Ranking the Most Important Bench Players in College Basketball
Even the best college basketball players need a break from time to time, which is why having a dependable bench becomes so important. The ability to have reserves who can step in and maintain the same level of play as starters is often what separates the good teams from the great ones.
Several of the country's top teams this season are getting key contributions from bench players—ones who are good enough to start but either can't break the starting five or are more valuable as a backup.
We've ranked the eight most important reserves in college basketball based on their production, the role they play and their impact on the 2015-16 season to this point.
8. Ja'Quan Newton, Miami (Florida)
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Seniors Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez and junior Davon Reed are firmly entrenched in Miami's backcourt as starters, but the trio only play about 70 percent of the available minutes each game. That's because the Hurricanes have a very capable backup in sophomore Ja'Quan Newton—one of the country's most improved players this season.
The 6'1" Newton has tripled his scoring from 4.0 points per game as a freshman to 12.0, which is second-best on the team. In 21.7 minutes per game, he's shooting 51.6 percent from the field including 61.3 percent over his last four games.
Newton has also shown a knack for playing hard defense, and his comfort on the court has prevented Miami from having to overwork Rodriguez at the point, so he's fresh later in the season. In 2014-15 Rodriguez wore down and eventually missed time because of injuries that could have been prevented had he had someone to spell him.
7. Jabari Bird, California
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Jabari Bird has started 39 games in his threeseasons with Cal, including the first six of 2015-16. But since being moved to a reserve role, he's had to adjust to playing in shorter bursts and not scoring as much.
That's just fine by Bird, a 6'6" junior guard who as a backup now focuses on "making the right basketball play," he told Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bird is averaging 8.3 points per game while shooting 44 percent, though in his last five games he's scored only 24 points while mired in a shooting slump. Cal moved him out of the starting lineup to insert 7'0" center Kameron Rooks, thus moving the talented 6'11" freshman to the 4. Rabb has thrived in this move, and it gives Cal better balance.
It also gives the Golden Bears a veteran coming off the bench, which paid off in a key December win against then-unbeaten St. Mary's when he played 31 minutes and hit the game-winning three-pointer.
6. Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona
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Kaleb Tarczewski became the 50th player in program history to record 1,000 career points on Thursday, according to the team— a feat he would have accomplished sooner had he not missed eight games with a stress reaction in his foot. The 7-foot senior center has played in two games since returning, coming off the bench in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
The reserve role is meant to help him ease back into playing shape, going for 15 minutes in his first game back and then 24 in Thursday's loss at UCLA. In that game he had his first double-double of the season, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, providing some of Arizona's best interior defense in an otherwise poor performance in that area.
Tarczewski may soon return to his old starting spot, which sophomore Dusan Ristic currently holds, but for now he's providing key minutes off the bench at a time when Arizona is in desperate need of stops on defense.
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5. Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina
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Few teams have gotten better production from their bench than North Carolina, which twice this season has had to replace injured starters with substitutes on a temporary basis. But to show just how deep the Tar Heels' bench has been, neither guard Marcus Paige's broken hand or center Kennedy Meeks' knee injury has impacted the role Isaiah Hicks has played.
Game in, game out, the 6'8" junior forward has been a model of consistency. He's scoring 9.6 points with 4.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game while shooting an astounding 67.9 percent from the field, pulling down at least four boards in 13 of 16 games and scoring in double figures nine times.
Hicks' production has increased since Meeks got hurt, despite his minutes not increasing much. Joel James took Meeks' spot in the starting lineup, while Hicks remained a reserve, scoring 11.6 points per game in Meeks' absence.
4. Deyonta Davis, Michigan State
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Denzel Valentine's absence because of a knee injury has put the spotlight on the Michigan State guards who have had to fill in for him on the offensive end. But just as important, while Valentine has been out—and for the entire season—has been the play of Deyonta Davis in a reserve role.
The 6'10" freshman forward is playing just 17.1 minutes per game, but in that time he contributes 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting a team-best 67.4 percent from the field. He's scored in double figures in three of the four games since Valentine got hurt, making 17 of his 19 shots.
Davis is also the team's top shot-blocker, with 36. Ten of those have come in the last three games.
3. A.J. Hammons, Purdue
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A.J. Hammons made his first start of the 2015-16 season on Thursday, returning to the spot he'd held for much of his first three seasons at Purdue. Coach Matt Painter told Michael Marot of the Associate Press (via WTHR-TV Channel 13) the change was made because of how "stagnant" the Boilermakers looked in their previous game, a home loss to Iowa, but didn't indicate if it was a one-time thing or a permanent move.
Until that's been decided—Purdue next plays Sunday at Illinois—we're going to consider the 7'0" Hammons as a bench player, and one of the country's best. After all, he is leading the team in scoring (14.1 points per game), blocks (2.8) and field goal shooting (63.6 percent) and is second in rebounding (7.8).
The only thing that keeps him from being the most important reserve is the fact Purdue has another darn good center in 7'2" sophomore Isaac Haas. Purdue also has one of the nation's top freshman big men in 6'9", 260-pound Caleb Swanigan.
Hammons' skill set is also well-regarded by NBA scouts, which is why NBADraft.net ranked him as the No. 32 overall pick in 2016.
2. Deonte Burton, Iowa State
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Deonte Burton transferred from Marquette midway through the 2014-15 season, forcing him to sit out Iowa State's first nine games. The Cyclones were perfect without his services and are 3-2 since he became eligible, but they're much better off now that he's available.
The 6'4", 240-pound junior guard has been a monster off the bench for ISU, twice earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors in his brief action. His best effort yet came in a narrow loss Saturday at Oklahoma, when he scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in just 20 minutes.
That performance prompted many to wonder if he'd be better used as part of the starting lineup, but Iowa State only plays seven guys on a regular basis. Burton would replace either wing Abdel Nader or shooting guard Matt Thomas, though he's more of a cross between those two and thus works better as a backup.
"Burton scores off the dribble," Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register wrote. "Stop his path to the rim, and he’ll nail a step-back three-pointer. Defend him on the perimeter, and he’ll take it to the hoop."
1. Luke Kennard, Duke
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Until it gets senior forward Amile Jefferson back from a foot injury, Duke is down to just six players it can use for considerable minutes. Luke Kennard is the only member of that sextet who isn't starting, yet he's just as important as any one of the other five Blue Devils.
He might be even more important than those starters, since he's the one who provides them with helpful breaks or relieves them during periods of foul trouble. Because of this, the 6'5" freshman guard is the country's most important bench player.
Kennard averages 12.1 points in 23.1 minutes per game, and though he came into college with a reputation as a sharpshooter, that hasn't been where his impact has been felt. Just a 28.4 percent three-point shooter so far, Kennard is contributing most with his aggressive style, drawing fouls and leading him to the line.
He's made 53-of-57 foul shots—a 93 percent clip that ranks fifth in Division I.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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