Best Freshmen Seasons since 2000. Boy will we love who ESPN has as #1 !

[kywildcat41035]

We have quite a few on here:
25. Malik Monk
22. Demarcus Cousins
19. Karl-Anthony Towns
12. John Wall
1. Anthony Davis

Where Cooper Flagg ranks among 25 greatest freshman seasons of this century

Where does Flagg's season rank among greatest freshman campaigns of this century? Myron Medcalf breaks it down.

www.espn.com

 

[BassProCat]

If AD wasn’t 1 then we riot the streets

 

[Tprinceuk]

Surprised Murray isn't on the list.

 

[SemperFiCat]

I'm pretty shocked Zion and Cooper weren't 1A & 1B, and I'm not kidding at all.

 

[kywildcat41035]

If AD wasn’t 1 then we riot the streets

I definitely agree!

 

[WeWant9]

I don’t know if many can top Davis’ 2012 run. Won basically every award possible, got a title, #1 draft pick, plus a gold medal.

 

[Creed Bratton]

I have to say I am shocked that Cooper and Zion aren't 1 & 2. I mean it is ESPN after all.

 

[WCSPlayedWRInHS]

Just saying but if you put John wall on duke and he had the same stats and his team had the same results as Kentucky did that season, he would be ranked top 5 on this list.

 

[kywildcat41035]

Just saying but if you put John wall on duke and he had the same stats and his team had the same results as Kentucky did that season, he would be ranked top 5 on this list.

Towns probably should've been higher too for a team that lost in the final 4 and had just that 1 loss that year! Heck even Cousins should be higher too for that matter he was nearly unstoppable down low!

 

[Creed Bratton]

Surprised Murray isn't on the list.

I totally agree with you but there is no way Duke isn't going to have the most players on the list.

 

[BlueSince92]

Plenty of these numbers you could argue with based on druthers but this is not druthers:

Unless you’re trying to make this a three-point shooting contest there is no sane metric that warrants putting Andrew Wiggins above Karl-Anthony Towns. Seriously. The final season results and the individual stats are both night and day. Sure Wig took over a few games but plenty of SEC scrubs have wandered into Rupp over the years and taken over games. You gonna put them on this list? Where is Jack Gohlke? The only other argument you could make is how big a role he played on his team but that’s something you can dump on anybody and make them look sorta good in a sense if that’s all you care about and not how far it gets the team when it matters. If it is, sure—rank Wiggins above KAT but then you better make things right and put him below So Car Steamrollers Devan Downey and Savir Dimes Wheeler.

As for Zion, they’re obviously considering the whole season average including health. At his peak no one has touched what that dude did or maybe ever will. But he was healthy, what? Eight games?

 

[fadkins82476]

I'm pretty sure no one will ever accomplish what AD did in his one season here. NPOY, Defensive player of the year, first team AA, NCAA championship and MOP of the tournament, plus setting a UK blocks record.

 

[crawfords corner]

End results on the court are what matters most.

Agree with AD, but I differ on the next 4

I'd have Melo second, Durant third, Williamson fourth, and Flagg fifth.

 

[Dalroxas]

Lemme guess, Carmelo Anthony and Flagg are 2 and 3? Zion top 5 as well as kyrie. I hate the slurp fest the media gives to Duke. Godddddd Duke is the great Satan.

 

[crawfords corner]

Lemme guess, Carmelo Anthony and Flagg are 2 and 3? Zion top 5 as well as kyrie. I hate the slurp fest the media gives to Duke. Godddddd Duke is the great Satan.

Flagg and Zion are 4th and 5th.

 

[Dalroxas]

Melo definitely deserves a top 5 position. Zion shouldn’t be top 5 simply because he didn’t win a title. Having said that, AD and Melo both won titles leading their teams as freshman. It’s so incredibly rare. If Memphis had defeated Kansas, I’d have put Rose at 3. I may put Rose at 3 still. I think Durant should be 4th and Flagg 5th.

 

[cat tat2]

John Wall should be in the top 10, IMO.

 

[silentsaregolden2.0]

Flagg should not be in the Top 5 because he was the opposite of a clutch player. He doesn't have that gene, and proved it multiple times this year.

 

[Zissou87]

I feel like Beasley should be higher.

 

[kywildcatsfannumber1]

Got #1 right for sure. What a special season that was for Anthony Davis here!

 

[noncomposmentis]

Monk will always be my answer to "What player from the Calipari era did you think would be a can't miss/very good pro who turned out not to be?" I know he eventually has had some success with the Kings, but he's not what I thought he'd be. More than anyone else from that era......

 

[NewHock15]

I actually think Beasley should be higher. Dominated in college on a team that really only had him and Bill Walker. Had better numbers than Durant and got robbed when he lost the player of the year award to Hansbrough.

 

[fatguy87]

Plenty of these numbers you could argue with based on druthers but this is not druthers:

Unless you’re trying to make this a three-point shooting contest there is no sane metric that warrants putting Andrew Wiggins above Karl-Anthony Towns. Seriously. The final season results and the individual stats are both night and day. Sure Wig took over a few games but plenty of SEC scrubs have wandered into Rupp over the years and taken over games. You gonna put them on this list? Where is Jack Gohlke? The only other argument you could make is how big a role he played on his team but that’s something you can dump on anybody and make them look sorta good in a sense if that’s all you care about and not how far it gets the team when it matters. If it is, sure—rank Wiggins above KAT but then you better make things right and put him below So Car Steamrollers Devan Downey and Savir Dimes Wheeler.

As for Zion, they’re obviously considering the whole season average including health. At his peak no one has touched what that dude did or maybe ever will. But he was healthy, what? Eight games?

KAT probably beats Wiggins in a 3 point shooting contest lol

 

[BlueSince92]

KAT probably beats Wiggins in a 3 point shooting contest lol

Right?

 

[michaeluk26]

I'm pretty damn shocked Wall is at 12. He's easily top 5. Dude was a human highlight reel.

 

[UK90]

Apparently ESPN has decided that in sports time began 25 years ago. Seems like all these lists they do nowadays are “since 2000.”

Maybe because none of their writers can remember before 2000.

 

[d2atTech]

Melo definitely deserves a top 5 position. Zion shouldn’t be top 5 simply because he didn’t win a title. Having said that, AD and Melo both won titles leading their teams as freshman. It’s so incredibly rare. If Memphis had defeated Kansas, I’d have put Rose at 3. I may put Rose at 3 still. I think Durant should be 4th and Flagg 5th.

I thought so too right after MSU beat them, but in retrospect I think he deserves it. his freshman stats were off the charts in an absolute sense, and he didn't play selfish ball.

If he had better eating habits, the NBA would have been on watch for years. With his obesity and lack of discipline, he's still putting up ludicrous numbers in the NBA: 25/7/5

 

[Fox2monk]

Towns probably should've been higher too for a team that lost in the final 4 and had just that 1 loss that year! Heck even Cousins should be higher too for that matter he was nearly unstoppable down low!

I think Randle should have made the list as should Murray.

 

[Fox2monk]

Monk will always be my answer to "What player from the Calipari era did you think would be a can't miss/very good pro who turned out not to be?" I know he eventually has had some success with the Kings, but he's not what I thought he'd be. More than anyone else from that era......

Monk has been a very good pro.

 

[Tubbyfan78]

It’s AD, then the Grand Canyon then Whoever is #2.

 

[Smashcat]

I'm pretty shocked Zion and Cooper weren't 1A & 1B, and I'm not kidding at all.

This!😜

 

[shaudyshaud]

I feel like Beasley should be higher.

He was must see TV for sure .

I wish he chose a better school but he was definitely the man at K-State

 

[shaudyshaud]

Speaking of Beasley I felt like his freshman year was on par if not slightly better than KD .

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Agree with Zion being a distant #2.

 

[TheDude73]

Lemme guess, Carmelo Anthony and Flagg are 2 and 3? Zion top 5 as well as kyrie. I hate the slurp fest the media gives to Duke. Godddddd Duke is the great Satan.

It's more ESPN than the entire media. In fact, when Puke lost, there were a ton of anti-Duke media headlines, except ESPN (of course).

The fact remains that ESPN has a hoard of Duke and UCONN grads working both on the screen and in the background.

 

[TheDude73]

Apparently ESPN has decided that in sports time began 25 years ago. Seems like all these lists they do nowadays are “since 2000.”

Maybe because none of their writers can remember before 2000.

More likely that there were too many players that would have been easily higher picks than Duke players.

Remember, the initial idea for that article was likely kicked off with "was Flagg the best ever freshman and while we're at it see how many other Duke freshmen were awesome to put in that list...but we have to make sure that list has more Duke freshmen than UK or anyone else".

Go back another 10 years and you get in the world where only the very few elite went straight to the NBA. I bet that would have shrunk the Duke total to numbers ESPN didn't want to admit.