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Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett Highlight 2019 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
November 5, 2018
The NCAA released its 2019 Naismith Trophy watchlist Monday, with Duke teammates Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish leading the charge.
Duke matches Kentucky's three players (Reid Travis, P.J. Washington and Keldon Johnson) for the most among all schools.
North Carolina senior Luke Maye, arguably the favorite, appears on the list alongside freshman teammate Nassir Little.
Naismith Watchlist Names
Butler G Kamar Baldwin
Duke F RJ Barrett
Syracuse F Tyus Battle
USC F Bennie Boatwright
Oregon C Bol Bol
Villanova G Phil Booth
Boston College G Ky Bowman
Kansas State G Barry Brown
Nevada G/F Jordan Caroline
Loyola-Chicago G Clayton Custer
South Dakota State F Mike Daum
Purdue G Carsen Edwards
Marshall G Jon Elmore
Arkansas F Daniel Gafford
Vanderbilt G Darius Garland
Georgetown C Jessie Govan
Davidson G Kellan Grady
Kansas G Quentin Grimes
Virginia G Kyle Guy
Gonzaga F Rui Hachimura
Wisconsin F Ethan Happ
Marquette G Markus Howard
Virginia G De'Andre Hunter
Kentucky G Keldon Johnson
West Virginia F Sagaba Konate
Indiana G Romeo Langford
Kansas F Dedric Lawson
North Carolina F Nasir Little
Nevada F Caleb Martin
Michigan G Charles Matthews
North Carolina F Luke Maye
Indiana F Juwan Morgan
Minnesota F Jordan Murphy
Nebraska G James Palmer
Villanova F Eric Paschall
St. John's G Shamorie Ponds
Duke F Cam Reddish
Virginia Tech G Justin Robinson
Tennessee G Admiral Schofield
South Carolina F Chris Silva
Gonzaga F Killian Tillie
Kentucky F Reid Travis
Kansas State F Dean Wade
Kentucky F PJ Washington
LSU G Tremont Waters
Iowa State G Lindell Wigginton
UCLA G Kris Wilkes
Tennessee F Grant Williams
Duke F Zion Williamson
The watchlist features nine freshmen, seven sophomores, 13 juniors and 20 seniors. An upperclassman has won the award each of the last five years, including four seniors. Trey Burke was the last underclassman to win Player of the Year honors in 2013, and Anthony Davis a year earlier is the lone freshman in the last decade and only one of two in history to pull off the feat.
If you're looking for a fun spoiler, it may come in the form of South Dakota State forward Mike Daum, who has led the Jackrabbits to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. Daum averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season and is one of the best three-point shooters in the country.
Maye's top competition may wind up being Kansas forward Dedric Lawson, who sat out last season after a transfer from Memphis. Lawson put up 19.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 blocks per game during his sophomore campaign. He's one of the nation's most well-rounded players and should be the leader of a Kansas team that enters 2018-19 ranked No. 1 in the country.
Despite their hype, it would be a surprise to see any of the Duke freshmen bring home the honors. There is a lot of individual agenda and draft hype to be realized for players to take enough of a lesser role for one to shine enough to win POTY. Duke's success will be dependent on the sum of its parts rather than one individual shining.