3) Zane Martin, New Mexico
3.1 APG. 1.43 AST/TOV Ratio, 24.3 AST Rate, 17.4 TOV Rate
Zane Martin returns to Albuquerque as an expected leader among a relatively youthful and inexperienced group. Last season Martin was heralded as a big time scorer coming out of Towson back on the East Coast in the Colonial Athletic Association. But fans around the Mountain West found the 6-4 guard to be a little more multifaceted in his new role with the Lobos. He established himself as a scorer, distributor, and key defender for New Mexico down the stretch and will need to build on that success going forward.
Martin found himself thrust into the starting lineup and many times as the primary ball-handler where he performed well with what little time he had to make the adjustment following off the court issues with true point guard, J.J. Caldwell, and veteran guard JaQuan Lyle.
Martin will be counted on pretty heavily this coming season by his coaching staff and teammates to run the offense. And though he showed potential as a floor general last season, he needs to see a lot of improvement in that area with little reinforcements brought in over the offseason to help out.
2) Hunter Maldonado, Wyoming
4.0 APG, 1.31 AST/TOV Ratio, 30.1 AST Rate, 16.3 TOV Rate
Like A.J. Walker, Maldonado opted to return to his team after Wyoming’s coaching change back in March, and like the Falcons the Cowboys are going to be better off for it come opening night. Maldonado is a do it all kind of player, but what makes him particularly dangerous for opposing defenders is the fact that he is a 6-7 primary ball handler.
Wyoming didn’t necessarily have the most efficient offense last season, but Maldonado was responsible for nearly 30% of the Cowboys converted assists. So with majority of this Cowboy’s team returning along with some promising incoming recruits looking to fill some gaps on the floor we saw last season, Maldonado should excel once again. Although the change in coaching staff and playing style may ultimately benefit this do-it-all play maker. We may see a shift in production in 2020-2021 with sharpshooter Jake Hendricks gone and returning sophomores Kwame Marble II and Kenny Foster back to fill that void after great showings in the conference Tournament.
1) Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State 4.5 APG, 2.28 AST/TOV, 27.3 AST Rate, 16.3 TOV Rate
The reigning freshman of the year took the Mountain West by storm last season and led a talented but young Rams team to a top-half conference finish. His passing ability just becomes more impressive when you factor in his age and experience compare to other top assist men in the Mountain West last year. His 4.5 APG was good enough for third in the conference only behind Malachi Flynn with 5.1 APG and JaQuan Lyle with 4.6 APG. Both of those guys were entering college while Stevens himself was an underclassmen in high school.
His numbers simply speak to what caliber of player he is this early on in his career, and that is an extremely exciting thing for Rams fans.With majority of his offensive weapons back this season Stevens should continue to flourish in the backcourt alongside junior Kendle Moore. I think we are looking at the conference’s leading assist man in 2020-2021, but the hole in the Ram’s frontcourt needs to be filled if that’s going to happen. Having a guy like Nico Carvacho to dump it down to every night definitely makes your job a lot easier as a point guard.
Also considered: Trey Pulliam, San Diego State; Kendle Moore, Colorado State; Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State; Justin Bean, Utah State; Seneca Knight, San Jose State; Marvin Coleman, UNLV; Marcus Shaver Jr., Boise State; David Roddy, Colorado State; Omari Moore, San Jose State
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