started the campaign with three games of 20 or more points and ten or more rebounds, including a 29-point outburst in a comeback victory over Saint Mary's in Moraga, a victory that put the Bobcats on the map. He's among that crop of guard-forwards with the length to finish and rebound around the rim while also being able to drive the lane and occasionally find open teammates based on the attention he demands. Outside of LeDee, Jones may have the best chance among all mid-major players to make an All-American team if he keeps up this level of play.
PJ Hall - Clemson
We've known PJ Hall to be a solid high-major player over the years, but he has developed into a bonafide star in 2023. The senior has completely elevated his game, taking on a bigger role within the offense while somehow becoming a more efficient scorer. Hall's versatility is what makes him great as someone who can take you in the post, off the dribble, or knock it down from the perimeter. He's willing Clemson to become a legitimate threat within the ACC, and it's caught our attention in the opening month of the season.
Zach Edey - Purdue
The only words you can ever use to describe Zach Edey is "cheat code." He is undeniably the best and most valuable player in the sport and the frontrunner for back-to-back Wooden Awards this season. Despite a dominant 2022-23 season, Purdue seemed to enter the Maui Invitational as a sleeper team, where Edey proved to be unstoppable as they plowed through the field. Despite what you may hear about last season's disastrous loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Purdue remains the team to beat, and Edey is the reason why.
Reed Sheppard - Kentucky
In a class full of elite five-star players, the local four-star is the one who is making all of the headlines. Reed Sheppard has had a monumental impact on Kentucky through their first seven games, and it's coming in various ways. Whether it's his 12.3 points per game, including two 20-point outbursts, his tenacious on-ball defense, his solid rebounding, or a nearly three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio, Sheppard is leaving his fingerprints all over the early-season success of the Wildcats. There may not be a player who has seen his draft stock rise more in November than Sheppard.
Jaedon LeDee - San Diego State
Jaedon LeDee is undeniably the best player you have never heard of in the country. The San Diego State star averages 24.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game across their first seven contests of the season. He currently ranks second in KenPom's Player of the Year rankings, only behind Purdue big man Zach Edey. He has come out of nowhere as a senior after holding a bench role for the Aztecs in their national championship run last season. He went over 20 points in just two of 39 games last year and has already notched five games of the sort this season. San Diego State is legitimate, and they have found their go-to option as they push for back-to-back Mountain West titles.
Dillon Jones - Weber State
Possibly a less familiar name than the others on this list, Dillon Jones has been a paint monster for Weber State this season. He started the campaign with three games of 20 or more points and ten or more rebounds, including a 29-point outburst in a comeback victory over Saint Mary's in Moraga, a victory that put the Bobcats on the map. He's among that crop of guard-forwards with the length to finish and rebound around the rim while also being able to drive the lane and occasionally find open teammates based on the attention he demands. Outside of LeDee, Jones may have the best chance among all mid-major players to make an All-American team if he keeps up this level of play.
PJ Hall - Clemson
We've known PJ Hall to be a solid high-major player over the years, but he has developed into a bonafide star in 2023. The senior has completely elevated his game, taking on a bigger role within the offense while somehow becoming a more efficient scorer. Hall's versatility is what makes him great as someone who can take you in the post, off the dribble, or knock it down from the perimeter. He's willing Clemson to become a legitimate threat within the ACC, and it's caught our attention in the opening month of the season.

Standout Players to Start the College Basketball Season

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