Super-Early Grades for CBB's Top Freshmen of the 2015-16 Season

The start of each college basketball season brings about plenty of expectations for what will happen. Most of these are from the team standpoint, focusing in on which ones will get off on great starts that indicate a strong chance to win the national title.

But we can't help but get excited about what the latest crop of star freshmen will bring to the court, since a good amount of the offseason was spent on hyping them as superstars. We're only a week into the 2015-16 season, and a lot can still happen, but to this point, we're able to at least make an initial assessment of these star players.

Check out our evaluation of the top freshmen in college basketball, giving them super-early grades based off how they've fared in their first two or three games.

Jaylen Brown, California

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One of two high-profile freshmen (along with power forward Ivan Rabb) who chose California over more notable programs, Jaylen Brown is a prospect who's going to draw plenty of NBA scouts for the Golden Bears' biggest games this season.

Those who happened to check him out so far against lesser foes Rice and UC-Santa Barbara have seen some good results from the 6'7" wing but not as great as projected. He's averaged 15.5 points on 44 percent shooting, making 5-of-15 field goals in his collegiate debut and then 6-of-10 on Monday.

Projected by NBADraft.net as the No. 3 pick in 2016, Brown will get his first real test on Nov. 26 against San Diego State in Las Vegas. He and the Bears will also play at Virginia in December.

Grade: B

Thomas Bryant, Indiana

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Indiana is off to a dominant 3-0 start, every win by at least 20 points, and much of that has been due to the uptempo approach that Tom Crean preaches and a heavy dose of three-point shooting. But what's separated this team from the 2014-15 version that failed to make the NCAA tournament is an inside presence, which Thomas Bryant has brought so far as a freshman.

The 6'10" Bryant has averaged 13.0 points and 7.3 points to this point, making 16-of-20 shots, which includes several jumpers away from the point. Though Bryant is in there to be an inside force, which he showed in Wednesday's blowout win over Creighton with four blocked shots, his ability to shoot from all areas adds another dimension to what could be the Hoosiers' best team yet under Crean.

''He's tuned in, he's tuned in,'' Crean said, per the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo). ''He's having a lot of fun.''

Grade: A

Jalen Brunson, Villanova

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Jalen Brunson has been billed as Villanova's next great guard, following the likes of Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry and Darrun Hilliard. The early returns are that he's worth this hype, both as a scorer and distributor.

The 6'3" Brunson had 12 points in his debut against Fairleigh Dickinson and on Tuesday added nine points and six assists against Nebraska. He's got a strong 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio to this point as he and the rest of the Wildcats have shared the ball well to the tune of five players in double figures and 63.5 percent of the team's baskets coming off passes.

Brunson hasn't faced particularly strong defense yet, but the challenges will come soon enough. Villanova plays Stanford in the NIT Season Tip-Off on Nov. 26, and in December the Wildcats will play top-10 teams Oklahoma (in Hawaii) and at Virginia.

Grade: B+

Henry Ellenson, Marquette

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Marquette has gotten off to a rough start to the 2015-16 season, with two home losses in three games, including by 13 on Wednesday to Iowa. Yet this hasn't prevented the Golden Eagles' most notable recruit since Dwyane Wade from making an impression.

Henry Ellenson was Marquette's leading scorer in its first two games, with 21 and 18 points respectively; though, he was held to three points on 1-of-8 shooting in an 89-61 home loss to Iowa on Wednesday.

The 6'10", 245-pound Ellenson is Marquette's best option inside, but he's trying to make an impact as a perimeter shooter as well. That's only resulted in two made three-pointers in 13 tries.

Grade: C

Brandon Ingram, Duke

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Duke had to replace four starters from last year's NCAA title team, but a highly regarded recruiting class has made it so the Blue Devils shouldn't drop off too much. Brandon Ingram was the gem of that group, and to this point, he has had the greatest impact of all Duke's newest players.

The 6'9" forward, who works best on the perimeter, has averaged 13.3 points through his first three games though he's been all over with his scoring because the shooting touch hasn't been there. He had four points in his debut, 21 in the second game and 15 in the loss to Kentucky, with only the middle game resulting in a strong shooting percentage.

For the year, Ingram has made 13-of-33 shots, or 39.4 percent. And that doesn't begin to describe his defense, or lack thereof, to this point.

Ingram's length should be problematic for players he defends, but he hasn't used it yet, instead playing very soft on defense.

"Ingram's defense leaving much to be desired early," Laura Keeley of the News & Observer tweeted during the Kentucky loss. "Has that swinging (open) door move down."

Grade: C

Skal Labissiere, Kentucky

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Kentucky's overabundance of big men was so noticeable last season that it seemed like there were also three or four of them on the court at all times. But most of those ended up leaving for the NBA, and the Wildcats' frontcourt is far thinner and younger than seven months ago.

That just means more for Skal Labissiere to do on his own, which hasn't been much of a problem to this point.

The 6'11" Haitian-born phenom has lived up to the hype so far, with 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 rebounds per game. It's been a game-by-game thing, though, as he had 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting against NJIT and was 6-of-10 from the field in his other two games.

Labissiere's numbers haven't shown his impact to this point, but give it time.

Grade: B+

Jamal Murray, Kentucky

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Jamal Murray should still be in high school right now, but over the summer he decided to reclassify and head to college a year early. That's been Kentucky's gain and every opponents' loss so far, starting with the national teams he dominated during the Pan Am Games and which has continued during the outset of his collegiate career.

The 6'5" guard, who starred for Canada against Team USA and others, has been fun to watch in every game he's played. The college games have been full of highlights, most notably on the highest stage so far when he had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in the Champions Classic win over Duke.

Though he's Kentucky's shooting guard, in terms of the starting lineup, he has the ability to play the one or the two when Tyler Ulis isn't handling the point.

"He's a positionless player," Kentucky coach John Calipari told Bleacher Report's Jason King. "We can use him anywhere on the court."

Grade: A-

Malik Newman, Mississippi State

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Not every superstar player who enters college after a summer of hype can get off to amazing starts, and a few end up struggling before they find their way. Malik Newman fits into this category, because the prolific scorer that first-year Mississippi State coach Ben Howland expects to be "a one-and-done player," per Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger, hasn't yet shown this superiority on the court.

Newman missed the Bulldogs' 2015 opener with a toe injury, then had only six points on 2-of-8 shooting in a home loss to Southern. On Wednesday he had 15 points in MSU's 26-point defeat to Miami (Florida) in the Puerto Rico Shootout.

A player who has the capability to be the top-scoring freshman in the country, Newman is playing point guard for Howland's Bulldogs but has only four assists in two games. He's yet to turn the ball over, but if he's searching for his shot instead of creating open opportunities for others, he won't fit into the system as planned.

Grade: D

Ben Simmons, LSU

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LSU has won its first three games by a combined 45 points, which is 11 fewer than Ben Simmons has contributed so far in his college career.

The 6'10" Australian has topped 20 points in the past two games, dropping 23 on 9-of-14 shooting along with 16 assists in Wednesday's win over South Alabama. For the year, he's averaging 18.7 points and 12.7 rebounds as well as 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks.

In other words, Simmons is a stat-stuffer, just like he was during the Tigers' Australian overseas tour and what he was expected to do as a player who considers himself a "point-forward."

So far, all of Simmons' games have come in front of friendly crowds in Baton Rouge, but his next two games will be in New York City (as part of the Legends Classic). We'll have a better idea of what Simmons can do, but to this point, it's been pretty fun to watch.

Grade: A

Caleb Swanigan, Purdue

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The recruitment of Caleb Swanigan has the most (public) controversy of any top-tier recruit this past season, as he originally committed to Michigan State and then backed up just before the spring signing period. The 6'9", 260-pound forward ended up signing with Purdue, which should make for some fun times when the Spartans and Boilermakers meet in Big Ten play.

MSU appears to be doing just fine without him, as evidenced by the Champions Classic win over Kansas. So, too, has Swanigan performed in the first three games of his college career, which has resulted in averages of 11.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Swanigan is one of three big men on Purdue's roster, but senior A.J. Hammons didn't play in the first two games. That meant Swanigan had to be more involved, and he had double-doubles in both games.

Grade: A

Allonzo Trier, Arizona

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Allonzo Trier arrived at Arizona with a reputation for being a player who hadn't seen a shot he didn't like, a prolific scorer who launched the ball at every possible moment. After spending the preseason working with coach Sean Miller, Trier has morphed his game into one that still involves plenty of scoring but isn't resigned to just jumpers.

Trier has come off the bench to average 14.3 points per game during Arizona's 3-0 start, including 22 against Bradley, when he only attempted five shots but made 14-of-14 free throws. He had 13 points in Wednesday's win against Boise State, scoring nine consecutive at one point during a key rally for the Wildcats.

"The stretch he went on in the second half, it looked like high school for him," Ezra Amacher of the Daily Wildcat tweeted.

Grade: B+

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.